by Bella Andre
It was wonderful.
Conversation was light and easy. Whenever Charlie was brought up, it wasn’t with sadness, but to share funny stories about how he’d liked to spontaneously read aloud from random books, or how he was a great mimic and could imitate voices perfectly. Mari was happy to share how much she loved England so far and how magical her experiences at the London Library, the Charles Dickens Museum, and the Sherlock Holmes Museum had been yesterday. When asked about the best places to visit in Southern California, she shared her favorite destinations. Malcolm even warmed up to her a little as he talked about how much he’d loved his time living in the US.
It wasn’t until lunch was over and everyone had helped clear up that Mari directed each person to where she thought they might be the most helpful. Fashion, Art, and Architecture for Fiona. Business for Malcolm. Music and Biographies for Tom. Alice planned to completely redo the plants in the garden, but realized she needed to pick up a few things at the nearby plant nursery first. And Mathilda would be overseeing the lot of them.
Once everyone else had headed back inside, Owen’s parents asked to have a private word with Mari.
“Charlie was a good friend,” Simon said. “I hope this isn’t too intrusive of me, but ever since we learned about you, I’ve been racking my brain to try to think of any clues we might have missed. Anytime he might have been about to share a secret, but we didn’t give him the chance, perhaps?”
To lay his concerns to rest, Mari said, “Please, don’t worry about being intrusive. I’m here in large part because I want to know more about my father. I don’t know how much Owen, Mathilda, and Alice have told you about what happened, but the short version is that something really bad nearly happened when I was three and he was supposed to be watching me, and my mother subsequently kicked him out of our lives. Evidently, though, he’d already been planning to leave, because he thought it was for the best. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that I don’t agree with either of the decisions they made. But since I was too young to let them know what I wanted, and I can’t go back and change the past, I want to focus on learning about his life, celebrating who he was. From everything I’ve heard so far, Charlie was happiest here on Elderflower Island. And I like thinking of him being happy.”
“As I’m sure you’ve been told many times already,” Simon said, “Charlie was a very nice man. And I’d like to believe he truly was happy here, but the truth is that there was always something sad lingering beneath his smile. It wasn’t hard to guess that it might have to do with the fact that he wouldn’t have so much as a drop of alcohol, even in a dessert. And I suppose, looking back, there was always a wistfulness about him as he watched our kids grow up, probably because he saw you in Alice or Fiona. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to lose you.”
“Anything you ever want to know,” Penny put in, “we’d be more than happy to answer for you. In fact, I brought some photos of Charlie if you’d like to see them.”
“I would.” Mari’s throat was thick with emotion. “Very much.”
Penny took an envelope from her purse. She handed it to Mari. “If you’d rather look at them alone…”
“Actually, I would appreciate it if you could tell me about the pictures.”
Penny pulled one out, smiling as she said, “This was taken the day your father opened Elderflower Island Books.”
From the clothes and hairstyles, it was clearly the early nineties. Charlie was standing beside the till, the same one still there today, and he looked proud of his new venture. And yet, just as Owen’s father had said, there was also a sense of sorrow about him. Of loss that could never be recovered. No matter how much he succeeded in his career, it seemed grief would never be far behind.
At last, this was Mari’s chance to ask about something she’d long wanted to know. “Did he have any serious relationships? Or was he alone the whole time that you knew him?”
“He was never truly alone in the sense that he always had friends, and people who cared about him,” Penny replied. “But as far as we know, he never dated. We tried to set him up with another friend once, but he was adamant that he wouldn’t meet her. It didn’t make sense at the time, but now I can guess that he might not have believed he deserved to be happy once he’d walked away from you.”
Mari had always been fairly reserved. It took a while for people to earn her trust, and her brother was really the only one to whom she’d ever poured out her heart until coming to Elderflower Island. But with Owen and his family, it felt perfectly natural to bare her heart. And to admit, “I don’t think I ever felt I deserved to be truly happy either. That maybe his leaving was my fault. That if I hadn’t ended up in a dangerous position, then maybe Charlie could have gotten help for his addiction, stayed with us, and remained in my life.”
“Oh, Mari.” Owen’s mother held open her arms. “I hope you don’t think this is too forward, but I would very much like to give you a hug.”
Mari answered not with words but by walking into her arms.
“You were a little girl. Innocent,” Penny said. “You weren’t responsible for Charlie’s choices, so you can let all those worries, all those false beliefs go.”
It felt so nice to be held. To be comforted. To feel safe and secure, even while she was on the precipice of the biggest changes in her life. Now, she was even more inspired to do great things on Elderflower Island, just as Charlie had done.
When she stepped out of Penny’s arms, Mari said, “If you wouldn’t mind leaving the pictures with me, I’d like to look through the rest of them later. Right now, I’m feeling extra energized to get to work.”
Owen’s father grinned. “I’m great with a hammer, if you’ve got anything that needs fixing.”
“As a matter of fact, I have plenty that needs fixing.” Mari rattled off a list that started with the sash window on the left side of the store, to a light fixture in the children’s area, to a floorboard that popped up whenever she walked over it. She broke off with a laugh. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go overboard.”
