Page 28 of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop
LARS
A golf brolly and waterproof had done a great job of keeping my top half dry but nothing could save my feet, despite dodging the biggest puddles between the bookshop and car park.
I removed my shoes the moment I arrived back at The Lodge and, cringing, peeled off my wet socks.
My trousers had soaked up the water and they slapped against my bare ankles as I ran up the stairs.
The house was warm thanks to the underfloor heating but I was chilled through and a hot shower would be the best way to warm up quickly.
Had I really cried at work? Spotting Anna and the Snow Dragon on the shelf had thrown me.
I’d already felt emotional seeing it and should probably have left it there, but I’d heard Pia’s voice in my head reading the first page and felt compelled to open it to see if I’d remembered the words accurately.
I had. And before I knew it, I’d turned the next page, and another, and another.
I’d lost track of time. I’d lost track of where I was.
In my head, I was in Pia’s bedroom as she cuddled her knitted dragon.
She’d wanted a snow dragon like Jónas and Mum and Pabbi had searched the shops but could only find red or green ones.
As the fire dragons and earth dragons bullied Jónas, Pia was adamant she didn’t want one of those.
Nanna’s friend Hilary loved knitting so Nanna had asked her if she could knit a white dragon for Pia.
Hilary hadn’t been able to find a pattern so she’d made it up as she went along and the result was a bit wonky but Pia loved her dragon all the more for its imperfections, saying that, like in the story, differences were to be celebrated.
She slept with her snow dragon every night but, as with the book, I had no idea what had happened to it. Might Nanna know?
After preparing and eating my tea, I had a quick check of my emails and spotted one from Lily.
Curious, I clicked on the link and read the article about the reissue of Anna and the Snow Dragon next year, touched that Lily had taken the time to find out more about the book and the author.
I’d definitely want to gift copies of it around Whitsborough Bay in the hope that the children who found them would fall as much in love with the story as my sister had.
I typed in a quick reply.
To: Lily Appleton
From: Lars Jóhannsson
Date: 5 November
RE: Fascinating Discovery
Really appreciate you researching that and sending the link over. Sad news about the author and her husband but great news that the book’s being reissued with sequels. It’s a special read. L
I wanted to say more. I wanted to thank her profusely and tell her how much this really meant to me but I was feeling a bit delicate so best to keep my reply short and to the point. After sending it, I rang Nanna.
‘Sorry, lovey, but I can only spare a couple of minutes,’ she said after we’d greeted each other. ‘I’m meeting Hilary and Geraldine in the residents’ lounge for a beetle drive and a pie and pea supper.’
‘What’s a beetle drive?’
‘You know! I used to play it with you when you were little. You need to be the first to make a beetle. You roll a die and each number corresponds with a part of a beetle but you can’t start until you’ve rolled a six for the body.’
‘And you can’t add the antennae until you’ve got the head,’ I said as it came flooding back to me. ‘Sounds like a fun evening. I won’t keep you long, but I have a random question. Do you remember that book about the dragons which Pia loved – Anna and the Snow Dragon ?’
‘Yes. Hilary knitted the dragon from it. Or at least, she tried to.’
‘That’s the one. Do you know what happened to the book or the dragon?’
There was a brief pause. ‘No, sorry. I don’t remember seeing either of them after she passed. Why?’
‘I’ll tell you next time I see you.’
‘I gather they weren’t among Jayne’s things?’
‘No. Have fun at your beetle drive.’
When the call ended, I picked up the remote control and aimlessly flicked through the channels but I wasn’t in the mood for watching TV so I switched it off again with a sigh. I felt restless and didn’t know why. A beer might relax me so I grabbed one from the fridge and took a long glug.
Wandering from room to room, sipping on my beer, I wondered again if I’d made a mistake moving here. The Lodge was still the house of my dreams but I didn’t have the life of my dreams and everything felt out of kilter.
‘But how do I get the life of my dreams?’ I muttered, pausing in the doorway of one of the spare bedrooms and tutting at the unpacked boxes inside.
As I switched off the light and closed the door, Lily’s face drifted into my mind and a feeling of warmth enveloped me.
I pictured her empathetic expression when she caught me crying earlier, how she’d discreetly drifted away after making sure I was all right, how she’d checked I was okay again before saying goodbye, and the email she’d sent me.
When I’d applied for the job at Bay Books, I’d been worried about the history between Lily and me but all I could think about now was what a future with her might look like, and it was an incredibly appealing prospect.