Libby raised an eyebrow.
‘Actually, that’s not strictly true. This dog hunts out any heat source and plonks himself down in front of it. It would take a better man than me to try and stop him.’
‘Very kind, I’m sure,’ she said. ‘My friend should be here soon and I’ll be out of your hair – and able to leave you your 20p by the phone. I'm opening a coffee bar in the shop. You can tell Jo there’ll be a free coffee waiting with her name on it when we open,’ she said.
‘So, that's your plan for the old place?’ he asked, sitting down opposite her, while Paddy padded to the front of the fire and lay down on the slate flooring, just as Noah had said he would.
‘Not as such – it's just a small part of it. I'm opening a bookshop.’
Noah sucked in air through his teeth. ‘A bookshop in this climate?’ he said. ‘I admire your courage.’
‘People will always read books,’ she answered, unable to keep the irritation from her voice. She’d had this same conversation a hundred times since she’d started sharing her plans. Only her parents and Jess really believed in her. Ant, well, he made a good show of it, but she wasn’t overly convinced. ‘It’s going to be something a bit different, anyway,’ she continued. ‘More than “just a bookshop”. A creative space, a place for writers and readers to meet and chat about their work, have a quiet space to work in and get great coffee.’
'Well, I wish you the very best with it – that old place could do with a bit of love. I always thought it had character – deserved someone to give it a bit of a boost. And anything that gives this street a boost is okay by me,’ he smiled.
Libby shifted in her seat. ‘Well, that's the plan. As soon as I can get back in, of course.'
‘Well, if you need anything – coffee, T-shirts, phones, whatever – feel free to call over. Either Jo or I are generally about most of the time. The other staff aren’t too bad either. I look forward to seeing what you do with it.’
A call from Jo for Noah to come and help out ended the conversation and Libby couldn’t say she was upset to have him leave and go back to his duties. She lifted the newspaper and returned to hiding behind it while waiting for Jess.
Jess arrived thirty-five minutes later. Thankfully, she had in her possession a bag complete with change of clothes and a set of spare keys, which she rattled in front of Libby.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever been as glad to see you as I am now,’ Libby said as she stood up to kiss her best friend on the cheek.
‘I like your T-shirt,’ Jess smiled – as she stood back to admire the black cotton shirt emblazoned with ‘The Ivy Inn’ right across the chest.
‘The very height of fashion,’ Libby deadpanned. ‘Now, let’s get out of here before anything else goes wrong.’
‘Libby Quinn, we'll see you around!’ she heard Noah call, as they headed for the door.
All eyes, including those belonging to Jess, turned to look at him, before they looked back at Libby. Libby bundled her friend out of the door and raised her hand to wave a silent goodbye.
‘Who, in all that is holy, is that?’ Jess asked, as she peered over Libby’s shoulder and tried to catch a further glimpse of the man with the deep voice.
‘Noah. He runs the place. Along with the redhead, Jo. Did you see her?’
‘No. I didn’t. They run the place? Together? Are they a thing?’ Jess asked, as if her future happiness depended on a negative answer.
‘No idea. Possibly,’ Libby shrugged.
‘I bet they are,’ Jess said, even though she had only caught the quickest glance of Noah and no glance at all at Jo. ‘I know my luck when it comes to romance. They’ll be a thing. Probably married. Probably one of those couples who can’t keep their hands off each other and call each other “babe”.’ Jess Hutchison, or Dr Jess Hutchison as she was known to her many patients, had become cynical when it came to matters of the heart. Libby knew all her friend really wanted was someone to go home to at the end of the day, but so far any possible happy ever after had eluded her. And while Jess was a successful, strong, independent woman in many ways, she was also not afraid to admit she craved the security of a relationship.
‘I'm sorry,’ Libby said. ‘I'm sure Mr Right will make himself known to you sometime soon.’
‘I’d be happy with Mr He’ll-Do-For-Now, to be honest,’ Jess said morosely as Libby jiggled the spare key in the door to try and open it. ‘We aren’t all lucky to have Ant O’Neill on our arm. Speaking of which, wasn’t he supposed to be helping out today?’
‘Erm, he went back to his to cook a special celebratory dinner for us,’ Libby muttered, embarrassed that he was not with her, sleeves rolled up and mucking in. ‘Actually, I should probably call him,’ she added as she nudged the door with her shoulder as hard as she could. For a door that had closed so easily behind her, it was a nightmare to get open. It was pushing six thirty now and at this rate it would be half past eight at the earliest before she would be able to get to his house. Just as she was running over the logistics in her head, the door gave way. ‘Ta-dah!’ Libby declared as she gestured for Jess to go in.
In the dullness of a rainy May evening, it looked even more depressing than it had done that morning, despite all of Libby’s hard work on the counter and the windows. The cream cleaner would hide what was going on in the shop, but it didn’t help showcase the potential of the interior at all. An electrician would be out the next day, she’d been assured by her dad. She’d have some form of power at least. Light would help, she hoped.
‘You have to imagine how it will look,’ she said to Jess. ‘And, you know, how it will smell. It will definitely smell better than this. And imagine the sun shining in the windows and the aroma of coffee and baked goods.’
Jess put her hand to her chest and for a moment Libby wondered if her friend was actually going to be sick. She watched as Jess looked around her, shook her head, her hand still clutched at her chest. She felt her optimism falter yet again.
‘Oh Libby,’ Jess said. ‘It’s going to be amazing. Grandad Ernie would’ve loved it. I can just see him now, smiling down. I mean, he’d also be telling you what books to order and to make sure no one bent the spines, but he would be smiling. He’d be so proud. I’m so proud,’ Jess said, pulling her friend close and hugging her.
This was just the reaction Libby had needed her friend to have, and she hugged her back tightly. ‘He would love it, wouldn’t he? And you know full well he’d already have at least one book order in. Multiple copies of Great Expectations.’ Libby wiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘I can’t think of a name for it yet,’ she said. ‘I want it to honour him in some way, but not in a super cheesy way. I want people to take me seriously.’
‘Hmmm,’ Jess said, looking around. ‘I’ll get my thinking cap on. But if you’re hoping to launch in ten weeks, we don’t have much time. You’ll want to get your branding right.’
Libby knew that. Ideally, she’d already have the shop name sorted, but trying to choose made her head and heart hurt. ‘I’ll do it this week,’ she said, and nodded as if to reassure herself that she was absolutely in control.