The Little Bookshop at Herring Cove

by Kellie Hailes

  Was long distance an option?

  She shoved the idea away as quickly as she’d entertained it.

  If the ache she felt deep inside existed already when she thought about Alexander leaving, she wouldn’t survive a long-distance relationship.

  ‘This’ could only be the here and now. No more.

  ‘Well, I guess I’d better shower. Get ready for the day. Get my thinking cap on if I’m going to impress Miss Devine.’ She swept her legs out of bed and pushed herself up. Keep it light, keep it easy, keep it simple. ‘I’ve never missed a day opening, and as much as you’re worth it – and I’d love to continue the day as we started – I’d hate to disappoint a customer.’

  Alexander’s shoulders bunched towards his ears as his spine stiffened. She didn’t have to see his face to know her excuse had fallen flat.

  His shoulders inched down as he turned to her, his expression unreadable. No delicious lines of happiness radiated from his eyes. The corners of his lips were neither tugged up in amusement, nor curved downwards in disapproval.

  Sophie told herself she was doing what had to be done. While Alexander may have brought immeasurable pleasure, she knew the more she grew to like him, the more attached she became, the greater the pain would be when he left.

  She had to protect herself. Keep the loneliness at bay before it further entrenched itself in her life. In her heart.

  ‘Well, in that case, I’ll be off then.’ He swung his legs out of bed, bent down, picked his T-shirt off the floor and tugged it on. Covering the beautiful swathe of skin she’d stroked, licked and adored for the better part of the night into the early morning hours. He pulled on his shorts, shoved his feet into his shoes and made his way over to her side of the bed.

  She went to duck backwards, forced herself to stop. She wasn’t going to run from Alexander. What was between them would reach a natural conclusion sooner rather than later, and she refused to hurt him by rejecting him.

  He cupped her cheek, tenderness softening his eyes. ‘It’s probably a weird thing to say, but… thank you.’ His fingers tucked under her chin. She allowed him to tilt her chin up so his lips could meet hers. A brush of skin that created a ripple of heat inside that made her want to toss all her good sense aside and take things further.

  Alexander broke the kiss, his hand slipped from her cheek, and just like that he was gone.

  Sophie wrapped her arms around herself. Held herself tight. And told herself she’d done the right thing. For both of them. Besides, it wasn’t over. Not yet. Alexander would have told her if he was heading straight back to the city. Surely.

  Yet two questions circled in her mind.

  Why had Alexander’s ‘thank you’ seemed like a goodbye?

  And how come she wasn’t running out the door to stop him?

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Alexander turned on his phone. Determination pulsed through his veins. It was time to sort things out with his father once and for all. Time he took his life into his own hands and changed it for the better. Time he did what he’d been put on earth to do – to create things that brought happiness, brought hope to people’s lives.

  He pulled up his father’s mobile number and hit the call button. The ring tone barely starting before it stopped.

  ‘Alexander. I’ve been trying to get hold of you all morning. What’s the situation down there? Did the market go as planned?’

  Alexander drew a big breath in. His future, his happiness, counted on him getting this conversation right.

  ‘Dad, I’m going to be straight up. I don’t think the resort is the best option. Not for the village or its people.’

  His declaration was met with ominous silence. He took a deep breath and carried on. If his father wasn’t yelling, he was listening.

  ‘The villagers want their home to revert to how it used to be. To keep the rustic vibe, to have people visit it because of what they have to offer, not what we force on them. In the week I’ve spent here I’ve come to think that they might well be right. That we could help them achieve their goals.’

  ‘Really? And how do you propose to do this, Alexander? Wave a wand? Have each villager rub a lamp and grant them three wishes?’

  Alexander stiffened at the sarcasm. Refused to let it put him in his place. If he was going to run the Fletcher Group one day, he needed to be heard. To be understood. To be trusted.

  ‘I have ideas to revive the village, Frank. Ones I believe will work. It won’t be an instant cash cow like the resorts. But over time I believe we could reap the benefits from investing in Herring Cove by rebuilding the village while keeping its charms. It’s a model I think would work in many places throughout the area.’

