‘Woah, that’s pretty cool,’ said Monty. ‘Magnús and Alex were pretty cool people, though.’
‘But they left?’ Radia probed.
‘Everyone who stays at the bookshop leaves, once their holiday’s up.’
‘Hmm.’ Radia didn’t seem impressed by this.
‘Can I help you with something?’ Joy interrupted.
‘Oh, uh, yeah, actually…’ Monty ran a hand over the back of his neck and kept it clamped there. ‘I need a book about speeches, but uh, it looks like you’re not as settled in as I thought the new Borrowers would be.’
Radia was already deeply interested. ‘Speeches?’ she echoed.
‘Yeah, best-man speeches. Did you happen to see any while you were unpacking?’ he asked Joy.
Joy’s memory worked fast. This kind of thing she could recall easily. Her teachers had found it uncommon until it came to her maths, science and IT classes, then they had lauded her talents.
‘There was one on Churchill’s oratory,’ Joy replied. ‘Don’t think that’s the kind of thing you’re after.We will wed them on the beaches…’ she began with a lopsided smile. Realising she was almost enjoying herself, she let her face fall again. ‘Sorry,’ she added, squeezing her short nails into her balled-up palms.
Radia looked at her like she’d sworn or something and Joy knew exactly what her daughter was thinking. Swearing would be more in character than this, whatever this was – cracking weird jokes, and in front of a stranger too.
‘Can’t you just get one online?’ Joy asked him desperately.
‘Online?’ Monty echoed. ‘God, no. What would Jowan say? Or Minty for that matter? If they saw me getting a book delivered? Nope, it’s the bookshop or nothing round here.’
‘Or you’ll get told off?’ Radia sympathised.
‘Definitely.’ Monty bared his teeth, looking terrified for Radia’s benefit before turning back to Joy. ‘Can you get one in for me?’
‘I’m not a bookseller,’ she said.
They all stood in the awkward silence that followed until Joy was forced to relent.
‘But I suppose I do need to test the new ordering system. Can you leave it with me? I’ll try tomorrow when it’s set up, all being well.’
Monty thanked her and was turning to go when Radia tried to detain him – he was the best entertainment she’d had all day, since the crabbing and the fish ’n’ chips. ‘What’s a best man?’ She was standing below him now, far too close and looking straight up at his face with interested eyes.
‘It’s a special helper at a wedding,’ he told her.
‘Andyouare one?’
‘I am. For my friend, Elliot. He’s getting married.’
Radia nodded in approval as though satisfied this information checked out. She’d heard all about the wedding at the ice-cream parlour this morning. ‘Mummy wasalmostmarried,’ she pitched in delightedly. ‘I’mnot going to get married,’ she added thoughtfully, meaning neither adult had to respond to the broken engagement bombshell. Radia was still talking anyway. ‘Does he like crabbing?’
‘Wh— who?’ Monty stumbled. ‘Elliot?Umm, not sure. He’s a vet so he loves animals.’
‘Ah!’ Radia said, drawing a deep breath before launching into a long story about how she’d quite like to be a vet when she grows up but you need to go to school for that. Joy, sensing trouble, nipped it in the bud with a warning look that made Monty start.
‘I really should get going, sorry,’ he told her, his hands spread in apology.
Joy showed Monty to the door with a hurry-along motion that he couldn’t mistake.
‘I’ll get that book on order for you,’ she told him over Radia’s protests. ‘They’re supposed to come from the supplier within three days so why don’t you come back in four?’
Monty tripped on a pile of books, sending them spilling.
‘I’ll have the place straight by then,’ Joy added.
