Lucy's Book Club for the Lost and Found: A heartwarming feel good romance novel

Lucy's Book Club for the Lost and Found: A heartwarming feel good romance novel

Emma Davies




Chapter One





It was late-night opening at the library, and Lucy Picklescott had a whole thirty-five minutes to herself before she was due back for the rest of the afternoon shift. She knew from experience that this was just enough time to cut through the churchyard, skirt the corner of the market square and walk the length of the High Street to her favourite teashop where, if he had remembered, Clive would have already plated up a plump custard slice ready for her arrival. It was her regular Thursday treat.

She was slightly out of breath when she arrived at Earl Grey’s, and rather too warm; a slight flush coloured her pale cheeks. The day had morphed from dull and drizzly to blue-skied and autumnal, and Lucy’s yellow raincoat was one layer too many. She shrugged it off as she reached the tearoom and pushed open the door.

Catching Clive’s eye almost immediately, he waved her over towards a free table at the rear of the tearoom. Sometimes when Lucy arrived, Clive was busy in the kitchen and she was happy to wait her turn like everyone else, but if her brother-in-law was around she was treated like royalty and today was no exception. Lucy sat down and within moments tea and cake were placed in front of her. With a smile, she cast her eyes around the room; the view was so much better from the back. She pulled out a notebook and pen from her bag and laid them beside her plate, just in case inspiration struck.

The tea looked strong, exactly how Lucy liked it, and she pushed her hair away from her face before taking her first sip. She always started with her tea, drinking every drop before replacing the cup in the saucer and turning her full attention to the custard slice. This way she could savour the flavour of the pastry without interruption. She closed her eyes for the first mouthful, relishing the taste of the soft vanilla filling with its familiar comforting smell and cool, silky texture. Then came the crisp pastry flakes with their buttery finish, and a sweet hit from the icing, its stickiness lingering in her mouth. Clive was a magician where sugary things were concerned.

Lucy was about to take another bite, when she caught the eye of a young woman who was seated across from her, staring quite openly at her with a look on her face that was enough to make the hairs on the back of Lucy’s neck prickle. The woman dropped her gaze, embarrassed, but not quickly enough to disguise the longing that hovered in the air between them. The face of the young woman remained downcast, eyes settled mournfully on the plate in front of her, which now held only crumbs, and perhaps a hint of regret. Lucy took in her rounded cheeks and sizeable girth and could almost see the copious cups of black coffee the woman had drunk, the breakfasts skipped, the apples eaten without pleasure, and imagine a little what it must feel like to be haunted by the hunger of a serial dieter. The woman may have just eaten a guilty treat, but Lucy guessed she had settled for something a little less sinful, and not the cake she truly desired. The one that Lucy was busy eating.

Lucy straightened, still holding her custard slice, but now it didn’t look so appealing. How could she eat it knowing that another coveted it so much? She stared back down at her plate and felt slightly sick. She pushed a tentative finger against the pastry and sat for a moment lost in thought until a gentle touch on her shoulder made her almost jump out of her skin.

‘Luce?’ Clive’s voice was gentle. ‘Are you okay, love? You look a bit green about the gills.’

Almost immediately Lucy began to feel better. The sound of Clive’s friendly voice brought her back to the familiar, the normality of just another Thursday afternoon. She looked up with a smile.

‘I’m fine… honestly – bit tired, that’s all.’

‘And there was me worried my custard slices weren’t up to the usual standard.’

Lucy glanced back down at her plate. ‘Oh, no, they’re gorgeous as ever,’ she said, and she picked up the slice once more, as if to demonstrate.

Clive was still looking at her a little warily. ‘Shall I bring you some more tea?’ he asked.

‘Only if you let me pay,’ she replied. ‘It’s not fair to let me eat and drink all your profits.’

‘You’re family,’ said Clive with a frown. ‘That’s different. And as it’s my tearoom, I get to make the rules.’

Lucy knew there was no point in arguing and accepted another cup with a glance at her watch. She would need to hurry. She looked again at the pastry and sank her teeth into it. As the creamy vanilla flavour slid over her taste buds, she opened her mouth again and her first bite was swiftly followed by another, and another.

She was almost out of time as she rushed across the churchyard again. The library was still short-staffed and Lucy didn’t want to be late as it would be all hands on deck for another couple of hours yet, with the arrival of the after-school crowd and the planning for tomorrow’s book club meeting still to be done. She took a deep, steadying breath.

‘Oh, thank God you’re back, Lucy. The server’s gone down again, and all the PCs have disconnected.’

She smiled at the harried face of her colleague. ‘Carrie, how many times have I shown you how to reboot it? Computers can smell your fear, you know; you have to learn to show them who’s boss. Come on, let’s sort it out.’



* * *



Callum smiled to himself. He never said much, but it tickled him the way people behaved when they were using the computers. Not everyone, of course, but there were a lot like his mum and dad who thought they were the devil’s work. Some of the staff at the library were just as bad. Lucy was right, you could see the fear sweep across their faces whenever the slightest thing went wrong or if someone dared asked them a technical question. Regardless, he still liked doing his work here; it certainly beat sitting at home with his laptop, trying to concentrate while his brothers squabbled.