As Long As I Have You (London Sullivans 1)

by Bella Andre

  “It was a brilliant day,” he confirmed. “Unfortunately, however, things aren’t quite as simple as I wish they could be.”

  Mathilda didn’t look surprised. “There’s no need to say any more than you’re comfortable with, of course, but it’s not difficult for me to guess that Mari’s family in California might not be thrilled to have her here.” When he gave a small nod to indicate that she was on the right track, she gave him a smile of understanding. “I know it may seem difficult to believe this now, but everything is going to work out. I feel it in my bones. It is what I’ve always felt, which was a big part of why I worked so hard to change Charlie’s mind while he was alive. I’m afraid, however, that all of us have a tendency to build up our worries and fears inside our heads until we’re paralyzed by them. Promise me you won’t let that happen with Mari. I’d much rather that you held tight to hope, no matter what.”

  “Not to worry, Gran, where Mari is concerned, there’s no way I’d ever let myself lose hope.” He held up Charlie’s notebooks. “I’m going to scan these tonight so that I can get the pages off to publishers first thing in the morning. I’d like to get a deal for them, both to honor Charlie’s talent—and also to help Mari with the bookshop’s bottom line.”

  Mathilda’s face lit up. “What a wonderful idea. I’d be happy to write a foreword to the books, if you think there would be any interest in that.”

  “Are you kidding, Gran? Of course there will be interest. I’ll be sure to mention it in my email to the publishers.”

  “How about a cuppa before you get to work?”

  “Thanks, but I’d like to scan the stories immediately. If there’s any chance of a book deal in the near future, and by near I’m talking a matter of days, it will mean a lot for Mari’s chances of keeping the bookshop afloat. In fact, instead of bringing her by Mum and Dad’s for Sunday roast, it would be so much better if we had lunch in the shop. That way, everyone can pitch in once we’ve eaten.”

  “Yet another brilliant idea.” Mathilda always knew how to make him feel good. She was the best boss he’d ever had. He had been out of his mind to have lunch with the streaming company that day. “Would you like me to call your mother to make the arrangements?”

  “That would be great, Gran.” He gathered up the notebooks, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. “See you in the morning.”

  * * *

  As Mathilda watched her grandson head back into his office, she was ecstatic that he had finally found happiness. And true love.

  Mathilda could still remember those heady days when she had fallen for Benedict. She’d been hurrying through the Cecil Court shops in Mayfair—a street that, post-Harry Potter, everyone claimed looked just like Diagon Alley. She’d been too excited about the chance to buy a new book from her favorite author to pay any attention to where she was going and had crashed headlong into Benedict. Even then, she had barely stopped to look up in her haste to lose herself in a wonderful new book.

  But Benedict had noticed her. And once she’d finished paying for her book, she’d found him waiting outside. Her heart had skipped a beat, and she’d known that he was the one she was meant to be with.

  Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he was holding a newly purchased copy of A Dance to the Music of Time. Anyone who liked the work of Anthony Powell couldn’t be bad. What’s more, Benedict was so delightful to look at. And she was just shallow enough to care.

  When she was twenty-one, her parents had already begun to despair that she might forever be on the shelf, perfectly happy to while away her days reading books and her evenings writing stories she wasn’t sure what to do with, but knew she had to tell anyway.

  With the encouragement of her parents, and after a wonderful courtship that had made her eyes as bright as Mari’s were when she looked at Owen, Mathilda and Benedict were married. Nine months later they had Penny.

  Though Mathilda continued to write when she had a chance, those chances came few and far between with three more children in rapid succession. She enjoyed raising her children, but it had been extremely difficult to collect her thoughts during so many nearly sleepless nights with them.

  It wasn’t until she was fifty years old, and her brood were out of the house and living their own lives, that she finally turned her focus to writing in a serious way. By then, she had read countless mysteries. She always kept a book with her—in her bag, by her bedside, in the sitting room, in the kitchen, in the car. By the time she sat down to begin writing the first book in The Bookshop on the River series, she had a fairly good idea of the kind of story she wanted to tell.

