Page 20 of The Village of Lost and Found

‘And you do?’ asked Tom.

Frank smiled. ‘Let’s just say that I know her better than anyone. And a summer in Cranbridge will do her the world of good. You certainly need the extra pair of hands, don’t you?’

‘Any help is welcome,’ said Tom, nodding. ‘What did you think of the latest edition?’

Frank nodded thoughtfully. ‘It was fine. But as it’s the last newspaper that I own these days, I was thinking that I’d quite like to enjoy what I read in it at some point.’

‘You didn’t like the turnip last week?’ asked Tom, in surprise.

‘I loved the turnip,’ Frank told him. ‘But the rest? It could perhaps do with freshening up a bit.’

‘Any ideas how we do that?’ asked Tom.

It was something that he had been pondering over himself but hadn’t discovered any answers up to that point.

‘You’re the creative mind,’ said Frank, smiling gently at him.

Tom gulped, the enormity of the responsibility weighing heavy on him once more.

He looked out across the river. Nothing he had written about had felt fresh for a number of years. But he really didn’t want to let Frank down.

‘Maybe it’s time for me to move on,’ he found himself saying out loud.

‘You’re not happy here?’ asked Frank, turning to him in surprise.

‘Of course I am,’ Tom told him. ‘But maybe it’s not the paper. Maybe it’s me.’

‘Look, you’ve had a tough couple of years,’ said Frank gently, ‘with your marriage and your mum. That’s a lot for one person to process. Just give yourself time. If my own recent health scare has taught me anything, it’s just to be kind to yourself.’

That was a tough ask, thought Tom. But not wanting to upset Frank, he gave him a winning smile as he turned to face him. ‘You’re right. Of course you are. And don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere, so you’re stuck with me for the time being.’

‘And besides, maybe you and my niece will become a dream team on my newspaper,’ said Frank.

‘Yeah, well, one step at a time, eh?’ said Tom. ‘Right, I’ll pop this milk in your fridge and then I’d better get back to the typeface. Can I get you anything else?’

Frank shook his head. ‘Thank you, but I’ve got everything I need. Besides, we’d better not spend all our weekly profits in one go, eh?’

Tom looked at him. ‘We’ll be OK,’ he replied, trying to inject some positivity into his voice.

‘Of course we will,’ said Frank, with a smile as he turned to deadhead another rose.

Tom smiled in return, but as they parted, he was left hoping and wondering whether the magic properties in a sweet-tasting pastry and a cup of tea would help conjure up any more sales to help save the newspaper.

11

It had taken Lucy almost two hours to find her way around the local lanes to deliver the many newspapers to all the customers that Tom had listed. It didn’t help that the 4G on her phone kept disappearing as she headed into more rural areas.

The penultimate name on her list was for a nursery but when she had placed the newspaper on the reception desk, a lady had given it back to her almost immediately.

‘Sorry but we’re closing down this week,’ said the woman. ‘So we don’t need them any more.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ said Lucy, taking the newspaper. ‘What a shame.’

The woman blew out a sigh. ‘It’s awful. They’re converting this hall into a block of flats unfortunately. It’s not just us that’s affected. The yoga and slimming clubs are both struggling to find another venue.’

‘Is there anywhere else you can go?’ asked Lucy.

The woman shook her head. ‘We’re going to try to alternate the Mother and Toddler groups at people’s houses until we find somewhere else.’