Chapter 24

TWENTY-FOUR

Once Jenna and Jack had left, the afternoon went by in a blur just as they'd all done since the start of December. Florrie was sure this was in no small part down to Ed's festive window displays which still garnered much interest and tempted people into the bookshop, setting the till ringing happily and keeping them busy. Florrie had let Leah slip off early since the young girl had been barely able to contain her excitement about Jenna's reading and had been chattering away nineteen to the dozen about what she was going to wear for it, how she was going to do her hair. Florrie had struggled to keep up at times. Though she had to admit, Leah's enthusiasm had been infectious, and as soon as five o'clock arrived, Florrie had rushed over and locked the bookshop door, pulling down the blind, uncharacteristic giddiness brewing inside her. She gave the reading room one last check over, releasing a happy sigh – it looked perfect.

Florrie was holding Gerty's lead while Ed locked the bookshop door, when a shiny four-wheel drive caught her eye. It cruised slowly along on the opposite side of the road exuding an air of danger. Her stomach clenched. ‘Uh-oh. Don't look now, but have you seen who's driving by over there?'

‘Who?' Ed handed her the keys, his expression darkening as he stole a look at the car from beneath his fringe. ‘What the heck's he up to swanning around like he's some sort of gangland boss? Doesn't he realise he looks like a right turkey?'

The expression "gangland boss" sent a shiver prickling up Florrie's spine. ‘I hope he doesn't think he can swan in for Jenna's reading this evening,' she said, pushing the keys into her backpack. She recalled Leah telling her how she'd also seen him lurking close by on the morning of Jack's reading. She couldn't help but think it was no coincidence he was making his presence felt when the bookshop was hosting an event.

‘He won't get a chance with your dad and Jack on the door. They're going to put the bolt across once everyone's in.'

Rather than Jean standing at the entrance to the reading room and taking tickets as had become the norm for the bookshop's author events, they'd decided it would be best to take tickets before anyone set foot in the shop. That way, they could keep an eye on who had a valid reason to come inside, and keep unwelcome individuals out. Namely Dodgy Dick and Wendy who, much to their relief, hadn't bought a ticket.

‘Yeah, good point.' Though Ed's words offered some reassurance, Florrie couldn't help but think the slippery businessman had driven by to make his presence felt. To send out a warning, almost. And from the nerves that had started jittering in her stomach, he'd succeeded.

By the time they arrived home, there was barely a chance to wolf down a hastily prepared tea, get changed and head back to the bookshop. They'd opted to take the car for the trip back in order to save time and avoid a cold walk home.

‘Talk about a fast turnaround,' said Florrie, as she unlocked the bookshop door for the second time that day. There was no Gerty accompanying them this evening; they thought she'd prefer to avoid the hustle and bustle of so many customers piling in for the reading, and would appreciate the chance for some peace and quiet, snuggling in her bed at Samphire Cottage.

Jenna had arrived with Jack not long after Florrie and Ed. She looked stunning in a pink crushed velvet dress that showed off her generous cleavage to full advantage. She wore her hair in a chin-length French bob that had been fixed in fashionable waves, while her smoky eye make-up emphasised her large eyes and long lashes. Her glowing complexion made her look younger than her forty-four years.

‘Ooh, I adore your shoes,' Florrie had exclaimed, her eyes landing on the twenties-style deep-pink Mary Janes, trimmed with diamanté buckles that adorned Jenna's feet. Florrie had a particular fondness for the fashion of that era.

‘Thanks, pet. I picked them up on my last trip to London, fell in love with them as soon as I clapped eyes on them. What's even better is they were a steal – I'm a girl for a bargain.'

Florrie loved how refreshingly down to earth Jenna was, despite her meteoric success. The author had the ability to fill a room with her bubbly personality.

It hadn't taken long for people to start queueing outside the bookshop. Happy voices brimming with anticipation on the pavement outside filtered through the glass. Unlike Jack's author events that invariably attracted an even mix of men and women, Jenna's audience was predominantly female, many of them clasping well-thumbed copies of her books.