  It helped that she was so inspired by the environment that Charlie had created at Elderflower Island Books. There was nowhere else she could imagine setting her mysteries. And though the main protagonists were a rather close comparison to Charlie and herself—a man and a woman who were the best of friends, and nothing more, but who enjoyed each other’s company greatly, especially as they solved the latest murder in their part of the world—she refused to ever say for sure whether or not she had modeled her heroine and hero on the two of them.

  Now, all these years later, Charlie’s daughter and her grandson had found each other. Mathilda couldn’t be more pleased, even if the going was a bit rockier than she would’ve liked. She suspected Charlie’s ex-wife had deep reservations about her daughter’s being here and taking on Charlie’s legacy. And why wouldn’t she, considering it was due to his negligence—and his drinking—that Mari’s mother had nearly lost the person most precious to her.

  And yet…

  There came a time in everyone’s life when one had to forgive. When one had to look at the past and accept it for what it was, without letting it continue to rule the future.

  Mathilda understood that well, better than any of her children, or grandchildren, would ever suspect. Benedict had been a good man. But not a perfect one. They’d been married ten years when she found out about his affair.

  She confronted him, of course. She wasn’t a shrinking violet, and she informed him that she was leaving him and planned to file for primary custody of the children, as well. He’d pleaded with her not to leave and vowed never to betray her again.

  Mathilda had made the difficult decision not only to believe him, but to move forward without regret, if at all possible. And in the end, against all odds, he’d kept his vow, until he passed away of a heart attack at seventy.

  She knew things didn’t always work out so well. Look at her granddaughter Fiona. Mathilda didn’t trust her snake of a husband one bit. Though she had no proof, she suspected he’d had more than one affair. And were Fiona to find out and confront him, Mathilda very much doubted that any vows Lewis might make about changing his ways would be believable.

  Forcefully pushing thoughts of the man who didn’t deserve her oldest granddaughter out of her head, Mathilda decided she would go to sleep happy in the knowledge that Owen and Mari had found each other. She, along with everyone else in the family, would help out with the bookshop in whatever ways they could to make sure that Mari was able to stay.

  Before heading into her bedroom, Mathilda called her daughter, Penny. “Hello, darling. Owen and I have a suggestion for a slight change to tomorrow’s lunch, one we hope you’ll agree is a very fine idea indeed.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Mari was looking forward to meeting Owen’s family today. She had taken special care with her hair, makeup, and outfit. While she’d lived in jeans, T-shirts, and tennis shoes since arriving, she had brought a few nice things with her. It was nice to put on a dress, ballet flats, some mascara, and a little lipstick. Of course, taking off so many hours today meant she was going to need to work doubly hard in the store this evening.

  The buzzer for Mari’s flat rang, and after taking one last look at her reflection in the kitchen window, happy that she wasn’t covered head to toe in dust for once, she headed downstairs.

  She was halfway down when she realized Owen wasn’t the only one standing
outside. Through the front windows, she could see at least a dozen people. She first recognized Alice, and then realized the man and woman standing beside Owen’s sister had to be his parents.

  Mari unlocked the door. “Hello, everyone,” she said in a cheerful voice that she hoped didn’t betray her nerves.

  “Owen thought it would be a good idea to surprise you with lunch here, instead of at Mum and Dad’s house,” Alice announced before anyone else could get a word in. She was holding a big tray of plants and also had a canvas bag slung over her shoulder with a hand shovel peeking out the side. “He thought you could make use of a big work crew for the day. I’m planning to finish turning the garden patio into a thing of beauty.”

  “I certainly can use a big work crew,” Mari agreed. “Please, come inside.”

  Alice blew her an air kiss as she passed into the store. Owen, who was holding two insulated grocery bags that Mari assumed must contain lunch, moved close enough so that only she could hear him say, “You look beautiful. And I hope this is all right. Everyone wanted to pitch in, but I don’t mean to overwhelm you.”

