Page 88 of The Breakup Bookshop

‘Please tell me you’re not going to get back with him, Macy.’

‘I don’t know what I’m doing. I just knew I needed to come here. To see you.’

‘It wasn’t really to see me, though, was it? You wouldn’t have come here if he hadn’t. I always wanted to show you around Ullapool, the place I always talked about. I talked about it to both of you. And now you’re both here, but everything’s changed. I hate that, Macy.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she says again. ‘For everything. I’ve missed you so much. I wouldn’t have done this if it hadn’t been him. I want you to know that. It sounds stupid now, but for me it’s always been him.’

Seb reappears with a bag in his hand, swaggering towards the front door. He barely looks at me or Macy. ‘Can’t wait to get out of this hellhole,’ he mutters. He turns to Macy. ‘Let’s get back to London. Quickly.’

Macy remains tight-lipped as he pulls open the shop door and presses the button to unlock his BMW. She glances at me and whispers, ‘I’m sorry, Ava,’ before she follows him outside.

What was it Granny used to say? You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Macy looks like she’s set to be parched for a long time to come.

As the car speeds off, I want to stop her. I want to tell her Seb’s just going to hurt her again, but within seconds, the car is gone. Instead, I go out into the courtyard to call Rory. I need to track him down as quickly as possible. As I stand by the green bin, my phone starts to vibrate. Over and over again.

Rory:Just arrived. Hotel’s lovely, phone reception shit. Miss you! x

There’s a flood of messages from Rory, Rory, Rory. Missed calls too. I frown. What the…

Rory:I’m sorry. For everything. Can we talk?

My eyes widen as realization dawns on me. The messages date from when Rory left to just a couple of hours earlier. My stupid phone hasn’t delivered the messages. A series of pictures follow in quick succession. The beautiful ceremony, hosted under an archway with a lake serving as the backdrop, a picture of the bride and groom cutting the cake, a few other wedding reception pictures.

Then, thepièce de résistance: a selfie of Rory in his kilt, accompanied by a long line of kisses.

Roryhadcontacted me; the messages just hadn’t been delivered. And now it looks like I’d ignored them, ignoredhim, while allowing my ex-boyfriend to stay with me.

Fuck’s. Sake.

31

Ilook everywhere for Rory. First, I check his personal support venue, the pub, and then I head to his house. He’s not there. I spend the evening wandering around the village. I periodically check he isn’t secretly hiding under the counter at The Toolbox but, again, nothing. I ask Fiona, Pete and Donna to let me know if they see him while I’m doing my rounds in the village, but I don’t hear anything. I try calling him, but it goes straight to voicemail.

A horrible thought, which I can’t seem to shake, parades around my mind: maybe he’s with Elle now. Maybe my radio silence sent him straight into Elle’s comforting arms. Seeing Seb here would have only confirmed his decision.

I want to be with Rory more than ever, but I’ve well and truly blown it.

As I walk down to the seafront to check Rory isn’t skimming stones, I receive an email with good news. Great news, in fact. My application for funding for the book festival has been approved. The cover email says the funding body was particularly impressed by my growing social media following and strategy, my stakeholder and community engagement (I’d name-dropped Richard J. Walker and highlighted the breakup bookshop sessions) and my business plan. They can’t wait to see the book festival come to fruition.

I swallow as I spot the amount that is due to be deposited into my bank account. It is an even bigger sum than I’d anticipated. Eilidh had encouraged me to apply for the full amount but said I’d likely receive a smaller grant. But they’ve awarded me the full thing. Every penny. I am out of the red. I am back in business. Somehow, along the way, everything I’ve worked for has come together. Now, if I want to, I can move forward.

Alternatively, I could still sell the business. I would definitely make money from it, especially with funding and permission in place to go ahead with the biggest book festival Ullapool has ever seen.

Turning back to the bookshop, I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry. I can’t wait to give Eilidh the funding news. She’ll be so pleased. But I also know that if I tell her, there will be an expectation I’ll stay in Ullapool. Without Rory in my life, I’m not sure I can do that. How can I work in the bookshop, knowing he’s right next door to me all day, every day?

I sigh and hit the ‘call’ button. Eilidh answers promptly. ‘I’m two minutes away! Don’t start the session without me! I’ve brought that book you gave me. The thriller? It was genius, Ava. You have to read it…’

I raise my eyebrows. ‘You do know that author is Richard J.’s biggest rival? Apparently they hate each other.’

She laughs. ‘They don’t hate each other, that’s just one of those things that the press made up. They’re quite friendly. Speaking of which, Richard’s actually here with me… He’s coming with me tonight, if that’s okay?’

‘Of course that’s okay, Eilidh. And I have some news myself.’

‘You’re staying in Ullapool?’ she asks.

‘The funding application for the book festival has been approved.’

‘Oh, Ava, this is the best news!’ she exclaims. ‘Now you have to stay! It’s all finally come together!’