Page 80 of The Sugar and Spice Bookshop Bakery

‘He’s returning to London? I thought he loved it here.’

‘He does. But now Richard’s been given the all-clear, there’s no reason for Jack to stay. His life is in London.’

‘Nah,’ Maddie says. ‘I don’t buy it. Have you had a falling out?’

‘No, honestly. We haven’t.’

‘Has he fallen out with Richard?’

‘No, really, Mads. You’re reading too much into this.’

‘There’s something you’re not telling me.’

Louise turns away from her. She hates the fact that she can’t be honest with Maddie. Her heart goes out to Jack; he’s lived with Richard’s duplicity for all these years. ‘Look, he came home when his dad had that heart attack, but it wasn’t as serious as he feared. Now Richard’s on medication and is going to be fine, Jack’s going back to his own life.’

‘But what about you?’

‘I’ve only known him a short while. He’s hardly going to uproot for me, is he?’

Maddie harrumphs. ‘I just thought that you and Jack were the real deal. That it was the start of something.’

Yeah, and so did I, Louise thinks, but she doesn’t say so.

‘Anyway, your grand opening. I need more props. And I need your help.’

Over the last few days, Maddie has been true to her word, spending every spare moment creating mood boards, one for each book nook, then scouring Vinted, eBay and Facebook Marketplace for the stuff she needs to make her vision a reality. The Crime Scene is almost finished – Elizabeth is still working on the Sherlock Holmes hat. The Holiday Reads beach hut, complete with its tiny beach at the front, looks perfect with its vintage stripy deckchairs, an imposing wooden seagull, and its picture of the North Shore at Scarborough with the castle silhouetted on the cliff top.

Louise can’t express how grateful she is to her stepdaughter for all her hard work – it’s left her free to focus on ordering the books – though she knows it’s Maddie’s way of distracting herself from thinking about Theo. So far, as far as Louise knows, the ‘treat ’em mean’ approach hasn’t been working. Maddie hasn’t heard from Theo in days. Or, if she has, she hasn’t mentioned it.

‘You’re welcome to borrow the car,’ Louise says.

Maddie shakes her head. ‘It’s not big enough. We’re going on a road trip. You, me and Jack. In the van. We’re taking the trailer too.’

‘And you need me because…?’ Louise quite likes the idea of a road trip, but she isn’t sure about spending time with Jack. Every second in his company reminds her that he’ll be gone soon, and she’s going to miss him. She’s grateful that he’s staying around till the book nooks are finished, but in some ways, it’s making saying goodbye harder. It’s like when you’ve a plaster that needs to come off – far better to just rip it straight off and be done with it.

Maddie looks up from her clipboard where she’s busily checking off items. ‘Because it’ll be fun and I need you to help carry stuff. And maybe a road trip is what you and Jack need to make you see sense and find a way to make it work. You know, a bit of forced proximity. Your favourite trope.’

‘Actually, my favourite trope is friends to lovers,’ Louise says. ‘Besides, forced proximity doesn’t work if there’s a third person there. It should be just the two lovers stuck somewhere together on their own. Anyway, why would you need me to carry stuff? You’ll have Jack.’

‘One of the items we’re collecting is very heavy.’

‘And that item would be…?’

‘Wait and see, darling stepmother.’ Maddie taps her nose. ‘I don’t want to spoil the surprise.’

*

Louise watches the rolling hills of Yorkshire flashing by from the passenger seat of the van, where she’s squeezed up against Maddie, who’s squashed in between her and Jack.

Maddie was very keen for Louise to take the middle seat – and not because it’s the least comfortable, Louise suspects, but because she’s trying to get her and Jack back together. She doubts there’s a heavy, mystery item; Maddie has probably made one up to ensure Louise comes along on this trip. They’ll probably stop at a country pub, with a roaring log fire and amazing food, and then Maddie will suddenly remember she’s supposed to be somewhere else.

And maybe her stepdaughter will have to take the van, and she and Jack will be stuck there. And the pub will turn out to be a hotel, but they’ll only have one room left. Another favourite trope: only one bed.

‘Stop, stop, this is the first place,’ Maddie says suddenly.

Jack brakes, jolting Louise forward, and swings the van into what appears to be an agricultural supplier.

He parks up and turns the engine off.