  “Thank you,” she said first, and then, “It is a really nice surprise. I never dreamed so many people would want to help.”

  “Or that they would all be members of my family,” he joked.

  Though she recognized Jacob and Bernard from the café, Alfie from the pub, and Sue from the Chinese takeaway, she was amazed that the rest of them must be Sullivans.

  “Mum, Dad, this is Mari. Mari, these are my parents, Penny and Simon.”

  “It’s absolutely lovely to meet you,” Owen’s mother said, giving Mari a kiss on each cheek. “You so remind me of your father. I’m terribly sorry about his passing.”

  “Thank you.” Mari was immediately warmed by Penny. She could see her resemblance to her mother, Mathilda, and yet they were clearly very different personalities. While Owen’s grandmother had a bit of an edge to her—one that Mari longed to emulate, as she was certain it was at least partly responsible for Mathilda’s considerable success—Penny seemed wholly calm and steady. Yet another set of traits Mari would love to possess herself.

  “Welcome to Elderflower Island,” Simon Sullivan said a moment later. Mari guessed he was in his mid-sixties. Still a strikingly good-looking man, she could see where Owen got his strong chin and piercing blue eyes. Like Owen, he was also carrying two bags stuffed to the gills with food. “I hope it’s all right that we’ve brought a motley crew?”

  “It’s a wonderful surprise,” Mari told him. “Although you don’t have to work if you don’t want to.”

  “Of course we want to work. That’s what Charlie would have wanted too.”

  “Mari,” Owen interrupted, “this is my brother Malcolm, and you already know Gran.”

  “Hello, darling.” Mathilda gave Mari a kiss on each cheek. “I’ll make myself useful bossing everyone around.”

  Wow, Mari thought as she turned back to Malcolm. Good genes ran in this family in a serious way. While Owen was the only one who made her heart go pitter-patter, she couldn’t deny how attractive his brother was. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Before she could decide if she should do the double-cheek kiss with Malcom, or shake hands, he held out his hand.

  “It’s good to meet you too.”

  Though Alice had said her brother did something fancy in the city, looking at Malcolm in his jeans and sweatshirt, she wouldn’t have known as he looked more like a professional athlete than a billionaire. Mari appreciated that he didn’t broadcast his success with a fancy watch or a convertible out front.

  A few seconds later, another man with features similar to Owen’s and Malcolm’s came over to say hello. He had a very cute little girl with him. Which meant he had to be Tom.

  “Hi, I’m Mari,” she said to both of them. And then, focusing solely on the little girl, she said, “I’m so glad you’re here today. You’re Aria, aren’t you?” When she nodded, Mari said, “Do you have a favorite author?”

  Aria smiled. “Roald Dahl. My dad has read all his books over and over to me, practically a million times!”

  “Me too,” Mari said with a smile. “One time, when I was reading Matilda, I got to the scene where Matilda puts dye in her father’s hair tonic, and I laughed so hard that I accidentally snorted milk out my nose.”

  “Daddy? Did you hear that? Owen’s girlfriend snorted milk out her nose!”

  Mari hadn’t been expecting to hear the words Owen’s girlfriend today, at least not in reference to herself. She hoped the blush suddenly splashed across her face went unnoticed, though she very much doubted it would, given her pale complexion.

  “I snorted ice cream out my nose once,” Tom told his daughter.

  “I want to snort ice cream out my nose too!” Aria declared. “Promise to make me laugh really, really hard the next time we’re having ice cream, okay, Daddy?”

  “I promise,” he said, then turned his smile to Mari. “I’m Tom, and I really appreciate your taking over Elderflower Island Books. It would have been a massive loss not only for the island, but for this city, to see it close permanently.”

  “I hear you’re considering taking on the island’s concert hall?”

  He half smiled, half grimaced. “My accountant says it’s a terrible idea. I know he’s probably right, but I can’t seem to give up the dream.”

