‘Really?’ My smile sets, and I’m almost tempted to blurt out,I’m so sorry. I’m not Kate from the agency. I’ve told you a whole bunch of lies and I’d better pack up and leave right now.But then Alice touches my arm, saying, ‘It’s such a relief, having you here. I’d be so miserable and depressed, doing all of this on my own.’
So maybe it doesn’t matter that I’m the wrong Kate?
‘I’m glad it’s not too painful for you,’ I say truthfully.
‘Not at all. So, what next? The books, maybe?’
‘Yes,’ I say eagerly. ‘I’ll call him now.’ I’ve already told her about meeting Fergus, and that our beloved Railway Bookshop lives on in the form of Off the Rails Books.
As my mobile signal’s iffy inside the house I call him from the landline. It’s a pleasant surprise when he answers immediately. ‘I can come out tomorrow,’ he says, ‘when I’ve closed the shop.’
‘Great. Thank you,’ I say, already looking forward to his visit. I can’t help being intrigued by the man who’s kept a second-hand bookshop going in a little country town.
‘Oh yes, it’s a real gem,’ agrees Morag, Bea’s housekeeper, when she pops in with gifts of more eggs, plus a seeded loaf from the bakery that Alice had mentioned she loves. She’s a sparky woman with ruddy cheeks and grey hair cropped no-nonsense short, and my heart lurches when I hear Alice tell her, ‘Kate’s going to take charge of the gardens. You won’t recognise the place when she’s finished!’
In a panic, I step outside, leaving the women chatting, while I call every gardening company I can find. But no one can take on the job at such short notice; not even Morag’s recommended guys who, seemingly, ‘everyone’ uses. ‘Sorry, love. We need more time to plan for a big job like that.’ I wonder how the real Kate would have handled it. Surely, being an avid gardener wouldn’t have made it any easier for her to magic up a team out of thin air?
I sip my mug of tea, scanning the weed-choked borders and overgrown lawns and almost wish I could call her. After all, even though Alice booked her in a hurry, she recognised an impressive CV. How would mine compare?
Kate Weaver
Phoney. Lunatic.
Career history:
Museum ass-cure.
Part-time hotel spa receptionist and small-town cul-de-sac misfit.
On a happier note, there’s been no call from the agency, so perhaps I’m on safe ground now? And Vince hasn’t called again either, which is a relief. I just want to get on with the job in hand.
It’s so good to feel properly useful and the hours fly by. Before I know it, we’ve done two full days of sorting, and a couple of bedrooms are empty already, and any minute Fergus is due to arrive.
I’m not sure why I’m poised for his arrival. He’s just the bookshop man, coming to take a look at Bea’s home library. And he’ll probably be in and out in five minutes flat.
*
Only, it doesn’t happen like that.
I’m bubble-wrapping paintings upstairs as Alice welcomes him in. ‘...So nice to meet you, Fergus. I was delighted to hear there’s still a bookshop in town...’ Her animated voice drifts upstairs, mingling with his warm and friendly tones. Then their voices fade as she takes him through to her mother’s library. A bizarre realisation hits me: I want to be there too. But I can’t go muscling in. Alice is taking care of things and I’ll just get on with stuff up here.
Even so, I’m aware of working quietly, ears pricked, as I move on to wrapping Bea’s butter-soft leather gloves in tissue paper.
It’s not just Alice and Fergus’s voices that are drifting upstairs. There’s also an aroma of roast chicken and my stomach growls hollowly. Having made so much headway already, Alice decided we’d celebrate with a proper roast dinner tonight.
‘Kate?’ she calls out. ‘Are you up there?’
‘Yes?’ I stride out onto the landing to see her and Fergus looking up at me.
‘Hi,’ I start, as if I hadn’t realised he was here. ‘Are the books any good to you?’
‘Yeah.’ He nods. ‘I’m taking them all. Thanks for calling me—’
‘Rather than the dozens of other bookshops in town?’ I say, and he laughs.
‘Well, yeah. There is a benefit to being the only one. But I think my customers will love them anyway. There’s a lot of keen gardeners around here...’
‘And he’s given me a very fair price,’ Alice adds with a smile. ‘So I thought it was only right to ask him to join us for dinner. I know it’s a bit impromptu but is that okay with you, Kate?’
