Page 112 of The Sugar and Spice Bookshop Bakery

‘It’s a triumph,’ Louise says. ‘I knew it would be.’

She pulls her stepdaughter in for a hug, and whispers, ‘You clever, clever woman.’

There’s a buzzing. Louise feels the vibration, thinks it’s her phone, then realises it’s Maddie’s.

Maddie pulls away, reaches into her pocket, glances at it, then shows Louise the screen.

Sorry sweetheart, something’s come up. Will try to visit another time. Proud of you. Dad x

‘Something’s come up?’ Maddie repeats flatly. ‘Or more like, he couldn’t be bothered.’

Louise pulls her back into the hug. During her years with Graham, there were so many instances like this. Book launches that he promised to attend and didn’t. Colleagues’ weddings that he ducked out of at the last minute – she used to joke that he was her ‘minus one’ not her ‘plus one’. Friends’ birthday parties where he was missing in action. One of her birthday parties, come to that. The one in that restaurant in Notting Hill? So many times he’d made her feel unimportant. She will not let him do this to Maddie.

She bites her lip. ‘You know what? It’s his loss. What you’ve created’ – she gestures at the book nooks, now crowded with people – ‘is amazing. If Graham can’t get on a train to come and see it, he doesn’t deserve you as a daughter.’

Maddie sniffs, then raises her head. ‘He doesn’t, does he? This place is amazing. I’m amazing.’

‘Yes, you are. And I’m very, very glad to have you as my stepdaughter.’

They stand, arms around each other, watching the bookshop that they’ve both dreamed of coming to life.

Thirty-Seven

‘Louise! Louise!’

Zara Okonkwo waves from outside the Love Shack. Maddie and Louise walk over to her.

‘D’you like it?’ Louise says, though she already knows the answer from Zara’s face.

‘I love it. And I was wondering, are you going to do book events?’

‘Yes,’ Maddie jumps in quickly. ‘What did you have in mind?’

Zara looks from Maddie to Louise, a little hesitantly. ‘My next book launch? Or, if you don’t want to do an actual launch, I’d love to come here on my book tour.’

‘We can do a launch,’ Maddie says confidently. ‘Can’t we, Lou?’

‘We can, of course. But do you really want to? This is a really small village. You wouldn’t get the numbers you’d get at a London launch.’

‘Don’t be negative, Lou,’ Maddie scolds. ‘People would travel here.’

‘I think it’d be perfect,’ Zara says. ‘It’ll look so gorgeous on my socials. But have a think about it. We can discuss it properly nearer the time. Someone said there was a crime section. Where’s that?’

‘I’ll show you,’ Maddie says and leads her towards the Crime Scene.

Nearby, Theo has collared Sheila. Louise walks up to them, wanting to interrupt and talk to Sheila. She’s missed her. They weren’t just author and editor; over the years they’d become more like friends.

‘My cousin works at Penguin Random House,’ Theo is saying. ‘Quite senior actually. He’s always telling me that I should write a novel. I’ve got some great ideas – just not sure I’ve got the time really. How long does it take, would you say?’

‘It’s my full-time job, so I—’

‘You write crime, don’t you? I find crime novels rather formulaic. Have you never thought of writing something more literary?’

Louise cringes. She can’t bear to hear much more of this.

‘Well, I…’ Sheila begins, then looks at Louise. ‘As my editor, what d’you reckon?’

‘I reckon you should keep doing what you’re doing,’ Louise says. ‘Readers love your books. I love your books. Oh, here’s Maddie.’