Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
As soon as Malcolm had finished greeting his parents with a kiss on each cheek, he said, “Mum, Dad, I’d like you to meet Josie Hartwell. She is—”
“—here to create the reading retreats for Mari!” His mother hugged her. “I’ve heard so much about you already—from all of my children. It’s the most wonderful thing, what you’re doing.”
Josie felt pleased by his mother’s enthusiasm, if not slightly overwhelmed by her joyful greeting. “I’m really happy to be here, Mrs. Sullivan.”
“Oh, no. Call me Penny.”
“I’m Simon,” Malcolm’s father said, shaking her hand, which somehow managed to be almost as warm as Penny’s hug.
“The family resemblance is uncanny.” It truly was amazing how much Malcolm looked like his father. They could practically be twins, if not for the decades separating them.
“Even as a child, they looked so much like each other,” his mother agreed.
Malcolm and his father both smiled.
She could see he was very comfortable with his parents, just as she was with her mother. She found herself really glad that he had them in his life. That he had his whole family. He worked so hard and expected so much from himself, it was nice to know that he would always be surrounded by love, even when she was gone.
Love. The word lingered in her head, but she pushed it away. Now wasn’t the time to wonder about what could or couldn’t be. Now was the time to enjoy getting to know Malcolm’s family. And to celebrate Mari and her new book.
“We were surprised to hear that you are helping to clean up the cottages,” Simon said to Malcolm.
“Well, some travel plans fell through,” Malcolm explained, “and when Mari and Owen needed help, it made sense to volunteer, along with Fiona and Alice. You’ve all done it for me.”
“I remember what a good time we had working on renovating your houseboat,” his father said. “Let me know if you need any additional help with the cottages.”
It was obvious to Josie that Malcolm’s father wanted to spend time working with his son again. And obviously the joy of working with their hands ran in the family.
“We could probably use you,” Malcolm said.
His father’s face lit up. “Fantastic.”
Josie added, “There are so many little details, every extra pair of hands really helps. Alice and Fiona have already done so much.”
“I’d quite like to take a look too, if that wouldn’t mean too many cooks in the kitchen.” Penny seemed a little hesitant, which was crazy, given that Malcolm had said she had curated collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
“I’d love it if you would,” Josie said. “Malcolm told me a little about what you do for a living, and I’m so impressed. I’m sure you will have great ideas for ways to really make the cottages shine for the guests who come to the reading retreats.”
Josie found herself telling Penny about the wonderful day she’d had and how Malcolm had taken her to East London to look at small furnishings and how much fun they’d had choosing vintage books to stock in the cottages.
Penny smiled fondly at her son. “I can see you’re definitely in good hands.”
Josie’s face flushed, surely bright red, at his mother talking about Josie being in Malcolm’s hands. That was exactly where she had been, again and again, over the last few days. She ducked her head, trying to hide her blush. It didn’t help when he surreptitiously put his hand on the small of her back as they moved forward in line. It could’ve been the action of a friend, but she knew how much more they were. Or at least, how much more it felt like they were.
“I’d love to hear more about the reading retreats. How you set them up and how your guests enjoy their time,” Penny said. The Sullivans were perfectly happy to wait in line along with everyone else.
“Honestly, it’s pretty simple. The biggest thing is to really understand each person as an individual and what kind of books they need to read. Sometimes reading the right book is like getting advice from a trusted friend. They can give a fresh perspective on a problem.”
“Interesting how you use the word need,” Simon said. “How do you ascertain that?”
“I meet with each guest, either over a video call or email, whichever they’re most comfortable with, and we talk about their favorite books and a little bit about what’s going on in their lives, if they’re comfortable sharing. Then I pull together reading lists for them. I try to add fun titles as well as thought-provoking ones. Inspirational stories and biographies can really help too. And I like to throw in more visually oriented books as well, like what you might see on coffee tables, because that can be a wonderful break for people, give them time to digest what they’ve been reading.”