Page 84 of The Sugar and Spice Bookshop Bakery

‘The bookshop?’

‘You’ll see.’

Louise must look as sceptical as she feels, because Maddie puts her hand on her arm and says, ‘Trust me. You’re gonna love it. I’ve had the best idea yet!’

*

By the time they pull up outside the bakery, the light is fading and Louise’s back aches from lifting the wardrobe earlier and being squashed up in the van.

‘Shall we leave this here for tonight?’ she says, gesturing at the wardrobe. ‘I don’t think I can face lifting it again.’

‘Tell you what,’ Jack says. ‘I’ll enlist some of the lads from the pub. We’ll soon shift it. Maddie, where’s it going?’

Maddie glances at Louise, then sidles up to Jack, cups her hand round his ear and, standing on her tiptoes, whispers something.

‘You got it,’ he says. ‘And I won’t say a word.’

They watch as Maddie unloads two rolls of chicken wire, and several plastic bags full of stuff from various charity shops, and lugs it all upstairs to the flat.

‘Why ever does she want all that?’ Louise says.

‘Search me.’ Jack shrugs, but she has a feeling he knows more than he’s letting on. ‘You know, I’ve been over and over it in my head. I wish I could see a way to stay in Applethwaite and set up in business here without humiliating Babbo.’

‘I know,’ she says. ‘I’ve been going over and over it too. Not so long ago, my life was in London. If we’d only met there. Perhaps things would have been different.’

‘And you’d never go back? To your old job?’

‘They wouldn’t have me back. Not after…’ She shakes her head. ‘It doesn’t matter. My life’s here now.’

Jack bites his lip. ‘I know.’

‘And after all your hard work – and Maddie’s – on those book nooks, I couldn’t just abandon the place, could I? I’d be letting everyone down. Letting Mum down too. She owns the building and she lent me the money.’

‘Yeah, I know.’

‘It’s not just that though. This feels right. Me being here. Running the bookshop bakery. It’s where I want to be and what I want to do. It’s important to me.’

‘I know.’ He sighs. ‘Right, I’ll go to the Lion and see if anyone fancies lending me a hand.’

It’s on the tip of her tongue to suggest she goes with him, that they’ve earned a drink after all their hard work.

But best not. Best she keeps her distance from now on. Rip that plaster straight off.

By the time Louise gets upstairs to the flat, Maddie’s mood has noticeably changed, her excitement at her purchases vanished. She is sitting in the dark, staring at her phone.

‘Mads? You okay?’ Louise switches on the light.

‘Yeah,’ Maddie says, though it’s obvious that she isn’t.

‘What’s happened?’

Her stepdaughter holds out her phone. ‘He didn’t reply. I WhatsApped him the selfie with the wardrobe. It’s blue ticked so he’s read it. But sent nothing back.’

‘What happened to “treat ’em mean”?’

‘I weakened. I was so pleased to find that wardrobe.’

‘Maybe he’s…’