Page 39 of Coming Home to Hope Street

But Livvy did take a surreptitious glance at Callum. Catching him looking her way, she smiled, feeling herself blushing yet again.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Hannah bent down on the grass, thanking the rain for staying away. Yesterday it had rained throughout, so the knees of her jeans would no doubt be soaked through when she stood up, but she didn’t mind so much.

How could it be Thursday again? It didn’t seem a week since she’d last visited, more like a couple of days.

It was so quiet in the cemetery, another added delight of the wet weather. Hannah hadn’t seen another soul when she’d parked her car.

‘Hi, Mum.’ She did her usual greeting, pressing a finger to her lips and leaning forwards to touch the top of the headstone. ‘It’s such a dull autumn day. At this rate, Christmas will be upon us without any more warm sunshine. I’m really not looking forward to sharing it without you but this year because of you, it will certainly be different.

‘I think there’re plans at the moment for me and Doug to go to James’s house on Boxing Day and stay overnight. I’m really looking forward to that. It will be great if Livvy and Pip would come too.’

Hannah never spoke to her dad. She wasn’t sure why as she and Livvy had had a warm and loving childhood until the accident. Maybe it was more to do with her being so close to her mum, having been her sole carer for half of her life. Nevertheless, there was no way of ever knowing if she offended him. She laughed to herself at the way her thoughts had gone.

Yet there was so much left unsaid between her and Livvy. She still didn’t know every reason why she’d come back. She didn’t know anything about Livvy’s circumstances and every time she mentioned Kieran, she’d clam up. Had things been so bad between them that she wanted to blot it all out?

Maybe in time, Livvy would trust her to confide in, but for now, she’d have to be ready to listen if that time came.

‘Can you believe I’ll have a book shop open soon, Mum? It sounds so strange for me too. You would have loved Doug. I’m sad that you’ll never meet but I want you to know that he looks after me extremely well. I was blessed the day he moved into Hope Street. If I wasn’t so cynical, I’d think you had a hand in bringing him to my door.’ She smiled.

‘Anyway, I wasn’t talking about Doug, was I? Although he fills lots of my thoughts right now. The book shop finally has a name. We’ve been round and round trying to think of something catchy and everything we came up with seemed a little cutesy.

‘But this was Will’s idea – you remember Kate’s fella, Mum? I was thinking more along the line of Somerley Books, straight to the point, when he mentioned as it was next to The Coffee Stop, it would look great as The Book Stop. Me and Kate didn’t much care for it at first but then it grew on us. The sign’s going up this week and I can’t wait to see it all finished. My own shop – who would have thought?

‘I’m so pleased with the layout. I can just imagine you sitting in one of the armchairs in the window, reading and watching the world go by with a large latte and a cinnamon muffin.’

Hannah wiped away stray tears as the image flooding her mind brought back a wave of grief. It had been nearly eight months since Martha had died and even with the passing of time, and being with Doug, the pain of losing her wasn’t getting any easier. She imagined her everywhere; at the places she visited, with the people she saw. She was a constant presence, but still she couldn’t get used to her not being there.

She sat for while composing herself in the quiet. It really was peaceful.

Once she’d changed the flowers, she said her goodbyes and stood up, her knees creaking with the effort. She laughed. ‘I’m getting old, Mum,’ she said. ‘But wish me luck for next weekend when the book shop opens? I know you’ll be there with me in spirit.’

Pip was sitting under the oak tree in the square. She’d walked home from school with Tilly but stopped off to wait for her mum to finish work. Livvy was working an extra hour helping Hannah to price up some of the stock.

Pip gazed at her phone, wondering whether to text her dad again. It had been a week since she’d sent the last message, and it was still unanswered.

‘Hi, it’s Pip, isn’t it?’

She looked up to see one of the men who worked with Doug. He was carrying a takeaway coffee and a brown bag. She nodded at him, giving him a half-smile.

‘I’m Dylan. I’m working in the book shop.’ He threw a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the row of shops, almost upending his drink. ‘I saw you in the coffee shop the other day with your mum.’

‘Oh, right? How’s it going? The shop.’

‘It’s nearly finished. Your mum will be working in there, I hear?’

Pip smirked. Her mum was right, news did travel round Somerley quickly. She nodded again, so as not to seem unfriendly.

‘Mind if I join you?’

Before Pip could reply, he’d sat down, anyway.

‘Would you like some of my cookie?’ Dylan laughed. ‘Don’t worry, it’s not a chat up line, and normally I wouldn’t share them because they’re too good.’ He broke some off and offered it to her, but she shook her head.

He took a bite and then gave his drink a quick stir with a wooden stick. ‘Are you staying in Somerley, do you think?’

‘I’m not sure. We’re living in Hope Street for now.’

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