‘What? Jake, seriously? We can’t ask you to do this.’ Effie threw a glance at Clive.
Never good in a crisis, Clive looked at him dumbfounded.
‘Call her, tell her I’ll pick her up. Get her to wait. If this is important to you, Effie, then it’s important to me.’
Momentarily lost for words as Jake fixed her with a long look, a look that told her he’d never, ever let her down, Effie considered the options. ‘We can’t ask you to drive all that way and back again.’
Jake pulled his keys out of his pocket. ‘Consider it done,’ he said as he headed to the door. ‘Call her, tell her to expect a young man in a white Corsa.’
Clive stared after him, phone still in hand. Effie grabbed it from him and dialled the last number in the call log. ‘Hello, is that Christie, my name’s Effie, I’m running the Polcarrow branch of Books by the Sea. Well, yes, hello, lovely to speak to you too, I know, I know, Clive’s explained, but we have someone coming to collect you. Look out for a white Corsa. He’s on his way.’
Effie chatted for a few moments, then finished the call and handed the phone back to Clive, barely masking her irritation about how useless he’d been. ‘There’s a queue, I need to go,’ she said, her mind full of Jake leaping into the breach. How could she ever have thought he was annoying?
Effie tried not to cast too many concerned glances at the clock as she continued serving customers. Jake had texted to say he’d collected Christie and that, thankfully, despite all the travel palaver, she was in good spirits. However, he didn’t think he’d make it back in time for her one o’clock slot. Clive was being completely useless, lingering in the corner, helping himself to book biscuits and avoiding her eye. He’d been having a very long conversation with Steve about a book on haunted local pubs. Effie had overheard the landlord’s bold claims that his pub was haunted by a one-legged smuggler that had put the complete collywobbles into her boss.
During a lull in custom and with a small gathering of people arriving to meet Christie, including Sue with an overflowing tote bag of books, Effie cornered her boss and hissed, ‘You have to make the announcement.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes, you, it’s your business,’ she reminded him. Now that she was here in Polcarrow Effie was beginning to realise just how much Clive had delegated to his staff.
He glanced around at the assembled crowd and then at his watch. ‘Shall I give it a few more minutes?’
Effie shook her head. ‘No, go and tell them now.’ She gave him a little shove towards where the chairs had been set out for Christie’s talk.
Clive cleared his throat as he made his way over to Sue and her friends. ‘We’ve got a bit of a problem,’ he told them, ‘Christie has been delayed so we’ll be starting a bit late. Some young man Effie’s friendly with has gone to collect him.’
Effie’s face flushed as the gaggle of women turned to stare at her, Sue giving her a knowing smile. Blimey, was everyone in on this matchmaking business? Effie was glad to have her attention drawn away by a young boy looking for a book on superheroes.
She rifled through the shelves and presented the child and his younger sister with an assortment of brightly coloured picture books featuring a variety of super-heroes. The little girl held her hands out at a book about a magical unicorn, which the boy made a face at. Effie was just placating him with a book about a monkey with magical powers, when the door of the shop was flung open and her own superhero stepped through, harried, slightly out of breath, but with Christie Kernow right behind him. The shop hushed as Jake’s eyes met with Effie’s.
Effie straightened up and passed the book to the boy and without her eyes leaving Jake’s, crossed the room until she was standing in front of him. ‘Thank you so much.’ She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘I owe you a pint.’
‘No worries, it was nothing, really,’ he dismissed with a disarming smile, ‘but I could murder a cup of tea.’
Effie turned to Christie. ‘Hello, welcome to the Polcarrow branch of Books by the Sea, I’m so glad you managed to get here.’
‘Me too! I’d have hated to have missed it. What a charming little shop you have,’ she enthused as she took in the bright décor. ‘It’s adorable and that sea view! Divine!’
Effie nodded in agreement. ‘Is there anything I can get for you. Are you ready to start or do you need a breather?’
‘I’m perfectly ready to begin. I had a nice sit down in the station café, gave me plenty of time to work on my next manuscript, tight deadline on this one, but if you’re putting the kettle on, I’d love a cuppa. Milk, no sugar, please.’
‘Sure, anything else?’
‘Just a glass of water, but I’m hoping there’s some of those buns left for after.’ Christie gestured at the refreshments table.
‘I’ll make sure of it. Where would you like to sit?’
Christie glanced around the shop. ‘It’s going to have to be one of those gorgeous armchairs if that gentleman doesn’t mind?’
‘That’s my dad,’ Effie told her, ‘I’m sure he’ll be happy to move.’
‘He can stay and listen if he wants,’ Christie said as she made her way over to the vacant chair. ‘Hello, ladies, are you here for my talk, lovely, wonderful and oh look, you have all my books! I love it when fans turn up. How are you all doing?’
Effie left Christie chatting to her audience and headed into the kitchen to find Jake had got there before her and was boiling the kettle. ‘You don’t have to do this.’
‘But it’s manic out there. Not being funny, Eff, but how does Clive think you’re going to run this shop alone? What about breaks?’
