‘I promise.’
She slid the book into a blue paper bag with Nightingale Books emblazoned on it. He gave her a tenner and she gave him his change.
‘I’ll let you know how I get on.’ He lifted the bag with a smile. ‘Cheers.’
Emilia watched him go. She wondered if she would ever see him again. She thought she’d probably flirted with him a little bit. It was wrong, really, to flirt with customers, but she didn’t care. She’d had a tough time lately. At least this proved she was still alive. And it took away the sting of Delphine’s hostility the evening before, and her proprietorial attitude towards Marlowe – as if Emilia had been a threat. Which she absolutely wasn’t.
As the door shut behind her newest customer, she felt a tiny thrill, and hoped he’d read the book and fall in love with reading. That was the whole point about Nightingale Books. It cast a spell over its customers by introducing them to the magic. And how wonderful, for her to open up a whole new world—
She realised she was being utterly ridiculous. She was romanticising. This wasn’t some Hollywood movie where she unwittingly changed someone’s life. Get real, Emilia, she told herself. He’s had a bit of a row with his ex and he’s trying to prove himself. He probably won’t even open the bloody book. And he definitely won’t come back.
Jackson walked along the road with the book tucked under his arm. That had been easier than he thought. He was a good actor. At school, acting was about the only thing he’d been good at, but because he’d been so naughty they hadn’t let him have the lead roles in the annual play. The plum parts always went to the swots. Which was one of the reasons Jackson had hated school so much. It wasn’t fair, how it was run. You couldn’t be good at everything. And why were you punished for not being clever?
Actually, going into the book shop hadn’t been as daunting as he thought. Emilia had been really helpful, and hadn’t laughed at his desire to read to his son, or his admission that he’d never read a book. She’d been really sweet and hadn’t made him feel like an idiot at all. In fact, he was positively looking forward to reading it. Moomintrolls.
He didn’t want to think about the real reason for going in there. The fact that he was supposed to be charming the pants off Emilia Nightingale in order to get her to sell up. Although he thought it was going to be easy. She’d definitely flirted with him. It was impossible not to flirt with Jackson, unless you’d been officially pronounced dead. Even men flirted with him. Straight men. It never got him anywhere, though.
But he had to keep Ian Mendip happy. For the time being anyway. Else he’d be out of a job.
He knocked on the door. Finn answered and barrelled into him.
‘Dad! It’s not your day, is it?’
Jackson usually had Finn on a Sunday, but he didn’t see why he couldn’t see him every day if he wanted to.
Finn knelt down and started hugging Wolfie.
Mia appeared, looking wary.
He held up the book.
‘I thought I’d come and read to Finn.’
‘Read?’ She looked very dubious.
‘Yeah. It’s important. Reading to your kids.’
‘It is. Yes. You don’t have to tell me that.’
She watched him as he came in. He flopped down on the sofa. He remembered them going to choose it, from the big out-of-town retail park. Five years’ interest-free credit. That was another thing he was still paying off. So he might as well get some use out of it.
‘Come here, buddy.’ Finn was still small enough to sit on his lap. ‘I got this crazy book. Finn Family Moomintroll.’
Wolfie muscled his way in too. Jackson trapped him between his legs so he didn’t jump up on the sofa. He suspected Mia wouldn’t approve.
He cracked open the spine and began to read.
He was astonished to find that both he and Finn were soon under the spell of the Moomins and their funny little world. He read two chapters. Three.
‘Shall we stop there? Carry on tomorrow?’
‘No,’ said Finn. ‘I want to know what happens.’
Mia was standing in the doorway, watching them. She almost had a smile on her face. Almost. To Jackson’s surprise, she came over and sat on the sofa next to him. She reached out for the book and had a look at the cover.
‘Looks to me like the Moomins have BMI issues,’ she said.
Jackson looked at her. If anyone had BMI issues, it was Mia. She’d lost even more weight. There was nothing of her. But he didn’t mention it.
He pulled Finn closer in to him and carried on reading.
While she was cooking a sage and butternut squash risotto, Bea outlined the afternoon’s events to Bill, omitting the bit about taking back a stolen book, obviously. Just telling him she was going to do some plans for Nightingale Books.
Bill frowned. ‘What’s the point of that?’
‘I owe her a favour.’