Page 77 of An Enchanted Moment on Ever After Street
‘I’m ridiculously proud of you too, you know.’
I can’t help the grin that breaks across my face. ‘I want to do more online, like opening up to internet sales. And I’d like to take the friendship thing online too, so people don’t have to be local. Maybe some kind of individual book club – people fill in the friendship questionnaire, I choose a book I think they’d both like, and then they discuss it with each other, via whatever means they prefer – email, Zoom, phone, messaging, carrier pigeon, smoke signals, et cetera. It gives them a jumping-off point. It’s less daunting to talk to a stranger if you have something to talk about. I could set some questions so they have discussion points, and… who knows what comes next. Maybe it develops into a real friendship.’
‘Ormore. I know how much you love that romance section.’ How he manages to waggle an eyebrow with a head wound and a black eye, I don’t know.
It makes me laugh and lean over to rest my head gently on his shoulder and he instantly drops his to lean against mine. ‘And people pay for this, yes? Because you’re not doing it for free; your time and book knowledge is worth more than that.’
‘Something small. A nominal fee. Because I can’t give up the time for nothing, and it will cut out timewasters too. People doing it “for a laugh” aren’t going to pay anything, but peoplegenuinely looking for a new connection would be happy to, and according to Cleo’s notes from yesterday, alotof people are genuinely interested.’
‘Good.’ He moves to press a kiss into my hair. ‘A Tale As Old As Time is so much more than just a bookshop. Do anything you want with my space for the time being, and then we’ll rethink it. I want to do something different. Something that helps people like me. Outsiders. Or people who are in a bad place and don’t know where to turn. People who want to talk but don’t have anyone to talk to. The number of times I’ve poured my heart out to a tree… I want to do some sort of “gardening as therapy” thing. A way to bond with nature. Somewhere people can go to escape their normal lives and connect with the world around them.’
‘I’m sure Witt would be happy for you to use the castle gardens. If people want to talk, you’re there, someone who’s been through it, who understands without judgement, and if they don’t… there’s a satisfaction in gardening, isn’t there? You watch it happening right in front of you. Weeding is a healthy way to let out some pent-up frustration. And even if you feel completely ineffectual in all other areas of your life, you can dig over a patch of soil and plant a bulb and watch it grow. It’s rewarding, and when you’re in a dark place, something as small as the promise of a flower opening can be enough to keep you going.’
He’s quiet for a while, and then he kisses the top of my head and murmurs three little words. ‘I love you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You say no one needed tolearnto love the Beast, butthisbeast needed to learn how to let love in again.’
‘That had better be the last time youeverrefer to yourself as a beast. If it’s not, broken ribs are going to be the least of your troubles.’ I hold up a threatening finger and he laughs and then winces when said broken ribs make their presence known.
I lay my head on his shoulder again and look at our friends, neighbours, and colleagues still milling around, chatting to each other and the few customers who have ventured down. ‘The only thing either of us really needed to learn was how to see what’s right in front of us.’
‘Or right beside us through a hedge,’ he murmurs.
‘When you’ve healed up, will you cut a doorway through that hedge?’
‘I was thinking more along the lines of taking the whole thing down. I don’t want anything to hide behind for once, no matter what.’
‘That’s the best sentence I’ve ever heard.’
‘You have no idea how much I hate having to ask, and when I can move without blinding pain, I’m going to make up for it, but for now, will youpleasekiss me?’
‘Andthatis the next best sentence I’ve ever heard.’ I’m grinning as I slide down onto my knees at the side of his chair to avoid the broken ankle, and lean up until I can take his face gently in my hands and make him tilt his head to avoid the wound.
He surges forward and cuts me off with the most tender kiss, just a touch of his lips to mine, that gets more heated as my hand curls into his thick hair, but I’m holding back because of hurting him, and he can’t get the angle right without moving, but somehow it’s the perfect ending to the chapter we’ve just come through and the perfect opening to our next one.
When we pull back, I’m as short of breath as he is, and it has nothing to do with any injuries. I sit back on the windowsill and lean my head on his shoulder again, and we sit there in the early-afternoon autumn sun, watching the hustle and bustle of Ever After Street. The sunlight on my face makes me think of Mum and how happy she’d be if she could see this, and it feels like themoment when the fallen rose petals magically rise back up and the homeware becomes human again.
As if on cue, Mrs Potts comes out and jumps up on Darcy’s lap, thankfully still a cat and not suddenly a little old lady. It would be a bit weird if she was, to be honest.
Even though I know the next couple of months won’t be easy, I’ve never been happier, and it feels like this is all I’ll ever need. My cat and a few books, and just me and Darcy. No Beauty and no Beast, just a bookworm and a rose grower, proving that every story deserves a happy ending, because falling in love reallyisthe tale that’s as old as time.
