Page 13 of Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea

Florrie and Ed exchanged glances, each giving the other a shrug. ‘Not me,’ said Florrie. She’d informed the local newspaper, but hadn’t contacted the TV station; she hadn’t thought to.

‘Me neither. I would’ve mentioned it if I had.’ Ed looked as puzzled as she felt.

As Florrie was racking her brains as to who it could be, Jack returned from the bathroom. She wondered if Jack had contacted the TV station on the quiet. He was always keen to promote the bookshop, it would be so like him to do it.

‘Right,’ he said, clapping his hands together, ‘I think it’s time to put the good folk of Micklewick Bay out of their suspense. We all know it’s Ed’s window displays they’re itching to see – it’s got nowt to do with wanting to hear me prattling on. Come on, Ed, lad, get that door open.’ Jack grinned broadly, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

The excitement inside the shop was nothing compared to the level on the street. The square was bouncing! Ed opened the door wide, and a great roar of applause went up as Jack stepped out. A chorus of whoops and cheers quickly followed. Florrie glanced at Ed in disbelief, the smile on her face growing wider.

Jack stood, waiting for the applause to die down, his stern resting face belying his good-natured personality. He’d been much maligned in the press in his early days of fame thanks to his dour looks, regularly being described as curmudgeonly, butthe description didn’t match the man Florrie had come to know. And tonight his face was wreathed in smiles.

Since his arrival in the town, he’d become a much-loved local celebrity, embraced as if he’d been a resident all his life. It was something that had made his mother Jean incredibly proud.

Jack lifted his hands in a gesture for the crowd to quieten down, but it had little effect.

Florrie gazed out at the vast throng of people, all wrapped up against the cold, hardly able to believe what she was seeing. It was heartwarming to see so many people. Amongst them she spotted Jasmine with Zak and Chloe, the two children chatting away excitedly. Stella was there, too – she wasn’t hard to miss being so tall and no doubt in a pair of her vertiginous heels. She was with Alex, her boyfriend of the last few months; the pair made for an attractive couple. They were standing next to Lark and her friend Nate who ran an upcycling store in town. Seeing the two of them together, so easy in one another’s company, brought a smile to Florrie’s face. It was no secret that Nate would like to be much more than Lark’s friend but thus far she’d resisted taking their relationship down that route, arguing that the seven years between their respective ages meant she felt he was too young for her.

Jean grabbed onto Florrie’s arm. ‘That’s my lad they’re all cheering.’ Her eyes were shining with pride. Florrie reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze.

‘You must be so proud, Jean.’

‘Oh, I am, lovey, so very proud.’

The thought that Mr and Mrs H would have been in their element right now flitted through Florrie’s mind, followed by a quick squeeze of her heart, making her wish they were here to see it.

‘Thank you very much for turning out when it’s so bloomin’ freezing, folks,’ Jack said in his rich North Yorkshire accent,instantly lifting Florrie’s spirits. ‘I know I can speak on behalf of Florrie and Ed when I say that your support of The Happy Hartes Bookshop is very much appreciated – it warms our happy hearts, so to speak.’ He tapped his hand to his chest.

‘Here, here,’ said Florrie, as another round of applause burst out.

Jack turned and flashed her a quick smile. ‘And I promise not to witter on for too long. I know you’re all dying to see what magic Ed’s created behind these curtains and we don’t want any of you to freeze to the spot with me boring you to tears.’ He chuckled.

‘You could never bore anyone, Jack!’ a female voice called out.

‘Aye, too right,’ said another. ‘You can whisper sweet nothings in my lugs any time you like.’

A ripple of laughter ran around the gathering.

‘Thank you very much, I might take you up on that offer,’ he said dryly, a smile tugging the corners of his mouth. ‘Anyroad, before we go any further, so none of the little kiddiewinkles miss out on seeing the unveiling, I think it’d be nice if we could have them at the front, so if we could just have a bit of a reshuffle before I press the magic button.’

Jack waited patiently while the crowd rearranged itself and a line of excited children stood before him. ‘Ready?’ he asked.

The crowd roared its reply, children jumping up and down.

‘Okay, prepare yourselves to be utterly captivated by the magical Christmas display of The Happy Hartes Bookshop. Five! Four! Three…’ The crowd counted down with him, their voices filling the square.

On the count of one, Jack pressed a button on the remote he held in his hand, and the curtain on the winter wonderland scene slowly glided open.

Set to a backdrop of a starry night sky, the space had been decorated as if it were a snow-covered clearing in a wood – albeit on a smaller scale. A cluster of faux conifers stood in one corner, their branches drooping under the weight of fake snow, while fir cones were scattered over the ground. In the centre was a small wooden sleigh upon which sat a sack in sumptuous red velvet complete with a thick cord tie in a rich shade of gold. The sack was bulging with books, some of which had spilled out around it, while a group of woodland creatures looked on. Though everything was fake, it looked remarkably realistic. It was spellbinding.

Behind the scenes, Ed flicked the switch that controlled the display.

A collective gasp of awe went up as the scene came to life, all twinkling lights and sparkling snow. The children were utterly enthralled. They ceased their jumping about and all stood gazing at it, mouths open, eyes shining as a pale half-moon was suddenly illuminated with a soft glow and stars began twinkling in the velvety night sky. In the next moment, a bushy-tailed squirrel scampered up a tree, while faux snowflakes began tumbling gently from above. The whole effect was magical, and another rousing cheer went up.

Florrie looked at Ed who feigned wiping sweat from his brow. ‘Fingers crossed all goes smoothly for the second window,’ he said.

‘I’m sure it will.’ She wrapped her arms around his middle and gave him a squeeze.

‘Are you ready for the next one?’ Jack asked, a laugh in his voice as the crowd cheered their reply. ‘Wonderful! Come on, you can count down with me again. Five, four…’

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