Page 30 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘In that case, my dear, I take milk and two sugars,’ he replied, his face breaking into a smile.
* * *
‘Wow, Nate, this looks amazing! I didn’t expect you to have made a start without me,’ said Bea, surveying the brand-new floor he’d installed in the horsebox. ‘I was going to start prepping this afternoon.’
‘I had some free time, so thought I may as well crack on. How was the library?’
‘Great. It was quiet, but there’s this lovely old man called Arthur who came in today. I made him some tea and we had a bit of a natter. I think he’s a bit lonely, to be honest.’
‘Well, I’m sure you lifted his spirits. That was good of you, Bea, to take the time. But that’s you all over…’
‘What is?’
‘You’re kind. It’s probably my favourite thing about you.’
‘Stop, you’re going to make me blush!’ said Bea, her cheeks turning rosy anyway.
‘Okay,’ said Nathan, suppressing his laughter. ‘Anyway, I can stick around, give you a hand?’
‘Only if you’ve got time?’
‘I have,’ he said, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal his tattoos.
Bea’s eyes rested on his forearms for a moment. Clearing her throat, she asked, ‘Shall I start washing everything first? Then we can both sand away the rust and grime and prep the surfaces for painting.’
‘Oh, so glamourous,’ sniggered Nathan.
‘I’ve bought buckets and rubber gloves, they’re by the door.’
‘And I brought these,’ said Nathan, throwing her a pair of ugly, brown overalls.
‘Really?’ said Bea, frowning. ‘I’m not sure brown’s my colour?’
‘Unless you want that sweatshirt ruined?’
‘I absolutely don’t,’ said Bea, shaking her head.
‘Overalls it is, then.’
‘Who knew you were so bossy?’ said Bea, almost toppling over as she stepped into her overalls.
‘Woah!’ said Nathan, grabbing her arm to steady her.
‘Thanks,’ she said, gripping him tightly. She could feel his biceps through his shirt.
Wow, he was… strong.
For reasons she didn’t want to acknowledge, she didn’t want to let go. ‘Right,’ she said, finally turning away. ‘Let’s make a start then, shall we?’
CHAPTER 9
‘Mum! What are you doing here?’ asked Bea, halfway through her first shift at the Cosy Cat.
‘How’s it going?’ asked Carol.
‘Good, I think. I’m still getting the hang of the coffee machine, it’s so complicated.’
‘She’s doing great,’ said Tori, wiping her hands on her apron.
