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‘No, not at all.’ Mabel took a seat at the counter with them.‘He was thirteen years – or was it fourteen years? – older than me. We first met when I was eight years old, during the Second World War.He was in the RAF, stationed in Norfolk. I literally ran into him when I went to the shops. It was when our father owned the bookshop, and we lived there.’ Mabel pointed across the yard.
‘You lived in the bookshop? Really?’
‘Yes, when we were children. Well, we grew up there.’
‘Wow.’ Callum smiled. It was amazing to meet these two old ladies who had once lived in the bookshop. Callum’s next thought was that his father would love to meet them – on a good day, when he was compos mentis. But he probably had fewer and fewer such days, and he was all the way up in Scotland. These ladies must be well into their eighties, so there was no chance they would meet. Callum sighed. It had been a nice thought.
‘I will tell you something quite strange,’ said Callum, thinking of Mabel’s first love. ‘My character in the American show I starred in for several years was a Scottish laird.’
Mabel and Marjorie exchanged a glance and both smiled. ‘Well, isn’t that peculiar?’ said Marjorie.
‘I second that,’ said Mabel.
‘You should watch it some time. You might enjoy it.’
Marjorie said, ‘Oh, I don’t have a television.’
‘I do!’ said Mabel. ‘Do they broadcast it on the BBC?’ she asked keenly.
Callum smiled at the sweet old lady. ‘No, I’m afraid not.’ He didn’t imagine she had an online streaming service where she might be able to find reruns. ‘You might be able to get the seasons on DVD. Do you have a DVD player?’
‘I do. That would be so kind of you to get hold of them for me.’
Callum realised he’d just accidentally volunteered for the task. ‘Oh, okay.’
‘Wonderful!’ said Mabel, clapping her hands.
Callum caught Marjorie frowning at her sister for some reason. He thought he’d better add, ‘I don’t think the last season will be out on DVD, though.’
‘The last season?’ said Marjorie.
‘Yes, I’m afraid after nine years they cancelled the show.’
‘Nine years? Goodness, how old were you when you started on the show?’
‘Oh, I’m older than you think. I’m thirty-seven now.’
‘That’s no age,’ said Mabel.
Callum imagined to someone approaching their ninetieth decade, thirty-seven must appear so very young. But from his perspective, Callum was feeling as though he hadn’t achieved much as he approached his fourth decade. He was thinking of his best friend, married, with a kid and a home.
Callum would rather not be reminded of his good looks and his pursuit of fame and fortune in Hollywood. To borrow a phrase, he had young women falling at his feet, and yet they weren’t the right women – they always seemed to confuse him with the character he played on that show.
The problem was, they found out soon enough that the character wasn’t him. He was just an ordinary guy, who probably would have been better suited to leading an ordinary life. He thought of the young woman who he’d locked eyes with in the café earlier. Callum cast a glance in the direction of the bookshop, with a question on his mind – should he stay and give it a go?
Chapter 41
‘Is that why you’re here?’ asked Marjorie, startling Callum, who was lost in his own thoughts.
Callum looked at Marjorie. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Are you here for a holiday after the end of the show?’
‘Oh, right. Er—’
‘What were you doing over there? I saw you at the door of the bookshop,’ Mabel asked before he’d answered Marjorie’s question.
‘I … I …’ For some reason, Callum thought they’d had enough shocks for one day. Perhaps now was not the time to tell them he was the new owner.He was aware that their charity shop had been closed when he had been there the previous night, so they had no clue he had a key and had been inside the bookshop.
