Page 96 of The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts

Kate peered at her for a moment. ‘Oh! School! I’d forgotten all about that place, to be honest. Of course, I left the area as soon as I could. This is only a temporary relocation.’

Molly frowned. ‘Actually, I think Tom’s quite set on staying here. He likes the village.’

‘He’s the only one who does,’ said Kate, with a sniff. She turned to look at Amber once more. ‘You were one of the quiet ones, yeah? I think I remember. Always had your head in a book.’

Amber nodded, still unable to speak any further for fear of retching.

‘Well, I’d have thought you were more suited to a library, but this is quite sweet, I suppose.’ She looked around the shop, her eyes scrutinising everything. ‘So you’re a shopkeeper now.’

Amber shook her head. ‘It’s not mine,’ she muttered.

‘Oh, so you’re just staff? How nice,’ said Kate, in a patronising tone. ‘I suppose you must be pleased to have some kind of career in any case. After all, you did always struggle so much at school, didn’t you?’

Amber felt a flare of anger at that point. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Kate how she’d worked in London and New York, but then Josh came over and the words failed her.

‘Hello!’ said Kate, suddenly breaking into a hundred-watt smile. ‘Are you just browsing as well or did you have something more sophisticated in mind?’

Josh gave a little start in surprise at her flirty nature but merely smiled. ‘If there’s a lack of sophistication in this place, you can blame me, seeing as I own it.’

‘Do you?’ Kate was all smiles and sweetness. ‘I was just saying how lovely it is.’

As she continued to flirt and laugh extravagantly at another of Josh’s quips, Molly leaned in to whisper to Amber. ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’

Amber shook her head in response, not being able to find the words.

‘I’m just going to take Amber outside for a second,’ Molly said. ‘I need to ask her advice about something. Back soon!’

Then she grabbed Amber’s hand and dragged her past where Josh and Kate were still chatting and out onto the veranda. Molly kept walking quickly down the steps and along Riverside Lane to one of the benches by the river. Then she sat down and pulled Amber onto the bench as well.

‘What’s going on?’ asked Molly, looking closely at her face. ‘What’s wrong?’

Amber was blinking away the tears that had suddenly formed in her eyes. She didn’t even realise that she was wringing her hands together over and over until Molly’s own hand came down on top of hers.

‘Steady,’ she told her, in a calm tone. ‘Take some deep breaths.’

‘Hiya. Is everything OK?’ said Belle, who was walking across the pedestrian bridge towards them. ‘I saw you both rush out of the shop. Is Amber ill?’

‘I don’t think so,’ said Molly, still looking concerned.

They both looked at Amber once more, but she stayed quiet. It had always been her default mode of defence. To withdraw almost immediately upon any kind of criticism or bullying. Like a snail being poked with a stick, she would retreat under her shell and stay there until it was deemed safe.

Belle crouched down in front of her. ‘What is it?’ she said. ‘Tell me what happened.’

‘We were chatting and everything was fine,’ Molly explained. ‘Then Kate, you know, our journalist, she came into the shop and suddenly Amber looked ill.’

‘Don’t tell me,’ said Belle, with a groan. ‘She made some bitchy comment and upset her.’

Molly nodded. ‘Well, you know what she’s like. But, hang on, I think they went to school together. Is that right?’

Amber nodded, feeling Belle’s eyes boring into the top of her head as she stared down at the grassy bank beneath her trainers.

There was a short silence until Belle spoke, this time more softly than she had ever done before. ‘Was it bad? At school, I mean?’

Amber nodded again.

‘Oh no!’ Molly squeezed her hand as she continued to hold Amber’s with her own. ‘Girls are so awful sometimes,’ she said. ‘I always had my best friend to look out for me. She’s always been the mouthy one, so I hide behind her. Even now.’

‘And you can imagine what a name like Belle’s like at school,’ said Belle, rolling her eyes.