Page 28 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘It wasn’t,’ she smiled.
‘Shall we grab a table?’
‘Sure,’ said Bea, heading for a corner booth and sliding along the bench.
‘How’s your dog after his swim?’
‘Oh, he’s fine,’ she laughed. ‘I still can’t believe you did that…’
‘The water wasn’t deep. I’m just glad he’s okay.’
‘Thanks to you, he is,’ said Bea, smiling.
‘And I got to meet you, which was an added bonus,’ he said, flashing another perfect smile at her.
God he’s gorgeous.
‘So, what brings you to Blossom Heath? You said you’d just moved here?’
‘That’s right. I’ve moved in with my brother. He’s got a house on the Meadowgate Mead estate.’
‘And you like it there?’
‘Yeah. It’s got a cosy feel to it, even though it’s new; not like some of those other new builds you see. You know, kind of soulless?’ She noticed Lochlan’s smile widening. ‘What?’
‘It’s just that… well, I worked on that development.’
‘Gosh! Did you? Well, it’s lovely.’
‘Thanks. I’m pretty proud of it.’
‘So, you’re a builder then?’ she asked.
‘No, I’m a property developer,’ he said, taking a sip of his pint.
‘Wow. And what does that mean exactly?’
‘I look for parcels of land – old properties, sites that can be built on, redeveloped, that kind of thing – negotiate the deals, and help plan the developments. It’s pretty lucrative.’
‘I bet!’ said Bea, impressed.
‘What about you? What do you do?’ Lochlan asked.
‘Well,’ Bea hesitated, she wasn’t sure how Bea’s Book Wagon compared to Lochlan’s impressive resume. ‘I’m at a crossroads at the moment. I’ve just left my job to set up my own business.’
‘Doing what?’ he asked.
‘I’m converting an old horsebox, turning it into a mobile bookshop, well, trying to, at least. It’s early days,’ she said.
‘How brilliant!’ he said, enthusiastically. ‘So, you’re a bookseller then?’
‘Hoping to be, yes,’ she said, sipping her drink. ‘I’m going to be working at the Cosy Cat for a bit, too, just while I get the business up and running.’
‘I love that place!’ said Lochlan, ‘They do the best macchiatos.’
‘I haven’t started yet,’ said Bea quickly, ‘Monday’s my first day.’
‘I’ll try to pop by.’
