Page 40 of The Secret Bookshop in Ireland

Ciara did what she was told and then helped Maureen with the dinner that they ate at the kitchen table, making plans for the bookshop and their move to Cherrywood while the sun dipped below the horizon, colouring the sky a riot of pink, red and orange, a real ‘shepherd’s delight’, as Maureen called it. After dinner and a short walk with Brian, they spent the evening sitting on the sofa in the living room, talking about what needed to be done and how they were going to tackle the reopening of the bookshop and running it as a business at least temporarily, something Maureen knew more about than Ciara.

‘I’ll have to ask for more leave,’ Ciara said. ‘I just don’t know how much time they’ll give me.’

‘They might agree to a leave of absence if they don’t have to pay you a salary for the duration,’ Maureen suggested. ‘But that’s up to you.’

‘I’ll suggest it to them and see what happens,’ Ciara said, feeling dizzy at the thought of facing her boss and asking for a long period of leave. She knew she might be taking a huge risk. But she didn’t want to worry her mother further.

Maureen nodded. ‘Good idea,’ she agreed. ‘You need to think carefully. But remember, you don’t owe Martha anything.’

‘I know what you mean, Ma,’ Ciara said, suddenly feeling exhausted. She got up from the sofa, yawning. ‘Sorry, but I’m really tired after all this, so I’ll go to bed.’

Maureen nodded. ‘You should try to sleep. I’ll take Brian for a little walk up the lane and then he’ll settle nicely on his bed. It’s a lovely evening and the fresh air will be good for me. I’ll bring a flashlight so I won’t get lost.’

Ciara kissed her mother. ‘Thanks, Ma. Goodnight.’

‘Night, night, darling. Sleep tight,’ Maureen said, patting Ciara’s cheek. ‘Everything will look better and clearer in the morning.’

‘I certainly hope so,’ Ciara said, thinking about the letter she had read earlier.

Later, in bed, Ciara found it hard to go to sleep. Her mind was too full of worry about the future and what she had found out. She couldn’t stop thinking about her biological grandmother dying on the other side of the world, without her sister to hold her hand. Martha all alone, trying to keep the bookshop going and keeping an eye on her little nephew growing up in Drogheda.

She finally felt drowsy as she thought about a bewildered young man trying to deal with the revelation that the parents he loved were not his biological mother and father. But it wasn’thersadness, she realised and she must not feel any obligation towards anyone but herself. With that thought, sleep finally won and Ciara slept all night, waking up to yet another beautiful morning, looking forward to her date with Oisín and all the things she was going to ask him. She had had a feeling all along that he knew a lot about her family. All she had to do was to find out what it was without being too obvious. That thought, combined with what she had decided to do about the bookshop, made her get out of bed with a new determination and great hope for her future that suddenly seemed bright and full of promise.

TWENTY

‘I’m going to do it today,’ Ciara said to Maureen as they were having breakfast at the kitchen table.

Maureen put her mug of Barry’s tea on the table. ‘Do what?’

‘Ask for a leave of absence,’ Ciara replied. ‘It’s as if a voice inside me is telling me to do it. I’ll go down to Enniskerry to call my boss later today.’

Maureen nodded and took a slice of toast from the breadbasket. ‘Good idea. And as we’re going to sell the shop as soon as we’ve done all the restorations, we need to decide how to restock it before it goes on the market. Better to have fully stocked shelves and a few clients just to show that it’s something viable. I’ll be with you to do anything and everything it takes to get it going.’

‘I know you will,’ Ciara said. ‘I want us to be a team to get this off the ground.’ She pulled a notepad towards her. ‘If you get me the biro over there on the counter, we can make a list.’

‘Several lists, I should think,’ Maureen cut in as she handed Ciara the biro. ‘The halfway solution of getting the shop up and running will still require a lot of planning.’

‘I know,’ Ciara said, pen poised to take notes. ‘So what do we have to do?’

‘Well,’ Maureen started. ‘First of all we have to see what books to get in stock for the shop.’

‘Okay,’ Ciara said. ‘I’m going to take a look at the bestseller lists in the national newspapers and also look at what’s popular online. Then I’ll put in an order and have a good mix of romance, detective stories, thrillers, and then some non-fiction, especially those that are about this area of Wicklow.’

‘We need to stock maps and guides for walkers as well,’ Maureen cut in. ‘This area would be fantastic for hiking once it becomes better known.’

‘Brilliant.’ Ciara’s gaze drifted from her list to the view of the rolling green hills that she could see through the kitchen window. ‘With a little marketing with photos on social media, we might highlight the wild beauty of this area,’ she said, adding the items to her list. ‘But how do we tackle the business end of things? I mean, we’re selling the shop, so maybe we don’t have to follow all the rules and regulations?’

‘I’m afraid we do,’ Maureen said. ‘Even if it’s just to start up in order to sell, we have to register the business in your name and do everything it takes to get it going. Plus Revenue for the tax and register for VAT and…’ She stopped and smiled. ‘Don’t look so worried. I know how to run a business. I’ve done it before, remember.’

‘You were selling tractors,’ Ciara remarked. ‘And it wasn’t your business.’

‘Tractors, books, what’s the difference?’ Maureen asked. ‘It’s all the same when it comes to selling and paying tax. I ran that company, actually. Not officially, but I did all the bookkeeping and accounts. Don’t worry about that end of things; I’ll take care of it. I have a few contacts in Revenue who I can ask for advice.’

Ciara heaved a sigh of relief. ‘That’s lucky. Then I can concentrate on other things. I’m planning to create a reading corner around the old stove that I think can be restored andmade to work again. Wouldn’t it be great to have that up and running to show a potential buyer it’s something to build on?’

Maureen nodded. ‘Of course. But I think you should start with a small amount of stock, nothing too ambitious, and see how it works. I mean, this village is a little quiet, so we need to get people to come from the surrounding areas like Enniskerry and Wicklow town, maybe even Dublin if we can get that all-important word-of-mouth thing going.’ Maureen drew breath and took a sip from her mug. ‘And do tell me off if you feel I’m getting too bossy.’

‘I will,’ Ciara promised. ‘We can tell whoever is at that tea party in a few weeks that we’re opening the bookshop.’