‘Spoilsport,’ she replied.
Elle had the feeling that Pippa wasn’t going to listen to a word she said, and no doubt by lunchtime at the latest the contents of the bag would be known.
ChapterThree
The library was a pretty barn conversion that had been thoughtfully designed and beautifully furnished. From the outside the barn looked much as it always had, with its beautifully weathered stonework, slate roof tiles and duck-egg blue shutters that framed the wooden windows. The addition of big double glass doors adorned with an oak porch flooded the place with natural light.
It was an idyllic place to work and with her passion for books Elle loved coming to work. As she rummaged in her bag for the library keys, she waved at Wilson, the UPS delivery man, who was sitting on the bench underneath the canopy of the creperie.
‘Morning,’ Wilson said cheerfully, picking up a huge box.
‘You’re ahead of time today,’ Elle replied, smiling as she turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door. There were still ten minutes until the library officially opened and after punching in the alarm code and switching on the lights they all walked into the main room, which without fail took Elle’s breath away every time she stepped inside. The fantastic part about the old barn was that its strong sense of history and heritage had been preserved and worked in harmony with its modern interior. The library mixed contemporary furniture with its old features, creating a beautiful juxtaposition. The high vaulted ceiling with its exposed oak beams was another fantastic feature, and the inclusion of a galleried landing full of books was eye-catching and helped to provide defined sections in what was a very open-plan space.
‘First things first,’ declared Elle. ‘Who would like a cup of tea?’
They all headed to the tiny staffroom at the back of the library and Elle placed the mystery rucksack down on the chair in the corner of the room.
‘The traffic on the back roads was unusually quiet for once,’ Wilson said, balancing the box he was carrying on the edge of the table.
Wilson had been the library’s designated UPS driver since Christmas and had gotten to know Elle and Pippa pretty well.
‘There’s something different about you this morning, Wilson,’ Pippa said, eyeing him suspiciously. She stood on tiptoe and reached for a couple of mugs from the cupboard before glancing back in his direction.
Elle gave Wilson a quick look too before scrutinising today’s updates, which were pinned to the corkboard. Wilson raked his fingers through his mousy brown hair. He had broad shoulders and, according to Pippa, a six-pack to die for. She didn’t actually have first-hand evidence, of course. Wilson just happened to be another man she’d stalked often on social media.
‘It’s the stubble,’ Elle chipped in.
‘What do you think?’ he asked, stroking his chin and giving a lopsided grin.
‘Mmm, I like it.’ Pippa scrutinised his face. ‘It suits you,’ she said, taking out her fake glasses from her bag and putting them on.
‘I didn’t know you wore glasses.’
‘She doesn’t. It’s the latest fashion accessory, apparently it makes her ooze beauty and radiate intelligence.’
‘You definitely don’t need them to look beautiful or intelligent,’ chipped in Wilson, giving Pippa a heart-warming smile.
Elle noticed that the pair of them had locked eyes longer than necessary. This wasn’t the first time she’d witnessed flirtatious banter between them.
‘Where do you want this?’ asked Wilson, looking at the box he was delivering.
‘Can you place it behind the front desk for me?’ replied Elle, handing Pippa a mug of tea. ‘Have you time for tea?’ she asked.
‘Not today, but thank you.’ Wilson hoisted the box up into his arms. His sleeves were rolled up over his forearms and the muscles bulged as he gripped the box tightly.
Elle watched Pippa with amusement, as her eyes followed Wilson’s every move as he disappeared from the room.
Pippa caught her watching. ‘What?’ she said and grinned, shrugging her shoulders.
‘I don’t know why you don’t just get on with it and ask him out on a date!’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘Of course you don’t.’ Elle rolled her eyes as they headed to the library floor and switched on the computers. Once everything was up and running Elle set the correct date on the date stamp and they were ready to open.
Wilson had placed the box down behind the desk. ‘Do you want me to leave the door open on the way out?’
‘Thank you, that’d be great,’ Elle replied.
