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“Sure.”

“Can you take a quick look around and tell me what you think needs doing?”

“Of course.”

We start in the living room. He walks over to where the water tank had leaked and caused damage. “We’ll need to re-plaster here.” He looks at the floor. “Are you going to get new carpets?”

“Yeah, probably in the New Year.”

“And you’ll repaint? I can spare Leo for a few days if you want some help. He’s young but he works hard.”

“That would be great,” I say with feeling. I’m happy to do it, but another pair of hands would be amazing.

He walks through to the kitchen and examines the cupboards. “Structurally these are fine. If you changed the doors, they’d look like new. And it could do with a new oven and hob.”

“Yeah.” I take him into the bedroom.

He examines the big four-poster bed. “This is in good nick. A nice polish and she’ll be right.”

“Okay, I’ll keep the bed. The wardrobe?”

He examines it. “Some new hinges and a good clean and it’ll be fine.”

The spare room is good and just needs a paint job, but he says the bathroom could do with a new suite. “Do you really want to spend a load of money on the place if you’re going to sell it, though?” he asks.

I hesitate. “It depends on who buys it.”

“Oh… you mean Vix? Is she definitely thinking about it?”

“Yes, I’m trying to convince her. If she were to go for it, I’d like to do what I could to make it better for her before she moves in. I feel responsible, because Grandad’s done so little to it.”

We walk over to the stairs. “I know what you mean,” he says as we go down. “I think she should go for it. She always remembers what everyone likes to read. And she ran that children’s book fair last summer that everyone loved.”

My eyebrows rise. “Book fair?”

“Oh, of course, you’d left by then. She coordinated it with the primary school and the daycare centres. Had all the kids dress up as their favourite characters from books. She travelled around doing readings. Had all sorts of prizes, and got hundreds of orders for the bookshop, apparently.”

“She’s her mother’s daughter,” I say fondly, emerging into the shop. Julia had been the same, always bringing everyone together.

Vix glances over, sees the two of us looking at her, and gives a bashful smile. “Everything okay?”

“Bear was telling me about the children’s book fair you organised.”

She brightens immediately. “Oh, yes, that was such fun. Exhausting, but worth it. Lots of kids ordered books from that. I was thinking about doing regular events. One for midwinter. One for Halloween where the kids all dress up. One for Valentine’s Day, concentrating on romance.”

“Reading scenes from your favourite stories?” I ask mischievously.

“I don’t think some of the community would appreciate listening to Broken Bonds,” she says, and giggles as Bear lifts an eyebrow.

“It’s a reverse harem book,” I explain.

“Reverse harem?”

“One girl, loads of guys.”

His eyes widen. “Shit. I need to start reading some of these books.”

“You should,” she says. “You might learn something.” Giving us a mischievous look, she takes a box over to the table and starts unpacking it.