“So you put it in your pocket today—on purpose?”
“Not just today.Not just this jacket.”
She looked at the bookmark again.He’d been carrying it with him all this time, from jacket to jacket.He had spent days, weeks, and months keeping her close to him, in spite of her occasional sadness over her aunt and mother, in spite of her preoccupation with the shop and her book.
Taking the bookmark from him, she carefully tucked it back into his pocket and patted the spot where it lay.
“I’m thinking of all sorts of clichés about bookmarks and saving a place for me.”
Aurelia smiled and looked to his face again.He held her eyes and, unlike just a few nights ago, she didn’t feel the urge to look away.
“I’m glad you did,” she added, running her fingers over his pocket again.
“Are you, really?”Oliver asked.
His voice was almost a whisper as his eyes searched her face, like he was looking for a crack in her sudden resolve.She nodded and he leaned in to close the last few inches between them.
The pressure of his lips against hers, his palm brushing her cheek, his arm around the small of her back—for a moment the world around them disappeared and Aurelia’s whole being was focused on each part of her that was touching him.
When he pulled away to catch his breath, she held fast to him, not wanting to let him go just yet.Something behind her caught his eye and he gave a soft chuckle.Turning, she spotted the sign she’d hung on the door on Monday, alerting customers to her urgent writing agenda.
“Lucky for you I put that sign up,” she teased him.“It would have taken me a few extra days to get here otherwise.”
“I don’t suppose the sign could stay up for a bit longer?”he asked, leaning in to kiss her again.
Without answering, Aurelia stood back to unlock the door and, holding his hand in hers, led him inside.
59
Thenextfewmonthspassed in an absolute whirlwind.Managing the shop had become a distant third to finalizing the book for publication and spending time with Oliver as her editorandboyfriend.Aurelia had also made what she called a ‘tour of apology,’ which took her to Yorkshire to visit her father, Paris for a bank holiday weekend to see Antonia and her family, and many outings with Kali, David, and James.Now that the book was out of her hands, Aurelia was determined to do a better job of balancing her life outside the shop and her life with the characters within it.
Mark, Sophie, and even Mrs.Smith were excited about the book’s upcoming publication and she’d promised to host a party in the shop to celebrate.Her father and Antonia were coming to London for it, and of course her friends would be there too.She’d promised the characters a party to celebrate the book’s release, too, though as the date grew closer, they all felt a mingled sense of excitement and sadness to know Vronsky might soon be leaving them.As for Vronsky, Aurelia had made sure to involve him in every aspect of finalizing the book, from viewing final proofs to options for the cover.He was almost euphoric as the publication date neared, thrilled to be the center of attention and anxiously awaiting the dawn when he might disappear into his new future.
Oliver appeared at the shop one afternoon, carrying a box in his arms as he pushed open the door, pausing to let Biscuit tumble in behind him.After the obligatory few minutes of greeting Biscuit and watching the dance between him and Fezz play out (Biscuit wanting to say hello, Fezz feigning disinterest), Aurelia noticed that Oliver was still holding the box.
“What’s that?”
“Something very exciting,” he said, waggling his eyebrows before setting the box on her desk.
Aurelia reached out to open it, but he took her hand and kissed her palm instead.
“Can’t you guess?”
She finally caught on.
“It isn’t?”
He opened the box, revealing two rows of books with the same cover, the same title: her novel.Aurelia drew her hand over them, marveling at her name printed across each copy.Oliver, seeming to appreciate the gravity of the moment, stood quietly at her side.
Finally, Aurelia looked up at him.
“My book,” she said simply.
“Your book,” he agreed.
She put her arm around him as she continued gazing down at the project that meant so much more than she could ever tell him.Leaning into his side, she smiled, knowing that everyone would be thrilled to see the final product that night.
Before going back to his office, Oliver made her promise not to put the copies on display until the official launch the following week, but he let her keep them in the back room so that she could look at them whenever she liked.