Lark and Stella arrived early, along with Maggie and Bear, and the four of them took their seats in the reading room. With more snow being forecast, Bear had volunteered to scoop the friends up in the Land Rover and drop them off afterwards, though they all knew it was because his mother hen mode was in full swing with Maggie's due date inching ever closer. Jasmine, who'd been excited about the reading, had been disappointed not to be able to make it owing to a last-minute order for an anniversary cake. ‘I'm just so far behind, panic's setting in big time. I'm already going to be working till the early hours as it is – it's being collected first thing. Sorry, flower,' she'd said on the phone earlier. Florrie's heart had gone out to her friend, hearing the stress in her voice. She'd done all she could to reassure her that the ticket wouldn't go to waste on account of the number of names on the waiting list. She knew the extra cash Jazz would earn from the cake would make a difference.

Jenna's eyes flicked to the clock behind the counter. ‘Right, folks,' she said, her eyes sparkling, ‘shall we get this show on the road?'

‘Aye, I reckon we should, Jen, your adoring fans having been waiting long enough.' Jack smiled indulgently at the author. ‘You go and get yourself comfy then Charlie and me'll open the floodgates.'

‘Righto, thanks, chick.' Jenna beamed back at him as she sashayed towards the reading room, Jack's eyes glued to her.

So it's "Jen" now. Florrie's mouth curved into a smile. She was sure she wasn't the only one to notice the sparks dancing between them. Now she came to think of it, the pair were well-suited, both sharing a self-deprecating sense of humour.

With everyone in their seats, the room thrummed with anticipation. Jenna perched herself on the front of the desk, which was how she said she preferred to do her readings. It lent an intimate, informal air to the event, which suited her friendly personality to a T.

In no time, Jenna had the audience captivated, her warm, Geordie accent the perfect complement to her prose. Jenna's novels were well-loved for how her humour leapt off the pages, but hearing her read aloud, Florrie felt, added a whole new level. She relaxed in her seat beside Ed at the back of the room and chuckled along with the rest of the audience. At one point, her ears twitched at a handful of faint, unfamiliar sounds from the shop but she told herself it was just her dad and Bear who she hadn't seen come into the reading room.

The lights flickered momentarily. ‘Oh, hello,' said Jenna.

A second later, a collective gasp went up as a bang rang out from the storefront and the lights went out, including those on the Christmas tree, plunging the bookshop into darkness.

‘Uh-oh! Was it something I said?' Jenna chuckled, the audience joining in.

Florrie blinked, waiting for her eyes to adjust. She was half-aware of the background murmuring of voices as she tried to process what was happening. It didn't take long for her to realise it would be impossible for Jenna to continue her reading.

‘Ey up,' said Jack. ‘I daresay the weather's got summat to do with that.'

‘Or someone wasn't enjoying my storytelling and thought it was the best way to get me to shut my trap.' Jenna laughed good-naturedly. ‘Honestly, folks, I can take a hint, there's really no need for such drastic measures.' A ripple of laughter ran around the room.

‘Sorry about this, folks, but if you all stay where you are, we'll go and investigate, see if we can get the lights back on,' said Ed, giving Florrie's arm a squeeze. ‘Really sorry about this, Jenna,' he said as he carefully picked his way out.

‘Hey, it's no bother, and it's not as if it's your fault,' she said kindly, as the audience began to put the torches of their mobile phones to good use. It went some way to illuminating the room.

‘The streetlights are still on,' came a voice from the audience. Florrie looked back at the window to see the observation was right. Her mind started racing. Surely they hadn't overloaded the system with the extra Christmas lights, had they? It's not as if there were that many. And she doubted it would be the wiring since she recalled Mr H had organised a complete re-wire of the shop and the flat about five years earlier.

She needed to speak to her dad; as a builder he might have an idea what could have caused the blackout.

She found him in the shop talking to Ed and Bear, their faces lit up by the torch on her dad's phone. The three of them wore serious expressions. ‘We're the only shop in complete darkness,' Ed said quietly when she reached them.

‘What?'

‘We're the only building affected by the power cut. Bear and I have been out to take a look – it's just the bookshop.'

‘But—' Her mind started racing as she absorbed the implication.

‘We found these torches in a drawer in the kitchen, so we're just going to set them up in the reading room, lovey.' Her mum shot her a smile as she bustled by, Leah in tow.

