Wish You Were Her(16)

“Then why invite him?” demanded Allegra, arching a perfect eyebrow and staring him down.

“Because he’s a sell-out. Literally. Everyone buys a ticket. He brings in a lot of money.”

He watched Allegra consider his words and he could see himself going down in her estimation. “I suppose I’d rather be the kind of bookseller who can appreciate that there are all kinds of books in the world, than someone who can only make money from someone else’s art,” she said. “Sorry. Their lacking-in-quality art. Art that they don’t respect.”

Simon released a low whistle and Courtney’s lips twitched. Jonah looked to George, but his employer was gazing at his daughter with all of the burning pride Jonah had been craving from him over the last few years.

“I’m a bookseller,” Jonah said finally. “I don’t care about making money, this is not the job for that. I care about people finding quality prose.”

Allegra leaned a little more toward him and he grew suddenly nervous. “Then ask for authors you actually like and want to read. Maybe other people will feel the same. And get a more diverse line-up. In every sense, including genre. There should definitely be more romance writers on the program. More new voices. More women who write non-fiction. And children’s authors.”

“Write that down!” George said, turning to Courtney with a fizz in his mannerisms, one that Simon and Jonah had not been able to inspire of late.

Jonah got to his feet, a little jarringly. People started and stared at him in bemusement. He marched toward the bookshop door.

“I need some air!” he said flatly, as he made a hasty exit. “Carry on without me.”



* * *



“Don’t mind Jonah,” Simon said to Allegra, as she watched her sparring partner exit. He gave her a genuinely sympathetic smile and spoke with understanding. “He’s one of those booksellers who doesn’t like people touching the books.”

For the briefest of moments, while they’d passionately debated books, Allegra had entertained the idea that Jonah was the bookseller emailing her.

But Simon was light and friendly and funny, just like his emails. Jonah was …

Not.

“I think I was a bit rough on him,” Allegra said begrudgingly.

“Don’t let him upset you,” Simon said, nudging her in an overly familiar fashion.

“I’m not upset,” she replied, and it was the truth.

“He doesn’t really like anybody. He tolerates most of us, but books are his only love.”

“And good luck to him.”

She broke off some of the doughnut and offered a piece to Simon, who gladly accepted.

“Hey, a bunch of us are going to the arcade tonight for drinks. You are totally welcome to come along.”

“There’s an arcade? Grace didn’t mention that on the tour.”

“It’s just off one of the dirt paths, beyond the maze. It’s one of the few places in town that stays open late and serves more than lemonade.”

“I don’t drink, I’m afraid. Still allowed?”

“Of course.”

“And who’s ‘us’?”

“Me and my friend Skye. Jonah, unless you’ve scared him out of town.”

“What about Grace?”

Allegra noticed Simon’s face flicker slightly with distaste. “Grace Lancaster?”

“Yeah. She was super nice, squiring me around town. She can come too, right?”

Simon hesitated and Allegra wondered if there was some deep, dark reason behind his reluctance. She didn’t like to think it could be snobbery—that Simon thought of Grace as someone who was beneath him.

“Sure, she can come.”

“Great, I’ll text her.”

“Wow, lucky Grace,” he said with a grin, picking up the empty doughnut box and dropping it in the bin.

Allegra smiled, curiously. “What?”

“First person in town to secure your phone number.”

Allegra didn’t know what to do with her face so she just shrugged and said, “One of my numbers. I have too many.”

“Well, can I have one of them? Or your email address?”

Allegra almost told the truth. She almost revealed that she was the person he had been emailing but then a familiar, ever-present thought interrupted her.

Just because the emails were starting to mean something to her, it was no reason to believe that they meant anything to him. She was an all-in kind of person. But that was not the rest of the world.

So she held her tongue.

“I’ll be there,” was all she said.



* * *



When closing time arrived, Jonah was alone in the shop with George.

Courtney, Allegra and Simon had all gone to a meeting with the Lake Pristine Tourist Board and Jonah appreciated the quiet they left in their wake. He sold an economics book to a visiting tourist and some picture books to frequent customer Mrs. Heywood for her grandchildren and then began to cash up.

“Jonah?”

George’s voice sounded from the office door and Jonah froze by the till. “Uh-huh?”

“Can you take it just a little easier on Allegra? Please.”

Jonah looked over at his boss. “I didn’t realize I wasn’t.”