Then another idea hit Mia. “I’m going to have a chat with her very soon. Would you like to come?” Lou arched up her eyebrows. “Only if you think that would be a good idea, of course.” Mia was sure that having Lou by her side would help to put Annie at ease, but she wasn’t sure whether she wasn’t also asking Lou to join her because this refreshing moment of détente between them felt so good.

“I do think it’s a good idea. The whole thing is a stroke of brilliance.” Lou looked Mia in the eye for a second, as if she was trying to find the old Mia in there, trying to gauge whether that younger version of Mia still existed.

“Thanks. It’s really not that brilliant. It’s pretty straightforward, actually.”

“Don’t be so humble, Mia,” Lou said. “It really doesn’t suit you.” She flashed a smile.

Was she cracking jokes now? Mia smiled back. Maybe she should go to a yoga class one of these days. See what Lou was like in front of a bunch of people in downward-facing dog.

“Should we make an appointment or just stop by?” Mia asked.

“I’ll call her,” Lou said. “I think it better to not just barge in. And her wife, Jane, should probably be there as well.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Mia leaned back in her chair. “Any afternoon or evening this week is fine with me.”

Lou looked as though she had just swallowed a joke. There was a glint of mischief in her eye that retreated as soon as it had shown up. “I’ll let you know.” She pushed her chair back. “Should I send you a message on Tinder or are you giving me your number?”

Mia suppressed a chuckle. “You’d have to swipe right first before you could message me on there.” She looked around for a stray napkin, but couldn’t find one.

“Ah, yes.” Lou’s relaxed, jokey mood seemed to be fading fast.

“Just a sec.” Mia headed to the counter, found a piece of paper, and then proceeded to do something she had never believed would happen. She gave Louise Hamilton her number.

“It used to be that the bookshop was our livelihood and made up for the money I didn’t earn with my books,” Jane said. “These days, things are rather different.”

All four of them were having coffee at The Larder and Mia was quickly realizing that the person she would be negotiating with would not necessarily be Annie, but Jane.

“Ironically, monthly digital book sales of Jane’s books are much higher than what we sell in the shop. We have so many authors on offer, but everyone wants to read on their Kindle or phone these days.”

“Not everyone,” Lou said. “I only ever read on paper.”