Relief flooded the boy's face. “Yes, please.”
After ringing up the book and carefully putting it in an unmarked bag, Eveline gave the boy a small smile. “Your friend is lucky to have someone who cares enough to find him good stories.”
The teen ducked his head, mumbled a thank you, and hurried out of the shop.
Emery looked at Eveline. “That was really kind.”
Eveline shrugged, suddenly absorbed in straightening a stack of bookmarks. “It's nothing. Books should be safe spaces.”
“I didn't have you pegged as a softie,” Emery teased gently.
“I'm not,” Eveline said firmly. “I simply believe in the right book at the right time. That's all.”
They were interrupted by the arrival of more customers, and the morning passed in a blur of recommendations and sales. During a quiet moment, Emery found herself alone with Eveline behind the counter, watching as she carefully wrapped a first edition in acid-free paper.
“How did you end up here?” Emery suddenly asked. “Owning a bookshop in London, I mean.”
Eveline's hands stilled for a second. “That's a rather personal question.”
“Sorry,” Emery said quickly. “I didn't mean to pry.”
Eveline was quiet for a long moment, her fingers resuming their careful work. Just as Emery was certain she wouldn't answer, she spoke.
“I studied literature at university,” she said, her voice soft. “I always loved books, the way they could transport you, reveal truths about the world, about yourself.” She tied the string around the package with a neat bow. “But life had other plans for a while. I came to London to start over.” Her voice caught slightly on the last words.
“And the bookshop?” asked Emery.
“A happy accident,” Eveline said with a small smile. “Or perhaps not an accident at all. Books have always been my refuge. It seemed fitting to create a refuge for others.”
Emery felt her chest tighten. “That's beautiful.”
Eveline looked up, her dark eyes meeting Emery's. For a moment, something unspoken passed between them, a recognition of shared understanding.
Then the bell above the door jingled, and Maya burst in, shattering the moment.
“Emergency!” she announced dramatically, flour dusting her apron. “Emergency! Café Lila down the street has flooded, and the Romance Book Club needs a meeting place. It’s for tonight!”
“That's hardly an emergency,” Eveline said dryly.
“It is to Mrs. Hampton,” Maya countered. “You know how seriously she takes these meetings. Ten years they've been gathering, and they've never missed one.”
“And this concerns me because…?” Eveline raised an eyebrow.
“Because you have a perfectly good space right here,” Maya said, gesturing around the shop. “And because you're a good person beneath all that French snootiness.”
Emery bit back a laugh at Eveline's affronted expression.
“I am not snooty,” Eveline protested.
“Prove it,” Maya said. “Let us meet here tonight. Just this once.”
Eveline sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Fine. But they'd better not leave romance novel bookmarks in my first editions.”
Maya beamed. “You're an angel. I'll bring wine and pastries.”
Maya swept back out of the shop as dramatically as she'd entered, and Eveline turned to Emery with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“Since you know so much about books and romance,” she said with a smirk, “you can help run it.”
