‘Hi,’ Noah Sage said, looking at the two people before him.
Quinn didn’t say a word. He looked at Ivy, wishing the rush of stinging blood to his cheeks would stop giving him away.
‘Talk of the devil.’
‘Blasphemy,’ Quinn whispered.
Noah blinked.
‘Noah Sage?’
Of course it was Noah Sage. What was she playing at?
‘Yes.’
Oh, no. He sounded annoyed.
‘I’m Ivy. Ivy Heart. I’m here on behalf of my friend, Quinn.’
She pointed to him, and their eyes met. Once again, they stared at one another, Quinn rooted to the spot.
‘Hi, Quinn,’ Noah said. ‘We meet again.’
Please God. Help me.
Ivy looked at him as if to say, ‘Why am I only now finding out about this?’
‘Yes, we do,’ Quinn managed.
‘Quinn owns this shop.’
‘The gay shop,’ Noah stated. ‘I love that Hay has that.’
‘Well, good,’ Ivy said.
But Quinn had to fight to hear what she had to say next.He loved it?Noah Sage knew about his shop?His shop?And he loved it? What was going on here? Had the fall earlier knocked him unconscious? Was he dreaming? Of course he knew about it. He was in it. But heknew about it?
‘Because we need your help with the shop.’
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Noah said.
‘I’m being evicted,’ Quinn blurted. There was silence, and Quinn realised he needed to say more. ‘I’m being evicted from my shop by my stepdad and my cousin. I know what you might be thinking. It’s not a big deal. But it is. Our shop is a community for the community. People flock from all over to support us. We not only stock the bestsellers, but we have a vast section of LGBTQ+ books and books by LGBTQ+ authors.’ He knew he was rambling, but he couldn’t help himself. ‘We offer a safe space for those who need it, offering help for anyone that might need it. We are a lifeline here, something different in the town of books, and my stepdad wants me evicted so he can turn it into an information centre for the castle that he’s redeveloping. It’s just business, apparently. So…’
Quinn faltered. What was he asking? There was that familiar feeling of stumbling over his words, making no sense as his heart beat with anxiety.
‘So, we’re trying to make people aware that this is happening,’ Ivy said, saving Quinn. ‘That Hay is about to lose something very important. And we need as much help as possible to raise the publicity. We’re talking newspapers, TV spots, radio spots, and we know we can get that with you involved. You’ll be helping a cause.’
There was silence. Quinn looked at Noah, willing him to speak.
‘It sounds dreadful,’ Noah said with a careful tone. ‘And I understand. But there isn’t much I can do.’
‘We want you to do a book signing,’ Ivy said. ‘You can bring in the crowds and we can get the press attention, and we can put the pressure on.’
‘I can’t,’ Noah said.
‘Excuse me?’
‘I’m going tomorrow. I won’t be here.’
