Chapter 6

Chapter Six

‘ I agree, it was a fab book, brilliantly written too.' Bea held the door open as the last member of the book club left. She closed the door and looked towards the large table positioned in the middle of the shop floor. Empty cups, the teapot and milk jug stood amongst a thin covering of cake and cookie crumbs.

Yes, Thursdays were her favourite day. Delivery day and book club day. It was a long, busy day, but that's what she liked. She enjoyed giving something back to the community through the book club she ran and there was nothing better than the feeling of acceptance and friendship she felt with this bubbly and quirky group of people who she wasn't sure she'd have met otherwise. Yes, they'd have probably come through the doors of her shop, after all they enjoyed reading and lived locally, but she didn't think she'd have developed as strong a connection with them if she hadn't spent two hours a week with them discussing books, life, and all sorts for the last eleven months or so.

Walking across to the table, she began collecting the used crockery onto the book covered tray Nell Patrick had brought back from her holiday to Cornwall for her.

She jerked her head towards the door as a tapping broke the quiet. Stacking the cup she was holding onto the tray, she wiped her hands down the front of her jeans and walked across to the door. Someone must have left something. She pulled the door open and tried to hide her surprise at the sight of the town's newcomer standing on the cobbles outside. ‘Scott?'

‘Hey. Is this a good time?' He nodded towards the bundle of books in his arms. ‘I've had Gregory hanging around all afternoon asking me when I was planning on coming to see you.'

‘You have?'

‘Yes.' Scott glanced quickly behind him, as if he expected the town's busybody to be tailing his every move. ‘Sorry, is this a bad time?'

‘No, no.' Bea shook her head. There went her evening's plans of curling up with a good book and forgetting the importance everyone but her seemed to be putting on today. ‘Come on in.'

‘Thanks.' Stepping through the door, Scott paused and looked around. ‘This is really lovely in here. Warm and inviting.'

Bea grinned. "I try my best.'

‘It shows. My place is a constant mess. I seem to have people pick one thing up and put it back down in an entirely different place. Is that a Nettleford thing? The customers I had in my last shop were pretty tidy.' Walking across to the table, he used his hand to brush away some of the crumbs and placed his stack of texts down.

‘Haha, it might be then. Can't say I've really noticed.' Rushing back to the table, she took the cloth from the tray and began wiping up the crumbs. ‘Sorry, book club night. They've only just left and I haven't had time to clear up yet.'

‘No problem.' Scott smiled as he began stacking the rest of the crockery onto the tray before picking it up. ‘Where's this going?'

Swooshing the last of the crumbs from the table into her open hand, Bea gave the table a final wipe and nodded towards the counter. ‘You can just pop it on the counter, thanks. I'll wash it up alter.'

Placing the tray on the counter with a clatter, Scott waited until she'd joined him. ‘I feel awful that you're being forced to give up your time to help me complete those daft workbooks.'

‘Don't worry.'

‘No, but I do. I'm sure it's the last thing you need or want to be sitting down with a complete stranger poring over tasks of an evening.' He shook his head, an expression of frustration flooding his face.

Bea smiled. ‘Honestly, it's fine. Besides, it won't take as long as you think.'

‘It won't? Have you seen the size of that thing?' He nodded towards the table and the workbook.

‘Haha, yes, but I have a secret solution.' She knelt down and began searching through the bottom drawer behind the counter. ‘Fleur was my mentor, as Gregory calls it, when I first opened this place and I felt the same way you did when I first saw what was expected of me. Of course, I was a complete novice, a newbie in the retail world, and so I probably did need some sort of induction.'

‘Surely not like this, though? All the questions and the stupid tasks.'

Bea glanced over her shoulder and looked at him before turning back. She understood why he was so frustrated with Gregory. He'd probably never had someone try to stick his oar in as much as him before. She had been new, so she'd not known what to expect, but Scott had years of retail experience under his belt. ‘No, but you've just got to remember that he's only doing it because he thinks it will help. Obviously, we know it won't, but his heart's in the right place. I think.'

‘Umm, you think he doesn't just enjoy making everyone's life that little bit harder?'

Bea tugged on her old workbook at the bottom of the paperwork filed in the drawer and laughed. ‘Nope, I don't think that's even crossed his mind. He thinks he's helping.'

Scott sighed. ‘If Nettleford wasn't so damn beautiful, I might be tempted to jack it in, give up my shop, and get the heck out of here before he sticks his beak in again.'

‘Here we go.' Standing back up, Bea slapped the completed workbook down onto the counter and smoothed the curling corners. ‘This will make your life easier and keep Gregory at bay at the same time.'

‘What is it?' Reaching out, Scott began flicking through her old workbook, his eyes widening. ‘All the answers.'

‘Uh-huh.' Bea nodded and tugged a memory stick from a plastic wallet stuck in the back of the workbook and held it up. ‘And they're all on here too. So all you need to do is do a couple of tweaks here and there and you'll have that workbook filled out in no time. Just tweak the answers a little, change a word and there, as you write them up in the workbook. Or else print them off and stick them in.'

‘Now that is genius!' An enormous grin spread across his face, lighting his deep blue eyes.

‘I know. I can't take credit for it though, unfortunately. I think it was Ruby who had the idea when she first moved to Nettleford.'

‘Ruby from the restaurant?'

‘Yes, that's right.' She smiled and tapped the workbook. ‘I'll grab us a drink and then we can make a start, if you like? I can talk you through it quickly in case Gregory asks and we can do a couple of questions together to show you what I mean?'

‘That would be absolutely amazing if you're really sure I'm not keeping you from anything.'

‘Nope, you're good.' She slipped behind the curtain, leaving him to look through the answers as she made the drinks.