Dierdre looked up from folding Effie’s new clothes. ‘Huh? Oh, I gave all that up a few weeks ago. Never looked back.’
‘Wow, really?’ Tessa set a huge patchwork coat down on the counter. ‘But you’ve been the town’s horoscope guru ever since I can remember.’
‘Too much hassle. Besides, they never had anything nice to say about Capricorns.’
‘Fair,’ said Tessa, although Effie thought she heard a touch of suspicion in her friend’s voice. But why? It was good that the townsfolk were moving on from their bizarre superstitions and fascinations. It never hurt to be grounded in the real world.
‘Nice to meet you both,’ said Dierdre, with a wave. ‘I hope you come in again.’
‘I’m sure we will,’ said Effie, slipping her new outfit into her ever-present tote bag.
As they emerged from the shop, Tessa folded her arms. She frowned as she peered in the window of Second-Hand Magic, like she was weighing something up.
‘Don’t you think that was weird?’ she asked. ‘The whole one-eighty on the horoscopes, and then acting like she didn’t know us? We come in at least once a month.’
Effie shrugged. In her experience, the townsfolk were always weird and scattered. ‘Maybe she misspoke. Like when you say “you too” when the ticket registrar says they hope you enjoy the concert. She’ll probably be kicking herself about it for weeks. I would be.’
‘Hmm,’ said Tessa.
Uh-oh. Ahmmfrom Tessa meant that this was not the last Effie would be hearing of this. But Effie had a not-date at the library to prepare for. Which was going to involve a lot of educational videos and some careful raiding of Bonnie’s makeup drawer. And maybe even the hair curler.
Effie adored the peace and calm of the library at night. Not to mention the sweeping views it had of the town’s glimmering lights. And best of all, there was absolutely no risk of Bonnie sauntering in to judge Effie for her hair, or her outfit, or her Saturday night schedule. Besides, this Saturday, she actuallyhadsomething in her schedule. All right, so it was work-adjacent, but it did involve another human being, and in a rare event, one who wasn’t Tessa. It also, thought Effie as she dimmed the schoolhouse light fixtures, involved mood lighting.
The doorbell by the circulation desk chimed, and Effie looked up to see Theo waving from the front door, a bouquet of paper flowers in his hand. A reusable shopping bag sat at his feet.
Straightening her outfit the way Tessa had shown her, Effie went over to let him in.
‘Security’s tight on this place after hours,’ said Theo. Then he paused. ‘Wow, you look gorgeous.’
Effie swallowed as she tried to come up with a confident Bonnie-style response. She knew she didn’t look terrible, because she’d styled her hair and put on a coat of mascara and a dash of rouge. And even a soft-blur lipstick, which was about as close as she could get to a red lip without racing to the bathroom sink to wipe it off. Butgorgeouswas an intimidatingly effusive compliment.
‘Thanks,’ she said finally. ‘You too.’
And he did, in his neat pants and the merino cardigan he wore over a simple T-shirt. (Maybe Tessa had been right toguide Effie away from the cardigans earlier, or they might have looked like twins.)
‘I brought you these,’ he said, passing her the paper bouquet, which she saw was crafted from book pages. ‘Don’t worry, the pages are from weeded books. That retired teacher showed me how to make them.’
Deeply aware of his presence, Effie led Theo over to one of the empty reading tables, where she’d set up a simple platter of snacks and baked goods.
‘From The Golden Hour?’ he asked, perusing the spread.
‘Home-made,’ she said shyly.
‘Youarea woman of many talents,’ said Theo. ‘Mine’s store-bought. I hope you don’t mind.’
He plonked the shopping bag on the table, pulling out a bottle of Argentinian malbec, and a wide-ranging array of dips and pita.
‘Tonight, we feast,’ he said with a chuckle. He uncorked the wine, then frowned. ‘Damn, I forgot the cups. Do you have anything?’
Effie held up a finger and went off to the kitchen area, using her magic to quickly send two mugs flying across the room and into her waiting hands. Alas, this type of catching finesse only extended to her own spells and not sports, or else she’d have enjoyed a full-ride scholarship to an Ivy playing Division-I sports.
‘“People Displeaser”, huh?’ Theo turned the purple mug in his hands as he filled it with wine.
‘I aim to displease.’ Effie took the mug and made a cheers with it.
She’d just realized what was on the mug she’d handed to Theo:Yes, I’m a librarian, and I’m checking you out.
The mug had been a joint gift from Mom and Bonnie for Effie’s birthday two years earlier. The two had thought it hilarious, and Effie had too, honestly. It was impossible tofeel churlish when Mom was around. Even her teasing was good-natured.
