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“I can’t be doing with aliens,” said Elspeth, shelving the book she was holding. “I’ve got enough on my hands with human men. Mind you, I’m not saying I’d turn one down if he showed up in my bed.”

“Chance’d be a fine thing,” said Kashvi. “Those three cats of yours would scare him off.”

“Or he’d eat them,” said Moira. “Like in that old TV show ALF.”

Pen grinned at Ash who rolled her eyes but smiled, and then they all got down to work.

An hour or so later, Ash was holding up yet another book and Elspeth was directing her where to shelve it yet again, and the bookshop was a cheery chatter-filled place.

“You must think I’m an idiot, not knowing where half my stock’s going,” Ash said.

“Not at all,” said Elspeth. She side-eyed her. “Well, maybe a wee bit. But we all have to learn.”

“Even Mary had to learn,” put in Kashvi.

“Did she?” asked Pen.

Elspeth shelved the book she was holding and then stretched. “Maybe you don’t remember, you hadn’t bought the bakery back then. But when Mary moved in here she was quite the little madam. All airs and graces and business plans and contract signing and all the rest. We thought the place was going to be a solicitor’s office, so we did. Well, imagine our surprise when the doors opened and it was a romance bookshop.”

“Not that Mary liked romance,” said Kashvi. “She made that very clear at the start. This was just a business plan. Romance books are the best-selling genre in the book world, and Mary was determined to be a success, so romance it was.”

Elspeth snorted. “Until she started reading her own stock.”

“Until she came to her senses, you mean,” said Moira. “By the end, Mary was a town institution. She knew everyone, cared for everyone, she looked after my two youngest when I was in hospital having my third.”

“She took over the newsagents and closed the bookshop when I had those heart problems,” said Kashvi. Her dark eyes turned to Ash. “She learned to love. It sounds trite, but that’s what it was. Being surrounded by this all day, maybe that did it. Or maybe it was always in her. But by the end, your aunt was a loved and loving person.”

Moira pulled a book out of a pile and when Elspeth saw it, she shrieked again, and then they were all off talking about a fairy king and his reluctant human bride.

Pen stood by Ash’s side for a moment, drinking in the smell of her, wanting to touch her but not wanting to force her to acknowledge their relationship in front of anyone else.

It was Ash that turned, Ash that took Pen in her arms, Ash that held her in front of everyone and kissed the top of her head.

“Thank you,” Ash said simply.

Pen looked up. “Maybe it’s not all bad here, huh?”

Ash wrinkled her nose. “You mean other than the recent crime wave?”

“I mean having friends, having a community, having…” Pen took a breath. “Having whatever I am.”

Ash looked around at the half full bookshelves. “No,” she said quietly. “No, it’s not so bad.”

Chapter Twenty Six

By Tuesday morning, Ash had almost forgotten the break in. Almost in that it occupied almost none of her thoughts at all. Those were reserved for Pen and the two nights they’d now spent together, Ash being insistent that she spend at least every other night in her own bed.

It seemed sensible, even if she did miss the warmth of Pen’s body beside hers.

But she’d done everything she was supposed to do, followed up with Arjun, who had treated her to ‘cop coffee,’ which had turned out to be a cappuccino from the restaurant on the corner, and filled in the insurance paperwork. Arjun had had George sign all the papers as the manager of the shop, given that the place technically still wasn’t Ash’s.

Which was what she was pondering when the tall, bulky man came into the shop.

“Good morning,” he said cheerfully, with a slight accent. He had long hair that was dark and graying, tied back in a ponytailat his neck. But he wore a nice shirt, clean trousers, shined shoes, and was carrying a large box.

“Morning,” Ash said from behind the counter. Now who could this be?

“Publishing rep,” said the man with a grin, like he could read her mind.