‘What’s going on?’ Brian asked the driver, who was unceremoniously dumping Effie’s bags on the path.
His only answer was a shrug before he jumped back into the van and sped away, leaving Effie standing in her childhood garden, her hopes and dreams packed up in bags around her feet.
‘Go inside. I’ll bring in your things,’ her dad said gently.
Sniffling, Effie stepped into her home, her heartrate instantly calming at being surrounded by the familiarity that had shored her up her entire life. The warm yellow walls, the bright paintings on them, the smell of the fabric softener her mum used. It was like stepping into a hug. Effie helped her dad pull the bags into the hallway before following him into the kitchen where he flicked on the kettle.
‘I think there’s some chocolate cake left in that tin,’ Brian said as he made two mugs of tea. ‘I think this situation necessitates a slice.’
Effie lifted the lid of her mum’s red and white spotted baking tin, and a divine, rich aroma arose. Sure enough, inside was a chocolate loaf cake. Effie cut two large slices, placed them on plates and carried them over to the table.
‘I thought you were enjoying Polcarrow,’ Brian began gently.
‘I was. I actually really loved being there, but Zach turned up and apparently I’m not running the shop correctly. He had the guy in the van on standby to bring me home.’
‘What? But you were doing wonderfully.’
Effie shrugged. ‘I know but it’s sort of his business. Well, his family business.’
Brian narrowed his eyes. This wasn’t the first time Effie had brought woeful tales of Zach’s bad behaviour home. ‘Does Clive know about this? At the opening he was telling us how well you’d done and how he knew you’d be the best person for the job.’
This made the situation even more confusing. Especially as he’d said the same to her. Effie shook her head. ‘No. He’s on holiday. I don’t know what to believe. I don’t think Clive would’ve changed his mind without telling me himself but maybe he couldn’t face doing it. Zach is a bulldozer.’ She sipped her tea. ‘I should’ve put up more of a fight but it was such a shock.’
Brian gave her hand a squeeze. ‘I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. You’ll find out more when you chat to Clive. He’ll sort it out, I’m sure.’
‘I hope so. I’ll have to go back to work at the main shop now, I guess,’ she said. ‘Maybe the others will know what’s going on. I think I’m only fired from the Polcarrow branch, not the entire company.’ At least she hoped that was the case.
However, the prospect of returning to a shop that had been her haven didn’t feel as appealing as it once had. If anything, Effie felt as if she’d been forced to take a giant step back. Again.
Chapter Forty-Two
The following morning Effie stood at the seafront, eyes closed against the sea spray and against the sinking feeling that she was right back where she started, her dreams once again in tatters. She sipped her takeaway tea, summoning up the courage to head to the main shop. It was like London all over again. All that excitement evaporating into nothing.
The previous night Effie had had to stop her mum from jumping in the car and driving down to Polcarrow to give Zach a piece of her mind. After another round of tears and a large bowl of her dad’s delicious mushroom risotto, Effie had settled onto the sofa under a blanket, pleased that she had somewhere to go and parents who cared so much about her. Yet at the same time it felt as if by taking that step to move away, she didn’t quite fit back into her old life. She missed her flat, her new friends and, although she was trying not to, Jake.
Yes, she’d been anxious about going to Polcarrow, had doubted that she’d be able to set the shop up, but she’d embraced the opportunity. She’d rolled up her sleeves and got stuck in. With every stroke of the paintbrush, every swim in the sea, every book she’d stacked on the shelves, every morning coffee she’d shared with Jake, she’d built up a life that felt more her own than any other time in her life.
Jake. Effie still hadn’t heard from him. She’d also been completely unable to stay away from scrolling Tara’s social media, taking in the cosy tropical paradise photos of them together. Effie had known their lifelong bond was worth more than the few weeks she’d spent with Jake. Maybe being sent back to Penzance was for the best? Her previous feelings that Polcarrow would still be home without Jake were suddenly hollow. Jake was woven into every memory of the little fishing village.
Finishing her tea, she tossed the cup into a nearby bin and, turning her back on the choppy grey sea, made her way into the town centre. Her feet retraced the familiar steps towards the front door of Books by the Sea but it was as if she was walking on autopilot.
As the familiar blue door came into view, Effie paused. Outside sat the box of damaged or old books they sold at cut price. She’d always loved watching people rummage through it hoping to turn up literary gold. She hadn’t got around to setting up such a box in Polcarrow because all the stock had been brand new.
Taking a deep breath, Effie crossed the road and after a brief pause, where she wondered if Zach had opened the Polcarrow shop, pushed open the door. The familiar worn-in aroma of polish and old books greeted her, a smell she’d always found comforting. Paper and ink, the faint aroma of the coffee Maddie always brewed first thing, the gentle timbre of classical music sounding from the radio. Beside the door were the familiar shelves of beautifully bound classics and in the middle of the room a table stacked with an eclectic mix of local non-fiction and fiction. There was a strange, not unwelcome sensation of coming home.
As Effie pushed the door shut, the bell jangled.
‘One minute,’ Maddie called from somewhere behind the counter.
Effie lingered by the display table, feeling both at home and out of place. She watched as Maddie heaved a box onto the counter and swept her hair off her face. Her mouth dropped open as she clocked Effie.
‘Effie, what are you doing here? Not that I’m not pleased to see you, but shouldn’t you be in Polcarrow. What happened?’
Effie’s lip trembled. ‘Zach happened.’
‘What do you mean?’
The tears spilled from Effie’s eyes and Maddie rushed out from behind the counter and bundled her into a hug. ‘Come on, come through. I’ll stick the kettle on and I think there’s some cookies left that Zoey made.’
