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“I know. Vix told me about her and Jayden. I can’t believe I didn’t know.”

Her expression hardens. “Don’t get me started on him. I know he’s your best mate, but—”

“Not anymore.”

“Good.” Her voice is firm. “I feel bad saying it, because I know he had the accident, and he was in a lot of pain. But the man’s an arsehole.”

“You don’t think they’ll get back together?”

“I sincerely hope not.”

“Millie must miss him, though.”

“I guess.” She looks doubtful. “He calls her once a week. And he pays his child support. But that’s about it.”

“How does he pay his child support if he doesn’t have a job?”

“I don’t know. Maybe his brother helps. Anyway, Vix is better off without him.”

I toast her with the coffee cup. “Thanks for this. Catch you later.”

“Yeah, have a good evening.”

I head out of the café, pause on the path outside, and look up at the sky, which has clouded over. The weather report said it might rain, although it’s supposed to be nice tomorrow, which will be good for the music festival.

My heart is racing a little, and I inhale, then blow it out slowly.

No, I think. No, no, no. I can’t interfere if there’s even a small chance that Vix and Jayden might get back together. For Millie’s sake, if nothing else. And I can’t entertain romantic notions of moving back here and living happily ever after with the girl of my dreams. Real life doesn’t work like that. I have a job, and an apartment, and a whole life somewhere else now, and so does Vix. We were never meant to be. I came to terms with that a long time ago.

I have a bite of the cinnamon scroll, which is soft and sticky. I’ll get the flat and shop sorted, then beat a hasty retreat before Christmas and return to the real world, where I belong.

Chapter Five

Vix

Mitch comes back in, eating his cinnamon scroll, winks at me, then slowly wanders through the bookshop. While I serve the final few customers, I keep one eye on him. He pauses and looks at the display on the table. Then he peruses the bookshelves, looking as much, I think, at the structure of the shelves as at the books themselves, because he runs his fingers along the wood, and stops to examine one of the bookcases that’s leaning at a precarious angle.

He’s filled out. Not put weight on the way Jayden had, on his stomach and neck, but his arms and shoulders stretch his T-shirt in a very pleasing way.

So, he and Frieda broke up? The thought makes my heart race. It doesn’t mean he’s interested in you, I scold myself. But the heat in his eyes was still there, I’m sure it was.

I was so upset when he left, and puzzled that Jayden wouldn’t even talk about him. But for the first time, I get an inkling why. Mitch confronted him, and shone a light on his bad behaviour, especially toward me. The fact that Jayden told him to fuck off meant he saw that as a threat. At the time, Mitch’s departure hurt, but he was standing up for me. He left because he couldn’t bear to see me being mistreated. That gives me a warm glow.

I smile as I hand the final customer her purchases, and she heads out of the shop. A couple of people are still browsing, but I doubt we’ll see many more before we close up.

I go around the desk and walk up to him.

“I keep thinking about all those books upstairs,” he says. “If Grandad lets me sort them, what the hell am I going to do with them all? It seems a crime to just dump them, but nobody’s going to want a 1970s road atlas.”

“Actually, I had an idea about that. What about having a special sale?”

His eyebrows lift. “What do you mean?”

“An ‘everything must go’ type of thing.”

“It’s not a bad idea, actually.” He sighs as he looks around. “It’s a shame the shop is so outdated.”

“Yeah, I know. Most of the customers are tourists looking for either souvenirs or beach reads. I suggested to John that the front of the shop should be mainly New Zealand and genre fiction, with more specialised areas toward the back, but he wasn’t keen.”