Page 117 of The Sugar and Spice Bookshop Bakery

‘Oh wow,’ she squeals as she enters. ‘This is so cute!’

She orders a latte – almond milk, extra shot, hazelnut syrup – and a slice of ginger cake, which she photographs from six different angles, but doesn’t actually bite into.

‘Do you mind if I film?’ she asks, already holding up her phone.

‘Of course not,’ Louise says.

She watches as the influencer – Chloe? Sophie? She didn’t catch the girl’s name – walks around the bakery, filming everything, then she heads outside to the book nooks.

Louise follows at a distance, curious.

‘O. M. G.!’ The influencer is peering into the Love Shack. ‘This is literally the most Instagrammable place I’ve ever been. My followers are going to die. Literally!’

She spends twenty minutes posing with books she pulls from the shelves, though Louise notices she never actually opens any of them. Then she does the same in the Crime Scene. And Narnia. And the glass dome.

An hour later, she’s back inside, finishing her now-cold latte.

‘Thank you so much,’ she gushes. ‘This place is so unique. I just love indie bookshops.’

‘Would you like to buy a book?’ Louise asks hopefully. ‘To remember your visit? I’d be happy to recommend something.’

‘I don’t read physical books anymore. Just audiobooks. But I’ll tag you in my post!’ She leaves in a cloud of expensive perfume.

Louise looks at Anna. ‘Did that just happen?’

‘’fraid so.’

‘I don’t want tagging! I want them to buy books.’

‘I know. But maybe with Christmas approaching, we’ll start to sell a few.’

‘Maybe.’ But Louise isn’t so confident.

*

In the days that follow, a steady stream of influencers arrive at the Sugar and Spice Bookshop Bakery. They order lattes and americanos. Some even try the tiniest morsels of Granny’s ginger cake. They take endless photos of the book nooks, which later appear as reels and posts and slideshows on Instagram and TikTok and heaven knows where else.

They chat to Elizabeth, who relishes in telling them that it was her mother who actually set this place up originally. They shower Louise in compliments, carrying on about how much they adore indie bookshops, and how Sugar and Spice is such a unique concept – isn’t it quirky? They tag the shop’s newly set-up Instagram account and use hashtags like #bestbookshop and #ilovebookshops.

They do everything, in fact, except buy books. Which, of course, infuriates Louise.

*

‘It just isn’t going to work,’ Louise says to Jack. He’s dropped in for a morning coffee, much to her delight. ‘Nobody wants books. They just come to take pictures.’

Jack smiles. ‘They will. Give it time.’ He takes a sip of coffee and clears his throat. ‘So, I spoke to Babbo.’

‘And?’ Louise is all agog.

He grimaces. ‘It didn’t go well.’

Her heart sinks, but what did she expect?

The bakery is full around them. In fact, there’s a small queue of people loitering in the doorway, waiting for a table. Three tables are waiting for their drinks – and Louise should be making them, not standing here talking to Jack, but she can’t tear herself away.

‘What did you say? What did he say?’

‘I said I want to stay in Applethwaite to be near him. To be with you. And that obviously, I need to earn a living.’ He lowers his voice. ‘I said I’d want to set up in business here as a carpenter. And I explained why I can’t do that. And he said… well, he didn’t say very much really.’