Page 70 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘I’m assuming he gets to take a plus one?’ Bea asked Tori.
‘I’m not sure, to be honest, maybe you’ll have to wait for the letter to come through, Nate.’ said Tori.
‘It’s so exciting. I wonder if there’s, like, a cash prize or a trophy or something?’ Bea said.
‘Hey, what are you both doing tonight?’ Tori asked.
‘Nothing,’ Nathan shrugged.
‘Me neither,’ said Bea.
‘Why don’t we go out?’ suggested Tori. ‘Just the four of us? I’ll text Leo and see if he can meet us at the pub after he finishes work,’ said Tori, grabbing her phone.
‘Love to!’ said Bea. ‘Count me in!’
‘Perfect!’ said Tori. ‘Meet you there at seven?’
‘Great,’ said Nathan. ‘Let me just grab the rest of the boxes.’
‘Nate,’ said Bea, catching his arm, ‘Congratulations again, it’s great news, you really deserve it.’
‘Thanks, Bea,’ he said.
And, as she watched him walk out the door, Bea’s heart swelled with pride for everything Nathan had achieved. Diversifying to make the cheese at the farm had been a huge risk, and she knew he’d had to work hard and learn quickly to make it the success it was now. If Bea’s Book Wagon had half the success of Three Acre Cheeses, she’d be a very happy bookseller indeed.
* * *
‘Bea! Over here!’ called Tori, as she walked towards the bar of the Apple Tree.
‘Hiya,’ said Bea, slipping off her jacket.
‘Pete, can I get another glass, please?’ asked Tori, holding a bottle of chilled prosecco.
‘Is Nathan here?’ Bea asked.
‘No, not yet,’ said Tori, shaking her head.
‘Tori’s just been telling me about this award he’s up for,’ said Pete.
‘I know, it’s great, isn’t it?’ said Bea.
‘Speak of the devil,’ said Tori, as Nathan entered the pub.
‘Congratulations,’ said Pete, ‘what you having, lad? It’s on the house.’
‘I’ll have a pint of bitter, thanks, Pete,’ said Nathan.
‘Actually, can you make that two? Leo’s not much of a fan of fizz either,’ said Tori.
‘More for us then,’ said Bea, taking a sip of her drink and wrinkling her nose as the bubbles fizzed in her mouth. ‘Delicious.’
As they made their way through the pub towards Leo, who was sat at a table near the back, there were shouts of ‘Congrats, Nate’ and ‘Well done, lad’, and several of the locals raised a glass towards them.
‘Crikey, news spreads fast around here,’ said Bea, pulling up a chair opposite Leo.
‘You can say that again,’ Nathan laughed.
‘I propose a toast…’ said Tori, raising her glass. ‘To Nate and his mouth-wateringly delicious cheeses.’
