Page 39 of The Library of Second Chances
Chloe watched as Eric went to sit down, only the stool was several feet back from where it had been a moment ago. Eric’s eyes widened and he yelped as he fell to the floor on his bottom, disappearing behind the lobby desk. Mrs Cook and Chloe clutched each other in silent laughter.
Chloe could have sworn she felt a ripple of amusement from the library, too. They had both managed to straighten their faces and look busy by the time Eric emerged from behind the desk, grumbling and rubbing his behind.
‘Thanks for the help, Derek,’ Gwen called cheerfully over her shoulder fifteen minutes later, a notepad page of job listings and phone numbers tucked into her wallet.
‘You’re welcome. And it’s Eric,’ Eric called back, but Gwen had already left, the heavy oak doors closing behind her.
Chloe couldn’t deny that Gwenlookingfor a job was a positive thing. At least she wasn’t planning on mooching off of Chloe for ever. Whether she did indeed pay her back for the kitchen supplies and the book remained to be seen, but Chloe was willing to choose her battles.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHLOE FOUND SHEcould hardly wait for Friday. Harry seemed to be invading her thoughts.
She told herself it was just the change of pace of the weekend that she was looking forward to. Even if the memory of Harry’s laughter brought a reluctant smile to her face, or the way the corners of his brown eyes creased when he was pleased about something. No, this was just an opportunity to spend time with a guy who didn’t forget his wallet so she’d pay, or call his mum in the middle of the date.
It’s not a date, she reminded herself. Just two . . . friends hanging out. No, Harry was barely a friend. Twopeoplehanging out for the sake of peace. And nothing else.
Harry texted her and asked her to meet him at an Italian restaurant in town the coming Friday. She hadn’t been there before, and a big stupid grin spread on her face as she tucked her phone away. Mrs Cook gave a knowing smile but said nothing.
She had seen no more glowing books so far this week, and Gwen proved to be almost pleasant company. Chloe made spaghetti Bolognaise and asked Gwen to join her. After all, it was strange for them to eat separately when they were both in the same house.
‘So, um.’ Chloe hoped she wouldn’t regret this. Gwen sat opposite her, in Dad’s old chair, adding parmesan to her meal. ‘How’s the job hunt going?’
Gwen told her about the jobs she had applied for. Cafés, restaurants, retail. ‘Though I don’t think anyone’s going towant me when I don’t have any job history,’ she said, twirling spaghetti with her fork. ‘Maybe I need to work on myCV.’
Chloe ate steadily, knowing what was coming. She counted to three in her head before Gwen perked up and said, ‘Hey, Chloe, maybe you could help me out.’
She chewed slowly, watching as Gwen pouted, staring at her with expectation. She wriggled on her seat like a child. ‘Please, Chloe! I’m rubbish with computers and writing and stuff.’
Chloe finally swallowed. ‘All right, all right, I’ll help you.’ The stronger herCVwas, the better chance Gwen had of finding a job.
After dinner, Chloe dug out her old laptop. She hadn’t used it in a while, but it booted up with little trouble. Gwen loitered behind Chloe, hovering annoyingly until Chloe told her to get a chair. It scraped over the kitchen tiles.
‘Show me yourCVso far,’ said Chloe, and Gwen got it up on her email.
It was a bit of a mess, different fonts, and missing important information like her date of birth and current address. Chloe’s organised side, the part that loved arranging books in alphabetical order at the library, got unreasonably irritated and chose the ‘select all’ function.
‘Wow, you’re really good at this,’ said Gwen with a guilty giggle as Chloe straightened out herCV.
‘All right. Remind me what A-Levels you got.’
Their conversation became uncomfortable as they referenced their teenage years. Their sentences became shorter, the silence between Chloe’s questions broken only by the sound of typing.
‘I didn’t know you got a B in biology,’ said Chloe with interest. Gwen shrugged.
After getting her A-Levels, Gwen had met a guy during a trip to a nearby city. He’d been rich and taken a liking to her. He had asked her to join him on a trip around the world.
Mum and Dad, of course, had been completely against it.
‘You’re only eighteen, Gwen,’ Mum had said, in this very room, pacing and shaking her head while Dad sat in grim silence. He had still been smoking back then, and though Mum insisted he stand at the back door whenever he had a cigarette, the air still held the stale fug of tobacco. ‘This guy is a stranger. You can’t go jetting off with some random man.’
‘I’m an adult,’ Gwen had argued. Chloe had been listening from the doorway, but she hadn’t wanted anyone to know she was there. Chloe herself was preparing to go off to university. It was typical of Gwen to try and steal her thunder. Did she really want to go off with some guy she’d just met or was she just looking for attention?
‘Besides, he’s rich,’ said Gwen, and Chloe saw her take a seat at the table, crossing one perfect leg over the other. ‘He let me ride in his car,andhe took me to a fancy hotel . . . I mean, uh, a restaurant. He wants to take me on his private yacht.’
‘But he’s a stranger, Gwen. It doesn’t matter how much money he’s got,’ Dad said, looking up. He had the same blue eyes as his youngest daughter, and Gwen swallowed as he looked at her. Out of their parents, she had always been closer to Dad. ‘This is ridiculous. You’re not going.’
‘The only ridiculous thing is you both expecting me to stay in this boring town for ever,’ Gwen snapped, gaining her feet in a flurry of movement. ‘I don’t want to go to university.’
