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Later, she has her appointment with Evangeline to work on her business plan, and she spends the evening collating and copying all the documents she needs and getting them ready in a folder. Then, on Friday, she visits the bank. She comes home triumphant and says the manager she met was relatively confident she’d get approval for her business loan and praised her for her professional plan and the fact that she’d brought everything that was needed.

I can see her confidence growing every day. She no longer puts herself down all the time, saying she’s ‘just’ a single mum with no experience. She’s starting to see herself as a woman who’s run a business for several years and is now ready to branch out on her own.

On Thursday, the Sleigh Belles meet again, this time to talk about costumes and makeup for their performance. I leave them to it and meet up with the guys, and this time, I tell them about my plan for Saturday and rope them in to help.

It’s going to be a big day. Not only is the sale taking place, but I know that by the end of it, I should have some idea of what I’m going to do next year.

Vix and I need time alone, to talk, and to discover whether there’s something between us worth exploring. One evening isn’t much. But it’s a start.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Vix

Saturday dawns bright and breezy. I leap out of bed, excited that it’s the day of the sale, take a quick shower and dress, then wake Millie and get her ready too. By the time we go downstairs, Dad and Mitch are up and eating breakfast, and around 8:15 a.m., all four of us head down the road to the bookshop.

Millie’s excited to help out today, but Dad has promised to take her home if she’s getting in the way or flagging at any point. Now, though, she’s happy to help me set up, and she’s thrilled when I place her chair by a table near the front desk with her bookmarks and colouring pencils.

“Cate’s going to be here,” I tell her, pointing to the space next to her. “She’ll be gift-wrapping books, and you can help her if you like.”

“Who else is coming?” Mitch asks, perching on the table.

“A few of the girls will be in from time to time.”

“Great,” he says. “Expect to see some of the guys, too, and some coming and going. I’m expecting a few deliveries.”

My eyebrows rise. “Like what?”

“It’s a secret,” he says. “But you’re not allowed upstairs, okay?”

My lips curve up. “Okay.”

Our eyes meet, and a zing runs down my spine at the heat in his eyes. I wonder what he’s planning? But there’s no time to quiz him, because the door opens, and in comes Emma with a tray of coffees, with Cate hot on her heels, both of them seemingly as excited as I feel.

“The big day!” Cate goes over to Millie and gives her a hug. “I hear you’re going to help me gift wrap.”

Millie jumps up and down, then takes the Fluffy that Emma brought for her—warm, frothed milk in a cup, with a shake of cocoa powder and a chocolate fish on the lid. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome, and lovely manners.” Emma kisses the top of her head and smiles at me. “All ready to go?”

“I think so.”

“You’ve worked so hard,” Mitch says, looking around the room. I follow his gaze. Tables are stacked with boxes in which books are arranged in subjects. Signs announce which are five dollars and which are ten, and at the front, there’s a big space for one-dollar books.

His gaze comes back to me. “Thank you for sorting all this out for Grandad.”

“Oh, it was the least I could do.”

His eyes stay on me and, conscious of Emma and Cate watching us, I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I know they’re intrigued about what’s going on between us, but I don’t really have anything to tell them. We haven’t had much time alone over the past few days, and I’m conscious that the clock is ticking. I doubt Mitch will want to stay here over Christmas, and it’s already the nineteenth of December, so he’ll be going over the next few days. There’s just no time.

Maybe if I’d flung myself at him the day he arrived, we might have had a chance to explore if there could be anything between us. But the train has passed the station, and I’m now stuck on the tracks heading out of the city, and he’s rapidly disappearing into the distance behind me. We waited too long, and the moment has passed.

My throat tightens and I drop my gaze to the desk and concentrate on sorting out the till. It’s pointless to be miserable about it. It’s not like I loved and lost him. I never had him in the first place.

Darcey comes in and closes the door behind her, breathless and excited. “There’s a queue forming!” she announces.

My eyes widen. “What?” I go over to the window and peer out. She’s right—there are already half a dozen people waiting for the shop to open, and it’s only 8:45 a.m. “Eek! I was worried nobody was going to come.”

“Oh, the whole town’s talking about it,” Darcey advises, coming and putting her bag behind the desk. “I think we’re going to be super busy.”