Chapter 30

THIRTY

Florrie sat dumbstruck for what felt like several long minutes as her brain tried to process what they'd just been told. ‘A business proposition?' she said, finally finding her voice. Next to her, she sensed Ed sit up straight in his seat.

‘Yes, lovey.' Jean beamed at her. ‘A proper, official business proposition, drawn up by a solicitor, all done legally.'

‘What we're proposing is that we invest in the bookshop – that way, the conversion of the flat could get started as soon as possible. You wouldn't need to scrimp and save, you could get the place looking exactly as you want it from the kick off. I hear you've got a rather wonderful vintage staircase lined up.' There was no hiding Jack's enthusiasm.

‘Er, yeah, we do.' Ed ran his fingers through his hair. ‘Nate gave us a tip off about it. It's a beauty.'

‘An investment from Jack and me would also have another benefit.' Jean focused her attention on Ed. ‘I'll apologise in advance for what I'm about to say, lovey, but having two extra investors – who love the bookshop dearly, and only have its, and yours and Florrie's, best interests at heart – would make it more difficult for your parents, or that dreadful Dick Swales, to get their hands on the place. I'll be honest with you, after hearing who was behind the power cut the other night, I just thought, "enough's enough". Us investing in the bookshop should, hopefully, get the message across loud and clear: it's not for sale!' It had been a while since Florrie had seen Jean so fired up.

‘We wouldn't ask for a huge percentage of shares in the bookshop, but just enough to make a difference and to allow you to crack on with your conversion plans. You'd be the main shareholders, it's not about us wanting to take control, or tell you how to run the place – you're doing a brilliant job of it as it is and we wouldn't expect you to change anything. We'd just ask for enough so that our involvement would add a couple more layers of protection, if you like. With us on board there'd be two extra people for them to have to wear down,' added Jack.

They really have been giving this some serious thought.

‘We'd love nothing more than to contribute to the bookshop's continued success.' Jean smiled.

‘See, the thing is, I've got a bit of money left to me from when my adoptive parents died. It's just sitting there in the bank, doing nowt, and I'd rather it was getting put to good use.'

‘And I've been squirrelling money away for years and have a decent little nest egg that I've been saving for a rainy day. And I think that rainy day has finally arrived. Nothing would give me greater happiness than to invest in you two wonderful young people.'

‘Think you'd better change that to a snowy day, Mother.' Jack chuckled as he nodded towards the window where fluffy snowflakes were swirling frantically outside. Shoppers were now hurrying by, their heads bent against the elements.

Florrie blinked, her mind spinning as she followed Jack's gaze. ‘Wow! And I don't mean about the snow.' This all felt slightly surreal. If she'd been asked to guess what Jack and Jean had wanted to talk to them about, there was no way she'd ever have come up with anything like this.

‘Yeah, wow!' Ed scratched his head.

Jack and Jean chuckled. ‘You don't have to give us your answer now. Take your time to think it through, have a good chat about it over the weekend,' said Jean.

‘We can talk figures when you've had a chance to consider it fully,' added Jack.

‘I'll be at Clifftop Cottage on Monday morning, helping Maggie with the bears, but I'll be free in the afternoon, if that's not too soon,' said Jean.

‘That's amazingly generous of you both,' Florrie said. ‘Thank you doesn't even cover it.'

‘It's… it's… mind blowing,' said Ed, bemused.

Jean and Jack's offer occupied all of Florrie's thoughts for the whole afternoon. She and Ed had saved discussing the unexpected proposition until they were safely back at Samphire Cottage that evening, not wanting to risk anyone overhearing their conversation. Gossip had a knack of whipping round the town faster than lightning and they didn't want word getting out before they'd reached a decision. She had a brief discussion with Paula as her mum made a pot of tea. Florrie had joined her in the bookshop kitchen, quietly closing the door. Speaking barely above a whisper she gave an abridged version of the conversation, Paula listening intently.

‘You know your dad and me are always happy to help you out financially, lovey. You only had to ask.'

‘It's very kind of you, Mum, and I know you would, but I wouldn't feel comfortable about it.' Though Paula and Charlie were always keen to make sure their daughter had no financial worries, Florrie persistently refused their offers of money. She was proud of her independence, and besides, it didn't feel right taking from the pot of money they'd been saving towards their retirement. They'd often spoken of their plans to do a spot of travelling, and after Paula's brush with cancer, Florrie was eager for them to fulfil their dreams and make the most of being able to relax and take things easy together. ‘And anyway, it's not about the money, it's more about the strong message it'll send out, having Jack and Jean as investors in the bookshop. It wouldn't be the same if it was Dad and you – no offence. And besides, Dad's offered to do the work cheaply for us, which is more than I could ask for.'

