Page 21 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘Of course, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t.’
‘I’ll have to pick your brains about business stuff, too, Tori’s given me some pointers, but you must know loads, what with the farm and the cheese business.’
‘A bit,’ he replied. ‘I make most of it up as I go along, to be honest, but you can always ask.’
‘Thanks. You know, I’ve always envied you a bit,’ said Bea, sheepishly.
‘Why?’
‘Well, we’re both twenty-seven and you’ve always known exactly what you were going to do with your life. And there was me, clueless, bouncing from one dead-end temp job to another.’
‘That’s different, though, Bea. I grew up on the farm, I always knew I’d take it on one day, there wasn’t really anything to figure out.’
‘Even so I—’
‘And look at what you’re doing today? Moving out again… that’s a big step.’
‘Technically, I’m moving out of my mum’s to live at my brother’s,’ said Bea, with a half-smile.
‘I’m still living with my parents, remember? You’re one step ahead of me.’
‘But—’
‘And you’re about to start your own business – that takes courage. I should know, I started the cheese business from scratch.’
‘But that’s different—’
‘Things are looking up for you, Bea, trust me,’ said Nathan, nodding.
‘Well, when you put it like that,’ conceded Bea, ‘who am I to argue?’
* * *
Bea spotted Jess as soon as she entered the pub on Tuesday evening. The Mermaid was one of her favourite places in Rye. Situated in the citadel, the six-hundred-year-old inn was full of so much history you could almost feel it pouring out of the walls. The landlord’s tales of the ghosts that walked the hallways always sent shivers down her spine. Although many of the pub’s overnight guests claimed to have encountered the Grey Lady or the twelfth-century monk that was supposed to pace the rooms, Bea had never seen or felt anything herself, which left her a little sceptical.
‘Bea!’ called Jess from one of the corner booths. ‘I’ve got you a rum and coke.’
‘Ah, lovely, thank you!’ said Bea, pulling her friend into a hug.
‘Thanks for coming into town. I had a meeting with a new client this afternoon and we’ve not been out in Rye for ages!’
‘Don’t be daft, I love The Mermaid. How’s freelance life going?’
‘Yeah, good, I think. I’ve been designing a few logos and some corporate branding. My clients seem happy, so I’m hoping they’ll recommend me to some other local businesses.’
‘That’s great, Jess. You’re such a talented artist; I loved that logo you did for the Cosy Cat Café. The mural on the wall is stunning.’
‘Thanks,’ said Jess, blushing slightly. ‘It’s still early days, so I’m still working in the shop most of the time, in lieu of paying Mum any rent,’ she laughed. ‘How’s things with you?’ she asked, taking a sip of her drink. ‘It’s great your parents took the news about the wagon better than you expected.’
‘I know, I can’t believe it. They’ve been wonderful. I think Mum’s quite excited about it to be honest.’
‘Well, she is a librarian, so I’m not surprised,’ said Jess.
‘I hadn’t really thought about it like that.’
‘Have you heard anything from Rory?’
‘Nope, nothing. My life in London feels like forever ago, really. We were so well-suited, I just don’t get it,’ Bea said, shaking her head.
