Page 27 of The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop

Jake’s face was a picture of disbelief. ‘Wow. Why? You didn’t see that coming, did you?’

‘Absolutely not.’

Isla explained how she had been completely unprepared for the news and how she was still reeling from the shock. That she almost couldn’t come to terms with a brutal end to what until then had been a glittering career.

‘Jeez. I’m so sorry, Isla.’ He reached a hand across the table for hers. ‘I know how much you loved your job and how hard you’ve worked to get where you are. What will you do?’

Isla shrugged and puffed out her cheeks. ‘I’m not sure. Start looking round for another job in the new year, I guess, but honestly, my heart’s not in it. Obviously, I’ll have to find something and pretty quickly too because I have bills to pay, but I gave everything to that company and I don’t know if I can do it again. That’s why I’ve been so grateful for the shop. I knew that sitting at home brooding would only make matters worse. Now, I’ve got something else to focus my energies on. It’s been a bit of a lifesaver, to be truthful.’

‘Well, it always was your happy place,’ said Jake affectionately. ‘But what I can’t understand is why you haven’t told Mum and Dad?’

Isla let out a big sigh. ‘Mum’s going to be so upset. I can’t bear the thought of her disappointed face. She makes out to everyone that I’m some Reese Witherspoon figure, single-handedly holding up the entire publishing industry. It will break her heart.’ Every time she imagined how that conversation would go, it filled her with dread. Now, she looked across at Jake, who had thrown his head back, laughing. ‘It’s not funny,’ she chided him.

‘Sorry, I’m thinking of you as Reese Witherspoon. I can definitely see the similarities; the hair is the same colour, at least. Look, as someone who has spent my whole life disappointing our parents, I wouldn’t worry about it. They’ll get over it.’ He took a sip from his beer and gave her an encouraging wink. ‘Besides, why are you even worrying what they’ll think? I hate to tell you this, Isla, but you’re a fully functioning adult now.’

‘I know, it’s just…’ Her voice trailed away as she struggled to articulate her thoughts and feelings, but Jake was much more perceptive than she might have given him credit for.

‘It’s okay, Isla. You’re allowed to make mistakes and fail, like everyone else. It’s part of being a human. It’s not a great feeling, I know, but it’s okay to show your vulnerabilities and weaknesses. You’ve always been the golden girl. You’ve excelled at everything you’ve turned your hand to, and everyone loves you for that, but that doesn’t mean to say we don’t all love you just the same when things don’t turn out so well.’

She bit on her lip to stop the swell of emotion that had been gathering behind her eyes from erupting. It was a relief to offload her news onto someone she loved, and she appreciated her brother’s kindness and understanding. Normally, she would be the one giving Jake a pep talk, motivating and encouraging him, but now the roles had been reversed.

‘I don’t know about that,’ she said sadly, her mood picking up with the delivery of her delicious-looking pizza.

‘You know it’s true. Have you ever thought how it was for me having a big sister like you? You were always so much better at everything than I was. Honestly, you were a hard act to follow. You were sporty, captain of the netball team and you even ran for the county. Right? You were musical, reaching grade eight in piano and flute, and taking the leading role in all the school drama productions. You excelled academically, were head girl and achieved a first-class honours degree. Shall I go on? Really, if you hadn’t been my sister, then it would have been quite easy to hate you.’ He softened his words with a smile.

‘I never thought about it like that. I mean, I was only doing the things I loved.’

‘That’s my point exactly. You didn’t even need to try!’ Jake tucked in to his calzone, clearly ravenous and enjoying every mouthful. ‘You’re naturally a superstar. Me, I was never going to come top of the class, or make the rugby team, or win any awards, so I suppose I never had that level of expectation on my shoulders. It must be pretty tough to always be expected to ace every single thing that you do.’

‘When did you get to be so smart?’

‘Hey, I must be picking something up at uni.’

As she took a sip of wine and soaked up the vibrant atmosphere in the restaurant, she felt herself relaxing, grateful for Jake’s company and the way he could always lift her spirits. Could he be right, though? Was she reluctant to tell people about her redundancy because she’d never had to admit to failure before? She’d certainly felt frustrated and powerless, having put all her energies into making the imprint a success, but still being unable to make it work, despite all her best efforts.

‘You know, you just need to tell them, Isla. You’ll feel so much better when you do.’

‘Yeah, that’s what Henry said.’

‘Who’s Henry?’ Jake lifted a curious eyebrow.

‘Oh, he’s a friend from the bookshop.’

‘The guy we bumped into on the way here?’

‘No, that was Guy.’ Would she describe Guy as a friend? She wasn’t sure yet. Her feelings for Guy were confusing. Jake shook his head, looking equally confused, and Isla went on to explain. ‘Henry is a lovely regular customer at the shop. An older guy. He’s the only person I’ve told, apart from you.’

Funny that she’d told two people now about the redundancy and she hadn’t been struck down by a thunderbolt. Perhaps she’d been overthinking it, even if it was the most devastating thing to have ever happened to her.

‘Well, sounds to me as though Henry knows what he’s talking about. Let’s go home and you can tell Mum and Dad with me there.’

‘Thanks, Jake. I will do, but not tonight, eh? I’ll do it soon, though.’

Jake gave her a doubtful look.

‘I will, I promise. Fancy a pudding?’ she offered, keen to move the conversation on to another subject, any other subject…

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