Page 34 of Coming Home to Hope Street

‘I heard that.’

‘You were meant to.’ Livvy laughed. ‘I think she thought there would be treasure up here. Or maybe some vintage clothes to snag.’

‘There may be some if we can find them.’ Hannah pulled out another heavy box. ‘Here we go. Books!’

Livvy shuffled across to where Hannah was sitting as she opened it. ‘What’s in there?’

Hannah squealed, reached inside for a book and held it to her chest. ‘Oh,The Places You’ll Go, Dr Seuss. Do you remember this, Livvy? We used to sit for hours reading it.’ She held it out so Livvy could see.

‘I do!’ Livvy took it from her and opened the pages, stopping when Hannah squealed again.

‘Fudge-a-mania, Judy Bloom!’ She held that one up too. ‘These are going to look so good in the book shop with no name.’

Hannah and Doug had been trying to come up with something quirky for a while now, failing dismally so far. It was looking likely it would be Somerley Books at this rate.

‘You’ll have to come up with something shortly,’ Livvy said, ‘Otherwise there’ll be no signage.’

‘I could even call it that – The Book Shop With No Name. Now that would be quirky.’

Livvy groaned.

‘Okay, maybe not.’ Hannah flapped her comment away and picked up another book. ‘The Famous Five! I loved reading Enid Blyton Books.’

Livvy grinned. ‘Can you remember when we used to make sandwiches, you, me, and Phoebe, and pretend we were going on adventures in the back yard?’

Hannah laughed at the memory. ‘It would have been nice to have grown up with our brother too,’ she ventured.

Livvy was quiet for a moment. ‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Sure.’

‘Was it strange to meet James?’

‘Yes, and no. It was a bit like when you turned up. You feel the connection there, despite the distance. In your case it was years: in his, it was because Mum didn’t want me to meet him.’

‘That’s so strange, though.’

‘I guess she didn’t want me to be disappointed that she’d never mentioned him.’

‘But surely you should have been able to make your own mind up about that?’

‘I agree, but Mum didn’t. She did right by me when she died though.’

Livvy huffed. ‘I suppose.’

‘Are you ready to meet him yet?’ Hannah asked. ‘I know he wants to see you.’

‘Have you been talking about me behind my back, Hannah Bandana?’

Hannah smiled, sensing Livvy was teasing her just a little.

Livvy smiled too. ‘What’s he like?’

‘I have some photos on my phone I can show you. I must admit it will be strange to see all three of us together. It was something I thought I’d never see. Anyway, do you think Pip will want to come to the book shop opening?’

‘She’ll do as her mama says,’ Livvy replied. ‘I think she’ll like it in there once it’s finished. But hey, if she doesn’t, I can always get back to reading while she scrolls on her phone.’

‘Can you imagine if the Kindle had been around when we were children? I’d never have got any sleep. I’d have been underneath my duvet with a Paper White, reading to my heart’s content.’

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