Page 59 of Coming Home to Hope Street

‘Thelma’s right,’ Hannah agreed. ‘I’ll fall asleep if I sit down for too long.’ She passed a drink to Livvy. ‘G&T, malady.’

‘Thanks.’ Livvy accepted it, raising it in Thelma’s direction before taking a welcome sip. ‘But please let me get the next one.’

Doug was talking to someone she didn’t know so she and Hannah stood together.

‘Did you hear about the robberies on Wednesday evening?’ Hannah asked her. ‘Doug was telling me about them earlier.’

‘No. Were they local?’

‘Yes, both in Hope Street. Mr and Mrs Chan from number seventeen had their car broken into. Their stereo and satnav were taken, along with a bit of cash in the glove compartment, and poor Alma from number three had some money stolen from her purse which was in the kitchen. Her back door was unlocked, so it looks as if the thief got in that way, around the back alley and legged it before she’d noticed.’

‘Gosh, that’s terrible. Do you have much petty crime around here?’

‘That’s just it. We don’t – not in Hope Street. We tend to look out for each other. The police reckon it’ll probably be an opportunist from the Mountford Estate – although it annoys me that they’d say that without any evidence. Just because a place has a label attached to it doesn’t mean everything that happens can be linked back to it.’

Phoebe arrived then, in a flourish of perfume that nearly suffocated everyone as she air kissed most of the room before stopping at them.

‘Hannah,’ Phoebe cried. ‘I haven’t seen you in ages. I miss you.’

‘You saw me yesterday, you great nerd.’

‘Passing by the window!’ Phoebe protested. ‘It’s not the same. How’s the book shop’s first week gone? I’ve been telling everyone about it.’

‘It’s done okay,’ Hannah grinned. ‘Me and Livvy have it sussed already. We’ve created a double act. She tells a customer about a book, I recommend something similar, and most of the time, they leave with both. Win-win!’

‘Nice teamwork.’ Phoebe laughed. ‘I wish my staff interviewing was going okay. Why did you leave me in the lurch? It’s going to take me ages to find someone decent.’

‘It’s good to be so irreplaceable.’ Hannah giggled.

They chatted for a few minutes, Livvy with one eye on the door. And, as Callum arrived, a shiver of anticipation ran through her as he made a beeline for them. She tried not to stare at him, his presence making her blush.

‘Can I get drinks in?’ he offered after greeting everyone.

‘No, I’ll get these. Everyone is always buying for me. Same again, people?’

Livvy didn’t notice the looks that were being thrown between Hannah, Phoebe and Doug as she got out her purse.

‘I’ll help you,’ Callum said, following behind her.

As they stood at the bar waiting to be served, Callum turned to Livvy and grinned. ‘I’ve been looking forward to this evening all day.’

She dipped her eyes for a moment before finding his again. ‘Me too,’ she admitted.

Their hands were down by their sides and she beamed as he entwined his fingers with hers. She could almost feel the electricity between them, her stomach in somersaults as those first rushes of lustful hope came crashing into her. She savoured every second until he released it when the drinks were ready. She turned to face the group and her smile dropped.

Standing with Hannah and Doug was Kieran.

Chapter Thirty-Six

‘What are you doing here?’ Livvy glared at him as she reached his side. ‘You’re supposed to be looking after Pip.’

‘She’s sixteen next month, quite capable of looking after herself.’

‘But you’ve specifically come to see her.’

‘Chill out, I’m having a pint and then I’m going.’ He brushed her comment away with his hand. ‘She’ll be fine. She’s been on the phone to Tilly for ages.’

As Kieran turned back to Doug, Hannah touched her arm.

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