Page 31 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘Mum, this is Tori,’ said Bea, ‘Tori, this is my mum, Carol.’
‘Good to meet you,’ said Carol, shaking Tori’s hand. ‘Thanks for giving Bea the job, I know she really appreciates it.’
‘Oh, it’s no problem. She’s very capable, and if it helps her out while she’s doing up the horsebox, I’m happy to help,’ said Tori. ‘I’m excited to see the book wagon when it’s finished.’
‘You and me both,’ said Carol, beaming. ‘I wasn’t sure about it when she first told me. Quitting her job like that, I was…’
‘Horrified?’ said Bea, arching an eyebrow.
‘I was just… surprised, that’s all,’ said Carol. ‘But now I’ve had time to get used to the idea, I can see the potential.’
‘Me too,’ said Tori, enthusiastically. ‘And anything I can do to help, I will.’
‘Tori’s got a business degree, she’s been helping with my business plan,’ Bea explained.
‘That’s kind of you,’ said Carol.
‘Grab a table, Mum, and I’ll come and take your order?’ suggested Bea.
‘I can’t stop, I’m off to see Maggie. Can I get two skinny lattes to go?’ said Carol.
‘Absolutely,’ said Bea, ‘coming right up,’ she said, filling the portafilter with coffee beans.
‘Hey, you!’ said a familiar voice. Bea turned to see Lochlan standing at the counter. He was wearing a navy suit with a crisp white shirt.
He looked jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
‘Oh, Lochlan, hi!’ Bea stuttered. Why did she suddenly feel all fingers and thumbs?
‘How’s your first day going?’ he asked.
‘Aren’t you going to introduce us, sweetheart?’ said Carol, pointedly.
‘Oh, yeah,’ Bea mumbled. ‘This is Lochlan. Lochlan, this is my mum, Carol.’
‘Lovely to meet you, Carol,’ said Lochlan.
‘You too,’ Carol replied. ‘So, how do you know Bea?’
‘We met on the footpath by the river. She was in a spot of trouble with her dog,’ said Lochlan, leaning against the counter.
‘What trouble?’ said Carol, turning to Bea. ‘What happened?’
‘Oh, it was nothing,’ said Bea. ‘He just got tangled in his lead, Lochlan helped me sort it out,’ she continued, flashing him a look.
‘Er, yes, that’s right,’ he said, catching on. ‘We laughed about it at the pub afterwards,’ added Lochlan.
Bea threw him a look to say please stop talking.
‘You went for a drink?’ asked Carol, excitedly.
‘Oh, yeah,’ said Lochlan, grinning. He immediately realized from the look on Bea’s face that he’d said the wrong thing. ‘We bumped into each other at the pub and got chatting,’ he backtracked.
Lochlan mouthed ‘Sorry’ to Bea over Carol’s shoulder.
‘Anyway, here are those lattes, Mum,’ said Bea, passing them across the counter. ‘You don’t want to keep Maggie waiting.’
‘No, I suppose not,’ said Carol. ‘Lovely to meet you, Lochlan.’
