Page 30 of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop

LILY

I’d only got as far as switching on the system at Bay Books the following morning when there was a knock on the front door.

I looked up, surprised to see Lars peering through the glass.

Last night, I’d resolved not to allow my feelings towards him develop any further, but my heart betrayed me now by racing and setting off the butterflies in my stomach.

There was no denying that I’d missed him immensely in the two days we’d been apart.

‘You’re keen,’ I said, ushering him in out of the cold. ‘You do realise it’s only half seven?’

‘I woke up crazily early for some reason and, as you’d mentioned you were coming in half an hour early to ramp up Christmas, I thought I’d be more use here than wandering aimlessly around an unfurnished house.’

He paused and I was about to ask why his house was unfurnished but he spoke again before I had the chance.

‘Is it a tea or coffee morning?’

I smiled. ‘Always a coffee on a Monday. I need the kickstart.’

‘Two strong coffees coming up.’

‘Jeeves has already brought up some Christmas decorations,’ I said, pointing to a pile of crates in the stationery section. ‘I’ve piled some more up in the staff room. Can you send them up? It’ll probably take two trips.’

‘Will do.’

Lars slipped his coat off as he walked down the stairs, flexing a bicep as he flung it over his shoulder, which sent my butterflies soaring.

He hadn’t just grown into his face , he’d grown into his body too and in a seriously impressive way.

And I needed to stop staring at him. But before I could tear my eyes away, he looked back and held my gaze for a moment and the warm smile he gave me sent the butterflies into chaos. Clearly my resolve was extremely weak!

‘Was that everything you wanted?’ Lars asked when he joined me a bit later. ‘No tree?’

‘Not just yet. Last week we did a flavour of Christmas, this week is a bit of bling with lights and garlands but next week will be full-on Christmas, putting the tree up and doing a big window display.’ I nodded towards the boxes.

‘We should be able to get this lot up today but a key priority is getting some posters done and a newsletter out. We’ve had an author event confirmed for the end of the month. ’

‘The end of this month?’ Lars asked, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded. ‘Normally it would be an absolute no at this late stage but she’s a regular and she always packs the room out. It’s my granny, Josephine Forrest.’

Lars’s eyes widened. ‘Your grandma is Josephine Forrest?’

‘Yes.’

‘ The Josephine Forrest? The one who’s sold a gazillion books?’

‘The very same, although she’s just Granny Blue to me.

’ Lars looked confused by the name so I expanded.

‘Her real name’s Bluebell Appleton, Blue for short, but her publisher already had a saga author called Bluebell and another with the surname Appleton so Josephine Forrest is a pseudonym from her middle and maiden names.

She has a new book coming out on the 28th and she wasn’t going to be able to do a launch because she was having cataracts removed the day before but her op’s been put back a week so the launch is on. ’

‘I can’t believe Josephine Forrest is your grandma. My nanna loves her. She’s got all her books and has read them several times. I’m pretty sure she’s been to all her book launches here too, so she’ll definitely want to come to this one.’

‘Feel free to call her later and check she’s free. Tickets are limited as we don’t have much space, but she can have first dibs.’

We strung Christmas garlands across every other bookshelf, keeping the ones in between autumnal, and Lars fired questions at me about how Granny Blue got into writing and what it was like having a famous author in the family.

It amused me when anyone got starstruck because I never thought of Granny Blue as famous.

Obviously I was aware that, with sales exceeding twenty-five million copies around the world, my granny was a big name, but she was also the woman who’d bought me quarters of strawberry bonbons from the corner shop when I was little and always stole one before handing them over, who’d baked fairy cakes with me, pushed me on the swings and read stories to me.

Every time I saw her these days, she still produced a paper bag full of strawberry bonbons although she no longer stole one, joking that she valued what teeth she had left.

We added colourful fairy lights across the bookshelves in the children’s section before moving into the front and starting on the garlands.

I unlocked the door but, with no customers during the first hour, we managed to bling the whole of the downstairs, although the lights in the front were warm white rather than colourful.

Lars offered to repeat the process on each level while I worked on the promotion materials for Granny Blue’s launch and, even though that kept me busy, I was very aware of missing him by my side.

