CHAPTER ONE
“I’ve wasted my life on you. It’s outrageous that you’re makingmethe guilty party.”
The words echo through the closed office door and around the thankfully empty bookshop.
Clutching my handful of books, I glance beyond the corner of a bookshelf and watch two shadows play across the office’s frosted window.
“You’re never going to be anything more than just a fucking bookshop owner,” the same voice shouts with its usual air of supreme arrogance. “What the hell was I even thinking?”
“Wanker,” I whisper fervently.
A cough sounds from behind me, and I freeze. I turn reluctantly around and then sag in relief when I see the old man observing me with a look of disapproval. It isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last.
“Grandad,” I hiss. “You scared me.”
He gives me a knowing look. “Scared you, or interrupted your eavesdropping, Clemo?”
I roll my eyes. “It’s just Clem, Grandad.”
“I use your proper Cornish name, lad, and I always will. Budge over.”
“What are you doing?”
He winks at me. “Joining you. What’s happening?”
“It’s James,” I say, squeezing up against the bookshelf so he can join me.
He grunts. “What’s that idiot done now?”
I put my books down on a nearby table. Let’s face it, I won’t be doing any more shelving for now. “He was unfaithful.”
“What? To Harry?”
“Exactly. Who the fuc—?” He raises one eyebrow. “Who the fudgicle would be unfaithful tohim?”
“Well, it stands to reason that he’s not everyone’s cup of tea.” I glare at him, and he puts a hand up in defence. “No one,” he mutters. “No one in the entireworldwould overlook that man.”
“That’s the truth.” I eye the two shadows and note the distance between their bodies approvingly. “It’ll be hard for James to worm his way around Harry if he can’t shag him,” I whisper. “James relies on sex to cover up his personality defects.”
He clears his throat. “It doesn’t sound like Harry wants to go that route.”
“Oh, James will still try but not yet. He’s at the ‘how dare you catch me out in infidelity’ stage of the proceedings. This is the gaslighting section.”
“Now, you did explain gaslighting recently. ButCountdownwas on, so I wasn’t listening.”
“Grandad.”
“It was either you or Susie Dent. There’s no competition I’m sad to say.”
“Well, gaslighting is getting someone else to blame themselves for something you’ve done. This is exactly what James is doing to Harry at the moment. Apparently, it’s all Harry’s fault that James stuck his dick in someone else. Orsomeone stuck theirs into James. I’ve never been interested enough in him to find out.”
“Disgusting behaviour. If you’re done with a person, treat them with dignity and respect. Leave, but do it in a way that reflects the love you once had.”
I look at him admiringly. There are very few men better than my grandad.
I grew up in Fowey in Cornwall as the youngest of a very loud and close family, and even though I left to go to university, I headed back as soon as the ink dried on my graduation certificate. Like a very sparkly homing pigeon, my nan always says.
“I’mleaving,” a shout comes from the office. “And you can’t stop me.”
