Page 48 of The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop

While she could quite easily have stayed there all night, in his arms, feeling the pleasure of his skin pressed against hers, she knew that she would have to leave soon. Especially before things progressed any further.

‘Look, this has been so lovely,’ she told him, stretching out her legs and arms, her body feeling entirely relaxed now, ‘but I should probably message Jake to come and collect me. I have an early start in the morning.’

Guy’s disappointment was palpable.

‘Of course.’ There was that beguiling, amused smile on his face that she was becoming familiar with now, the one she wanted to see so much more of. ‘The pleasure has been all mine. Without coming on too strong, I need to say that I really like you, Isla. I’ve had a soft spot for you from that very first day that I met you. I mean, you did come highly recommended by your mother.’

Isla groaned and rolled her eyes. ‘Stop it!’ she said, giving him a playful dig in the ribs.

‘Really though, I like your integrity, your passion for your work, and everything bookish, the way you’re always sunny and genuinely helpful to people, your loyalty to Jon and Miriam, and the way your face lights up with that gorgeous smile whenever I speak to you.’

She cringed inwardly. Had she really been that obvious?

‘Oh, and did I mention how beautiful you are too?’

She felt her cheeks flushing with colour.

‘Thank you, that’s really kind of you, but stop it now, please,’ she said, laughing. She wasn’t used to so many compliments, delivered by such an attractive guy too.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way about anybody and I’m keen to… um… see where this takes us. I think we could have something special together.’

She nodded, appreciating his honesty. ‘I like you too, Guy,’ she said, realising it didn’t adequately express her feelings. ‘I find it easy being with you in a way that I’ve not always experienced with other guys. You make me laugh and I enjoy talking to you. Thank you for this evening; it’s been a lot of… fun,’ she added, for want of something better to say. She could have told him how she thought him incredibly attractive, how she admired his resilience from overcoming bitter disappointments when he was young and the way he had built a new and successful career, but she thought once she’d started singing his praises, she might never stop. ‘I really love this place.’ She looked around her again in awe. ‘And, most of all, I adore Lottie.’ She bent down to give the dog a fuss.

He gave a warm chuckle. ‘See, Lottie, I knew you would swing it for me. So… when will I see you again?’ he asked, his head tilting to observe her. ‘I’m not sure I can wait until after Christmas.’ He pursed his lips together in a way that made him difficult to resist.

‘Look, it’s early closing tomorrow for Christmas Eve and there’s a group of us meeting up at The White Hart afterwards for a Christmas drink; some of the other shopkeepers from the mews will be there and my brother Jake and his friends, and some of my old school friends too. You’d be very welcome to join us if you’d like to?’

‘If it means seeing you again, then definitely. Shall I come and collect you from the shop at three?’

‘That would be perfect!’

A lot of things had fallen into place for Isla tonight. There had been a sprinkling of Christmas magic in the air. All the talk of making the most of opportunities had resonated deeply within her, not because the ideas had only just occurred to her, or she had been influenced by Guy’s suggestions, but because she’d been mulling over all the possibilities in front of her for several days already.

Men like Guy didn’t come along very often so she’d be a fool not to see him again, especially when her reasons for not doing so were only superficial and logistical. Then there was the small matter of protecting herself from a broken heart, but meeting someone new, whoever it might be, would mean opening up her soul and that would inevitably leave her vulnerable to hurt and heartbreak. It was the price of looking for love, but surely it was a price worth paying if it meant you could reach the top of the rainbow.

Then there was a career opportunity that she needed to take full advantage of. She wasn’t sure why she’d been dithering for so long when it represented everything she’d ever wanted from a job. She should have made her intentions known sooner, but she was determined not to dally any longer. Tomorrow, she would have that long overdue conversation.

Beside the beautiful glittering Christmas tree, Guy held open her coat and pulled it up over her shoulders, before turning her to face him, running his hands over her hair and the sides of her face tenderly. Hearing the approach of Jake’s car, Isla couldn’t resist leaning in for one last hug to check that Guy’s kisses were every bit as delectable as she’d first thought them to be. She stood on tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck, and she was relieved to discover that she wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.

‘Thanks again, Guy, for everything, it’s been great.’

She turned to grab the handle of the door, giving one final glance over her shoulder, seeing his smiling face looking back at her and realising that she had so much to be excited about. Things were very definitely looking up.

30

‘Merry Christmas, Isla! My goodness, you’re in early today, and on Christmas Eve too. You really do go above and beyond in your devotion to this place.’ Miriam and Jonathan were already there when Isla arrived early the next morning at Finch’s.

‘Always,’ said Isla with a self-deprecating smile. ‘And Merry Christmas to you both too.’ There was definitely an extra-festive atmosphere palpable in the streets around Bramlingham this morning, even before the shops had opened for their last day of trading before the Christmas shutdown. Isla was wearing a red reindeer jumper along with some novelty antlers especially for the occasion, eliciting big smiles from Jonathan and Miriam. ‘Actually, I wanted to make sure I caught you before you go off on your travels.’

‘Of course, lovely. We’ve got about half an hour before we need to go, but we shouldn’t leave it any longer than that. We need to get on the road before the snow moves in.’

It had been all over the news that a heavy snowstorm was on the way, but Isla knew from experience that it was rarely as bad as the forecasters predicted. She hoped that there might be a light covering at least, enough that she, Jake and Oscar could get out in the garden for a snowball fight. She glanced at her watch. What she needed to say should only take a few minutes, but if she didn’t say it soon then the moment might be lost forever. She went across to the front door to make sure the sign was turned to closed – she didn’t want to be interrupted during her big speech – before addressing Jonathan and Miriam’s expectant faces.

‘Now,’ she said, taking a big breath. ‘You know me well enough by now to know that I adore you both and consider you as very special friends. I hope that what I’m about to say won’t upset or offend you in any way, but I feel I need to say it because otherwise, I will forever regret not speaking up.’

They both nodded kindly.

‘I’m so grateful that you trust me enough to have confided in me about the difficulties that you’ve faced this year, what with your health issues and the responsibilities of the business, and I’m so happy that things are beginning to improve and you have so many wonderful plans for the future. I understand that entirely, anybody would, but I do think it’s an absolute travesty that you’re thinking of selling this historic building and shop.’