  “I know exactly how you feel. I actually am an accountant, and I would likely give a client the same advice about this bookstore. Yet, here I am.”

  “How about if I help you prove your inner accountant wrong today,” Tom suggested, “and then if I end up taking the plunge myself, you’ll help prove my accountant wrong too?”

  “Sounds like a perfect plan,” she said.

  “Daddy, I want to show you the Lego bookland Charlie and I built last time I was here!”

  Mari breathed a sigh of relief that she’d kept the Lego brick structure exactly as she’d found it. That was when she realized Owen was scowling after his brother’s retreating back. “What’s wrong?”

  “He’s already half in love with you.”

  She laughed at the ridiculous thought. “No, he isn’t. He was just being polite and making conversation.”

  “Tom doesn’t do polite. That was straight-up flirting. And the fact that Aria likes you too is a clincher.”

  “Your brother seems really nice. And Aria is adorable. But—” She smiled into his eyes. “He isn’t you.”

  For a moment, she thought he might break their rule about no kissing for the time being—in front of his entire family. Suddenly, however, a beautiful woman burst into the store.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late! Traffic was a nightmare.” She offered her hand to Mari. “Hello, I’m Fiona, Owen’s sister. You must be Charlie’s daughter.”

  Mari was struck by the way every inch of Fiona seemed to be polished, from head to toe. Though she’d claimed to have rushed here, not a hair was out of place, her makeup was perfect, and her clothes, shoes, and bag clearly cost a fortune.

  “Yes, I’m Mari. It’s so nice to meet you.”

  “My husband was hoping to make it today, but he had a last-minute meeting to attend.”

  Owen was frowning again, but this time there was obvious concern behind it. “I’m glad you at least were able to make it, Fi. It’s been too long since we’ve all seen you.”

  “You know how busy this time of year is for Lewis,” she said. “It seems there’s always another business event to attend. Last weekend, we were at a house party with a Scottish duke.” Before her statement could come across as snobbish, she added, “I’m still coughing up hairballs from the wild animals roaming freely through the vast, freezing halls. I couldn’t be happier to spend today in a cozy bookshop.”

  Alice had said she was concerned about her sister’s happiness. Owen clearly seemed to be, as well. But while there was an air of fragility about Fiona, she also seemed extremely nice. Only Malcolm seemed to be holding back a bit,
as though he wasn’t quite ready to trust Mari yet.

  “I’ll see if Mum needs help setting out lunch,” Fiona said, then disappeared into the store.

  “I can’t believe your whole family came to help today,” Mari said to Owen. “Thank you for asking them. I should probably change out of this dress now that we’re having a workday.”

  “If you need help with buttons or zippers,” he offered in a low voice, “you know where to find me.” Shivers of desire raced up her spine as he took her hand in his. “But seriously, be sure to let me know if the gang gets to be too much. I’ll boot them out.”

  “On the contrary, I’m not sure I’m ever going to let them leave, especially if they’re the kind of workers you and Alice have already proven to be.” Her stomach let out a huge growl. “Clearly, I’m also really excited about lunch.”

  But instead of heading to where the food was being set up on the garden patio, he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “You really are breathtakingly beautiful.” With obvious reluctance, he drew his hand away.

  After going upstairs to change into jeans and a T-shirt, she came back down to find that Owen’s family had worked a miracle on the back patio, turning it into the perfect al fresco dining room. Two long folding tables had been unearthed and laid with linens, cutlery, and glassware. Not only that, but the most delicious food was spread across the tables. Roast beef, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and gravy. Yum. Mari’s stomach grumbled again in eager anticipation.

  Before long, everyone was seated and passing platters of food, while topping up glasses and chatting and laughing. Mari loved being a part of the group, even if she spent more time sitting back to take it all in than chiming in herself. In her fantasies of what life on Elderflower Island might be like, she had never guessed there would be such a tight-knit sense of community. Or that they would all embrace her the way they had.