‘I’m sorry, Miranda.’
A tear travels down her cheek, and she wipes it away. ‘I’ll be in the back room today. I have paperwork to do.’
I watch her walk away, shoulders stooped and head bowed. It’s bad enough seeing visions of heartbreak, but watching them play out before my eyes is harder. I sense that Miranda is going to unravel.
‘Hello,’ says a female voice. ‘I’m just wondering whether you have managed to locate my book.’ I turn to see Juliet standing by the counter.
‘Ah, I have a surprise,’ I say, reaching down under the counter. Earlier, I’d placed Oliver’s copy of the book there as I was going to call her later.
I lift out the book,Cartas del Ayer, Amor de Hoy. I googled the translation, and it means ‘Letters from Yesterday, Love from Today’.
Juliet’s face lights up as she studies the cover. ‘Wow – I can’t believe it’s his book.’
‘I take it you read Spanish?’
She smiles. ‘I’ve been taking evening classes for years, and I even have an A level in Spanish, so this will be a good read.’
‘Are you still planning to visit him?’
She nods. ‘Next month. It’s booked.’
The urge to touch her is strong but I hear Oliver’s words in my head:Give love a chance. If I touched her hand and saw something upsetting, I’m not sure I could refrain from telling her something. Perhaps I should leave it up to Juliet. She needs to discover how love ends for herself.
She smiles. ‘How much is the book?’
‘It’s a gift from Oliver James, the romance author.’
Juliet’s eyes travel to the display table, piled high with Oliver’s latest. She gasps. ‘Was that Oliver James who was in here the other day?’
‘Yes, he has paid for your book. Your story touched him. You must let him know how your trip to Spain goes.’
She hugs Miguel’s book. ‘Please thank Oliver, and will you tell him that I promise to report back?’
I watch her walk away, gazing longingly at Miguel’s book, and a warm feeling engulfs me.
Miranda walks towards me. ‘His ex-girlfriend has had a little girl.’ Her eyes are red and puffy. ‘I need someone to talk to.’
‘Why don’t I make us both a cup of tea?’
She nods, and I rush out the back. Before long, I’m bringing two mugs of tea back into the bookshop. In my back pocket, I also have two packets of tissues as I sense Miranda is going to dissolve into floods of tears.
She sits behind the counter and wraps her hands around the mug. ‘Thank you, Nelly. This is what I need. A cup of soothing tea.’
‘Has Frank gone to the hospital?’
‘Yes. He left me instructions on what to cook his mother for her tea as he won’t be back till late.’
‘Oh. Is his mum pleased about the new arrival?’
Miranda shakes her head. ‘His mother hates young children as much as I do.’
‘I see.’
She takes a sip. ‘This is a mess.’
‘I’m sorry, Miranda. This must be hard for you.’ I watch her put down her mug and dab her eyes. She looks devastated. This is a good reminder for me. Love rarely ends well. I need to remember this image of my broken boss.
Miranda rubs her temples. ‘I know this sounds weird, Nelly, but I’m secretly relieved.’
