As she stepped into the slinky gown, Bel tried to push away the disappointment that had gathered in her stomach. What did she know about any of this anyway? The last thing she wanted to do was to be an embarrassment. She tugged at the dress’s neckline, which exposed a lot more cleavage than she would normally be comfortable with, but gave up when it refused to budge. She changed her heels and headed back out.
‘Beautiful,’ he breathed.
She smiled then melted as he slid a hand behind her neck, pulling her towards him for a deep kiss. Maybe she’d been overly sensitive before. Was it really such a big deal to feel annoyed that he’d asked her to change outfits? How could she be upset when he was helping her and when this was his reaction?Jax would never ask any of his women to change their clothes.The thought came from out of the blue, and she quickly pushed it away with another:The women Jax dated would have known what to wear. Tate was wonderful—the perfect boyfriend. He’d been showering her with gifts since she’d arrived. He was attentive and affectionate. He lived in the perfect place with a perfect view. Everything was … perfect, so much so that she often wondered if her alarm wasabout to go off for work and she would wake to discover it was all just a magical dream.
However, even dreams did eventually have to end. Early one morning, Tate’s phone went off and he was summoned back to work.
‘I’m really sorry, Bel. If I could hand this over to someone else, I would, but there’s been an emergency and I need to go out there and sort it out. It should only be for a night. I’ll call you later,’ he said, kissing Bel and leaving her standing in the kitchen.
She only had three days left until she had to go back, and it looked like she’d be spending almost half of it by herself. But it wasn’t Tate’s fault, so she tried not to mope about. It did give her some much-needed breathing room to sort through the multitude of emotions that had been swirling inside her over the last few days. She couldn’t think straight when Tate was near her. He made everything seem so … possible. It was only now he wasn’t here that she could start to unpack everything and try to make sense of what she was feeling.
Tate made it clear he wanted this relationship, or whatever it was between them, to continue. That just wouldn’t be practical if she was in Wessex.
Only, reality was trying to point out a few details. She’d have to give up her job … her house … her friends. Was a relationship worth all that sacrifice? Emma had her husbandand her own family. The Dwyers would train someone else to do her job—it wasn’t exactly brain surgery. Wessex wasn’t going to collapse without her; life would continue whether she was there or not. It was her happiness and future that she should be putting first for once. After all this time, she finally had a chance to do something new.
Around mid-morning, Bel decided she couldn’t stand being alone with the thoughts running around on an endless loop inside her head. She grabbed her handbag, slid on her sunglasses and headed out.
The hustle and bustle of the city was a welcome relief. The energy was contagious—it wasn’t the same busy, impersonal, city-rush of Sydney. Perth had a more laid-back feel which appealed to Bel immensely.
She noticed a number of cafes had ‘Positions Wanted’ signs in the windows and she took down their names. It wouldn’t hurt to maybe do a little reconnaissance, perhaps do up a new résumé to hand in to a few places. After stopping in for a coffee and some lunch at one such place, Bel looked across the street and noticed a bookshop. It stood out among the more modern buildings around it, with its little cottage-type front and brightly coloured flowerpots hanging on either side of its doorway. After finishing her meal, Bel decided to investigate. She never could resist a bookstore—that new book smell wrapped around her shoulders like a familiar friend hugging her and she breathed it in deeply.
She took out her phone and recorded a video showing the cute little store, knowing her followers would be as excited as she was to have a look inside.
The interior was much larger than she’d expected from the street. Shelves lined the walls with new titles, and tables of every size and shape were artistically scattered around the centre of the store. A huge, whitewashed timber table housed a stack of books in shades of lilac and purple, which surrounded a large milk jug overflowing with lavender. Another nearby table, this one lower and round, had a display of vibrant yellow and orange books, while a bookshelf to her left had been filled with books of different-coloured spines, arranged in a rainbow effect. A small room to the rear of the store had a red arched door with red and white spotted mushrooms painted on either side of it. FAIRYTALE LAND, read the timber signpost pointing inside.
Bel could only sigh as she continued to explore.
In the romance section, two women in their mid-twenties were talking quietly as they picked up books and put them back down again.
‘I don’t know which one to buy. I’ve found myself in a real reading slump lately. I want something amazing to reignite me again, you know?’
‘I’m in the same boat. There is literally nothing to read.’
Bel tried to bite back the urge to correct her. Thereliterallywas … they were standing in the middle of a bookshop! ‘Excuse me, sorry,’ Bel butted in apologetically. ‘I couldn’t helpbut overhear and I was wondering, have either of you read Alison Gatsby? She has a series called Lexington Millionaires. I’ve read them cover-to-cover so many times, I’ve lost count.’ She reached to the shelf behind the women and pulled out book one. ‘It’s a great book, if you’re getting a bit tired of the same old tropes and need to shake things up a bit. I think you’ll like it.’
‘Thanks,’ the first woman smiled as she began eagerly reading the back cover. ‘This does sound good. I think I’ll try it.’
Bel found herself smiling. It was always satisfying when one of her posts or reviews about a book or an author struck a chord with other readers—even more so when they came back later to say how much they’d loved her suggestions—and it was even better when she was face-to-face with someone. She couldseetheir expressions andhearthe anticipation and excitement in their voices as they discovered a book that had given her so much joy herself—and the fact it had happened so spontaneously made it even more special.
Another woman, about sixty-odd, walked up behind Bel as she turned away from the first two. ‘Excuse me, but do you know where the thriller section is?’
‘Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t work here,’ she said, but recalled walking past it on her way to the romance section. ‘Although I think I saw it, two aisles over.’
‘Oh. Thanks so much,’ the older lady said as she wandered off.
‘Would you like to?’ a voice asked, making Bel glance to her right.
‘Sorry?’ Bel asked the short-haired, middle-aged man who was leaning against the shelf.
‘Would you like to work here?’
Bel blinked, unsure what he was playing at.
‘I’m Terry Collingwood, owner of Bookish Delights. I overheard your sales pitch.’
‘It wasn’t really a pitch. I’m just an avid reader helping out some other readers.’
‘Seriously, I’m in desperate need of someone who knows their stuff. The last kid I hired stood at the front counter and stared at their phone all day. Do you have any idea how difficult Christmas lunch was after I had to fire my own nephew?’
‘Oh dear,’ Bel murmured sympathetically. ‘Well, I might be looking for a job … if I decide to stay on over here. I only came for a visit, but …’
‘Sounds like fate, doesn’t it?’ He smiled, and Bel’s breath caught slightly at his choice of words.
Yes. Yes, it does.
‘Let me get you a cuppa and we’ll have a chat,’ Terry said, leaving her to stare after him mutely. ‘Come on, we have a coffee station.’
Of course they did. This place was heaven.
