The Little Bookshop at Herring Cove

by Kellie Hailes

  ‘Like you were about to do? Offering up your bookshop to my father? Preparing to sell and move on like you weren’t going to lose your heart in doing so?’

  I lost my heart when you left. Sophie held the words tight. Couldn’t say them. Didn’t want to risk the rejection. Alexander may be making out like everything was fine between them… but it wasn’t.

  Not when she had one thing left to say.

  ‘I’m sorry, Alex. I shouldn’t have attacked you the way I did that night. Shouldn’t have doubted your openness, your honesty. I should have given you a chance to explain.’ Sophie shook her head and let out a huff, releasing the tension she’d held in every fibre of her being since that night. ‘I’m trying to take more risks, trying to be more open, trying to be like you. It’s not easy for me. This kernel of loneliness that sits so deeply inside has caused me to make such mistakes. It’s hard for me to trust.’

  ‘Well then, there’s only one thing for it.’ Alexander took her hand and held it to his heart. ‘You need to stop being lonely. Then the kernel will disappear.’

  ‘Easier said than done.’ Sophie became aware of Alexander’s thumb stroking her hand, back and forth. It wasn’t horrible.

  ‘It’s easily done, Sophie. If you trust yourself. I understand what it is to feel lonely. I’m yet to meet a person who made me feel whole inside … who got me. Then I met you. And everything I’m doing here is because of you. You’ve made me see that my life had no real purpose. Yes, I was good at my job. Yes, I could get yesses out of no’s. Yes, I was on track to be the perfect CEO of our business that my mother and father wanted me to be. But my heart was never in it. Demolishing beautiful buildings – part of our heritage, our history – in order to modernise with paint-by-numbers edifices, and making money off quaint spots while destroying what made them special, is not what I want to do. I wanted to be like you. To revel in my job. To turn up to work each day glad to be there. Not wanting to be anywhere else.’

  Sophie turned her attention to the tired, vine-covered building across the road. Imagined it freshly painted white with sea-blue trim. A flower box out the front alongside a sign that boasted fresh, handmade pasties or organic meat, or a florist with fresh blooms in buckets bursting from its front door. The possibilities were there, but could one person take on a whole town and turn it around?

  Sophie shook her head. ‘I can’t let you do this. You could end up with nothing.’

  Alexander lifted her hand from his chest to his lips and pressed a kiss against her palm. ‘Sophie, you can’t stop me. Besides, if it doesn’t work?’ He shrugged. ‘With love on my side, I’ll have everything I need.’

  Sophie’s heart squeezed and grew all at once. Did Alex just talk about love, talk about it being at his side? Was he talking about… ‘Er, this love you’re talking about. Um, just so we’re clear…’

  He dropped a kiss on her nose. ‘I’m talking about you, Sophie Jones. Only you. I love you. And I know it’s soon. I know it’s quick. But I know what my heart tells me. Also, if that “arse” of a father of mine has taught me anything, it’s that you should strike while the iron’s hot. That is if the iron is still hot. Or lukewarm?’ His eyes widened as his lips kicked up in a hopeful half-smile. ‘I can work with lukewarm.’

  She’d thought she’d lost Alexander. Believed she’d driven him away. Had been too afraid to apologise. To consider a second chance.

  But here he was, sitting in front of her, telling her he loved her. Putting his heart, his trust, his hope on the line.

  Two could play at that game. And for the first time ever, she wasn’t afraid to try. Wasn’t afraid to fail. Because with Alexander by her side she didn’t think she could.

  Sophie leaped to her feet. ‘Can you stand?’

  Alexander wriggled his toe experimentally. ‘I think I can hobble about on this thing.’

  ‘Good.’

  She reached her hand out and he took it, and together they pulled him into a standing position.

  ‘I can’t believe you nearly broke my toe.’ Alexander ran his hand through her hair, then cupped her cheek.

  She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. ‘I can’t believe you just confessed your undying love for me.’

  ‘The way you wield a hammer, it might well be short-lived. You drop that thing on my head…’

  Sophie opened her eyes and playfully pushed Alexander. ‘Cheeky. Keep giving me grief like that and…’

  ‘And you’ll what?’ He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

  Sophie went to greet his question with a sharp retort but found nothing on her tongue. She was too happy. Too… complete. ‘I’ll keep hanging around. That’s what I’ll do. Pinch me?’