‘Okay, thanks.' Florrie gave a grateful smile, glad of their quick thinking.

‘I've had a look at the consumer unit but it's difficult to isolate what's caused the loss of power without running round turning everything off and taking all the plugs out of the sockets. I'm not so sure it's the time to be doing that.' Charlie looked troubled. If that's what her dad thought, Florrie was happy to take his advice.

Ed blew out his cheeks, jabbing his fingers into his hair. ‘Of all the times this had to happen. It's as if—' His gaze met Florrie's.

‘Dodgy Dick,' they said together. Florrie felt her stomach twist.

‘What?' Charlie asked, his brows knitting together. ‘Are you saying you think that plonker's got summat to do with it?'

Florrie lowered her voice. ‘I don't know for certain but…' Ed picked up the story, telling Charlie and Bear how they'd seen Dodgy Dick as they'd left the bookshop earlier that evening, the menacing air his presence had exuded, and the odd things that had been happening at the bookshop.

‘I'm not sure that means he could have anything to do with this, though, do you, Dad? Surely it's just down to a fault here in the shop.' Florrie was willing him to agree with her. If Dodgy Dick did have something to do with it, then his campaign of intimidation had been cranked up considerably. She didn't want to think what he'd go on to do next. She caught Ed's eye, and the knots in her stomach tightened.

‘Look, I don't think you should go upsetting yourself, speculating about that fella, love.' Her Dad mustered up a smile. ‘Whatever the cause, we need to get the evening back on track as soon as possible. I'll pop over to my workshop and grab a generator, then we can rig up some temporary lights here. How does that sound? Won't take long.'

‘Sounds brilliant, thanks, Charlie,' said Ed, brightening.

‘Oh, thanks, Dad.' Relief lifted like a weight from Florrie's shoulders. She'd forgotten her dad had a generator. At least the book reading could continue.

Her dad and Bear had just headed off to gather the generator and necessary cables when Stella and Lark arrived by her side. ‘Is there anything we can do to help, flower?' asked Stella, squeezing Florrie's shoulder. ‘Would you like me to go and fetch a torch from my apartment? I daresay Alex has got one we could use, too. The more the better, I guess.'

‘And Nate's got a big one,' Lark said.

‘Has he now?' Stella jumped in, quick as a flash. ‘And here's us thinking you'd got him strictly wedged in the friend zone,' she said dryly, her comment raising a small smile from Florrie who appreciated Stella's attempts at lightening the mood.

‘That's not what I meant, Stells, and you know it.' In the half-light Florrie could see a smile twitching over Lark's mouth.

‘And not for the first time I reckon the lad deserves a medal for the length of time you've kept him dangling.' Stella chuckled. ‘Anyway, back to the matter in hand. Shall I go and grab those torches?'

‘And I was going to ask if you'd like me to grab Nate's, before I was rudely interrupted.'

‘I think we know Nate's answer to that.' Stella gave a dirty giggle, earning herself a nudge in the ribs from Lark. Florrie couldn't help but laugh.

‘That's really kind, lasses, but I don't think it'll be necessary.' Florrie quickly explained about the generator. ‘Hopefully, my dad won't be long.'

The three women headed back into the reading room where Paula, Jean and Leah had done a sterling job of setting up torches about the place. Florrie was pleasantly surprised at how cosy it looked. The audience helped, too, using their phone torches. It made for an atmospheric scene. Florrie stopped beside Jenna, turning to face the sea of faces. ‘Thanks for your patience, folks. Again, I'd just like to apologise for the unforeseen situation, but I'm very pleased to say we should have some temporary lighting rigged up shortly.'

A small cheer rang out, followed by the odd, ‘Woohoo!'

‘Tell you what, why don't I try reading by torchlight until then?' said Jenna. ‘It'll be just like when I was a little lass, reading under the covers when I was supposed to be asleep. I daresay I'm not the only one who's guilty of that, am I? It'll be all nostalgic and cosy, like.'

The suggestion was met with a noisy cheer and enthusiastic round of applause. Jenna turned to Florrie, catching her eye, the pair exchanging happy smiles.