Page 17 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘Nice to meet you, Arthur, I’m Beatrice, but everyone calls me Bea,’ she said, warmly. ‘I’m one of the volunteers here.
‘Back in a jiffy,’ she said, heading towards the crime fiction section.
She quickly found the book she was searching for: Killing Floor.
‘Here we are,’ she said, making her way back to Arthur. ‘Book number one.’
‘Excellent,’ said Arthur, heaving himself up from his seat.
‘Now, let me just check this out for you,’ said Bea, scanning his library card into the system. ‘There, all done,’ she said, passing the book across the desk.
‘Thank you, Bea,’ said Arthur, tucking it into his shopping bag. ‘One down, twenty-seven to go, eh?’
‘Exactly,’ Bea chuckled. ‘I hope you enjoy it.’
‘Oh, I’m sure I will. And thank you for your help.’
‘It’s my pleasure,’ said Bea.
‘Next time, I’ll be sure to know what I’m looking for before I arrive.’
‘Don’t worry, that’s what I’m here for.’
‘See you next time, Bea,’ said Arthur, making his way towards the door.
‘I’ll have book two ready and waiting,’ she called after him as he threw her a wave of thanks. And, as Bea picked up a stack of books to return to the shelves, she knew her talent for finding exactly the right book, with very little to go on, was a skill she could put to good use in the bookshop.
* * *
Bea spent the afternoon after her shift back at home, going through the boxes of books she had accumulated over the years. She was short of space in her parents’ box room, and most of her books were either packed away or stacked up in corners, which was such a shame as she had limited editions she’d love to have out on display.
‘Bea!’ Carol called up the stairs. ‘Archie’s here!’
‘Okay, I’ll be down in a sec,’ she shouted, putting a rather well-thumbed copy of The Time Traveller’s Wife back in the nearest box.
‘Hiya, Sis,’ said Archie, ‘off out tonight?’ he said, eyeing her faded denim dungarees.
‘Not in these,’ Bea laughed.
‘I’m meeting Freddie and Josh at The George in a bit if you fancy it?’ he said, dunking a biscuit into his tea.
‘Not tonight, Arch, I’m going through some books, seeing what I’ve got—’
‘You could do with a clear out, you’ve got hundreds stashed away up there,’ said Carol.
‘Who said anything about a clear out? I’m doing a stock take, that’s all,’ said Bea, defensively.
‘Mum’s been telling me about your horsebox idea. Sounds pretty cool,’ he said, slurping his tea.
‘I’m glad you think so, as I’m hoping I can borrow your car to tow it?’ Bea asked. ‘Just until I get myself sorted,’ she added quickly.
‘Sure,’ Archie agreed.
‘Cheers, Arch. What’s been going on with you, anyway? It’s been a while,’ Bea asked.
‘I’m having a bit of a nightmare, actually, I was just telling Mum. Seb’s moving out, so I need to find a new tenant asap as I can’t afford the mortgage on my own.’
‘He never was very reliable, that one,’ said Carol.
