“Oh my god, Mum. Stop.” Eiley covered her face with a trembling hand, regretting her decision to bring Mum here. Not that she’d had much of a choice. She’d been ready with buttered toast and an empty suitcase bright and early this morning, eager to help Eiley move back home, as expected.
The fireman snorted and nudged Eiley. “Maybe not for this one, eh? It was like an episode ofCorriein here last night.”
She shot him a pleading look before he said any more. The last thing she needed was for Mum to find out about how recklessshe’d been with her safety last night. She might not have been a fixer, but she was a worrier, and with her next treatment coming up soon, she could do without the high blood pressure.
“Whatever do you mean?” Myra curiously leaned closer.
“Oh, nothing. Just …” He wafted his hand vaguely, grimacing under Eiley’s scrutiny as though afraid. Had she been that awful? “Anyway, we’ll be handing this over to your landlady, now, but if you need anything, even just a helping hand, I’ve left my personal details on the counter.”
Eiley softened. “That’s very kind of you. And so was moving my things. Thank you …”
“Nate,” he supplied, shaking her hand. His skin was rough, calloused. Come to think of it, she remembered seeing Warren chatting to someone with the same dark curls at the pub – which meant they weren’t just co-workers, but friends.
She probablywouldn’tbe calling Nate for help, then. They’d likely be rehashing the story of the mad woman who had made their jobs harder over beers tonight. Half the town would know about it by tomorrow.
“Areyousingle?” Mum blurted. Eiley squirmed away, mortified.
Nate’s laugh came straight from his belly, a light, musical sound that reminded her of the bell above the shop door.
“Depends who’s asking.” He gave a playful salute before wishing them goodbye and heading out of the store, the door remaining propped open to let the warm air pour in and the stagnant damp pour out.
Eiley whirled on her mum. “What on earth was that? I don’t need you to play matchmaker for me!”
“Why do you assume I was asking for you? He was dishy, and I’m single. Harper said it’s time for me to enter my Cougar Era …” Mum’s wink only made Eiley cringe further, and she threw her handbag on the counter with a despairing thud. The floor was sopping, but she didn’t care. Her worry was for the books, many of them wilting on the dusty carpet. She didn’t dare venture upstairs yet. One heartbreak at a time was about as much as she could handle.
She retrieved a wooden chair by the children’s section for Mum to sit on, drying it off with the sleeves of the old, ratty jumper found at the back of her wardrobe this morning. “Here. Take a seat.”
Mum did, but she was quick to rise again when another face appeared in the doorway. It was Maggie this time, as perfectly made up as ever with her coral lipstick and glossy brown hair. Her luxurious lifestyle smoothed away any signs of middle age – well, that, and what Eiley suspected was Botox, since her forehead didn’t often move. With long nails shimmering like pearls and high, bronzed cheekbones, she put Eiley’s bedraggled appearance to shame. She was the kind of adult you were meant to aspire to be, like a flouncy model on a shampoo advert. As she stepped inside, she cast them both a tentative wave, then whistled through her teeth as she beheld the aisles of damaged books. “Well, this wasn’t a great first week for you, was it?”
Eiley shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat. She would not cry today. She’d done enough of that last night and probably still had splotches all over her face because of it. “I’m really sorry, Maggie.”
“Oh, dear, it should be me apologising to you! I had a right earful from one of those firemen this morning about how irresponsible it was not to replace the old water tank.” That, Eiley could believe. At least she wasn’t the only one to have received a scolding. “Honestly, I hadn’t even thought to check. Completely my fault.”
“I’m sorry you had to rush back from the Lakes.”
“Well, I wanted to make sure you and the shop were all right. It looks like we won’t be opening for a while. I’ll give Fergus a bell later, too. You did enough last night. He can do his share of the clearing up.”
Eiley’s shoulders sagged. She’d finally found a job she enjoyed, and it was already gone. No more curating shelves and getting excited with every new delivery. No more peace and quiet. “It’s OK. I was planning on spending the day here, trying to save as many books as possible. The top shelves are fine, and maybe those with less damage can be dried out and sold second-hand?”
“Yes, yes, perhaps.” Maggie already seemed preoccupied by the bubbling ceiling. “Blimey, this is going to cost a fortune in repairs.”
That left Eiley with a pang of fear. Would Maggie even bother, when she had so many other successful properties to run?
In a small voice, she asked, “What will you do? We won’t lose Thorn & Thistle, will we?”
“Crivens, no! You’ve nothing to worry about there, dear.” Maggie patted Eiley’s cheek. “It just may be a while before we’re back on our feet. Perhaps we’ll have to boost our onlinesales, maybe even find a temporary site, though in such a small town, it might be difficult.”
“What about an outdoor stall?” Mum suggested. “The autumn festival’s coming up, and the weather’s been fine – perfect time for it!”
Maggie clicked her fingers, green eyes sparkling. “I like it, Myra. I like it a lot.” She put her hands on her slim hips and looked around. “What about you, dear? If you’re in need of accommodation …”
“I’m going to stay with Mum.” Eiley forced a smile, but it only felt stretched and wrong on her cheeks.
“All right. I still feel terrible. How about I cover your rent for a few months once this is all fixed? And I’ll up your wage, of course! This all surely counts as overtime.”
“Really?”
“Of course! This place needs you now more than ever.”
