Sam said, “Did you know her from work at all?”
Pamela’s brow wrinkled.“You mean from the library?No, I think Margaret had a fairly shabby opinion of the Sunset Ridge library.She preferred her college library.More academic, of course.You could likely tell that she didn’t think much of books she termed ‘fluff.’Which was basically anything without footnotes or written later than the 1700s.”
Sam smiled.“Did Jane Austen qualify as fluff?”
“Oh, Jane was the fluffiest!”Pamela chuckled.
A resident came in on a walker and cheerfully greeted Pamela, who gave her a hug and asked how the resident’s physical therapy was going.Then she helpfully directed her toward a new author she’d discovered who wrote women’s fiction, the resident’s favorite genre.
Sam was about to go look for Nora when the old woman suddenly appeared in the library with Precious, the dog’s nails clicking on the linoleum floor.
Nora looked aggrieved about something.The cause of her grievance was revealed when she spluttered to Sam, “Mr.Holloway says Precious has gained weight.Can you imagine?I feed him precisely the recommended portions.”
Precious trotted to Pamela with the confidence of a dog who knew he was both handsome and loved.He still wore his argyle sweater vest, which somehow made him look even more distinguished.
“Oh, Pamela!I should have known you’d be here in the library,” Nora said warmly.“I was just telling Sam that you volunteer here regularly.”
A genuine smile crossed Pamela’s face.“Nora, it’s good to see you.And Precious, of course.”She bent down to greet the pit bull, who accepted her attention with his usual dignity.
“I brought Edith a casserole,” Nora said.“Though between you and me, I suspect she shares half of everything I bring with her roommate.”
“Most likely,” Pamela agreed.She glanced at the clock on the wall.“I should probably wrap up here.I’ve been organizing donations for a while.”She gestured to the cart of books she’d been sorting.“We got three boxes from the library’s last sale.”
“The residents must love that,” said Sam.
“Yes,” agreed Nora.“you do such wonderful work here.How many years has it been now?”
“Five,” Pamela said.There was a touch of pride in her voice.“Ever since I retired from the county library.It’s given me something meaningful to do that also puts me around books again.”
“Well, I think it’s wonderful of you.”Nora checked her watch.“We should let you finish up.I’m sure you have things to do before you head home.”
“Actually, I’m done for the day,” Pamela looked at the neatly organized cart with satisfaction.
They walked toward the lobby together, making small talk about the retirement home’s upcoming holiday party and the new mystery novels that had just arrived.Sam found herself genuinely liking Pamela with her quiet competence, her obvious dedication to the residents, and the way she spoke passionately about books.
They were almost back to the lobby when they heard a child’s delighted voice echo down the hallway.
“Precious!Arlo!”
