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Callum couldn’t believe the thought of running the bookshop himself had even entered his head. That wasn’t the plan. The plan was to sell and pay off his debts, or at least carry the mortgage on the house in Beverley Hills until it sold. He wouldn’t walk away with much, but at least he’d walk away debt-free – he hoped. It reminded him that he had to check in with the realtor back in LA at some point to let them know where he was – although they still had his mobile phone number; he was sure they’d get in touch if a buyer appeared.
Jack said, ‘I’ve got the most brilliant idea. You could move into the flat above the shop while you do it up. Then you’d be just down the road, and you can visit whenever you like.’
Beth voiced her thoughts too. ‘Really, Jack, that’s a dumb idea.’
Callum turned to Beth. ‘Now, anyone would think you don’t want me to hang around in Suffolk.’ It was meant as a joke, but the look on her face suggested that it was true.
Beth said,‘All I’m saying is that the shop hasn’t been open for twenty-five years, so I’m guessing, going by the state of the shop, that the flat won’t be much different.’
‘Twenty-five years?’
‘Rumour has it,’ Jack added, lowering his voice to a whisper, as though he was about to tell a secret, ‘that the owner just upped and vanished.’
Callum frowned. ‘Pardon?’
‘Yes, and hasn’t been heard of since.’
Beth eyed Callum intently. ‘You didn’t say how you came by this place. Have you inherited it from some long-lost aunt – or something?’
Callum pursed his lips. ‘Something like that,’ he mumbled. The last thing he intended to do was lie to his closest friends, but they obviously had no idea that his dad had owned the bookshop, because he hadn’t actually told them yet.
He stared at them, and for some reason felthe wanted to get to the bottom of what connection his dad had to the girls in the photo, and why he’d owned a bookshop for years that Callum had known nothing about.
Another thought popped into his head. Did his mum know about the bookshop?Until he found out what the hell was going on, he didn’t feel inclined to ask her that question.
‘Something like that?’ said Jack repeating what Callum had just said. ‘It’s quite a mystery among the locals, what happened to the bookshop owner all those years ago – not to mention the fact that it appears no one even remembers who they were. Aren’t you going to put us out of our misery and tell us who it is?’
His friends were looking at him expectantly. He was saved from the awkward question by Fergus running into the kitchen. ‘I’ve thought of a name for my dog! I want to call him Luke.’
‘Good choice,’ said Jack, scooping the little boy into his arms and sitting him on his knee.
Beth rolled her eyes at them. ‘May I just ask one question? What if it’s a girl dog? Then what will you call her?’
‘That’s easy,’ said Fergus. ‘I’ll call her Leia.’
Beth rolled her eyes. ‘Of course.’
Everyone laughed, even Beth. ‘All right, you. Bedtime.’
‘I’ll do bedtime,’ said Jack.
‘I’ll do the dishes,’ offered Callum.
Jack shook his head. ‘No, way. You’re our dinner guest.’ He cast a glance at his wife. ‘I’ll wash up after I’ve put Fergus to bed. Right – time for bed, little man.’ Jack put him down.
To Callum’s surprise, Fergus ran up to him. Climbing on his lap, he flung his arms around Callum’s neck and kissed his cheek. ‘Goodnight, Uncle Callum, I love you.’
‘Oh, er … yes. Goodnight. I love you too.’
Beth reached for Fergus. ‘Right, come on, it’s bedtime.’
‘Can I say goodnight to Dickens?’
‘Who?’
Callum sighed. ‘That’s the cat in the van.’ He’d completely forgotten about his grumpy, hissy travelling companion.
Fergus said, ‘Callum, will you take me out in your van?’
