Finally, the train pulled to the platform and the doors hissed open, spilling forth a good many soldiers into the waiting arms of their loved ones. Viv was easy to spot in the mass of uniforms. But then, she’d always stood out with her red hair and bright smile. Some things never changed, not even after six years of war.

Grace called to her friend who rushed toward her, embracing as if they hadn’t seen each other in years.

“Are you all right?” Grace asked.

Viv took a deep breath and nodded, her red lips drawing tight against one another. Despite her attempt to remain optimistic, disappointment lined the corners of her mouth.

All around them, people jostled, lost in the bliss of their reunion or rushing to get home.

“I really did a great job out there,” Viv said.

Grace squeezed her with one last hug. “You really did.”

“We both did.” Viv slung her kit bag over her shoulder and took Grace’s hand in hers. “Do you miss your work with the ARP?”

“I miss the excitement of it,” Grace replied. And she did. Of course, it was preferable to be in a time of peace. But there had been a thrill that hung in the air in the past years, an appreciation every morning you woke up alive. The kind that came from a perpetual press of danger. She hadn’t been aware of it then, but now she felt of its absence.

“Mr. Stokes comes to the shop so often, I haven’t had the chance to miss him,” Grace said with an endearing smile. “However, I am grateful for extra nights of sleep.”

“We’ll have new adventures anyway,” Viv said, falling back on her old habit of looking for new horizons when she was downtrodden. And right now her attention was fixed on a soldier striding past them with broad shoulders and an array of pins sparkling on his chest. “With handsome husbands, perhaps?”

“And shops to run.” Grace squeezed her hand, earning a laugh from her friend.

“How is your wonderful bookshop?”

Grace’s thoughts turned to the store, polished and clean, organized by subject, its shelves still mismatched wood from when they’d been rebuilt with scraps, the readings she’d continued as the war raged on and all the people she considered close friends. The booksellers she’d helped after the Blitz destroyed their establishments had found their own shops in time, each with a shelf designated for The Last Bookshop in London out of appreciation.

She loved every bit of Evans & Bennett.

“Like that then?” Viv asked with a smile. “Enough to transform your entire face with happiness?”

Grace nudged her toward the escalators. “Like that.”