Page 23 of The Library of Second Chances
Chloe agreed. Gwen liked travel and adventure and Chloe had heard she’d travelled all over the place. She had a gift for finding men to spoil her. Chloe felt a pang of envy, not for the first time. Hannah was right – Gwen would soon get bored of this little town and latch herself on to a new guy to take her away.
Far away, Chloe hoped.
She kept herself busy at the library. There were several bookshelves in the downstairs non-fiction section that had been disorganised for months, and now with the event for the children possibly coming up, everything needed to be just right. So Mrs Cook said.
Gwen’s appearance had left her reeling, though there was something strangely comforting about knowing at least one member of her family was around. Even if it was one she had fallen out with. They still hadn’t had the talk – the part whereyou sit down long after an argument and talk it out. She wasn’t willing to face that yet. If they were both going to leave soon, they might not have to have the talk after all.
Chloe knelt on the carpeted floor between some large shelves, the children’s section behind her. Piles of encyclopaedias and textbooks surrounded her, ready to be put on the correct shelves. She glanced around, wondering if she would see one of them glowing, whether it would work for non-fiction. With everything going on, she just wasn’t ready to face the weirdest development of them all. Talking to fictional characters like they were real people – that was something else she hadn’t quite worked out in her mind yet. Should she tell Mrs Cook about the strange power she had discovered? Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to tell her boss something impossible like that. But she couldn’t help feeling that the kindly old woman would believe her.
Still, she needed to see if she could do it again, to prove her powers. But it didn’t seem like she could choose which books to use. The first had been an accident. The library chose, nudging her towards glowing books. Or maybe it was the books themselves, the characters wanting to emerge for a little while to give her titbits of wisdom.
First impressions. Believing the impossible. Chloe wasn’t sure what the library would come up with next. She wasn’t sure whether she was looking forward to it or dreading it.
‘Chloe,’ called Mrs Cook. Chloe rose, then nudged the piles of books against the shelves so they’d look a bit neater.
She went to the reception to find Mandy Jordan, the headteacher of the primary school, waiting for her. She beamed at Chloe and held out her hand to shake hers, her beady necklace clacking around her neck.
‘I forgot just how lovely this place is,’ said Mandy fondly, glancing around at the library walls and arched windows.
The three of them swapped ideas for the children’s event, and a warm, fuzzy feeling blossomed in Chloe’s chest. Mrs Cook’s wrinkled face creased with delight as they talked about bringing a class, perhaps two, to the library for a bake sale, to borrow some books and study them in school, and maybe even getting a local children’s author to come in for a reading.
‘They could design their own library cards,’ Chloe suggested. ‘Get them around one of the small tables. They might appreciate them more if they designed them themselves.’
‘What a lovely idea, Chloe. Have you worked with children before?’
The question made her frown. ‘Erm, no. Just the odd babysitting job.’
Clementine arrived just then, perhaps curious about their visitor. He hopped onto the reception desk and gently butted Mandy’s arm with his fuzzy orange head.
‘Look at that. He likes you,’ said Mrs Cook.
‘Oh, cats are adorable. Does he live here?’ Mandy petted Clementine’s ears. ‘This library really is something.’
Planning the event reminded Chloe of the Scholastic Book Fair. She sighed in contentment, her worries outside the library momentarily forgotten. Those days in school were the best. If they could create a similar environment, get the children excited about the library and about books, they might make a real difference here. Not only to the library’s . . .happiness, but for the kids as well.
By the time Miss Jordan left, waving and with a huge smile on her face, Mrs Cook was practically dancing. ‘Chloe, this was such a good idea. It’s been too long since we had any big events.’
The lights in the library flickered, so slightly that Chloe wondered if she’d imagined it. But she saw on Mrs Cook’s face the slight reservation, the fixedness of her smile, and realised that she had noticed it, too.
‘Trouble with the lights?’ Chloe asked, her heart sinking. It wouldn’t do for there to be an electricity problem just as things were going well.
‘No, no, it’s not that.’ Mrs Cook’s mouth upturned in a coy smile as she turned to organise some files. ‘I think the library is pleased with our plans, as well.’
Chloe hesitated. ‘Um, when you say the library is happy, or pleased . . .’
‘Yes?’
‘Do you mean it metaphorically, or . . .?’ She realised how daft that sounded and she backtracked. ‘Never mind. That was a silly question.’
‘Was it a silly question because the answer is yes or no?’ asked the librarian, and wandered off before Chloe could formulate a response.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MRSCOOK ASKEDChloe to go upstairs to find some materials. ‘There’s a walk-in closet at the back, near the thrillers section,’ she said. ‘I don’t know if you’ve been in there before. There should be some things in there we can use for the event. Posters, coloured paper, banners, things like that. I’m sure Eric will be happy to help next time he’s in. If there’s anything else you think we need, start a list and I can order things in.’
Chloe liked the idea of decorating the library for the children coming for the event. She ascended the spiral staircase to the upper floor, where it felt deliciously warm and cosy. Was that chestnuts and chocolate she could smell in the air instead of books and ink? She inhaled, smiling, wonderinghow. . .
Were the curtains more vibrant than before? The shelves gleaming as though freshly polished? Where had Mrs Cook found the time to spruce up this part of the library?
