Page 33 of A Snowy Seaside Christmas
‘Hello, everyone. Welcome.’ Jean Davenport offered a warm greeting at the door to the reading room where she was standing with Florrie’s mum, Paula, festive music still playing in the background. They were there to guide people to their seats, which was something they did at all the readings.
‘Silas! It’s grand to see you.’ Paula beamed at him, patting him warmly on his arm. ‘Our Florrie said you’d be here tonight.’
‘It most certainly is grand to see you, Silas,’ said Jean. ‘You’ve been a stranger for too long.’ If she wasn’t mistaken, Jean seemed extra glowy tonight, as if she’d had some good news. Lark observed her closely for a couple of seconds.Hmm, there was definitely something…
‘And it’s lovely to see you two ladies, too. You’re both looking well,’ Silas said.
Lark switched her attention to her dad, happy – and relieved – to see he looked pleased by the friendly welcome, his naturally sociable nature gradually emerging from its torpor. It was a good sign.
‘Oh, this looks wonderful,’ he said, looking around as they stepped into the reading room.
‘Florrie and Ed certainly make a good team.’ Stella followed Silas’s gaze.
The space had been decorated to resemble a Victorian-style living room at Christmastime. A large Christmas tree bedecked in vintage-style baubles twinkled away in the corner, while garlands trimmed with fairy lights were swagged from the picture rail that ran around the room. Remarkably realistic faux candles flickered on the desk that was parked between two high-backed leather chairs, woollen throws that complimented the plump cushions, draped over the back of them. Set against the wall behind, a table was piled high with the two authors’ books, while a cash register and card reader were positioned alongside ready for purchases to be made after the reading. A festivearoma of spiced orange and cloves thanks to a strategically placed oil diffuser permeated the air, adding to the seasonal vibe.
Lark spotted Florrie in discussion with Leah. She caught her friend’s eye and they exchanged a wave. She knew these events made her friend nervous, especially after the attempted sabotage of the one last Christmas. Luckily the perpetrator had been caught and nothing like it had happened since, but it still didn’t stop Florrie from worrying. Dodgy Dick and Wendy filtered into Lark’s mind. She hoped they wouldn’t show up, though she knew none of the staff would have sold them tickets. And if they’d procured them by other means, they still wouldn’t be given admission. All the same, Lark hoped the event would be trouble-free and that Florrie and Ed could enjoy it.
As they inched their way to their seats, Lark was pleasantly surprised to see Louisa. She was sitting four rows back at the opposite end. The curator was deep in conversation with a woman in the seat next to her. Talk about fortuitous! Lark took this as a good sign; it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce her father to Louisa. She tried to catch the curator’s eye, but to no avail. Since the room was quickly filling up, and the reading was about to start, she decided to leave it for now and speak to her afterwards. There’d be plenty of time then, with drinks and nibbles being laid on in the tearoom. She’d be sure to catch Louisa before she headed off.
She settled herself in her seat beside Nate, who was talking calmly to Buddy and helping him get settled. She watched as he obediently followed Nate’s command telling him to sit, and was rewarded with a scratch behind the ear. It was clear the Labrador had been well trained by whoever owned him. As much as she didn’t want whoever that might be to be feeling sad at losing him, she couldn’t help but think Nate and Buddy went well together, like they were somehow meant to be. Maybehe’d been sent to Nate? Lark strongly believed that everything happened for a reason.
It wasn’t long before the lights dimmed and the music stopped. The atmosphere suddenly became more intimate. Lark turned her attention to the matter in hand as a murmur of anticipation ran around the room. Buddy looked on, his velvety ears cocked in interest. Lark met Nate’s eye and they shared a smile. Buddy certainly had plenty of character.
TWENTY-ONE
Jenna came into the room first. She was wearing a silk shirtdress in her trademark pink, black tights, and a pair of black suede Mary-Janes. Her softly highlighted hair was scraped back and fixed with a crocodile clip. Jack followed close behind, sporting a smart wool jacket, blue shirt and mustard-coloured chinos.
Applause bounced around the room. Lark joined in, clapping her still-cold hands together, thrilled her dad was there to share the experience, knowing how much he’d enjoy it. She stole a look his way to see him smiling, his expression relaxed.
A sense of happiness shimmered through her. She had a feeling it was going to be a great night.
‘Now then, good people of Micklewick Bay, welcome to The Happy Hartes Bookshop, and on behalf of Jenna and myself, I’d like to thank you all for turning out on such a freezing cold winter’s evening. I assume the expression you’re all wearing at the minute is down to the fact you were absolutely nithered out there and are still thawing out, and it has nowt at all to do with the fear of having to listen to me blatherin’ on in my usual tedious way for the next hour – at least, I hope that’s the case.’ His deep chuckle was met with laughter from the audience.
Jack’s slightly craggy face and dour expression belied his self-deprecating sense of humour which was always well received by his legions of adoring fans. He’d acknowledged publicly many times that blowing your own trumpet didn’t go down well with his fellow Yorkshire folk, and was a surefire way of getting yourself somewhat unceremoniously brought down a peg or two. And he didn’t fancy risking that. Despite being a nationally revered author and poet, he was down to earth and unassuming and shared privately that he was prone to suffering from the dreaded imposter syndrome. It was the same with Jenna. She hailed from Newcastle and was a successful romcom author whose books had been commissioned for television. Both writers were hugely popular and their eagerness to take part in such events had boosted the bookshop’s fortunes, along with Florrie and Ed’s forward-thinking approach.
‘So, tonight we thought we’d try something a bit different,’ said Jenna in her sing-song Geordie accent. ‘Instead of us each reading a passage from one of our own books, we thought it would be a bit of a giggle if we read from my last book, with me taking the role of the heroine and Jack the hero.’
‘Always happy to be your hero, lass.’ Jack pressed his hand to his heart and feigned a sincere expression, making the audience hoot with laughter.
‘Honest to God.’ Jenna shook her head fondly. ‘Daft lad.’
Jack treated her to a cheesy grin.
Turning his attention to the paperback in his hand, he said, ‘So, without further ado, let’s get cracking.’
The couple made themselves comfortable in the leather seats, Jenna tilting the lamp next to her chair so it angled over the pages of her book.
For the next forty-five minutes, they had the audience in fits of laughter as they made their way through the book. The couple occasionally had to pause in order to get their own giggles undercontrol, particularly when Jack mistakenly read lines that were Jenna’s. It only added to the entertainment factor.
Cries of ‘Encore!’ filled the room when the couple closed their books, drawing the reading to a close. They both looked on in humble disbelief as they were treated to a standing ovation.
‘That was fantastic!’ said Silas, vigorously clapping his hands together. ‘I had no idea what to expect, but that wasamazing!’
‘It’s usually a really great night, but that was the best ever,’ said Lark, clapping as hard as her dad, a huge grin on her face, happy that he’d enjoyed himself so much.
He was right, the reading had been fantastic, though Lark had found herself distracted at times thanks to the feel of Nate’s leg pressed against hers, the touch of his skin as his hand had accidentally brushed against her fingers. She felt sure he must’ve experienced the electricity just as she had.
Jack, looking more than a little embarrassed by the enthusiastic response, gestured for the applause to cease. ‘Haven’t you lot got homes to go to?’ he called out, a laugh in his voice.
