Page 10 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘I want to, okay? I can’t sell books, but I can help with the refit of this, no problem,’ said Nathan.
‘And how long will it take, do you think?’ asked Jess.
‘Hmmmm…’ he said, thoughtfully. ‘A few weeks, maybe? If we do it in the evenings and weekends, you’ll be surprised how quickly it’ll come together.’
‘That soon? Wow! Thanks, Nate, that’s amazing,’ said Bea, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him hard.
‘My pleasure,’ said Nathan, his cheeks colouring. ‘How are you going to tow it, though? Have you forgotten that you don’t actually own a car?’
‘I’ve got a plan: I’m going to ask Archie if I can use his – he barely uses it, it’s just sat on his driveway,’ said Bea.
‘Great idea!’ said Jess.
‘There’s so much else to think about, though,’ said Bea. ‘I don’t have a business plan, I’ve wiped out my savings and I’ve got no idea how to get started.’
‘I know it seems like a lot,’ said Jess. ‘But you’ll figure it out.’
‘Do you think I could ask Tori at the Cosy Cat for some advice, Jess? She set up the cat café last year, didn’t she? I’ve only met her a few times, but you know her pretty well,’ said Bea.
‘I’m sure she’d be happy to help, I’ll give you her number,’ said Jess.
‘I’ll ask Charlotte if she’ll give me a few days to think about it before I go ahead,’ said Bea.
‘She did say she’d cancel the sale if you’re not sure, so I reckon she’ll give you some leeway,’ said Nathan.
‘Looks like I’ve got a plan then!’ said Bea. ‘You know what, though? I think I might already have a name,’ she said, nodding towards the trailer.
‘What is it?’ asked Jess.
‘Bea’s Book Wagon!’ said Bea, looking at them expectantly.
‘Ooooh, I love it!’ said Jess, with a gasp of delight.
‘You realize now it has a name you’ll have to go through with it?’ said Nathan.
‘I’ll start thinking about a logo, too,’ said Jess, mulling it over. ‘I’ll get my sketchbook out when I get home.’
‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,’ said Bea, seriously. ‘This is all still hypothetical right now.’
‘Hypothetical, yeah, right,’ Jess sniggered. ‘As if.’
‘I’ve still got to talk to Mum and Dad – as far as they’re concerned, I’ve still got a job at Hobbs & Partners!’ said Bea. ‘That’s going to be a fun conversation.’
‘Ah,’ said Nathan. ‘How do you think they’ll take it?’
‘God knows, but I don’t think they’re going to be happy,’ Bea said, shaking her head.
But, as Bea walked back through the paddocks towards the stables, she realized that she’d already fallen more than a little in love with Bea’s Book Wagon.
CHAPTER 3
Bea jumped out of Jess’s car, before her friend was late for her shift at Harrison’s, and hurried towards the one and only bus stop next to the village green. She glanced down at her watch: 4.03pm. She only had four minutes to wait for the bus back to Rye, to face the dreaded conversation with her parents.
In all the excitement at the stables, she’d almost managed to forget just how apprehensive she was about breaking the news to them that she’d quit her job.
Bea stuck out her arm when she saw the bus approaching, hopped on board, found a vacant seat and reached into her bag for her book. A bus journey meant only one thing: pure, uninterrupted reading time. Utter bliss.
She opened the pages of a pastel pink copy of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. She’d lost count of how many times she’d read it, and owned several copies, but this one was a special edition with beautiful, gold-sprayed edges, which she hadn’t been able to resist adding to her collection. Bea had stopped counting exactly how many books she owned years ago, her passion taking up most of the floor space in the tiny box room at her parents’ house. She was always searching through crates at fairs and flea markets, and she’d found some real gems over the years. To say it had become a bit of an obsession was an understatement.
