Page 55 of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop
To Lars
Hope you’ve had a great day. You know we spoke about you working Saturdays in December? Today was crazy busy so can you start working Saturdays and take Tuesdays off from now on? Thanks in advance
A reply came back within five minutes.
From Lars
Great day, thanks. Hope you did too. That’s all fine. I’ll see you on Monday but not Tuesday next week. Enjoy the rest of your evening
To Lars
Thank you for doing this. I’m so grateful. You enjoy the rest of your evening too
As I replied, I felt sad at the thought of not seeing him until Monday and then having another day away from him on the Tuesday.
‘Get a grip,’ I muttered to myself.
I spotted four WhatsApp notifications on my phone and I didn’t need two guesses as to who they were from. Sure enough…
From Justin
You’ve read my message. Why haven’t you replied?
Why are you ignoring me? I need to see you. I’m coming to Whitsborough Bay tomorrow. What time do you finish work?
ANSWER YOUR MESSAGES!
I flinched at the use of capitals. How dare he shout at me like that?
From Justin
I’ve looked it up on your website. I’ll be at the shop at 4
Clenching my teeth, I tapped in a reply, all the while asking myselfhow would Cassie respond?I read my message through and, satisfied that my reply had channelled my best friend’s intolerance for bullshit, I sent it.
To Justin
1.Yes, I am pissed off with you. We had plans to meet on my birthday. You cancelled the day before then never even wished me a happy birthday
2. I am not at your beck and call, especially when you message during shop hours. I will respond to messages when I have a free moment and not the second they arrive
3. Never SHOUT at me. If you do that to me again, you won’t get a response
4. I’m not free tomorrow. I have important plans immediately after work. What’s the urgency?
5. I’m 34 and don’t like being called kiddo. Please stop calling me that. Thank you!
I stared at my phone and saw that Justin had read my message. Oh, to be a fly on the wall! I waited for a couple of minutes to see if he’d reply, but nothing came and I couldn’t be bothered to waste any more time on him. What I really wanted right now was a long soak in the bath with a mug of tea.
The fresh pine scent of the bubble bath made me feel all Christmassy. I placed the mug from myAnne of Green Gablesset on a ledge beside the bath and smiled at the quote on it:
Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?
Gratefully sinking beneath the bubbles, I pushed aside the dark moments from the day – the mistakes others had made – and focused only on the positives, of which there were far more. Tomorrow would be a fresh day and I was so looking forward to the night. It was always one of my favourites – the moment we transformed Bay Books for Christmas. Then it would be a new week and I’d see Lars again. My heart leapt and I realised I was more excited about that than I was about the Christmas makeover.
30
LILY
