‘That’ll keep me going until next time.’
‘Good choices, Bill. I fancy reading the Lady Glenconner one myself.’
‘Wonderful woman,’ said Bill.
He sounded like he knew her. Steph laughed. ‘I’m sure she is.’
‘Thank for the tea and books, Steph. Until next time.’
He pretended to doff his cap and left. Steph was sorry to see him go. Did he really know Lady Glenconner? She rolled her eyes and laughed. Of course he didn’t.
5
The rest of the week went by in a flurry of re-organisation and Lois was relieved that Rosemary seemed to have got the message and wasn’t manning the desk every morning when she arrived.
When Linda came back from lunch on Thursday, she looked like there was something she wanted to say. Lois could tell by the sideways looks she kept making while biting her lip and the little sighs that kept escaping from her.
‘Is everything alright, Linda?’ she asked eventually.
‘I wasn’t going to say anything,’ began Linda, ‘but I saw Rosemary at lunchtime and she’s just not herself. I know she comes across as tough, but I think she’s actually quite lonely. Now that she’s not working anymore, well, I thought she looked lost.’
‘It’s bound to be difficult for her,’ said Lois, trying to be sensitive. After so many years of working together, Rosemary and Linda might even be friends, as unlikely as that seemed. It was hard to imagine anyone being able to live up to high enough standards to become Rosemary’s friend.
‘Do you think there’s anything we could do?’ said Linda, making Lois’s heart sink a little as she imagined being guilt-tripped into letting Rosemary come back.
‘I don’t know,’ she said, carefully. ‘The thing is, even as a volunteer, I’m not sure she’d be willing to go along with the changes we’re making. I know they are planning to close this library, but it has to be run properly until then. I’m not sure Rosemary would be behind that.’
‘Oh, I think if it meant she could come back, she would be all for it. She’d planned her retirement before the closure was announced and I don’t think she realised how much she would miss the place.’
Lois had her doubts about whether Rosemary would get behind any of the changes she’d made, even though that’s how it should have been done all along anyway, but faced with Linda’s pleading tone, she felt she didn’t have much option.
‘Why don’t you ask her to come in on Monday, after lunch when it’s quiet.’ It was always quiet, but she couldn’t face Rosemary first thing in the morning. If she was going to do this, Lois knew it was important to make sure it was on her terms. ‘The three of us can have a chat about the ideas I’ve got and if Rosemary’s onboard we can go from there.’
‘Thanks, Lois,’ said Linda, looking relieved. ‘Thanks for giving her a chance.’
Lois went to Oliver’s for a coffee. She had bought her lunch with her every day since Monday, mainly because she always used to take her lunch to work to save a bit of money and there was no reason to stop now. But she wished she was going in there every day. Since her visit, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. Every time she picked up her book, the image of him engrossed in reading it popped into her head. That slightly bashful smile he’d given her when he’d realised it was hers. She’d been hugging that image close ever since. She only wished she’d had more to say but he’d caught her off guard and anyway, she wasn’t great at thinking of the wittiest thing to say. It had been a long time since a man had caught her attention like that.
It was busier in there than it had been on Monday, but he was working alone, unflustered and relaxed yet supremely efficient. His demeanour seemed to radiate out into the rest of the shop. No-one was in a hurry, people chatted in the queue and were happy to wait.
‘Please tell me you’re staying for a drink today?’ he asked with a lopsided grin once he’d thanked the customer in front of her.
‘Definitely. Skinny latte please,’ she said in response to his expression, asking her what she wanted by way of raised eyebrows and the slightest parting of his lips.
He smiled and turned away to make the coffee. ‘You having a good week?’ he asked over his shoulder, raising his voice over the noise of the coffee machine.
‘Yes, thanks,’ she said, trying not to think so hard about his lips. ‘I’ve just started working at the library.’
‘Really? That explains the book then.’
‘It’s not just librarians that read.’ It wasn’t the best comeback, but she felt brave for attempting something more than a smile which is what he’d have got otherwise.
’True, yours isn’t the only book that’s been abandoned here.’ He nodded towards a modest shelf of books with a sign underneath which said, ‘Take one or leave one’.
‘See?’ she said, ‘There aren’t enough librarians to account for all of those.’
‘That’s true enough around here. Rosemary’s a regular.’ He gave her a knowing look.
‘Oh right. Well, I’m probably not her favourite person at the moment.’
