Page 17 of Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea

‘Hey, don’t let this bump fool you! I’m definitely up to it,’ Maggie said wholeheartedly.

‘Right, Jack, mate, sounds like you can count me and Mags in,’ said Bear, grinning.

‘Aye, me too,’ said Nate, his eyes shifting to Lark.

‘I’m in court in the morning, and I’ve driven down here so I’ll just have the one tipple,’ said Stella. She turned to Alex. ‘Don’t feel you have to come away early with me, though. I’ll understand if you want to hang back. I would if I didn’t have some work to do.’

‘I’ll probably head back with you. I’ve got some plans I need to look over before I meet with a client in the morning.’ Alex was an architect with a busy practice. He and Stella had apartments opposite one another in the newly converted, and highly desirable Fitzgilbert’s Landing that had once been a large warehouse on the top prom at the other end of town. Alex had actually drawn up the plans for the mystery buyer who’d snapped up the derelict building.

‘I’ll have to take a raincheck on that, I need to head home,’ Leah said disappointedly. ‘I promised I’d help Tilly with her English homework, which she’s left to the last minute, as usual. I’ll already get back later than I promised.’

‘That’s a shame.’ Florrie gave her a sympathetic smile. She knew Leah was regularly called upon by her family to help out with her younger sister’s homework. ‘But don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of other times when you can join us.’

‘True.’ Leah mustered up a smile and nodded.

‘I know it’s a school night, but I reckon it won’t do any harm to sneak in a cheeky bottle of beer, seeing as though it’s for a special occasion,’ said Jasmine, making the most of the opportunity to have some “me time” with her friends. ‘After all, my mum did say I didn’t need to rush back.’

Jack turned to Jean, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. ‘You’ll be on a pint of Micklewick Magic with Jaeger Bomb chasers again, will you, Mum?’

Jean giggled. ‘Give over, son. It’ll be a small sherry for me, as you well know.’

Florrie watched as he gave his mother an affectionate hug, topping it off with a peck on the cheek. It gladdened her heart to see how the bond between the pair had grown. Finding her son had given Jean a new purpose in life as well as giving Jack a place to anchor himself to after the death of his adoptive parents.

The group walked briskly down the square in a bubble of enthusiastic chatter, peals of laughter rising up into the night as they passed the cheerfully decorated shop windows. Frost sparkled under the streetlamps and the Christmas lights that were festooned from shop to shop. They turned the corner at the end of the row and hurried along Endeavour Road to The Cellar. Florrie had linked Maggie’s arm, listening as her friend told her all about the latest orders that had flooded in for The Micklewick Bear Company. By all accounts, she was doing a roaring trade. Ed strode along with Gerty on the end of her lead. He was chatting to Bear and Jack, with Nate and Alex walking closely behind. From what she could gather, their conversation looked serious, making Florrie wonder again if they were discussing Ed’s father’s phone call. She tried to ignore the clutch of worries that started squirming in her stomach, the image of Dodgy Dick flashing through her mind.

Before long, the group tumbled into the stylish bar and were greeted with a warm smile by Brooke, one of the regular bartenders. She was walking by with a perfectly balanced tray of drinks in her hand. ‘Hi there,’ she said in a cheery voice, her dark ponytail swishing. She was wearing black skinny jeans, the micro-brewery’s signature tweed waistcoat over a crisp white shirt, and a long apron, tied around her waist, emblazoned with The Cellar’s logo.

A chorus of hellos followed as the welcoming atmosphere enveloped them.

‘Ooh, it’s lovely and warm in here,’ said Jasmine, unzipping her jacket, her cheeks glowing where the frost had nipped.

‘Mm. It is.’ Florrie’s glasses had steamed up as usual. She took them off, squinting at the chalkboard at the side of the bar.

The room was illuminated in a warm amber glow cast by the stylish lighting, emphasised by the candles in lanterns set out on the tables. Her glasses back on, Florrie’s eye was caught by the bushy Christmas tree at the back of the room. It was decorated with a selection of quirky baubles and decked with hundreds of fairy lights, and topped with a bold, angular star. Further festive decorations were provided in the form of chrome stags’ heads that were hung on the walls, baubles dangling from their antlers, while sumptuous garlands were fixed to the beams and studded with yet more richly coloured baubles.

The group headed towards the polished oak bar where a line of gleaming beer pumps sat, selling The Cellar’s famous local beers. Bill, who was pulling a pint, turned and smiled. ‘Evening, all,’ he said. He was always immaculately turned out, with his neatly clipped beard and tidy crop of hair.

‘Hi there,’ said Pim in his melodic Dutch accent. He was Bill’s husband and business partner, and had recently discovered that he was Stella’s half-brother. As a consequence, the half-siblings had been doing all they could to get to know one another better. He was extremely tall, towering over Bill, and had a mop of glossy chin-length blond hair and eyes the same shade of blue as Stella’s. Though he and Bill wore the same uniform as their staff, their waistcoats were in a slightly different weave of tweed. Pim’s gaze swept over the group. ‘Why don’t I give you a few drinks menus? You can find yourselves a table and I’ll send Brooke over to take your order.’ He flashed a friendly smile at them.

‘Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Pim.’ Jack took the proffered menus and passed them round. ‘Here you go, folks.’

‘There’s a spot free over there that should fit us all in.’ Ed nodded in the direction of a semi-circular booth covered in tastefully aged leather. They all headed over to it, their feet clipping over the wooden floorboards.

Once their drinks had arrived, Jack cleared his throat. ‘So, I’ve had something on my mind that I’d like to air with you all,’ he said, glancing around at them, his expression suddenly serious. He paused, nibbling on his bottom lip, as if gathering his thoughts.

A frown crumpled Florrie’s brow, wondering what it could be. She took in his serious expression, hoping he wasn’t about to share bad news. She caught Ed’s eye; he looked as puzzled as she felt. Her gaze moved to Jean who was wearing a small smile.Oh.It took Florrie aback a little. Did Jean know what her son was going to say? Florrie wondered. She quickly reminded herself that Jack’s dour resting face often belied what he was thinking. And if Jean’s smile was anything to go by, maybe she’d been too hasty in heading down the bad news route. Florrie certainly hoped so. And besides, she could hardly imagine he’d announce something that would put the dampeners on the wonderful evening they’d just had. He wasn’t that kind of person.

Everyone was poised, all eyes on Jack, as they waited to hear what he had to say.

He ran his hand up and down his pint of beer, smoothing away the beads of condensation. ‘Thing is, I’ve been approached by my publishers about writing my autobiography – heaven knows why they think anyone would be interested in reading about a boring old fart like me.’ He pulled a “can you believe it?” face.

Stella, who was sitting next to Florrie, sat up straight. Her interest was clearly piqued, while Jasmine’s eyebrows shot up.

‘You see, they know about me coming here to Micklewick Bay in search of my family connection, and how I ended up finding my wonderful birth mother right here in the town.’ He reached for Jean’s hand, giving it a squeeze. She smiled back at him, her eyes glowing with affection.

‘Oh, Jack, that sounds so lovely,’ said Florrie. It hadn’t escaped her attention that Ed had gone quiet. In fact, she could have sworn she’d felt him tense beside her.

‘And it would make a brilliant story,’ said Maggie.

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