Page 10 of The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop
‘I’m a bookseller, and I’ve just got a job at A New Chapter. We’re going to organise events in the run-up to Christmas, bring some razzmatazz to the town.’
Max’s smile showed off his dimple. ‘That sounds great. Thea mentioned that she wants my help picking a coffee machine.’
‘And you’re putting her off at every turn,’ Lizzy said, accepting a takeaway cup from him.
Max frowned. ‘Why would I do that?’
‘Because it’ll be competition.’
‘It won’t be,’ he said, laughing. ‘She wants a Help Yourself machine for customers who want to browse. There’s room for all of us.’ He held out Ollie’s latte to her, and her fingers grazed his as she took the cup. She noticed how tanned and strong his forearms were. He was incredibly attractive, even more so now she knew how friendly he was, how calm and considerate: even to Lizzy, who clearly made it her mission to tease him.
Then she thought of another attractive man, with blond hair and caramel eyes, his smile a little crooked, as if it wasa physical manifestation of the fact that, beneath the surface, all wasn’t as it should be. But she hadn’t picked up on it, she hadn’t realised until she was injured and in pain, and he had no time for her. His temper had frayed, his good humour all but gone when she became hard work. Her ‘can-do’ attitude had gone on hiatus when she’d fractured her shoulder, and his affection had left with it, and had failed to return.Guy.She had misjudged him so badly. She couldn’t trust herself, at the moment, when it came to men. She needed breathing space.
She took a step backwards and raised her cup. ‘Thank you for this.’
‘Don’t go without your sausage roll.’ Max put them into paper bags, and Ollie felt a traitorous thrill of nerves at the thought of their fingers brushing again.
‘Course not,’ she said. And then, despite her need for breathing space, she added, ‘Come to our first book club meet-up on Friday night. Both of you, if you’re free. No need to bring anything except yourself and a book you love that you’re happy to talk about. We’ll provide the refreshments.’
‘I’ll have to check with the teens,’ Lizzy said. ‘The likelihood is that I’ll be ferrying one or other of them to a house party somewhere. But Max would love to, I’m sure. Getting to wang on about his favourite book, and bewitch a pretty young thing at the same time.’
Ollie laughed. ‘I’m thirty-five!’
‘Beryan’s fifty-eight, and she isn’t immune to his charms.’
‘Lizzy!’ Max rolled his eyes. ‘Do you come in here purposely to make trouble?’
‘Why would you even ask me that?’ Lizzy took hersausage roll, lifted her coffee cup in thanks and winked at Ollie. ‘Of course I do. Best part of my day.’ She blew Max a kiss, then walked out of the café.
Max slumped against the counter, raising his arm up like an exhausted triathlete at the end of a race. ‘Here’s your sausage roll.’
Ollie grinned. ‘Get a lot of mental workouts like that, do you?’
‘All part of the service,’ he said, smiling at her.
There was no mistaking the change in his tone, kindness shifting towards flirtation, and Ollie thought he might have more weapons in his arsenal of attraction than she could possibly cope with.
‘And I do love it,’ he continued. ‘Talking to people. The variety, the fun. I get all the news – get to share in people’s good fortune, commiserate with them if things aren’t so great. Sometimes it strays towards agony uncle, but I’d much rather that than be stuck in an office somewhere, making friends with a computer.’
‘Agreed,’ Ollie said.
‘Yeah, you’re a people person too, I can tell.’
‘Not so much fun talking to inanimate objects.’ She laughed. ‘But maybe being in sleepy little Cornwall, I’ll be too starved of company, turn tail and run.’ She thought of her beautiful barn, all the space just for her and Henry. Her empty Christmas plans.
‘No you won’t,’ Max said. ‘Sure, it’s different here, but just think of it as quality rather than quantity.’
‘That’s a good way of looking at it.’ When he smiled, her lips tugged upwards too, as if she was his reflection and had no choice but to mirror what he was doing.‘Anyway, I’d better get back to Henry and my to-do list.’ The smell of pastry and spiced sausage meat from her paper bag was making her stomach rumble. ‘What do I owe you?’ She put her cup on the counter, took out her purse and her card.
‘See you tomorrow?’ Max said, once she’d paid.
‘Of course. Before work though, rather than after. And come on Friday night, if you’re not too busy. It’ll be good fun.’
‘I’ll think about it,’ Max said. ‘Thanks for the invite.’
When she turned in the doorway, unable to resist a final glance, he gave her a quick salute, his head slightly angled. It was a throwaway gesture, but it was far too hot for Ollie to handle.
She rushed out into the pale October sunshine, and almost collided with a man in a fisherman’s jumper who was striding up the street.
