Cassidy laughed, thank goodness.
As Annie passed the wide window of the Ice Cream Cottage, she was too absorbed to notice Mrs Crocombe and Mr Bovis behind the colourful display of ices in the refrigerated cabinet like a kid’s paint palette of pastel colours, suddenly spotting Annie and in a panic Mrs C. whipping something small held between them out of sight behind her back. Neither did she see the look of relief on Mrs Crocombe’s face as she glanced at Bovis.
Annie passed on down the slope entirely unaware of whatever it was those two old buffers were intent on concealing.
‘Are you coming back to school?’ Cassidy was asking her.
‘I… I truly don’t know. Do I even want to work in an environment like that? With a handful of parents running the halls?’
‘Both Kimmy and Linda were reinstated. Did you hear?’
‘No! When?’
‘Yesterday. They’re holding community meetings next week to talk it all out. The Library Association reps will be there too.’
‘They will?’
‘Yeah, and you saw the kids’ protest, right?’
‘The what?’
Annie’s phone buzzed as Cassidy sent her the images. Her little band of library lurkers, holding banners, standing with their families around the school gates. There were so many of them.
Now it was Annie’s turn to cry.
‘It’s not as bad as you fear,’ Cassidy was saying. ‘If you come back, you’ll see. There’s more support than you think. And I’ll be there this time, whatever happens.’
Annie huffed a breath and looked down to the wide horizon over the Siren’s roof. A blue-grey line cut between the green sea and the clouds heavy with yet more February drizzle. It looked like it was setting in for the whole day.
‘I don’t know if I have the strength to take on all those other folks, Cass. And Mom and Dad, they’ve not exactly been supportive.’
‘But your mom is, secretly, right?’
‘Hmm.’ Annie thought of her mother always telling her not to rock the boat, especially at home with her father. ‘She’s with me in private, but Dad was furious, couldn’t understand why I’d bring the fight to his door.It’s only a few books, he said.Stock them, don’t stock them, what’s the big deal?He doesn’t get it.’
‘Come back,’ Cassidy pleaded. ‘See how things are. You’re more ready for this than you know.’
‘That’s what Harri said too,’ said Annie, wryly. What did he know about how brave she was? She was a coward. He should have figured that by now.
‘Oh yeah? How are things with him?’
‘He’s kind of beat up. He’s on a break with Paisley.’
‘No way! Because of the bookselling vacation thing?’
‘I had nothing to do with it,’ said Annie, a little too primly.
‘That’s not what I said, but… was it?’
Annie groaned. ‘Maybe. They split at Christmas, but he’s been living in their flat share ever since.’
‘And they’re definitely taking a break? Are they talking?’
‘They’ve talked since I got here.’
‘But he’s with you right now, not Paisley, right? If he wanted to be with her, wouldn’t he be?’
‘We’re having some friend time. It’s been good for us.’
