Jake thought she always looked beautiful. The comment froze Effie to the spot. No one had ever told her she was beautiful before, well, other than her parents and sometimes Maddie. ‘Thanks,’ she said as she slipped into one of the spare chairs and gave Scruff a fuss. The tension between herself and Jake was so high that she thought it’d smother her.
Thankfully, Lola emerged from the kitchen at that moment, carrying a tray of scrambled eggs and avocado on toast and attention was back on breakfast.
‘Morning, my lovelies. Jake’s ordered the works today, got to keep you going.’ She placed the tray on the table, followed by a couple of empty plates. ‘There’s toast, eggs, avocado and some bacon, help yourselves. What a pretty dress.’ Lola reached out and gave the sleeve a stroke. ‘Are you all ready? What can I get you to drink?’
‘Tea please and yes, I think I’m ready. Or ready as I’ll ever be,’ Effie replied as she helped herself to a couple of poached eggs and a slice of avocado on toast.
‘Excellent. I’ve been up since five getting your hot cross buns ready, the book biscuits look amazing, but I drew the line at the chocolate nest cakes in the end. Decided kids, chocolate, sticky fingers and books would be a bad combination.’
‘Thanks, Lola, that hadn’t even occurred to me!’
‘I’ll have enough chocolate-based treats in here for anyone who needs a fix though,’ Lola told Effie. ‘I’m braced for a very busy day. Are you coming to the Easter egg hunt tomorrow?’
This was the first Effie had heard of it. ‘I didn’t realise there was one. I’ve been too busy with the shop to notice anything else happening.’ She’d actually been planning on putting her feet up following the imagined intensity of the opening day as well as preparing for the upcoming school holiday trade.
‘Jake, did you not mention it? Your mum has been organising it,’ Lola called over her shoulder as she headed to the counter to make Effie’s tea.
‘I’ve been so busy helping Effie with the shop that I forgot,’ he said before turning to Effie, ‘it could be fun. I loved it so much as a kid that I got banned because I always found the most eggs! People thought it was rigged because Mum ran it.’
‘Has the ban been lifted?’ Effie asked as she tucked into her breakfast.
‘No idea,’ Jake laughed as he helped himself to some bacon. ‘You’re not banned, so we could team up?’
‘That sounds like fun,’ Effie said. ‘I’ve not been on an Easter egg hunt since I was a kid, but you need to know something – I wasn’t very good. I never found many eggs. My parents always bought me a conciliatory chocolate bunny at the end.’
‘Maybe we can change your egg-hunting fortunes tomorrow?’
Effie smiled at him. ‘That sounds like a challenge. But for now, let’s concentrate on getting the shop opened without any drama.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
Effie paused, hand on the key, eyes on the clock, watching as the seconds ticked by until 10 a.m. The hour was confirmed by a ring of the church bell. Effie glanced through the window at the eagerly waiting crowd. Her parents were front of the queue, chatting to Jake who was just behind them. A few of Polcarrow’s other residents made up the numbers but Effie couldn’t see Clive. He’d promised to be there when the shop opened. She flicked her gaze at the clock then checked her phone. Nothing. Where was he?
Just as Effie decided she couldn’t wait any longer for him, not when there was a crowd gathered and a tasty pile of hot cross buns waiting to be eaten, she heard the words, ‘Sorry, excuse me,’ as someone pushed their way through the crowd, which parted to reveal a rather frazzled-looking Clive. He exhaled before giving Effie a nod. She paused to savour the moment before turning the sign from ‘closed’ to ‘open’ and pulled the door back.
‘Wow, you’re all keen, aren’t you? I see Effie here has done a sterling job,’ Clive remarked, glancing from the crowd to Effie and back again. ‘I’d like to officially declare the Polcarrow branch of Books by the Sea open!’ Clive stepped back as Effie pulled the door open wide.
A round of applause went up led by her parents and Jake. Effie stepped back to let the customers in, greeting them all individually and chatting to some of the kids who bundled in, dressed as their favourite book characters. A smile spread across her face as she watched the kids run over to the book corner and start to pull picture books off the shelves with a wild abandon that warmed her heart. Clive hovered by the door, greeting the villagers, shaking their hands and deflecting any praise onto Effie.
‘You’ve done a marvellous job, love,’ her mum said as she gave Effie a hug, ‘it’s gorgeous. I don’t think you’ll move your dad from those chairs.’
Effie glanced over to where her dad had quickly ensconced himself in one of the armchairs, already engrossed in a Cornish wildlife book. ‘I hope he’s going to buy that,’ she laughed.
Jake was busy taking photos and the villagers were making short work of the hot cross buns. Effie noticed Sue lingering at the counter. ‘I’ll be back in a minute, Mum, my first sale!’
Effie darted around behind the counter where Sue had placed a pile of books, including Christie Kernow’s latest. ‘You’re the first person to buy something,’ she said as she started to scan the books, taking extra time to glance at the titles.
‘Am I?’ Sue beamed proudly.
‘And all excellent choices,’ Effie confirmed as she rang up the total.
Sue swiped her card. ‘Wonderful, glad you approve. Right, I need to dash off for a bit, pick the kids up from football, stick them in the shower, but I will absolutely be back in time for Christie.’ Sue checked her watch. ‘Hmm, it’ll be tight, but she’s my favourite and I can’t wait to meet her and have her sign her new book. Been looking forward to it coming out. I’ve read every one of her books.’
‘So have I!’ Effie enthused. ‘Which one was your favourite?’
‘Oh, I forget the title, but the one about the lost necklace. I read it twice.’
‘Links to the Past,’ Effie told her. ‘That was one of my favourites too.’