  Alexander tweaked her nose. ‘That’s as good as you’re going to get.’

  She ran her thumb over his lips. ‘I did dream about you after you left. Dreamed of us together. Not “in the past” kind of dreams, either. Like future dreams. Us walking down the beach as a sunset I’ve yet to see sank below the horizon. Drinking beer in the pub as Rob played a punk-pop mish-mash of all things. Beautiful dreams. Dreams I never thought would come true…’

  ‘Well, I can’t guarantee Rob’s going to punk-pop it up anytime soon.’ Alexander grinned, his tongue peeking out between his teeth. ‘But I think beer in the pub and long walks on the beach at sunset could well happen.’ His smile disappeared and his eyes grew serious as his hand circled the back of her neck. ‘Did you dream about us… you know…’

  ‘Oh, every night. Dreamed you put on quite the performance. You’ve got a lot to live up to.’ Sophie’s giggle disappeared into a kiss. Long, slow, deliberate. Filled with promises for the future.

  Sophie broke the kiss off. If she was going to do this, if she was going to commit to Alexander, she was going to do it properly. She was trusting her instincts. She was going all in.

  She took hold of his hand and dropped down onto one knee.

  ‘Sophie? You okay? Did you lose something?’ Alexander peered down at her, his brows knitted in concern.

  ‘I’m fine. Just have something important to do. So, shush.’ She placed a finger upon her lips. ‘Alexander Fletcher, when you came into my life I nearly made the second-biggest mistake I’ve ever made. And that was push you out of it. Thankfully – well, thanks to Ginny – I was forced to let you stick around.’

  ‘I’ve always liked that woman.’

  Sophie shot Alexander a warning look and he zipped his lips.

  ‘Had you left that day, I’d never have met anyone who got under my skin the way you did, who forced me to tear down my boundaries, to let you inside. I kind of feel like you Trojan-horsed me, and I’m not mad about it. In fact…’ Sophie took a deep breath. It was now or never. ‘In fact, I love that you did. Because I love you. I never thought I could let anyone that close again, could risk my heart like that, but you’re worth it. If you can move your life from London to Herring Cove, then I would like you, Alexander Fletcher, to move in with me.’

  Alexander clutched his heart. ‘Bloody hell. For a moment I thought you were going to ask me to marry you.’

  ‘And what would you have said?’ Sophie pushed herself up to full height and wrapped her arms around Alexander’s waist.

  ‘No.’

  ‘Really?’ She opened her mouth in mock-outrage. ‘If I had said “Alexander Fletcher, will you marry me?” you’d have said no?’

  ‘Maybe.’ Alexander dropped a kiss on her lips, then pulled back.

  Sophie tapped her chin. ‘Hmm, you know, a wise man once told me a no was the first step in a negotiation to getting a yes.’

  ‘Is that right?’ Alexander tipped his head to the side. ‘Well, how about this… I quite like the sound of this marriage idea, so I’ll move in with you if one day you promise to walk down the aisle with me.’

  ‘Can I wear a poofy meringue dress, massive tiara, have a thousand bridesmaids, and a twenty-tier fruit cake with two icing lovebirds on top?’

 
Alexander’s eyes widened in mock-horror. ‘Is it too late to take this conversation back?’

  Sophie shook her head. ‘Definitely too late. Besides, you started it by thinking I was proposing to you. So, do we have a deal?’

  Alexander held his hand out. ‘In that case, yes. We have a deal. I will move in with you. But we’re going to have to further negotiate the wedding terms. Two bridesmaids, two-tier chocolate cake, and you can wear the poofiest dress and the grandest tiara in the entire world.’

  ‘I’m going to regret the dress and tiara comment, aren’t I?’ Sophie met Alexander’s hand and revelled in its strength, in how sure it was. Like he knew they could survive anything life would throw at them, like he knew that together they would succeed.

  Even more amazing, she believed him.

  In Alexander Fletcher, Sophie Jones had met her match. And she knew, without a doubt, she could trust him. With all her heart, and all her soul.