  ‘Where is this coming from, Alexander? You know that’s not how we do things. That’s not the Fletcher business model. What’s gotten into you?’

  Auburn hair paired with brown eyes, the cutest nose and most invigorating, inspiring personality he’d ever met came to mind.

  ‘Nothing’s gotten into me. I just don’t believe that a resort is the only way forward. I think it would be a mistake.’

  Stone, cold silence met him. His father wasn’t buying it.

  ‘I’m coming down, Alexander. I’ll hold a town meeting. Talk some sense into them. You too. I expect you to head back to London today, be back in the office on Monday, and I’ll see you at the family dinner on Tuesday.’

  Having issued his instructions his father ended the call.

  So that was that? Fait accompli?

  Alexander shoved his mobile in his pocket as a wave of defiance surged through him.

  Herring Cove was too quaint, too special, to be allowed to be turned into just another holiday destination. He wouldn’t see the town swamped with people who took its natural beauty for granted, people who’d expect the locals to bend over backwards to accommodate them, not thinking once about their impact on the small village. But that didn’t mean Herring Cove couldn’t and shouldn’t be given the opportunity to thrive.

  He could see the main street lined with boutique shops: an artisan bakery, café, florist, cheesemonger and gift shop. The empty houses dotted along the cliffs could be bought and turned into tourist accommodation, its booking run through websites, with the day-to-day operations managed by a local. A surf school could be started up. Fishing charters could operate. There was no reason the farm land behind Sophie’s couldn’t still become a golf course, or pool and spa. Or an entrepreneur could keep the farm land and create rustic accommodation alongside a five-star all-organic restaurant that showcased the area’s seafood, meat, vegetables and fruit. The sky was the limit – and there wouldn’t be a towering monstrosity of a hotel blighting the skyline.

  He picked his way down the cliffs, wanting to breathe in the tangy sea air, to let the sand run through his fingers one more time before heading back to the city.

  Alexander collapsed onto the sand, closed his eyes and began putting his ideas in order in a way that his father might understand, which meant showing how the money would be made, and how money could be saved.

  ‘You’re a hard man to find, Alexander Fletcher.’

  The words were puffed out, the tone teasing. Joy chased away worry as Alexander turned to see Sophie traipsing through the sand, her hands on her hips, her chest heaving.

  ‘Also, do you know how much I hate running? Lots. More than just about anything else in the world. Almost as much as I hate climbing up and down that evil cliff path.’ She plopped down beside him with a grin, then bumped her shoulder against his. ‘But I couldn’t let you leave the way I did. Couldn’t let you think this was just some one-night thing where we’d carry on with our lives as if nothing had happened.’

  ‘I didn’t think you—‘

  Sophie held her hand up. ‘You did. I could see it in your shoulders, they went all hunched, then they went all droopy. And I don’t blame you. I was so casual, so cool. The way I always am when I’m afraid I’m going to get hurt.’ Sophie clucked her tongue in disa
pproval. ‘That made me sound like I’ve got a steady stream of men coming and going from my bedroom. Which, for the record, I don’t. I’ve steered clear of men since…’ She paused, her gaze drifting to the horizon.

  Sophie wrapped her arms around herself, then plopped down onto the sand in one graceful, leg-folding movement. Alexander sank down beside her, giving her space, but making sure he was close enough that she could reach him, should she want to.

  ‘The reason the bookshop has been in such trouble was because I made the mistake of putting my trust in the wrong person. The wrong man, to be exact.’ She blew out a breath. ‘I was an idiot. Phillip came to Herring Cove to work on a fishing boat not long after my aunty moved away. Despite Ginny and Nat being with me whenever they could, I was lonely. Desperate for connection. Ripe picking for someone like Phillip, who swept me off my feet the first night he came to town, moved in with me after that first night, and never left. Until he did. With all the money I’d saved for a rainy day. And when that rainy day came, it was more of a downpour and I didn’t have any savings to stop it.’ Her shoulders shuddered. ‘I feel ridiculous blurting it out like that. Truth be told, I’ve not talked about it in years. Blocked it from my mind as best I could. Keep calm and carry on, and all that.’ Sophie lifted her chin in that proud manner she had.

