Free The January Wish by Juliet Madison Page A

had to lean back, squint, and extend something in front of them as far as their arm would reach in order to read it. She saw it all the time, people over the age of forty-five or fifty, whose ability to read and focus on things up close gradually diminished. There was a name for it: presbyopia. One of the most common eye problems affecting middle-aged people.
    ‘No, I haven’t.’ Sylvia turned the book over to read the back cover.
    ‘It’s got everything—mystery, suspense, secrets, lies…and then, just when you think you have it worked out—bam!’ Grace clapped her hands together. ‘A twist appears that throws everything you ever thought out the window.’
    Hmm…sounds like my life. Sylvia held the book close to her side. ‘I’ll take it then.’
    ‘Great! You’ll love it. Okay, now let’s find you another goodie. Oh, here’s one,’ Grace said enthusiastically.
    ‘Actually, I usually only buy one book at a time. When I’ve finished this one I’ll come back and get another,’ Sylvia stated.
    ‘Really? Okay, well remember this for next time. This one’s about a woman who travels to India in search of her missing husband. It’s like the TV show 24 on steroids. There’s fast-paced action, but also a lot of mind games and stuff that you’d probably like.’
    Sylvia nodded, impressed by Grace’s sales ability.
    ‘And this book,’ Grace said, holding up a copy of The Stranger , ‘is more of an emotional mystery than suspense, but it totally hooks you in from the start and you really feel like you know the characters personally. The last few chapters were so intriguing I stayed up half the night to finish them!’
    ‘I’ll add it to my mental list.’ Sylvia decided. And later she’d add it to her actual list, or more precisely, her ‘Books I Want To Read’ spreadsheet, with books listed in categories and in order of priority.
    Grace had other ideas. Click! She took a photo of the two books. ‘I’ll give you a copy of the pic so you remember exactly what they look like when you come back to find them.’ Grace ran a finger along the bookshelves. ‘Do you have a favourite book? Like, a favourite book of all time?’
    Sylvia rolled her eyes upward and thought for a moment. ‘Actually, there’s one book that stands out for me. It’s a classic, written in the 1860s. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, have you heard of it?’
    ‘Oh my God! I so want to read that one! I’ve heard of it but haven’t got around to finding a copy yet.’ Grace rubbed her hands together.
    For a girl of eighteen Grace seemed quite ‘literary-aware’.
    ‘Tell you what, you can borrow my copy if you like.’
    ‘Yeah? That’d be great, thanks!’
    ‘If we walk to my place after we finish here, I’ll give it to you.’
    ‘Sounds good, I promise I’ll get it back to you as soon as possible.’
    ‘Take your time,’ Sylvia replied. But please don’t have it for too long, she thought. She hadn’t lent many books to people over the years, but just in case, she’d made a special chart that had room to write the name of the book, the author, who had borrowed it, the date it was borrowed, and a reasonable time frame to allow before giving them their first reminder notice to return it. She would have made a kick-ass librarian.
    Grace grabbed a book she wanted and took it to the counter.
    ‘Here, let me buy this for you.’ Sylvia held out her hand for the book.
    ‘It’s okay, you don’t have to,’ Grace replied.
    ‘I’d like to, and since I’m buying a book too we might as well do it all at the same time,’ Sylvia said.
    ‘Well okay then, thanks Sylvia.’ Grace handed her the book and Olivia rang it up at the counter.
    ‘Has it been busy at the markets?’ Olivia asked Sylvia.
    ‘Yeah, quite busy actually. How are things here at the store?’
    ‘Despite the ebook surge in the marketplace, things are still going strong. In fact, I’ve been a bit overworked, hoping to cut down my hours so I can spend