Page 44 of The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop

Henry must have snuck in while they were out. It comforted her to know that he might be sitting in a quiet corner somewhere reading one of the books, although she couldn’t remember telling him about the lunch. ‘It was lovely, but…’ How she wanted to offload onto Henry, to tell him the news about the shop. He was always a wonderfully warm and caring listening ear and would know exactly the right words to reassure her, but she stopped herself just in time. ‘I definitely overindulged. I had a big bowl of pasta, followed by tiramisu. It was absolutely delicious! I won’t need any tea, that’s for sure.’

‘That’s how it should be, and it is Christmas after all, so overindulgence is allowed.’

‘Will I see you again? Before Christmas, I mean?’ she asked, a sudden fear rising within her. She would want to say goodbye to him properly before she left the shop for good but how could she know when that might be?

‘I’ll make sure of that, don’t you worry. See you soon,’ said Henry, the bell tinkling as he left.

She did worry though because there were only two working days left until the shops would close for the Christmas period and she hadn’t had a proper chance to say goodbye to all her regular customers. What if she missed Henry or any of the others and never got the opportunity to see them again? She couldn’t even explain her side of the situation, not when she’d promised Jonathan and Miriam that she wouldn’t let the secret out of the bag about the imminent shop closure.

‘Right, we’re going to make a move,’ said Miriam, who appeared from the flat upstairs with a couple of boxes. ‘What a lovely lunch it was. Thank you, Isla, for everything. I hope you realise how special you are to the both of us. You’re the nearest we’ve ever come to having a daughter.’

Miriam’s words took Isla’s breath away. She screwed her eyes tight and threw her arms around Miriam, dropping her head onto her shoulder, taking some slow, deep breaths to get her emotions under control. When she came up for air, she held Miriam’s shoulders and gazed into her eyes.

‘No, thank you. I’ve had such an amazing time these last few weeks. It’s been brilliant. And today’s lunch? What a treat it was! Thank you so much.’

‘It was our pleasure entirely,’ said Jonathan, taking Miriam’s place and giving Isla a big hug. ‘We’ll always be very grateful to you for licking this shop back into shape.’

‘Will I see you again before Christmas?’ Isla asked, concerned, as she had done with Henry.

‘We wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. We’re going to pop in on Christmas Eve before we set off for Bristol.’

‘If there’s anything you want to ask us in the meantime, then you can always call us,’ said Miriam with a knowing glance, although Isla had no idea what she could possibly mean.

‘Come on,’ said Jonathan, shaking his head. ‘Let’s get you home, Miriam. You’ll be all right, closing up on your own?’

‘Absolutely,’ said Isla with a smile. She was an old hand at it now and besides, there wouldn’t be many more opportunities for her to appreciate the alone time at the end of the day so she was going to make the most of it while she could. There would be plenty to reflect on, she thought with a sigh.

‘What on earth are we going to do?’ she said to Heathcliff once the shop had emptied, feeling a tear escape and roll down her cheek.

The cat jumped up on to her lap, winding his silky body against her, nuzzling his face into her neck, emitting an insistent purr.

‘You’re right, Heathcliff, there’s only one thing we can do.’

28

Isla had given a passing thought to cancelling her date with Guy but she had left it far too late. Her mind had been so distracted with all thoughts of the shop that it wasn’t until she was leaving work that she realised that she had a little under two hours to get ready. She needed to get home, shower and change, and try to be at least a half-decent dinner guest.

All day, she’d been in a world of her own, her mind taunting her with so many random ideas. Where would everyone be in a year’s time from now? she’d wondered. The shop might be standing empty or it could have been turned into a hairdresser’s or a beauty parlour with modern fittings and neon lights. She couldn’t imagine somewhere like that would provide a warm and safe refuge for Heathcliff. And what about Henry? Where would he go every day, as he tried to find a welcoming bolthole to escape from the solitude of the bungalow? Hopefully, Jonathan would be enjoying a return to health and he and Miriam would be off discovering the furthest reaches of the British Isles in a camper van with a dog in tow. It sounded wonderful and she could understand entirely why they would want to do something like that. She quite fancied the idea herself.

Isla would be established in her new role at Bookish Books by then, probably working all hours, poring over spreadsheets, and wondering where the next bestseller was coming from. She couldn’t imagine the stress levels would be any less than at her old company or that she might have found a better work/life balance. Perhaps she might be able to move into a flat of her own, but the way rental prices were going in London, she couldn’t see it being a realistic option in the short-term, even with a considerable salary hike.

‘Are you all right?’ Penny had asked her during a quiet moment. ‘You’ve been in a funny mood all day. Not your usual bright, bubbly self.’

Was it any wonder? It was hard to be filled with Christmas spirit when there were so many uncertainties in her life and having to watch what she said to Penny, and the customers, not wanting to let the cat out of the bag, had been anxiety-inducing to say the least.

‘Can I tell you a secret?’ she said with a glint in her eye. ‘I’m going on another date tonight and I’m wondering what ever possessed me to say yes in the first place.’

Isla hadn’t intended on telling Penny, but she’d wanted to confide in her on some level, and this seemed the perfect subject to provide a little light relief and a distraction from shop business.

‘Really? Is it another date with Guy? Ooh, things are getting serious!’

‘I don’t know about that,’ Isla said, realising the intensity of their relationship had definitely shifted.

‘Well, it’s obvious how much he likes you. He’s always in here on one excuse or another to see you. The way he brings you those coffees is so sweet, and he has this really cute smile on his face whenever he’s talking to you.’

Isla had noticed his cute smile too, the one that spoke directly to her insides. She supposed she had developed a bit of a crush on him, but that in no way meant he was suitable boyfriend material. Isla didn’t even know that she was in the market for a boyfriend.

‘Really? He’s cooking for me, but I’m not sure…’ Her voice trailed away.