“The more work you’ve got for me, the better. I don’t get to put my hammer and screwdrivers to use nearly often enough.”
As Simon walked off to get his tool belt, Penny said, “Owen mentioned that you’re interested in putting on events here. Could I be of any help?”
“I was hoping you’d ask,” Mari replied with a smile. “I understand that you put on the exhibitions at the V&A, which sounds like a truly incredible job. I haven’t had a chance to visit the museum yet, but I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Let’s schedule a private tour,” Penny said with a smile. “I did help your father with a handful of events over the years, but he was always a little overwhelmed by big groups of people, so putting on special evenings wasn’t a focus for him. If you’re looking to pack the place, however, I do have a few ideas that I’d like to run past you.”
“Packing the place is exactly what I’m after,” Mari said. “If it will enable me to run the store profitably, I’ll do pretty much anything. Plus, I’ve found that I quite like having big groups of people around me.”
She smiled as she looked through the windows into the bookstore, where everyone was working hard on her behalf. On Charlie’s too. Because they all loved him. Regardless of his past or his quirks he had been accepted and supported as an integral part of the Elderflower Island community.
Exactly the way they were all accepting and supporting her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Owen appointed himself all-around helper for the day. Even after their large lunch, cleaning and organizing a bookshop was hungry work, so he passed out what was left of Mari’s baked goods and made endless cups of tea and coffee. Along the way, he drafted others to work, including Oliver and Jill from the boathouse, and Ezra who had once worked part time for Charlie and happened to be having a drink across the street at the pub.
Between questions about where she wanted certain books or items
in the shop, Mari focused on her business plan and spreadsheets. From what he gathered, she’d had a fairly intense but good conversation with his parents after lunch, and he was happy to see that she looked at peace.
By five o’clock, when Owen stopped to assess the group’s progress, he was amazed by what he saw. “Mari.” He waited until she lifted her head from her computer. “Look at what’s happened to your bookshop.”
She blinked several times, as though to clear her vision. And then, he saw it on her face. The surprise. The wonder.
The joy.
Elderflower Island Books was now completely changed from the space she’d walked into that first day, straight off the plane from Los Angeles. Not only was everything now clean and in its proper place, but the shop was also much more colorful and inviting than it had been during Charlie’s tenure.
Fiona was a genius with interiors. Her home in Chelsea was wasted on her husband. Lewis was always out at some swanky cocktail bar, or on a business trip, and their expensive six-bedroom house was little more than a stopping-over pad for him, though Fiona had worked hard to make it a home for them both. Today, she’d come with her Range Rover jammed full of rugs, lamps, throws, and fabrics. She’d also brought her sewing machine, which she’d used to whip up covers for several cozy but worn armchairs.
Fiona wasn’t the only one who had gone above and beyond. Jacob and Bernard had painted the back wall a teal green that mirrored the color of the river outside. Owen’s mother had hung traditional British bunting, decorated with colorful illustrations of books. Alice had put her immense garden design skills to use by transforming the back patio into a place where people would happily sip a cup of tea and eat a brownie while enjoying a new book amidst blooming plants. Owen’s father had fixed every squeaky floorboard and stuck window sash, along with anything that wasn’t perfectly screwed on or centered. Working with his hands was Simon Sullivan’s happy place.
Owen loved watching Mari take it all in. He could see how inspired and excited she was about her future. A future that he hoped included him.
If only Mari’s mother could see her now, Owen was convinced she wouldn’t hesitate to give her daughter her blessing.
“Oh my God,” Mari said, barely above a whisper. “They’ve done it. It looks like a real bookstore where customers can come and browse the shelves and buy books.” She turned her head left, then right, then left again. “A part of me thought it might never happen—or that if it did, it would take so much longer than this.” She squeezed his hand, grinning. “Your family, your friends, they’re amazing!”
“They’re your friends too,” he reminded her. Not just friends, but her family, as well. Just as they been Charlie’s family.
He went to the register and handed the antique bell to her. “When Charlie wanted to get people’s attention, he used this.”
She looked at the bell for a moment, then rang it with purpose. Everyone looked up.
“Sorry to disturb you in such an ear-splitting way,” she said with a laugh, “but I wanted you all to know that because of your help and support, I’ve decided that this Saturday—a little less than one week from today—Elderflower Island Books will open for business again!”
Everyone clapped, and whooped, and cheered. Fortunately, Fiona had thought to bring several bottles of bubbly in a cooler in the back of her Rover, so they popped the corks and toasted each other’s hard work. Most of all, they toasted Mari for her bravery and for her determination to continue her father’s legacy.
* * *
Mari was exhausted yet exhilarated at the same time. Everybody had left by now, except for Owen, and Mars the cat was tucked in on the counter for the night. Mari had spent the last ten minutes walking around the store, looking at each different corner and section, appreciating yet again everyone’s tremendous work.
Elderflower Island Books looked incredible. It was exactly the kind of space she’d always dreamed of owning.
