Page 107 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘None of us did, darling,’ said Carol, taking Bea’s hand and squeezing it gently.
Bea looked at Nathan, her eyes filling with tears, her heart fit to burst. He’d done all this, for her?
‘It wasn’t just me, though,’ Nathan explained. ‘It was a team effort.’
‘Once everyone knew what had happened, they wanted to help, Bea. All of us did,’ said Tori.
‘We couldn’t bear to see you give up,’ said Rose, nodding.
‘We all wanted to get Bea’s Book Wagon back on the road,’ said Violet, her eyes misty with tears. Jean passed her a tissue, to pat her cheeks dry.
‘I… I don’t know what to say? I just can’t believe it,’ said Bea, her hands shaking, her heart pounding. ‘You’ve done all this in just a couple of weeks?’
‘We have,’ said Jean, proudly. ‘We couldn’t all help with the building work, but us ladies from the WI made you some new bunting and patchwork cushions.’
‘And some matching reading quilts,’ added Clara.
‘I found you some lovely antique lamps,’ said Arthur. ‘Got them for a song, too,’ he chuckled.
‘And I ordered you some new fairy lights; we’ve got the same ones in the salon,’ said Claire. Bea noticed she was holding Josh’s hand.
‘Thank you! Thank you, all,’ said Bea, half-crying, half-laughing. ‘You’re all… amazing! I don’t know how to thank you!’
‘Come inside and take a look,’ said Jess. ‘Everything’s as good as new.’
‘We repaired what was salvageable,’ said Nathan, gently, ‘and anything that couldn’t be fixed, we’ve replaced.’
‘Oh. My. God,’ said Bea, breathlessly, as she walked inside. The interior of the wagon looked just as good as its freshly painted exterior: the bookcases were back in place, painted in the same shade of cream she had originally chosen, the shelves were full of books, there were new beanbags, deckchairs and patchwork rugs, together with the cushions and bunting made by the ladies of the WI. Her wall hangings were back in place, too, with new lamps, new artwork… new everything. It was perfect.
‘It’s incredible, it looks…’ said Bea, trailing off.
‘Okay?’ asked Nathan, nervously.
‘Okay?’ said Bea, throwing her arms around him, ignoring the pain in her ribs. ‘It’s spectacular!’
‘Good,’ said Jess, looking relieved, ‘because you’re off to Cherrydown fête tomorrow!’
‘Oh no, I cancelled that,’ said Bea.
‘Yeah, and I phoned them back a couple of days ago and rebooked your pitch,’ said Nathan, sheepishly.
‘You did?’ said Bea, eyes wide.
‘Yeah,’ Nathan nodded. ‘Once I knew the wagon was going to be ready in time. I hope that’s okay?’
‘Okay?’ Bea laughed, ‘it’s brilliant. Thank you!’ she said, hugging him again. When she looked up, she noticed Lochlan was watching her intently from his spot on the green, his arms folded, eyes narrowed.
‘Oh and there’s one more surprise,’ said Jess, pointing towards a corner of the green illuminated by a Victorian street lamp.
‘Oh my God! I don’t believe it! It that the little free library?’ asked Bea.
‘It is!’ Matt confirmed, ‘Harry and I finished it off for you. I hope you don’t mind?’
‘Of course I don’t mind, it looks amazing!’ said Bea.
‘Everyone donated a book too, so there’s enough to keep it going for a while, I think,’ said Harry.
‘That’s brilliant, thanks so much!’ said Bea, her heart fit to burst as she realized how much time and effort her friends and neighbours had put in to help get her back on her feet. She knew she’d never be able to repay their kindness, but she hoped she’d find a way to thank them for making this the best birthday ever.
