AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Toby grinned. ‘I think I know just the one.’ He opened the drawer of the desk. ‘I found this at the back of the drawer, wrapped in brown paper.’
‘That is one old book,’ said Callum, admiring the old, worn cover and the embossed lettering on the inside cover. He knew a rare book when he saw one – that was another skill he’d picked up after growing up with a bookseller.
But he wasn’t an expert. He would love to have shown this to his dad and asked him to run his expert eye over it.There were some books, his father had once told him, that should not be rebound, but should be left in their original condition.
He hesitated. Was this one of those books? He looked at Toby, eagerly awaiting his first lesson in bookbinding, and brushed that thought aside. ‘Right let’s get to it,’ said Callum once more, hoping that by the time they were done, Winston would have returned, and he could find out more about how Toby had come by the key, and why they thought they could open someone else’s bookshop.
They were partway through Toby’s first bookbinding lesson when Callum heard the sound of the shop door opening. He turned to Toby. ‘Is that Winston?’
‘Yes.’ He looked over at the sofa.
Callum followed his gaze to Dickens, who was curled up, asleep.
‘I think we need to do something about the cat.’
‘Why?’
‘I told you. Winston doesn’t like cats.’
Callum grimaced. What sort of person doesn’t like cats? Callum was not looking forward to meeting this guy. ‘Is Winston your dad?’
Toby was just throwing him a bemused expression when Callum turned to the door and saw a golden retriever bounding through the doorway. He spotted the cat.
Dickens was woken from his slumber by an inquisitive black nose approaching the sofa and sniffing his tail.
Dickens meowed loudly and hid behind the sofa.
The dog spotted Callum next and bounded up to him.
‘Hey! I know you,’ said Callum giving him a good fuss.
‘You know Winston?’
Callum raised his eyebrows, and looked at the dog. ‘This is Winston?’
‘Yeah – where did you meet him?’
‘On my way to Cobblers Yard. I saw him sitting outside The Two Magpies Bakery.’ Callum didn’t mention the reason he’d hung back and given the dog a good fuss; that he’d been watching the young woman in the café.
‘Oh, yeah, that makes sense. That’s where my—’
‘Toby? I hope you’re not lounging on the sofa reading a book!’ a woman’s voice called out.
‘No, I’m not,’ Toby called out, smirking.
Callum realised that whoever that woman was, she hadn’t heard them talking at the back of the shop.
‘I’m being productive, Auntie Thea – like you said.’
‘That’s your aunt?’
‘Yes, I’m helping her in the bookshop this week. She promised she’d go and buy some croissants along with her coffee.’
‘Toby? Are you talking to Winston?’
Callum turned around. He could smell the freshly baked pastries before a young woman appeared in the doorway, holding a bag of croissants and a takeaway coffee. Callum could smell the freshly ground coffee too.
‘I’m binding a book, Auntie – look!’