Only, owning this bookstore wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t a fantasy. It was real. And regardless of how much work she had ahead of her, she wanted to celebrate now.
As though he could read her mind—which he probably could, given that her happiness had to be written all over her face—Owen turned on the radio to a station playing swing music from the forties.
He held out a hand. “Dance with me.”
Maybe it should have been strange to dance in the middle of a bookstore, but it felt exactly right. Especially when she was in Owen’s arms, and they were laughing and twirling together.
She loved everything about being with him. She had from the very beginning. Even when her brain had cautioned her to be wary, her heart had known better. Known that he was someone she could trust. Someone who would never betray her. Someone who would never intentionally let her down. And she wanted to be there for him in every way he needed her too.
She’d believed that they needed to wait until her mother came to England and Mari managed to wring a blessing out of her. But only now did she realize the truth.
It had been her own fears holding her back. Her fears that she couldn’t trust her feelings for Owen because maybe, just maybe, her mother was right about charming Englishmen blowing her hopes and dreams to smithereens. Her fears that she might not be enough for him, because she’d mistakenly believed she hadn’t been enough for her father to stay. Her fears that she wouldn’t be able to hack it in England and would end up back in California, with her secret dreams still buried deep.
But Mari wasn’t afraid anymore.
“I don’t want to wait.” Her voice was determined. And full of desire. “I want to be with you. Tonight.”
“I want that too.” He pulled her closer. Though the music was still going, they were no longer dancing. They were simply holding each other tightly. “But we agreed to wait so that you wouldn’t risk losing your relationship with your mother.”
“There’s always a risk to everything we do,” she said. “That’s what I’ve finally realized. Coming here. Revitalizing the store. Falling for you. Every last thing I’ve done since leaving California has been a risk. Risks I’m glad I’ve been brave enough to take with no guarantees that things will work out, or that everyone will end up happy.” She moved closer to the man she’d fallen for. “All I know is that when I’m with you, I’m happy. And I’m willing to risk it all. To risk everything for you. For us.”
“Are you sure?” She could see the conflict in his face. How badly he wanted her—and also how much he didn’t want to drive a wedge between her and her family. “I’d never forgive myself if I pushed you too fast, or lost you because I couldn’t be patient.”
His concern for her only made Mari more certain. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my whole life than I am about being with you tonight. I can’t predict or control what my mother is going to do, if she’s even going to agree to come here, or what she’s going to say if she does. But I can tell you with one hundred percent of my heart that what I feel for you is the most real, most wonderful thing I’ve ever felt in my life.” She lifted her hand to his beautiful face. “Come upstairs with me, Owen. Come upstairs and stay.”
He took her hand and led her up to the flat.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Owen stood in Mari’s bedroom, holding her hands in his. “You’re so beautiful.”
She smiled, and it was as though sunlight came streaming through the windows, despite the clouds outside. “I really do feel beautiful when I’m with you. It’s the way you look at me.” She looked down at her hands in his. “The way you touch me.”
He lifted her hands to his lips and gently kissed the tip of each finger, one at a time. She trembled with need each time his mouth brushed over her skin, and he loved it. Loved knowing that she was held just as much in thrall to him as he was to her.
It was something he’d never felt before. Something that had always been utterly elusive with other women. Something he’d only ever feel for Mari.
Lov
e.
He loved her.
Maybe there were people who would say it was too soon. People who would claim that love had to grow over time. People who would say that the desire he felt for her was confusing his heart.
But Owen knew better. Knew, with perfect certainty, that Mari was the one for him.
She was the one he had been waiting for. She was the one he would fight for. She was the one he would unabashedly and unreservedly declare himself to this very moment. Before he took her to bed. So that she would never think the words had fallen from his lips in the heat of passion.
Just as she’d said, life was a series of risks. And this was a risk he would happily take a million times over. The risk of giving her his heart, even without the certainty that she’d give hers back.
“I love you.” He brushed the pad of his thumb over her lower lip, and when she trembled again, his smile widened. “I’m not expecting you to say it back to me tonight. I simply need you to know how I feel.”
Though she didn’t reply with words, when she wound her arms around his neck and went up on her toes to kiss him, he could feel how deeply she cared in the press of her lips against his.
She felt positively gorgeous, and he couldn’t resist sliding his hands from hers to run them over her lithe curves. Finally. Alone in his bed this week, he’d been unable to sleep while thinking of her just down the lane. So close yet so far.
The reality of being with Mari, however, was a million times better than his fantasies. The heat of her skin, her enticing scent, her sounds of pleasure as their kisses deepened. She tasted so sweet, and he grew more addicted to her with every nip of her full lips.
“Owen.” She shuddered as she whispered his name, her hands grasping at his shoulders as though she needed to hold tightly to him to stay upright.
He lifted her into his arms, walked to the bed, then lay her down across it. For a moment, he simply drank her in with his gaze. The way her soft, auburn hair floated across the pillow. The brightness of her eyes as she looked up at him. The sensuality of her mouth, pink and plump from their passionate kisses.