Page 74 of The Sugar and Spice Bookshop Bakery

Richard frowns slightly. ‘He’s a man of many talents,’

‘Like yourself.’ Elizabeth beams at him.

They head towards the back of the building, down the newly constructed corridor that runs alongside the kitchen. Elizabeth lingers for a moment, her hand resting on the doorframe.

‘My wonderful kitchen,’ she says softly, almost to herself.

‘It’s a little smaller than it was,’ Louise says, ‘because of the corridor, but it’s still very practical.’

Elizabeth sighs. ‘Always such a happy place to work.’

They continue through the back door, where Jack and Maddie are standing beside the first of the sheds, painted dark blue, with POLICE DO NOT ENTER crime scene tape winding around it.

‘Oh, Babbo. I didn’t know you were coming too.’ Jack raises his eyebrows at Louise, clearly wondering if she invited him.

She shakes her head just the tiniest amount.

‘Elizabetta invited me,’ Richard says.

‘Elizabetta.’ Her mother giggles. ‘I love it when you call me that.’

Louise rolls her eyes at Maddie. ‘This is the Crime Scene, Mum.’

‘Crime Scene?’

‘All the crime books will be in here,’ she explains.

‘The inside isn’t decorated yet,’ Maddie says. ‘Jack’s fitted the shelves, but I’ve got to put the finishing touches in. A big magnifying glass, a Sherlock Holmes hat… Can you sew, Elizabeth? The hat isn’t that great, but it’s the best I could find. But perhaps with a few adjustments…?’

‘Yes, I can do that,’ Elizabeth nods.

‘He built these shelves too?’ Richard says, peering through the door. ‘You seem to have been building a lot of shelves, figlio.’

‘It’s a bookshop,’ says Louise, then mentally kicks herself. She should be letting him answer.

Jack smiles at her, visibly relieved. ‘Bookshops need a lot of shelves.’

‘I thought Louise wanted a big glass extension on the back of the building,’ Richard says.

‘Yes, but she didn’t have the budget,’ Jack says, quick as a flash. ‘These were quicker too. The bookshop side of the business will be up and running soon.’

‘And from a marketing perspective,’ Maddie says, ‘the sheds – the book nooks – are so much better. They’re unique. I’m planning loads of posts on social media.’

Jack shoots her a grateful look.

‘Come on, Babbo. Let me show you my favourite one. I wanted to create something really special for the spirituality section of the bookshop.’ He takes Richard’s arm and steers him away from them.

‘Can I show you that hat, please, Elizabeth?’ Maddie says.

Elizabeth is staring longingly after Richard. ‘Yes, do, dear,’ she says absently.

‘It’s in here.’

Maddie and Elizabeth enter the Crime Scene, leaving Louise alone outside. She pauses for a moment, before following Jack and Richard round the corner of the Love Shack, towards the stained-glass dome.

‘It’s stunning, Giacomo,’ she hears Richard saying.

‘Thanks, Babbo.’