Page 52 of The Mended Hearts Bookshop

But Ash was already smiling. “No, I’m not cross. A bit disappointed maybe, but there’ll be other times, won’t there?”

“Absolutely,” Pen said fervently.

“Just don’t give all your energies to these little ones,” Ash said, walking toward the door. “Make sure to save a bit for yourself.”

“I will,” Pen said. She watched as Ash left, walking past the window, and then turned her attention to the children.

There would be other times. And when those times happened, well, she was pretty sure that Ash was going to be a natural.

Chapter Twenty Two

Fabio meowed and Ash dumped an open can of cat food onto a plate. Before she could put it on the floor, the cat had pounced on it, lapping at it on the kitchen table.

“You really do have a cheek, do you know that?” Ash said. Fabio didn’t even look up at her.

The shop was open, George was filling the online orders downstairs, the sun was shining, and it was a beautiful day. Beautiful enough that Ash just couldn’t stop thinking about Pen. About the way she smiled, the way she felt.

This really was something, Ash thought. She hadn’t understood for so long what other people wanted, and now she felt, well, normal wasn’t the right word really, but something along those lines. How odd that what she’d really needed was someone else.

She picked up her tea and headed into the shop. It was quiet, but the bookclub would be in tonight. She blew on her mug as she switched on the computer. The smell of books was everywhere, papery and warm and as Ash sipped her teaand waited for the computer to prepare itself, she seriously wondered for the first time if she could stay here.

Stay here and run a bookshop.

After all, she hadn’t had any disasters so far, had she? It didn’t seem that hard. She had the financial stuff covered, obviously. George could help with most of the rest. And Pen… Pen could be next door and available and there whenever Ash wanted her.

She smiled to herself. It sounded like some kind of dream world. An unrealistic, silly world where suddenly people could just do as they liked.

She had no business running a bookshop.

She clicked through some emails until she got to one that she didn’t recognize. She had a message on one of the genealogy sites she’d registered with. With a frown, she opened up the site, found the message box, and read what she’d been left. She glanced up at the top of the message, seeing a green dot. The user who had sent the message was online.

Quickly, she typed, her fingers flying over the keys, leaving her phone number and a short message of her own.

Then she waited, staring at her phone. Maybe he wouldn’t call. Probably he wouldn’t. Who would call a stranger from the internet? She certainly wouldn’t.

Her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hello,” drawled a soft Scottish accent. “This is Peter, from the site?” He gave a soft chuckle. “By my reckonings, I’m your first cousin, first removed.”

“Right,” said Ash. “I’m not actually sure what that means.”

“Well, I’m your grandma’s brother’s son.” He paused for a moment. “And you’re Allan’s girl, are you?”

“Allan?”

“Your father?”

Ash’s heart filled up a little and she was starting to feel shaky. “You know him?” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, what she wanted to know or not know. Her father had never been anything to her.

“Not really, love, I’m sorry if that comes as a disappointment. I’ve been doing this genealogy thing for a while now. My wife got me into it, got me one of those testing kits for Christmas a few years ago, and I’ve been working on a family tree ever since. Gives me something to do since my retirement, you know?”

Ash let her breath go. Okay, no imminent danger of a long lost father walking into her life. “Must be interesting,” she said.

“Aye. Well, as far as I can see, your father disappeared. He went off to America in the mid eighties, that must have been right after you were born. And that’s the last anyone heard of him.”

“Right,” Ash said. “I see.” It was better that way, she instinctively knew. She had little desire to meet someone who’d left her and her mother so easily. “Actually, it’s more my dad’s siblings I’m interested in.”

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