Page 34 of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop
‘We’ve got both,’ Lily said, smiling at them warmly. ‘Lars, would you like to show our customers where they are while I move these crates?’
‘They’re on level two,’ I said, leading the customers towards the stairs. ‘Who’s the chef in the house?’
‘Both of us,’ the woman said. ‘We’ve always enjoyed cooking together but we’ve never made soup before so we thought we’d give it a try.’
‘And we always make the same thing in the slow cooker so we want to mix it up a bit,’ the man added. ‘Our daughter told us to get some recipes online but that’s not our thing.’
The woman nodded. ‘You can’t beat a proper recipe book with mouthwatering pictures in it.’
We reached the section and, as I talked them through the books we stocked, I couldn’t help noticing the affectionate looks they exchanged and the brief touches. The woman pointed out a recipe she thought the man would love and he did the same back to her and I wondered what it felt like to be with someone who knew everything about you. I’d never experienced it but it was what I longed for. This epitomised perfection for me. After checking if they needed any further help, I returned downstairs. Lily had told me that there was a fine balance between being helpful and pushy. Hovering over a customer definitely fell into the latter camp.
‘I’ve put the crates inside Jeeves so we’re not tripping over them,’ Lily told me when I joined her downstairs. ‘Don’t send them down just yet as we need to add in the decorations from the window first.’
‘Okay. Do you want me to clear the window?’
‘I do, but not just yet. First I’ll show you how we deal with the online orders which have come in overnight as they’re normally a morning priority. Do you want to come round to this side?’
I’d just joined Lily when the recipe book couple came down with a soup book and two slow cooker ones so I ran the transaction through for them and wished them lots of fun creating their meals together.
With the shop empty again, Lily guided me through what happened when a customer ordered anything via their website. Standing so close to her, I kept getting whiffs of her perfume – something fresh and zesty like oranges – which I hadn’t noticed before but which I really liked. She was a natural as a trainer; clear and precise with her instructions and providing sufficient insight into why things worked the way they did without getting bogged down with detail. With pauses to help or serve customers, it took us until Cassie’s arrival to finish going through the system.
‘Have you seen it?’ Cassie asked Lily after she’d greeted us both. ‘It’s a pixie haul full house.’
‘Really? Aw, that’s brilliant. It’s been ages since the last one.’
As Cassie headed downstairs, Lily took out her phone and clicked a few buttons, smiling. ‘That’s made me happy. Good manners cost nothing.’
I looked at her expectantly.
‘Have you heard of the Paperback Pixie?’ she asked, turning her phone towards me with an Instagram account showing on the screen. ‘They buy books and they leave them around the town for people to find and enjoy.’
‘Erm… Didn’tBay Newsdo a piece about it some years back?’
‘That’s right. Nobody knows who they are. We’re convinced the reporter was hoping to unmask them but the Paperback Pixie’s identity remains a mystery to this day. We’d love to know who they are but we haven’t a clue.’
‘Why would you want to know? Isn’t the mystery part of the magic, like not knowing who Batman, Spiderman or Superman really are?’
‘Oh, absolutely, and we’d never want to share the secret. We’d just like to be the ones who supply the books. Not for any credit on our part, mind. We think what the Pixie does is brilliant and we’ve no intention of interfering or asking them to add Bay Books branding to theirs. If we could work with the Pixie, we could give them a discount – our little bit to help ease their financial burden while being a secret part of spreading the joy of reading. We’ve even got a poster up asking for the Pixie to contact us. Long shot but worth a try.’
I glanced past her at the noticeboard behind the till and smiled at theWANTEDposter, surprised I hadn’t noticed it before although, when I was by the till, I was usually busy serving customers with my back to the wall so I hadn’t even spotted there was a noticeboard there, let alone what was on it.
‘How do you know the Paperback Pixie isn’t already a customer?’ I asked.
‘None of our orders have tallied with the books they’ve gifted. We wondered if they’d sourced some books from us and some from elsewhere to avoid being identified, but that would be impossible to work out. So I suppose itispossible they’re a customer, but we’re doubtful. Shame.’
She released a heavy sigh and shrugged. ‘Anyway, if you’re wondering what Cassie was on about, the Paperback Pixie leaves a branded postcard with every book asking the finder to tag them in on Insta. Cassie and I like to keep watch for the tags to see who finds the books. Most of the time the messages from the finders are short – just a thank you and where the book was found, which is all the Pixie asks for. The ones for children’s books can be really sweet but it’s the messages from the people who needed those books which we love the most. Some share that they’re going through a tough time and finding the book has lifted them or the book itself has really resonated with them, coming into their life at exactly the right time. Loads of those messages have had Cassie and me in tears. Well, me. Cassie isn’t really a sobber.’
The door opened and we both said hello to a man who greeted us back and headed straight for the stairs.
‘What’s the full house thing?’ I asked.
‘Cassie and I get a bit frustrated when finders don’t tag the Pixie,’ she said, smiling at me. ‘We try not to be judgy because we know there are people who aren’t on the socials, those who have a lot going on in their lives and forget to do it and so on, but it’s a thank you, you know? So we get excited when we see all the books claimed and the Pixie thanked – a pixie haul full house.’
‘That makes sense now, and I get what you’re saying about the tags. If the Paperback Pixie has stayed anonymous all these years, they’re obviously not doing it for the glory or adulation, but I could imagine the thank-you tags are appreciated. Probably makes them want to distribute more books.’
‘Exactly! And that’s why we’d love to work with them and give them a discount. So if you happen to know someone who knows someone who knows the Paperback Pixie, do ask them to get in touch. Discretion guaranteed!’
Lily was clearly passionate about the Paperback Pixie. Her eyes shone as she spoke and I loved how she wanted to be involved without any credit or expectation.