  Alexander placed his hand, palm up, on the sand. Sophie took it without hesitation. Her fingers interlaced through his, curled around him, strengthened him. Strengthened each other.

  ‘After Phillip’s betrayal I found myself afraid to take risks. To put a foot wrong. I became stilted. Stuck. In all parts of my life. Terrified to change anything at All Booked Up, scared to let anyone in. I even had to think really hard about taking care of Puddles when I found him. Because what if I was no good as a cat mum? What if something happened to him on my watch? What if by caring for something or someone I opened myself up to hurt again?’ Sophie huffed out a frustrated breath. ‘I guess I became convinced that the best way to live life was to stick to a routine and never deviate. Never give anyone a chance to show me any other path. Emotional safety first.’ She rolled her eyes at herself and shook her head.

  Tightness clutched at Alexander’s heart as the last piece of the Sophie puzzle fell into place. No wonder she’d been so suspicious, so resistant to offers of help. Her whole life had been an exercise in letting people in only for them to go. Each time with heartbreaking consequences.

  Not this time. He wasn’t going to be that guy. He may have to return home, but he wasn’t going to go before giving Sophie fair warning of what was to come. Wasn’t going to leave her without her knowing just how much she meant to him. How much of an impact she’d had on him.

  ‘I get where you’re coming from, Soph. I understand what it’s like to follow rules, to be afraid to go off page. I’ve followed my father’s rule book all my life. Done as I was told. Never once have I risked disappointing him, or my mother. Until now.’

  Sophie’s cheek met her knees as the little frown line between her brows appeared. ‘What do you mean “until now”?’

  ‘I just told my father that I didn’t think we should build a resort in Herring Cove. That we should invest in the village more organically.’

  A smile chased away the sadness in Sophie’s eyes. ‘Really? Do you think you could do that? Do you think it could work?’

  ‘I think it could.’ Alexander pressed his lips together, hating that he was about to rob Sophie of her hope. ‘But my father doesn’t think so. He thinks the idea’s bonkers, and to that end he’s coming down here to hold a town meeting, which – in his mind – will put an end to any dissent from the villagers.’ Alexander sucked in a breath, knowing it wasn’t the only thing his father would do. ‘And don’t be surprised if he tries one last time to get you to sell.’

  ‘But I won’t.’ Sophie straightened up. ‘Between the author talks, the online sales, my father’s first editions, and the market potentially becoming a regular event, I can dig myself out of this hole. I know I can.’

  ‘I know you can, too. The thing is, my father is used to getting his own way. His methods are… tough. To say the least. I just want you to be prepared. To be ready. He’ll throw anything and everything at you to weaken you. To force you to change your mind.’

  Sophie’s eyes widened. ‘He sounds like a monster.’

  Alexander nodded. ‘I can see how you’d think that, but he’s a businessman of a successful company, and he didn’t get to where he is by playing nice.’

  Sophie shuffled closer to him until they were shoulder to shoulder. Leaning against each other in mutual support. ‘They say the apple doesn’t far from the tree, but I think your father’s tree was built on a cliff and you fell right to the bottom.’

  Warmth rushed through Alexander’s heart, flooded his body. Sophie didn’t see him as an extension of his father, of the Fletcher Group. She saw him for who he was.

  No woman before ever had. They’d seen his late model car, his designer suits, his black credit card, and saw a Fletcher. They didn’t see an ‘Alex’.

  ‘That might be the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me.’ He dropped a kiss on Sophie’s shoulder. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘I said it because it’s true. I didn’t trust you one bit when you walked into my shop. In fact, I thought you were a right knob. A hot knob. But still, a knob.’ Sophie laughed, light and easy, before turning her serious eyes back on him. ‘But you’ve shown me over this past week who you are. You’ve always been straight up and honest. Your words have been followed by your actions. You’re one of the good guys, Alex, and I’m so glad I let you into my life.’ Sophie buried her face in her knees. ‘God, that sounds lame when it’s said out loud.’ The muffled words were dense with embarrassment. ‘I sound like a right loser.’

