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‘You’re very pretty,’ said Thea.
‘Why thank you – but it takes one to know one.’ Lexi grinned, pointing at her.
Callum saw something glinting in the autumn sunshine coming through the gleamingly clean bookshop window.
So did Thea. ‘Wow, that’s a lovely ring.’
Lexi looked at her ring. ‘Yes, it is – isn’t it? It’s my engagement ring.’
‘You’re engaged?’
Callum caught the relief in her voice.
‘Yes. The moment I set eyes on him, I knew he was the one.’
Callum caught Thea glance his way.
‘Ahem.’ Callum coughed into his hand. ‘Well now the introductions are out of the way, why don’t we crack on? Lexi said she’d help out getting the books into some sort of order.’
‘Yep, I can do that. I can also source suppliers for any books you’d like to display in your window. I noticed it was empty. The flowers are lovely, but I think books would be better for a bookshop – don’t you?’
‘Oh, well yes. They’re only there because Lili popped in to introduce herself, and gave me some flowers.’
‘I know. I was kidding. Lili told me she’d introduced herself with flowers.’
‘You know Lili?’
‘Oh, yes. We’re good friends. She’s one of the people who helped me out when I moved here from America.’ Lexi turned to Callum. ‘It’s a great place to relocate to. I can vouch for that.’ She looked at Thea and Callum. ‘You make such a cute couple. Have you guys just moved here?’
Callum looked at her wide-eyed, ‘Oh, we’re not—’
‘Well, you should be.’
Callum caught Thea grinning. She linked her arm in Lexi’s and took her for a tour of the shop. ‘So, Callum tells me you’ve got a plan for opening the shop.’
‘Oh, boy, have I ever. I told my grandmother about the bookshop, and she is totally on board.’
‘Your grandmother?’
‘Now, have you heard of the writer, Margot Dorey?’
Thea said, ‘Of course. I loved her books when I was a child. Such a shame she stopped writing. I always wondered what happened to her.’
Callum shut the bookshop door and smiled. Thea was about to find out.
‘No way!’ he heard Thea exclaim.
He continued smiling as he walked into the kitchen to put the kettle on. He left Lexi sitting with Thea on the sofa, telling her all about the plan for Margot Dorey to release her new book in the bookshop.
‘She thought it would be quite exciting for her book to go on sale at The Bookshop of Memories first, at one minute past midnight. She’ll be there to do a book signing too. It’s going to be pandemonium, I imagine, with the press, and loads of people queuing down the street to get their copy – hope you don’t mind.’
‘Mind? Oh, my god, it’s going to be … well, I haven’t got the words.’
‘It will turn out quite the opening day for your little bookshop. Really put it on the map. Everyone will know about it.’
Callum winced when he overheard that.
‘And then the following day,’ continued Lexi, ‘my grandmother thought of doing a reading. She used to do that at the library, which I imagine she will ask me to organise at some point. But she thought it would be a wonderful idea if she could do a reading from her book for local children right here in the bookshop.’
