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‘I just love this place,’ said Toby, voicing all their thoughts at that moment.
Thea smiled at her nephew. When he was little, his parents had had him tested for autism. Thea could have told them they were wasting their time; not that she was an expert on the spectrum, not at all. But what she suspected was that her nephew, unlike his twin sister, was just an introvert who enjoyed, and preferred, his own company, and got immersed in subjects he loved. It was just his way. Thea could relate because her nephew reminded her of herself. Her mum had said that Katie was just like Jenna.
Thea looked around the bookshop and thought back to the same time last week, when Toby had been suspended from school, and Thea and her nephew had made a plan. They were going to revive the bookshop somehow, reopen it, and surprise Jenna with a business she could run, and earn money from, when she was up and about.
It was such a good idea, in theory, and she absolutely understood, and agreed with Mabel, about the point of The Bookshop of Memories. But even so, she was back to worrying whether all their hard work would be for nothing. She still had to get people through the door. She imagined that was what all those bestsellers had been doing in the window – enticing people inside. After all, it was still a shop, and they had to sell books to survive – or rather her sister did. Not everyone would appreciate a bookshop that didn’t stock the new releases if that was what they wanted.
‘That’s all well and good, Mabel, but I still think I need some modern books in the window. I just have no idea how to get hold of them, who to approach for some stock.’
Thea frowned, wondering why she wasn’t thinking about Jenna running the bookshop, but was instead picturing doing it herself – with Callum. She stole a glance in his direction and caught him grinning at her. Was he thinking the same thing?
Mabel had noticed his expression too. ‘What are you grinning like a Cheshire cat for?’
Dickens lifted his head at the sound of the word,cat.
‘I’ve got a surprise for Thea tomorrow.’
‘You have?’ said Thea. ‘What is it, Callum?’
‘Whois it?’
‘Huh?’
‘I’ve enlisted some help.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘In the bookshop.’
Thea looked at him. It washerbookshop. Shouldn’t he have run it by her first?
She was about to say something, but stopped short. He’d worked hard. Without his help, they wouldn’t have got this far so quickly. He was a famous Hollywood star. He didn’t have to be here in this old bookshop, spending his downtime scrubbing filthy bookshelves. She was sure he had better things to do with his time, like perusing scripts, and talking to his agent about upcoming projects. She smiled to herself. She knew why he was doing this, spending his time here – it was for her. He was attracted to her, just like she was to him.
Even so, she wanted to know who would be turning up. She asked him.
‘As I said, it’s a surprise, Thea. But all your worries about the bookshop will be over – you’ll see. She’s going to put this place well and truly on the map.’ Callum’s smile slipped.
Thea stared at him. If this surprise was so wonderful, why had she caught a worried look crossing his face? She wondered what was going through his mind.
Callum was thinking about Lexi’s famous grandmother,the writer, and the huge buzz it would create if she were to debut her new book at the reopening of The Bookshop of Memories. Callum frowned. There was one obvious problem he just couldn’t ignore; the more people who knew about this place, the greater the possibility that somebody, somewhere would find out who the new bookshop owner really was.
Chapter 51
Despite her reservations about having someone she didn’t know turning up at the bookshop the next day, Thea knew it wasn’t really about that; she was grateful for all the help she could get. However, the time in which she was envisaging having Callum to herself, once Toby returned to school, was dwindling by the second. But putting that aside, she was starting to feel far more confident about this venture – all thanks to Mabel and Callum.
As if it was a sign, she heard the door to the shop opening.
‘There you go,’ said Mabel, ‘sounds like your first customer.’
Thea put her empty cup down on the coffee table. She glanced at her watch. She still had a few minutes before it was time to leave and pick up Katie from drama class. She looked over at Mabel. ‘It can’t be a customer – we haven’t opened yet,’ she whispered.
Mabel whispered back, ‘Perhaps someone looked through the window, spotted us, and didn’t see the ‘closed’ sign.’
Thea frowned. This wouldn’t do at all. She called out, ‘Sorry, we’re closed at the moment, but we will be opening soon.’ She couldn’t see the front of the shop from the cosy corner between the bookshelves.
She heard the door to the shop close.
They remained seated on the sofa. It was Winston who sniffed the air, barked, and suddenly ran off.
