Page 35 of The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop

‘Is she? O-kay…’ There was a lot to take in and Isla couldn’t keep the sense of interest from her voice. During her career, Isla had worked across many genres of books, historical, mystery, crime and thrillers, but romance books were her first love and Bookish had a huge romance division with dozens of successful bestselling authors on their list.

‘We’re looking to expand the line even further next year, to hopefully attract a wider, international audience. I’ve spoken to the CEO and the MD, and we’re all in agreement that you’re absolutely the right person to head it up. Hopefully, you can tempt some of your favourite authors to join you. It’s all rather serendipitous.’

‘Right… well, this is certainly unexpected,’ said Isla, still in a state of shock, uncertain how to react.

‘Look, let me email you over some details on the role and the remuneration package. I think you’ll find it extremely attractive. If there’s any further information you need then you only need ask. Let me know what you’re thinking in the next day or two, then we can fix a meeting for the first week in January so that you can come in and meet the team.’

‘That sounds great,’ said Isla, her mind whirring as they finished their call. She knew of Georgia; she was Isla’s counterpart at Bookish, and they performed effectively the same role in the two competing companies. Just a few weeks ago, Isla had been devastated to lose the job she adored, but now she had the opportunity to take up a similar position with a more dynamic and established brand. This was everything she hadn’t even allowed herself to wish for.

Isla was buzzing. She had come upstairs to the empty flat above the shop to take the call while Penny looked after the business, but Isla couldn’t think about going back downstairs yet. She paced up and down, trying to calm her mind and her breathing, as fragments of her conversation with Laura kept vying for attention in her head. She wandered over to the front bay window of the flat and peered outside, the sights and sounds of the busy alleyway filled with specialist shops providing a welcome distraction. She could make out the wool shop at the far entrance, next to the musical instrument repair studio and opposite was Willow Gifts which sold a selection of curios and spiritual-related items. There was also a model aircraft shop and a whole foods store. Although Peacock Mews was tucked away from the busy main high street, it still attracted many visitors, often from people making a special trip to visit one of the individual shops.

Isla turned and walked to the other end of what she now noticed was a surprisingly spacious and airy room, her head lifting to take in every nook and cranny. She wasn’t certain that she had ever been up here before. The back window offered a view of the nearby rooftops, with the church and a snatch of greenery from Princes Park in the distance. There was a faint aura of abandonment in the air, but that was only to be expected when the place had been standing empty for a couple of months. If it were warmer weather, she might have opened the windows up wide and let some fresh air in, but it was far too cold for that. Mainly, it was used as an overflow storeroom these days, so there was a collection of boxes stacked around the sides, but it wouldn’t take much effort to turn it into a cosy and comfortable home. There was a cast-iron fireplace on one wall and black beams above, which Isla thought would benefit from being painted white. Moving on to the kitchen, she moseyed around, noticing that the units must have been replaced in recent years because they were modern and functional, with plenty of cupboard space and there was even room for a circular table and two chairs, perfect for dining. There was a doorway in the kitchen that led outside to a small balcony where she spotted a rusty cast-iron table with a matching chair, that had both seen better days. There were some old upturned plant pots too, their contents long since perished, and a makeshift washing line. Isla cupped her hands on the glazed panel of the door to peer outside. It would be the perfect place to sit and relax with a glass of wine on a warm, sunny summer day. Isla couldn’t help thinking what a shame it was that the whole space upstairs wasn’t being put to better use.

Back downstairs, she couldn’t really settle to anything so she sat at the counter, chatting to the customers as they came and went. Normally, she would fill the time with jobs that needed doing, but there was nothing that pressing that it couldn’t wait until later. She simply wanted to let the day wash over her so that she could be alone to process her chaotic thoughts.

‘Right, that’s me done. I’ll be on my way. Are you all right, lovely? You were away with the fairies there!’ There was a twinkle in Henry’s eye as he buttoned up the front of his coat and popped his cap on his head.

‘Don’t forget your mince pies,’ said Isla, scrabbling around in her bag on the floor, before handing over a Tupperware box. ‘I’m fine, thank you,’ she said, casting a glance in the direction of the back rooms to see if anyone might be able to overhear. When she saw that the coast was clear, she lowered her voice anyway and said, ‘Guess what! I’ve been offered a new job today!’

‘Have you?’ Henry’s face lit up in pleasure. ‘What did I tell you? That didn’t take long at all. Well done, you. What sort of job is it?’