  EPILOGUE

  Sophie smoothed a wrinkle that wasn’t there from the creamy swath of flowing silk fabric that fell to the ground, straightened up and faced the mirror as Ginny buttoned the tiny pearls that had been hand-sewn on the back by the local dressmaker.

  ‘Just breathe. Put one foot in front of the other. And try not to arse over whilst walking down the world’s longest aisle.’

  It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. A wedding held on the beach where she and Alexander had first truly begun to bond. To understand each other. The place where they’d spent countless hours since walking and talking, paddling and splashing. Not to mention kissing. All the kissing. So much kissing. With some hand-holding too.

  It was where he’d officially proposed. Where she’d said yes.

  And today she was going to upgrade that ‘yes’ into an ‘I do’.

  ‘Can’t blame you for staring at yourself.’ Ginny came up behind her and tweaked the flower-embroidered caplet sleeves. ‘You look beautiful.’ She touched her burgeoning stomach. ‘And I look like a whale in lavender chiffon.’

  Sophie rolled her eyes at Ginny’s wrinkled-nosed reflection in the mirror. ‘You look stunning. Here.’ She reached behind her and picked up a velvet navy-blue drawstring bag. ‘This is for you, to say thank you.’

  ‘It’s your wedding and I get the presents.’ Ginny took the bag and opened it, pulling out a silver chain bracelet with three charms attached. ‘A book. An angel. And a heart.’ She passed the chain to Sophie and held her wrist out.

  ‘The book for me. The angel for Nat, since she’s always kept an eye on me. The heart for you, since you’ve loved me unconditionally, at my best and at my worst.’ She fastened the bracelet and pulled Ginny in for a hug. ‘You’ve got the biggest, fiercest heart I’ve ever met, Ginny. Love you.’

  ‘Love you too.’ Ginny squeezed her tight. ‘Love you even though you’re making me traipse down that shocking track to the beach when I could drop at any moment.’

  ‘You make it sound like the track is treacherous. It’s anything but since Alexander’s business had it all fixed up.’ Sophie smiled to herself. Alexander’s business. He’d come so far in the last year. His plans for Herring Cove had been more successful than either of them could have dreamed, and his father had promoted him to Co-CEO, with Alexander in charge of taking the growth model he’d created in Herring Cove and working with other small Cornish villages that were in need of a hand to elevate them to boutique tourist destinations in keeping with each village’s individual charms.

  ‘Time to go, Soph.’ Ginny picked up their bouquets, brimming with sunflowers, gypsophila, roses and delphinium and passed one to Sophie. ‘You ready?’

  ‘More than ready.‘ Sophie checked her reflection one more time and loved what she saw in it. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkling. A smile that wouldn’t quit her lips. More than that, she saw peace and contentment. A happy soul. Not a single kernel of loneliness to be found or felt.

  They made their way down the stairs and into the bookshop. Her fingertips trailed the spines of the books in the closest shelf as she floated to the front door. She breathed in the crisp, clean scent of new books mixed with the aromatic muskiness of the first editions she and Alexander went hunting for on their one day off.

  It was the smell of home. Of happiness. Of security, trust and love.

  Ginny opened the door and gasped. ‘They outdid themselves.’

  Sophie stepped into the bright sunshine and followed Ginny’s delighted gaze up the street.

  Silver and gold bunting hung from lamppost to lamppost. The flower boxes were freshly made up with blooms that matched the colour scheme of her bouquet. Solar-powered fairy lights circled the lampposts, ready to illuminate the lane, their love, when the sun sank beneath the horizon.

  She laughed as she saw a miniature bride and groom had been placed on the shop sign Alexander had carved by hand. A stack of books, perfectly chiselled, so much so they almost looked real, with the spine of the top book reading ‘All Booked Up’ in gold script.

  She didn’t think her smile could grow any larger, yet it had. ‘It’s beautiful.’

  ‘It’s all Alexander.’ Ginny clapped her hands with glee. ‘He rounded up anyone and everyone he could to help. Not that he had to try all that hard. He’s got the villagers wrapped around his little finger.’

  ‘He’s always had that ability, that son of mine.’