‘Aye, when you put it like that, I suppose you're right, sweetheart. And it does sound like a brilliant idea – joining forces, as it were, with Jean and Jack. It's very fitting, what with Jean's connection to the bookshop and her being such a good friend of Mr and Mrs H. But don't forget to shout up if you need us.'

Florrie smiled affectionately. ‘I won't, Mum. You and Dad are the best.' She dropped a kiss to her mother's soft cheek and gave her a squeeze. ‘Love you.'

Florrie was relieved that Bear was giving her a lift down to the Jolly that evening along with the others this side of town. Though it had stopped snowing, the town was now covered in a couple of inches of snow which would make walking down Skitey Bank something of a challenge; Jasmine would be sure to end up in a heap on the floor, especially if she was wearing the boots she had on last time. It had been bad enough walking home from the bookshop, never mind how bone-numbingly cold it had become, and it would be even worse later tonight. Maggie had texted earlier, saying she and Bear would collect everyone in the Land Rover at around quarter past seven, which gave Florrie and Ed a bit of extra time to chat about Jean and Jack's proposition.

And, from their initial discussion, it would appear they both seemed keen to accept the offer.

‘I just have this really strong feeling that your grandparents would be over the moon to think that Jean and Jack were involved with the bookshop and helping secure its future,' said Florrie. ‘They have a connection that goes back such a long way.'

‘True.' Ed nodded. ‘And when you think about it, the bookshop played a big part in bringing Jean and Jack back together after all those years apart, which somehow would make their involvement extra special.'

‘Ahh, it so does.' Florrie gave a happy sigh, recalling the day Jack had learnt Jean was the mother he'd come to Micklewick Bay in search of. ‘I think Jean and Jack investing in the bookshop would be brilliant, especially as they say they're happy for us to keep running it as we are.'

‘I agree. It would be a wise move from a business perspective, too. Actually,' he chuckled, ‘I can just imagine my grandfather looking down now, feeling thoroughly pleased at how things have panned out.'

‘Oh, you're not wrong there,' Florrie said. ‘He loved nothing better than a good old meddle, and we're prime examples of that!'

At that moment, a photo of Mr H and Mrs H, Gerty sitting between them, fell forward on the old pine dresser, making Ed and Florrie start. Gerty jumped up from her bed, headed over to the dresser and whimpered.

‘Oh my days! That frightened the life out of me.' Florrie pressed her hand to her chest, her heart beating rapidly beneath her fingers.

Ed got to his feet and picked up the photo. ‘Sending us messages from beyond the grave, are you, Grandad?' He smiled fondly at the image before setting it down in its usual place. ‘If I didn't know better, I'd say that was a sign, wouldn't you, Gerty-Girl?' The Labrador wagged her tail as he gave her a quick scratch between the ears. He turned to Florrie, his eyes shining. ‘I reckon that was Grandad telling us to go for it.'

Florrie joined him by the dresser. She rested her hands on his broad chest. ‘You know what? I think you could be right.' She smiled up at him, the look in his eyes making her heart skip a beat. In the next moment, his lips met hers, soft and warm as she let herself melt into his kiss.

‘Two years ago, I couldn't even begin to imagine that any of this would happen. It's crazy,' Florrie said, once they'd pulled apart.

‘It is.' He nuzzled her nose, his floppy fringe tickling her cheek. ‘But the best kind of crazy.'

She fell serious for a moment, Ed's father and Dodgy Dick invading her happy thoughts.

Though she was reluctant to spoil the moment, the business proposition from Jean and Jack meant she felt compelled to broach the subject of his reluctance to speak to his father. She was mindful that it should be done gently, though, no wading in and asking head on. ‘What about your mum and dad? How do you think they'd react if we accepted Jean and Jack's offer?' she asked tentatively.

She felt his arms tense around her as a cloud passed over his face, snuffing out his smile. ‘I've got a feeling it wouldn't go down well at all.'

‘Oh?' She waited, watching his expression, her breath caught in her throat. It was the perfect opportunity for him to elaborate, to share what his father had said in that dratted phone call. But nothing was forthcoming. It irked her that there was something about Jean he wasn't telling her. It couldn't be anything bad, she reasoned. But it rankled that Peter Harte was potentially bad-mouthing such a thoroughly decent person as Jean.

‘Right,' he said, releasing her from his embrace and stepping away, ‘I'd best go and check on the fire, see if it's got going yet.'

Florrie watched him disappear into the hallway. Not for the first time she found herself wishing he was better at sharing things instead of bottling them up. Her emotions felt like they'd been tipped in a jar and given a thorough shaking with all that had happened recently, and his habit of clamming up didn't help. If she was honest, it was draining. And she had a horrible feeling that something was brewing – and that something was going to come to a head soon.