Page 6 of The Breakup Bookshop

‘Sorry?’

‘The place next door,’ he grumbles. ‘It might not be to yourtaste, but there’s nothing wrong with it. Archie kept it in really good nick, right till the end.’

The side of his mouth turns down. My cheeks redden. Great job, Ava. First, a whack to the head. Then, I refuse his offer of help. Now, I’m insulting his dead neighbour.

I lower my voice to a whisper. ‘When you sayright till the end… Is he… I mean, did Archie die… inthere?’

To an avid reader like me, this conjures countless gory possibilities. I forget my small-town romcoms and remember my small-town thrillers and horror stories. My bookshop could be built on top of a plague graveyard, former home to a mass murderer or, yes, there could be a dead body under the floorboards. It’s not exactly something they’d boast about on the listing. Maybe that was why I could afford the place.

‘He did, aye,’ he replies with a curt nod. ‘Ithinkthey took the body out, but it could still be decomposing in the cupboard at the top of the stairs. You might want to check that.’

As my eyes widen, he throws me a withering look.

‘Don’t worry, you’re safe for now. Archie is quite well and currently touring New Zealand in what we’re calling “The Old Teashop Part Two: Campervan Edition”.’

‘Oh, thank God.’ I let out a relieved sigh and wipe pretend sweat from my forehead.

He pulls out a notepad and starts to scribble on it, like he’s declaring our conversation is over. Tough luck for him. I’ve only just begun.

‘Archie, eh? I never had the teashop owner down as a man.’

‘It was his wife Evelyn’s. She passed away last year. In a hospice, so you can calm your jets there too.’

‘Good. Well, not good that she died. I mean, you know.’ I blush as my verbal inadequacy makes a comeback. ‘Well, you’re probably right. I just need to give it a good clean. The decor is mainly fine, aside from the awful green tiles in the bathroom, but I ordered some sample tiles online before I left, so it shouldn’t be too long until I can change it up.’

He narrows his eyes. ‘They’re the exact same tiles we have in the bathroom here. And I picked them for Archie.’

Another foot-in-mouth situation. Bloody hell.

‘You’re joking?’

‘They were sourced from a local supplier,’ he explains. ‘We do that around here, when we can. Our small businesses support one another. We don’t just order everything for next-day delivery from big chain stores, like you city folk.’

‘How do you know I’m city folk?’

It’s my turn to frown, as I cock my head to one side and look up at him. Suddenly, he stops scribbling on his notepad. He seems to buffer for a moment before clearing his throat and shrugging, picking up some papers on the counter to leaf through.

‘Ah, everyone knows. Plus, your accent is hardly local. Ava Campbell, isn’t it? Word spreads like wildfire around here. We all know you’re moving from London to open abookshop.’

‘Why did you say it like that?’

‘Like what?’

‘Bookshop,’ I sneer. ‘Like it’s a dirty word.’

‘We don’t need a bookshop around here.’

‘How do you know?’

He shrugs. ‘I just do. We have everything we need. If we’d needed a bookshop, we’d have a bookshop.’

‘Well, thanks for that enthralling piece of in-depth market research, I’ll be sure to bear it in mind. Now, I need some nails, please – 16-gauge finish nails,’ I ask with the most confident tone I can muster, hoping I’ve repeated the correct phrasing from my earlier Google search.

He slides a box across to me and shakes his head. ‘It’s just a bit cliché, isn’t it? City girl moves to a village to open a bookshop. Probably been through a breakup and decided there’s more to life than money and men, am I right?’

It catches me off guard. In fact, it stings. I’m trying to make amends, and now he’s analysing me. Worst of all, he’s right. As he moves his hand along the light dusting of stubble of his jawline, I note the twinkle in his green eyes. It feels like he’s caught me wiggling my hips to my independent women playlist and is laughing his arse off.

Having him roll his eyes at what was a huge decision for me makes me feel small. To leave behind my whole life and restart here, it’s not easy.