  Sophie twisted round to see Frank standing a few steps away, looking dapper in a three-piece dove-grey suit, complete with top hat and cravat.

  ‘Would you look at you, Mr Fletcher. Don’t you scrub up well,’ she teased, laughing as Frank’s cheeks bloomed pink.

  ‘Well it’s not every day you get to welcome a new member to your family. One we’re thrilled to have. Thrilled being an understatement.’ He stepped forward and crooked his arm.

  Sophie slipped her arm through. ‘You’re too kind. Keep it up. I like it.’ She squeezed Frank’s forearm, and marvelled at how far their relationship had come.

  Frank had not been the easiest nut to crack, but little by little he’d come out of his shell. Seeing how Alexander and Sophie worked as a team, supporting each other and thriving on it – personally and professionally – had eased his initial concerns that Sophie and Alexander weren’t suited, were too different in background, to survive.

  ‘Right.’ Ginny clapped her hands to get their attention. ‘I’m going to waddle off, fast as my pregnant elephant cankles can carry me. You two wander down. I’ll have the band start the music in seven minutes, okay?’

  Sophie lifted her flowers to her forehead. ‘Yes, sir.’

  Ginny rolled her eyes, blew a kiss, then hurried down to the cliff’s beach entrance.

  ‘Waddling elephant cankles, my arse,’ Sophie muttered, which earned her a hearty laugh from Frank.

  ‘You set, my dear?’ He tightened his grip. ‘And tell me I’m not the only nervous one.’

  ‘You’re the only nervous one.’ Sophie grinned. ‘I’m too happy to be nervous. I get to marry the love of my life. It’s not something that happens every day.’

  ‘No. No, it’s not.’

  Frank and Sophie set off at a leisurely pace, taking the time to accept the good wishes that came flowing from the bustling shops on either side of them. It may have been a Sunday, but Herring Cove was filled with out-of-towners enjoying pastries from the local artisan bakery, cheeses from the newly opened cheesemonger, and discovering local arts and crafts at the gift shop.

  Alexander’s dream for their village had come true, and he was beloved for making it happen, by no one more than Sophie.

  They reached the cliff’s pathway entrance just as the string quartet began ‘Here Comes the Bride’.

  ‘Right on time.’ There was no hiding the admiration in Frank’s voice. ‘If that Ginny ever wants a job she can have one. She’d have my contractors going at double speed.’

  Sophie hitched her skirt up a little as they made their descent, the faces below tipping towards them.
‘I think she’s about to have her hands full. Doubly so now that the online store Natalie created for her has seen her skincare business take off.’

  ‘Well, I’ll slip her my card along with the offer in case she ever wants a change of pace.’

  ‘You Fletchers and your inability to take no for an answer.’ Sophie grinned as she saw two small figures standing beside Ginny jumping up and down with excitement. Bella stopped to twirl around, sending her pink dress skirt out in a circle. Joe tugged at the tie Natalie had insisted he wear, telling him a ring bearer had to look extra dashing.

  Ginny flashed her the thumbs up, took Joe and Bella in hand, then walked them up the aisle to where Natalie was standing, looking gorgeous in the lavender bridesmaid dress, even more so because of the smile on her face. One that had grown in the past few months as her website business had flourished, along with her self-confidence.

  Frank and Sophie took the last few steps down to the beach and were greeted by Veronika, looking regal in an emerald green boat-necked, form-fitting dress.

  ‘You look stunning, Sophie. An absolute vision.’ She threaded her arm through Sophie’s as the three of them began to walk down the aisle towards Alexander, his back turned to her.

  She smiled as she saw his foot tapping impatiently. Stopping when Mike, who had struck up a solid friendship with Alexander and had happily stepped up to be his groomsman, nudged him to let him know his bride was near.

  He turned, his mouth falling as his eyes widened – and misted up. ‘You look beautiful,’ he mouthed.

  ‘You look hot,’ she mouthed back, fanning herself with her bouquet for extra effect.

  Hot was an understatement. In his black, tailored suit, paired with a crisp white shirt, left open in keeping with the casual environment, Alexander had never looked so handsome.

  ‘Thank you for allowing us to walk you up the aisle.’ Frank raised her hand and kissed it as he stepped back.