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)
Josie loved the way Mari reassured her mother, who obviously had some difficult feelings about her first husband.
Then Alice and Fiona arrived and called Josie back to where they were standing with Malcolm and their parents. “Isn’t this exciting?” Alice said, almost jumping up and down. “Imagine owning a bookstore and publishing books.”
“And running reading retreats,” Fiona added. “I hope she’s not taken on too much.”
Then Owen went up to the microphone. “Hello and good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming tonight. Normally, Mari would be the emcee at our author events, but because she is the star attraction tonight, I am going to take over.” The look he gave her was adoring. Hers to him was just the same.
“All of us were very lucky when Mari decided to travel here from Santa Monica, California. The Elderflower Island Bookshop was her father’s, and many of us here knew and loved him. Charlie was a wonderful man who we all miss every day. Thankfully, he passed the store on to Mari, hoping that she would fall in love with it and this island and all the people on it, just as he had. And thankfully again, she did. I won’t say too much more. I’ll let her tell you the rest, but I just want to take a moment to say how grateful I am that you decided to stay, Mari, and how much I love you.”
Oh my gosh, it’s practically like being at a wedding and listening to the groom toast his bride. Josie was practically welling up, and they were at a book signing.
It looked as though Mari was tearing up as well as she walked up to Owen and kissed him. And then she was standing behind the microphone, and he moved off to the side, proud as could be. “Thank you so much for that, Owen. I’m the lucky one.” And then she laughed. “Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. That’s not why you all are here.”
Everyone laughed.
“Many of you know my story, and I’ve told it enough times that I don’t want to bore anyone, but suffice it to say that after losing touch with my father for most of my adult life, finding out that he had bequeathed me this bookstore after he passed away was one of the most momentous experiences of my life. Coming to Elderflower Island changed me and my future forever, in all the best ways. I’m not going to deny that my background in accounting has been helpful when dealing with purchase orders and store finances,” she said to more laughter, “but the opportunity to spend my days surrounded by books and the wonderful inhabitants of Elderflower Island is a gift that I don’t ever take for granted. Every single day, I’m so grateful that I get to be here and do this.”
She paused as though to collect her thoughts before she picked up a copy of Mars at the Beach and held it to her chest. “Of all the unexpected twists and turns that my life has taken, however, I never saw this one coming. I had no idea that my father had written books. Or that those books were about the two of us. The little girl in this story is me—Mars was his nickname for me.”
Josie looked over at Mari’s mother, who was with Mari’s brother, Carson. They both looked so proud. And Mari’s mother definitely looked emotional as well.
“When I found my father’s stories and his beautiful illustrations, I fell in love with them and wanted to share them with the world. Thanks to Owen Sullivan and Mathilda Westcott, it did happen. I need to thank my mother and stepfather for supporting my dream to come here and my brother, Carson, for believing in me. Always. Finally, I’d like to thank my publisher and agent, who were also instrumental in bringing my father’s dream to life. I truly believe that although he isn’t here with us today, he’s looking down on us, and he’s as thrilled as I am to launch the stories of a little girl and her father into the world.” Her words sounded choked as she finished her sentence, and she cleared her throat. “And now I would like to read the beginning of Mars at the Beach to you.”
Although Josie had read the book already, Mari’s delightful reading made it even more entrancing. As she always did with a great book, she got lost in it. She didn’t realize that her hand had slipped into Malcolm’s until the reading was over, and everyone applauded.
She realized she had only one hand free. She turned to look at him, and in that moment, their eyes caught, and it was all she could do not to lean in just enough to close the gap between them with a kiss.