Page 9 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘And what exactly are you planning to use it for?’ asked Nathan, raising his eyebrows.
‘Promise you won’t think I’ve gone completely mad?’ said Bea.
‘Depends…’ said Nathan, looking serious.
‘A mobile bookshop,’ Bea blurted in one quick breath.
‘A bookshop?’ said Charlotte, eyes wide. ‘Interesting.’
‘But what about your job?’ asked Nathan.
‘Bea quit yesterday,’ said Jess.
‘What?’ said Nathan, his head snapping in Bea’s direction. ‘You quit?’
‘Erm… yeah,’ Bea whispered.
‘Why don’t I leave you guys to it?’ said Charlotte. ‘Take a look around, have a think, and come and find me back at the yard when you’re done.’
‘Great, thanks,’ said Bea.
‘Wow, quitting’s a brave move,’ said Nathan, turning to face her.
‘I guess I’d had enough, Nate,’ Bea shrugged. ‘I just couldn’t stick it anymore.’
‘Hey, I’m not judging,’ he said quickly, holding up his hands, ‘you’ve gotta do what’s right for you. So, the bookshop idea? How did that come about?’
‘Well, I’d been thinking about opening an online store,’ explained Bea. ‘A sort of side hustle I suppose, and I thought maybe a mobile bookshop could work.’
‘Right, okay…’ said Nathan.
‘And then I got really drunk with Jess last night and woke up to find that I’d bought a horsebox to turn into a bookshop. Ta-dah!’ she said, sweeping her arms out in front of her.
‘Wow, that upscaled fast,’ Nathan laughed.
‘So, what do you think?’ said Bea, looking at him.
‘What do I think?’ said Nathan. ‘How am I involved in this exactly?’
‘Well, look at the state of it.’ Jess chimed in. ‘Do you think Bea’s going to be able to turn this into a bookshop on her own?’
‘No,’ said Nathan, flatly.
‘And who do we know that’s handy, local and has loads of space to store it while it’s being converted?’ Jess asked.
‘Don’t feel like you have to say yes,’ Bea said, quickly. ‘But you know more about this kind of stuff than I do, Nate. Is it possible, do you think? I mean it looks pretty dire to me.’
‘Well,’ said Nathan, circling the horsebox slowly. ‘It’s mostly cosmetic, I think,’ he said, stepping inside and bouncing up and down. ‘The structure feels solid,’ he continued, tapping the walls.
‘Really?’ said Bea, excitement bubbling up in her stomach.
‘And we could store it at the farm, no bother. I’ve got a spare barn,’ said Nathan.
‘Did you say we?’ asked Bea. ‘Does that mean you’ll help?’
‘Of course I’ll help,’ said Nathan, his face splitting into a grin.
‘Are you sure?’
