Page 8 of The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop

The girl stuck out her bottom lip and gave Isla a distrustful look, not dissimilar to the one she’d been on the receiving end of from Heathcliff.

‘I do, but I only wanted to stroke the cat. That lady won’t let me.’

Isla gave a friendly shrug towards the mother, hoping she might understand, and the woman directed the little girl back towards the children’s department. It was one of the areas that needed updating. The shelves looked as though they hadn’t been sorted through in years, and there were no festive editions to be seen anywhere. It would make sense to get all the Christmas-themed books out on display on the low table around which were large scatter cushions where the children could sit. Back in the day, they would have story-time sessions for the little ones, which had always proved popular, but she didn’t think Miriam and Jonathan had run those for a while. Perhaps it was time to reinstate them in December. She would need to liaise with Penny who worked part-time, so that there was additional cover when the sessions took place. She put a reminder in her notepad so that she could start making some plans later.

Unpacking another box of books, she stuck a couple under her arm and wandered around the rooms to put them on the shelves, walking through the children’s department as she went. She almost gasped in surprise to see the little girl Amelia sitting on the floor flicking through a book of dinosaurs while all the time, Heathcliff padded across her lap, enjoying the attention.

‘The cat likes me, miss!’ the little girl said accusingly, running her hands through the cat’s fur.

‘Yes, he clearly does,’ Isla agreed, thinking perhaps it was only her the cat had taken against.

Back at the front till, the bell above the door rang to herald the arrival of a new customer. Isla looked up to say hello and felt her heart skip a beat seeing a face from the past, one that roused all sorts of emotions within her. Charlie Brace.

‘Hi!’ It was the best she could come up with in the circumstances, as she felt her cheeks redden.

‘Isla! What a fabulous surprise.’ He opened his arms wide, and she was reminded of a smile that was naturally straight, bright and white, and totally compelling. ‘How are you? You’re working here?’ She caught the note of surprise in his voice, the slight tilt of his head. Mannerisms that were achingly familiar and evocative. ‘That’s brilliant.’

‘Just helping out.’ She was quick to correct him. She didn’t want him thinking that she’d been working in the same shop since she was a teenager. That she hadn’t moved away from the area. That she was still living at home with her parents. That she was the same person as when she last saw him when she was eighteen. They’d spent three years together at school, madly in love, or so Isla had believed, but when they’d both received their places at university, in differing parts of the country, Charlie had announced, out of the blue, that their relationship was over.

Isla had been devastated and disbelieving. They had once talked of a future, one where they would grow old together. They’d had such fun arguing over where they would live and the dogs and the children they would have. Surely their relationship was strong enough to withstand three years away at university? There would be term breaks and holidays where they could reunite, but Charlie had not been interested. He’d made a clean and brutal break and had left Isla doubting everything they had ever meant to each other.

Thank goodness for the distraction of university. Isla had thrown herself into freshers’ week, meeting new friends, drinking too much, and hooking up with several unsuitable guys, determined to have a good time, but all the while holding on to the hope that one day, she might reunite with her first love.

Now, Charlie Brace was back, standing in her safe, happy place, making her feel like a teenager again. He’d changed in the intervening years. It was as though he’d finally grown into his tall, broad frame, and the boyish good looks, with the floppy brown hair and sparkling eyes, had developed into a more polished, smoother appearance. Altogether more manly.

‘How are you?’ she asked, wishing she could have been more prepared for this conversation. She ran a hand self-consciously through her hair, tucking it behind her ear.

‘Good, good…’ He nodded, his gaze appraising her, as though he was wrestling with his own memories from all those years ago. ‘And you?’

‘Great, thanks.’ Where could she begin in catching up on the intervening years? So much had happened to them both. Even though she had long since got over Charlie – she’d had to give herself a stern talking-to for the sake of her own mental health – she had thought about him often over the years and had occasionally checked his social media profiles to see what he was up to.

On last looking, a few months ago, she discovered that Charlie was working in London as an analyst for an American private equity firm. Clearly doing very well for himself, but then he had always been destined for great things.

‘So, tell me, what are you up to these days?’ she asked, feigning ignorance, but genuinely curious to hear what he had to say. A rogue thought spiralled through her head. Maybe they had always been destined to get back together. That they had needed the time apart to realise that their true destiny was with each other. For Isla, there had been other relationships since, but none of them had come close to replicating what she’d had with Charlie. Now, she was drawn in by the easy smile and the lingering look that had once held the power to make her stomach tumble.

Had fate been working its magic in the background, conspiring to bring them back together?

‘Living and working in London, life’s pretty busy. You know how it is,’ he said, laughing. ‘Just visiting the folks for a few days.’

‘Me too,’ she added, feeling an odd fluttering sensation at the top of her chest as she was wholly distracted by the depth and intensity of his eyes.

Serendipity.

‘I’m in…’ She was just about to explain how she was working and living in London too, to find out if they were neighbours or if perhaps they had friends in common, when her train of thought was lost to an annoying interruption. Not now, she wanted to shout.

She turned round to see Amelia, the little girl who had been so enamoured with the cat, come rushing into the main lobby of the shop, squealing in delight and throwing her arms around Charlie’s legs.

‘Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!’

‘Hey, princess,’ he said, ruffling the little girl’s hair with his hand, which served as an unexpected dagger to Isla’s heart. She could remember a time, and it didn’t seem that long ago, when Charlie had called her by that name. He clearly hadn’t been joking when he’d said that life was busy.

‘Darling.’ Now the attractive young woman with blonde hair tied back in a chic ponytail joined them. She was wearing an expensive cream wool coat and planted a kiss on Charlie’s cheek.

It was as though they were putting on a show of happy families, especially for her benefit.

‘Daddy, can I have the dinosaur book, and the space book? Mummy says I can only have one, but I want them both. Please?’

‘Well, I don’t see why not,’ he said, casting a persuasive look in his wife’s direction, who simply gave an indulgent shake of her head in response. Isla had quickly glanced at their left hands and deduced that they were indeed married, presumably to each other, she thought with a deflated sigh. ‘Especially as this lovely lady here, Isla, is my good friend from school.’