Page 35 of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop
‘I hope you find your Pixie soon,’ I said.
‘Me too and I hope I get to meet them in person because I’d like to give them a huge hug and thank them for spreading the joy of reading. They’re a man or woman – or a team of people – after my own heart.’
The customer who’d gone upstairs returned with a travel book. While Lily served him, chatting easily about his plans to visit India, I repeated in my head what she’d just said.They’re a man or woman after my own heart.It was true. I was. Every day, I felt myself being more and more drawn towards Lily Appleton. I couldn’t think of a single thing I disliked about her. Even in that first week when she’d been a little cool towards me, I’d still really liked her, admired her, wanted to be around her and now that she’d thawed again, those desires were even stronger.
I thought about all the superhero films I’d watched over the years and those pivotal moments where Bruce Wayne, Peter Parker and Clark Kent could have revealed their alter egos to the women who’d captured their hearts but something stopped them. Now I truly understood why they didn’t admit who they were because I couldn’t either.I’m the Paperback Pixie.Only four words but I just couldn’t say them. Not yet anyway. Especially when nobody else knew – not even Nanna.
19
LILY
‘I think that has to be the quietest lunchtime I’ve ever worked,’ Cassie said, zipping up her waterproof coat as she prepared to leave on Wednesday afternoon.
The rain hadn’t let up all day. We’d had a couple more customers than on Black Monday but we needed quite a few more to hit triple sales figures.
Cassie’s phone beeped and she read the message and tapped in a response before looking up at me. ‘That was Jared. The bonfire’s been cancelled due to theadverse weather conditions. They took their time making that decision.’
Jared was the production manager at Huxleigh Foods. As one of the town’s largest and longest-standing employers, they hosted a bonfire and fireworks event every 5 November. It had started off as a thank you for their employees and families but had developed over the years into a bigger community event. Cassie and Jared had been planning to take Hallie and Rocco, and Cassie had been checking her phone throughout her shift, hoping they’d cancel, because standing in the rain and mud was not exactly an appealing way to spend her evening.
‘Bet you’re relieved,’ I said.
‘If I had the energy, I’d be doing a happy dance round the shop right now. But, as I’ve got an unexpected free evening, I know how I’m going to spend it…’ She marched over to our fantasy section and grabbed herself a book which she plonked down on the counter with a smile. ‘I’m going in!’
I knew what the book was without even looking –A Game of Thrones, the first book in George R. R. Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series. Jared had been hooked on the TV series from the start and had kept telling Cassie she’d love it but she wasn’t convinced. She’d accidentally caught an episode of the final season and, as Jared predicted, was gripped so they’d gone back to the start and watched all the seasons together.
Lars joined us from restocking some of our non-fiction books. ‘Great choice. Is it for you?’ he asked Cassie.
‘It is. I’ve already watched the TV series which is unusual for me as I prefer to read the book first but these things happen. I figured enough years have now passed for the memory of the twists and turns to have faded so I can dive into the series and enjoy it all over again.’
‘And when she saysprefer to read the book first, she really means she’s a stickler for that. Gets a bit preachy about it, don’t you, Cassie?’
Cassie placed her hands on her hips in mock-indignation. ‘What do you expect when there’s so much more depth in the books? You must have seen memes on the socials about it, Lars, where there’s an iceberg and they say the film or TV adaptation is the bit sticking out the water but the book’s that bit plus the mass of berg beneath the surface.’
Lars nodded. ‘I know the meme you mean and I agree about the depth in books, but I mix it up myself – sometimes book first, sometimes film. I’ve enjoyed stories both ways. I’m not particularly visual so I don’t conjure up what the characters look like when I’m reading a book. If I’ve seen it on the screen first, I then visualise the actors as I’m reading and it adds a different dimension.’
‘Lily’s the same!’ Cassie cried, pointing at me as though I was a criminal she’d picked out of a line-up.
‘I’m not a visual reader either,’ I said, shrugging. ‘If it’s well described, I can picture the setting brilliantly but I really struggle with picturing characters. I have this vague sense of their build and hair colour but that’s where it ends. Doesn’t spoil my enjoyment of a book but sometimes I like the visual from seeing the screen version first.’
Cassie shook her head and tutted, pretending to be disgusted with me. ‘I have no idea why we’re friends. Philistine.’
‘I loved the books and the TV series,’ Lars said, tapping a long index finger on Cassie’s purchase. ‘A lot of the series was filmed in Ireland but parts were filmed in Iceland so I’ve done my geeky tourist bit and visited those settings.’
‘I didn’t realise they’d filmed in Iceland,’ Cassie said. ‘Although it does seem appropriate that a series called “A Song of Ice and Fire” would be filmed in the land of ice and fire. Right! Time to brave the weather.’
She wrapped the book in a carrier bag and placed it in her handbag, muttering that it had better stay dry. Grabbing her umbrella from the bucket by the door, she bid us goodbye and headed out into the rain.
‘I should never have told you about Black Monday,’ I said to Lars, as I stood by the door watching Cassie dashing across the cobbles, dodging the larger puddles. ‘I think I’ve jinxed it.’
‘I hate to say it but I’ve just checked the weather app and it’s not expected to let up until midnight.’
‘Urgh! That’s grim.’ I returned to the counter. ‘Cassie’s kids are going to be so disappointed about the bonfire being cancelled. They were really looking forward to it, but at least it means fewer fireworks going off and distressing pets and wildlife.’
‘Have you got any pets?’ Lars asked.
‘No, not even when we were younger with us all being out at work all day. What about you?’
‘Same. Until recently, I was living with my nanna and she got a cat maybe ten years ago. We had it for two years and one day it never came home. It broke Nanna’s heart and that was it for her – no more pets.’
