"You alright, love?" Arty appeared next to her, holding a stack of programs. "You look a bit peaky."
"I'm fine!" The brightness in her voice was almost convincing. "Just excited. Big day. Library reopening. It's wonderful."
Arty gave her a look that suggested he wasn't buying it, but thankfully didn't push. "Programs are done. Where do you want them?"
"Oh, by the door? So people can grab one as they come in?"
"Sensible." He started toward the entrance, then paused. "You did a good thing here, Annabelle. Whatever else is going on, you should be proud of that."
Her throat tightened. "Thanks, Arty."
She watched him walk away and had to take a very deep breath to stop herself from crying in the middle of the library reopening setup. That would be ridiculous. Inappropriate. She was fine.
Everything was fine.
"Ms. Swift?" A small voice made her turn around.
Jamie Long stood in the doorway, looking uncertain. His mum must have dropped him off early. He was clutching a book to his chest and not quite meeting her eyes.
"Jamie! Hello, sweetheart." Annabelle crouched down to his level, which was a mistake because it made her dizzy, but she smiled through it. "You're early. That's lovely. Do you want to help me set up the books in the reading corner?"
Jamie nodded, but he didn't move. Just stood there, looking small and sad in a way that made Annabelle's heart crack a little bit more.
"Are you alright?" she asked gently.
"Is…" He bit his lip. "Is Raven going to be here?"
Oh.
Oh no.
Annabelle's smile felt like it was going to shatter. "I… No, probably not, sweetheart."
"Only she was at the fundraiser, so I thought maybe she was going to be here too."
Annabelle wanted to tell him that of course Raven was coming back, that everything would be fine, that sometimes people left but they always came back if they cared about you. But she couldn't. Because she didn't know if any of that was true.
"I'm sure wherever she is, she's very proud of you for practicing," was all she managed.
Jamie nodded slowly, but he still looked sad. "She sent me some videos online. But it’s not really the same, is it? I miss her."
"Me too," Annabelle whispered before she could stop herself.
Jamie looked up at her with wide, understanding eyes that were far too old for an eight-year-old. Then, without warning, he wrapped his arms around her waist in a tight hug.
Annabelle hugged him back and absolutely did not cry. She was a professional. She was fine.
"Right," she said brightly when he pulled away. "Shall we make sure those cushions are comfortable for the reading? I think Gloria's been rearranging them, so we'd better test them out."
Jamie almost smiled. It was enough.
Nina bounced over, looking excited. "Ms. Swift, everything looks so amazing. And Jamie, you’re early. But I’m glad, because I wanted to tell you that I saw Raven on Instagram this morning. She's at some fancy recording studio in London. The photos looked incredible. All these guitars and…" Nina's face suddenly fell as she realized what she was saying. "Oh. Oh no. I'm sorry, I didn't think…"
"It's fine," Annabelle said quickly, her smile locked in place even though her chest felt like it was caving in. "That's… that's wonderful. I'm glad she's doing well."
"I wasn't thinking, I just…"
"Really, Nina, it's fine. I'm happy for her." The lie tasted bitter. "I need to go check on the… something. Excuse me."