‘In publishing. In London. A very similar job to what I was doing before. It’s a very good opportunity and a good package too from what I’m told, although…’ Her voice trailed away.

Henry fell silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing to observe Isla’s expression.

‘Although…? You must be thrilled?’

‘Yes.’ She should be really. ‘It’s good to know someone wants me,’ she said lightly. It was a relief to share her news, with Henry especially as she’d already confided in him about her job woes. ‘It was a proper surprise.’

‘Well, you deserve all the good surprises, young lady.’ There was another pause as Henry caught Isla’s attention drifting off out through the window. ‘Although I’m detecting a slight hesitation on your part.’

She nodded, feeling a surge of emotion rising in the back of her throat, but she quickly batted it way.

‘I’m sure it will be absolutely fine,’ she said, biting on her lip. ‘Obviously, I need to give it some serious thought.’

What was wrong with her? It was an amazing job offer where she would be working with some of the most creative and innovative people in the business. An opportunity to put the failure of her recent job behind her and carve out a new and successful role for herself. There was no doubt in her mind that she could ace the role so why wasn’t she jumping up and down on the spot with joy? Telling everyone in her life the good news? Instead, she couldn’t help noticing the clawing anxiety inside, an insidious sense of alarm that had been strangely absent these last few weeks.

At that moment, something brushed against her body and she looked down to see Heathcliff winding between her legs. How funny! He hadn’t done that since that first occasion when she met him and she’d scared him off by attempting to pick him up.

Henry came across to the counter and laid a hand on her arm.

‘Take some time to think about it. Let the idea sit with you for a few days. There’s no hurry to make any rash decisions, is there? Think about what it is you want to do, and don’t be swayed by ideas of what you think you should do, or what other people might think is right for you. Follow your heart, Isla, and everything will work out for the best.’

Carefully, gently, she bent down to scoop up Heathcliff into her arms. He didn’t make a run for it this time, but quietly accepted her attentions, nuzzling his body against hers, and purring, as he watched her all the time with those intense emerald eyes. She ran her hand down the back of his beautifully silky coat, finding the sensation soothing and calming.

‘Thanks, Henry,’ she said with a smile. ‘Good advice, I’ll do exactly that.’

23

It was Isla’s day off. Not that she was anticipating having a lazy day because she wanted to get all her Christmas wrapping done and she knew it would take her the best part of the morning to get through it all. Despite her aversion to the task, she settled down at the kitchen table with rolls of paper, Sellotape, a couple of bags of presents, a cappuccino at her side, and an iced gingerbread man for a bit of moral support. She could have done with Penny here who would no doubt have wrapped all the gifts in a jiffy, but Isla was determined to make an occasion of it. She’d turned on the radio to listen to some Christmas tunes as she worked. Fortunately, she had the house to herself. Her mum was hosting a coffee morning at the local church, her dad was hand-delivering Christmas cards in the village and beyond, and Jake had gone to play pool with some friends.

‘It’s just me and you, Oscar? And that’s the way we like it,’ she told the Pointer, who was sitting patiently at her side. ‘Okay, just the tiniest bit,’ she agreed, giving in to those imploring brown eyes and feeding him the last bite of her biscuit. ‘Now, you’ll have to wait, and we’ll go for a W-A-L-K later.’

Isla was looking forward to meeting up with Guy and Lottie over in the fields, although she was trying not to think about it too much because every time she did, she felt her body temperature increase and a giddiness overcome her. This whole job situation had definitely messed with her head, because she felt unusually out of control in every aspect of her life.

As Laura had promised, she’d sent over the details of the offer, and Isla had read through the specification of the role, knowing it had her name written all over it. She actually gasped aloud reading about the salary and bonus package. It was a considerable improvement on her previous salary and while it wasn’t the most important factor when deciding on her next job, it was certainly a consideration, especially when it might have a significant impact on her lifestyle. One of her long-term aims was to find a property of her own. Not to buy yet – that would still be way out of her budget – but she was at the stage where she wanted her own place to rent, where she didn’t have to worry about bumping into flatmates in the middle of the night and she could nip out to the kitchen without thinking to stop if she needed to put some clothes on. This new job would certainly offer her the possibility to do that.

‘Now don’t they look lovely,’ said Isla to Oscar, as she stuck a bow onto the last remaining present. ‘Come on, let’s put them under the tree.’