He was so easy to chat to and I loved our conversations about the books we’d read and loved – exactly how our friendship had started.

When Cassie arrived, she went upstairs to help Lars.

Every so often, I heard them laughing and it warmed my heart that they were getting on well, but I also recognised a twinge of envy that it wasn’t me making Lars laugh.

I had to get over this. I couldn’t spend the next three months mooning over one of my employees.

Employee. That’s what he was. Friend too, I hoped, but it couldn’t be anything more.

It was a bitterly cold day but the absence of rain meant there were still folk about.

We had a trickle of customers across the morning, the numbers picking up over lunchtime.

Lars took the first lunch break, during which I managed to finish the newsletter for Granny Blue’s launch, email it out and print posters which I added to the noticeboard and window.

When Lars returned, I ate my lunch in the staff room then bundled up in my coat, scarf and hat to meander along Castle Street, curious to see which businesses had fully embraced Christmas.

Castle Jewellery next door had gone simple and classy with white fairy lights and sprigs of holly in their windows but Ginny hadn’t yet changed the autumnal dresses in The Wedding Emporium’s window.

I knew that Tara in The Chocolate Pot always converted to full Christmas on Bonfire Night and, as I passed, I smiled at the Christmas tree near the door.

Next to The Chocolate Pot, Carly’s Cupcakes had a mixture of Christmas-themed celebration cakes and autumn-themed ones in the window and a sign giving the final dates for Christmas cake and cupcake orders.

Continuing to the end of the street, I crossed over and worked back on myself, pausing by Bear With Me.

It had two windows, one either side of the door.

In the left one, Jemma had gone traditional with a nativity scene.

A wooden straw-lined stable contained a manger, inside of which was one of the miniature artist bears Jemma made.

Above the stable was a bright star with another of her designs in the centre.

Surrounding the manger were larger teddy bears dressed as Mary, Joseph, the angel Gabriel and the wise men, with a soft toy sheep, donkey and camel looking on.

It was a beautiful acknowledgement of the true meaning of Christmas.

I moved over to the right window, which was more commercial, with colourful teddy bears and soft toys bursting out of boxes, gift bags and Christmas wrapping as though they couldn’t bear to stay hidden for any longer.

The words bringing you hugs on Christmas Day and beyond were written across the window.

It struck me that I still hadn’t arranged a night out with Jemma and Cassie. Peering past the bears, I could see Jemma with a customer so I’d message her later with some dates both Cassie and I were free.

I finished my circuit and returned to Bay Books. When I pushed the door open, Cassie looked up from the computer and smiled. ‘Nice walk?’

‘Chilly, but good. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas out there.’

‘I had a look on my way in. Some gorgeous displays again. I love what Jemma’s done.’

‘Me too. The little bear in the centre of the star is the cutest. We need to sort a night out with her so check your diary and let me know when you’re free.’

I went down to the staff room to ditch my coat, hat, scarf and bag, thinking about my tour of the street.

All the traders made a special effort to create captivating window displays all year round but the Christmas ones always seemed to step up a gear.

Lars was restocking some of our stationery items when I returned.

‘Lars, while it’s quiet and before Cassie finishes, can you help me retrieve something from my car?’ I asked.

He followed me outside and helped me ease a wooden display unit from the back seat and carry it into the shop.

‘Is this the Bookmas tree?’ he asked, his eyes lighting up as we began connecting the pieces together in the children’s section. ‘Is it the same one from when we were kids?’

I smiled at him, thrilled that he’d not only recognised it but he’d remembered what it was called.

‘It is. Granddad George wanted something Christmassy to display the children’s books on and he couldn’t find anything special so he decided to make his own.

It’s been here since the very first Bay Books Christmas. ’

The display was made up of three panels in the shape of Christmas trees which slotted together to create one big tree.

Each panel had a rectangle cut out of it into which shelves had been fitted, making it look as though the books were sitting within the branches of the tree.

It had been repainted several times over the years and the edges had been sanded to keep them smooth but it was otherwise exactly as Granddad George had created and it tickled him pink that it had been so enduring.