Page 128 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘Turns out, not when I’m watching it with Archie. Horror is pretty cool, actually. You’re not annoyed, are you?’
‘Annoyed? Course not, why would I be? I think it’s brilliant news! I’m happy for you both.’
‘Thanks, Bea,’ said Jess, hugging her friend tightly. ‘So, are you going to talk to Nate?’
‘I guess I have to really, don’t I?’ Bea nodded. ‘It feels bloody terrifying though.’
‘Well, no one said it was going to be easy, did they?’
‘No, I guess not,’ said Bea, squeezing Jess’s hand. ‘I suppose I just have to hope you’re right, otherwise I don’t know what I’m going to do.’
* * *
When Bea pulled up at Three Acre Farm, she was fizzing with nerves. Sue was hanging washing on the line in the September sunshine and she waved when she saw Bea jump out of the car.
‘Hey, Sue!’ called Bea. ‘Is Nathan about?’
‘Sorry, love, you’ve just missed him,’ replied Sue.
‘Ah, okay. Do you know where he is?’ Bea asked.
‘No, sorry, he’s on a date! You should have seen him, all suited and booted,’ said Sue fondly, proud of the man her son had become. ‘Off somewhere fancy for lunch, I think.’
‘On a date?’ Bea repeated, blinking.
‘Yes, with Cece. I think you met her at that awards thing in Brighton. Lovely young lady she is, and so pretty.’
Cece? The drop dead gorgeous Cece from the Chamber of Commerce?
‘Oh, right,’ said Bea, her heart breaking into a thousand tiny pieces. ‘Do you know when he’ll be back?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine. Do you want me to tell him you’re looking for him?’
‘No, don’t bother,’ said Bea, her tone sharper than she’d intended.
‘You okay, love?’ Sue asked, taken aback.
‘Yeah, I’m fine, sorry. I’ve got to go,’ said Bea, climbing back into her car. ‘Take care,’ she called, gripping the steering wheel tightly and pulling out of the yard.
Bea couldn’t stop her hands from shaking as she drove home. After everything, she’d left it too late… Nathan was seeing Cece and there was nothing she could do about it.
CHAPTER 39
Bea glanced down at her phone. How did it go with Pritchard? N xx. She put the spoon back in the tub of Ben & Jerry’s she’d been eating and wiped the tears from her eyes. She knew she should have messaged Nathan – and Phoebe come to think of it – to tell them they’d got the shop, but she hadn’t been able to face it.
All she could think about was Cece. Gorgeous, perfect, beautiful Cece.
Her phone pinged with another message: Hey, Miller, call me when you get this. Where are you? Mum said you dropped by, is everything okay?
She typed out a reply: Sorry, yeah, the shop’s ours xx
Nathan’s reply was instant: Brilliant! Apple Tree tonight? 8pm?
She wasn’t sure she could face seeing him yet, not after finding out about Cece. Why hadn’t he told her himself? It was bad enough knowing she’d missed her chance with him, but to find out through his mum was awful. Bea dropped her head into her hands and carried on sobbing. What was she going to do?
She thought back to everything she’d been through over the last few months: leaving her job, risking all her savings to buy the wagon, the accident, Lochlan. Despite it all, she was still standing, still thriving. She’d overcome all the challenges of the past few months and, if she’d learnt anything, it was that when life gets you down, you have to pick yourself up and keep on going. It may have taken her a while to see clearly, but she knew now, for certain, that what she wanted was Nathan, so she’d just have to go and fight for him.
Bea didn’t think she’d ever felt so nervous before in all her life, as she walked into the Apple Tree that night. Her palms were clammy, her pulse racing and her legs threatening to give way. After polishing off the whole tub of ice cream, she’d taken a hot shower and spent the afternoon thinking about how badly this conversation with Nathan could play out, but in the end she knew, regardless of the result, she had to tell him how she felt.