  Alexander tucked the tips of his fingers underneath Sophie’s chin and tilted her head back his way. ‘It makes you sound amazing. No one has ever understood me like you do. Ever given me a chance to just be me. I’m the one who’s lucky.’

  Comfortable silence filled the air around them.

  Alexander spotted a piece of glass, tumbled smooth by the elements, half buried in the sand. He picked it up and turned it over in his fingers. ‘Being here has reminded me of who I want to be. How I want to be. I’ve worked so hard to be someone else – to be the future CEO I’m expected to be – that I’d lost myself.’ He passed the piece of glass to Sophie, who took it with a smile and tucked it away in her short’s pocket. ‘It’s nice to be reminded of who I am, what I’m capable of. It’s as if being around you, experiencing your strength, your determination, has given me some of my own back.’

  Sophie shook her head. ‘Yeah, I’m so strong and determined that I nearly let my fear of change, of making a misstep, run my business into the ground.’

  ‘You can’t be blamed for that. You can’t blame yourself. That’s all on that Phillip guy. Not on you. You reacted how thousands of others would have. But you mobilised when you needed to. When it mattered.’

  ‘With your help.’

  ‘Just a little. It was mostly you.’

  ‘I guess I can’t be expecting to have your help forever. Not if you can’t convince your father to change his ways, his beliefs.’ Sophie met Alexander’s eyes. Clear and sincere, sad but strong.

  They both knew the score. He couldn’t stick around.

  ‘We could keep in touch…’ Alexander started, then shook his head. ‘But we wouldn’t.’

  ‘We wouldn’t. We couldn’t. It would be too hard. I’m sorry.’ Sophie rubbed her heart, like the thought of him leaving gave her physical pain.

  ‘We still have today. Tomorrow. Tomorrow night, even.’ Alexander wasn’t letting her go. Not that easily. And if that meant disobeying his father’s orders to return immediately, so be it. ‘I could help you organise the Lucille Devine author talk. Put up messages on local social media pages. Get the word out. Go door-to-door if I have to. Then I can leave first thing Monday. I have to b
e back in the office that day, but being a few hours late isn’t going to matter. Who’s going to tell off the future boss?’ He pushed himself up and reached his hand out to Sophie.

  ‘You’re such a rebel.’ She rolled her eyes and laughed as he pulled her up, wrapped his arms around her, kissed her long and slow.

  And promised himself he’d find his way back to Herring Cove.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Alexander appeared in the storeroom doorway and gave Sophie the thumbs up to get the evening started.

  She nodded and blew him a kiss. He’d been a godsend the last thirty-six hours. She’d given him access to All Booked Up’s social pages and he’d put the word out that Lucille Devine was speaking, then gone down to the pub and worked the crowd, telling them about the event. He’d bought, at his own expense, a ridiculously expensive bottle of champagne for the guest of honour. Tracked down the baker who’d had a stall at the market and persuaded him to put together delicious platters of finger food. RSVPs has come flying in and if she was busy with a customer, Alexander was quick to pick up the phone or type out a reply.

  And in between all that he’d found moments to make her feel special, feel alive. Small touches as he passed her. Kisses dropped on the back of her neck. Shoulder rubs while she loaded up her father’s books ready for sale. Never asking anything in return, just happy to be there for her.

  The only thing he’d refused to do was to MC the event, telling her it was her place to shine.

  Nerves prickled over her skin as stage fright sent bile rising. She swallowed it down. Now was not the time to let fear get in the way.

  People had poured through the doors, then proceeded to buy every Lucille Devine book she had in stock and ordered in books she didn’t have on hand, and now their excited chatter had reached fever pitch. The perfect time to introduce the woman they’d come to see.