Page 43 of The Library of Second Chances
‘Oh?’
She nodded. ‘We were young. We’d been together all through school and thought we were ready. But . . .’ Even after all these years, the memory made her throat tight. She had to say it aloud, give it a voice. ‘Gwen got a bit drunk, and I caught them kissing.’ She ignored Harry’s sharp intake of breath. ‘I called off the wedding. Gwen said I was being dramatic, that she was only messing around and it didn’t mean anything. But we didn’t talk again. Only briefly, before our parents’ funeral.’
The thought still made her sick. She and Liam had been together for years, all through school, and at eighteen, she had thought she was ready to marry him. They had planned the wedding, invited the guests, and bought the dress. Gwen, naturally, had been the maid of honour. But when Chloe had caught her seventeen-year-old little sister kissing Liam, her entire world had shattered.
Harry’s hand moved across the table and took hers. It was large and warm and covered her cold fingers in a reassuring grip. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Chloe looked up to meet Harry’s eyes. In this lighting, she could see flecks of green in them. ‘About your parents and about what happened with Gwen. Losing one parent is awful, but both, and at the same time. They . . . Did they die together?’
Chloe’s chest felt like it was full of rocks, but she took in a long breath, focusing on the warmth of Harry’s fingers around hers, and on the ordinary sounds of clinking glasses and low talking. ‘They were involved in an accident. Someone was driving down the wrong side of the road and hit them.’ She sniffled and Harry handed her his napkin. She couldn’t believe she was crying in the middle of a nice restaurant. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.’
‘Chloe, you don’t ever need to be sorry for talking about your past.’ He squeezed her hand, giving her a gentle smile. ‘I understand why you feel awkward around Gwen. It can’t be easy, even if it was a long time ago.’
‘We haven’t talked about it.’ She sniffled. ‘She left after that, shortly before I went to university.’
‘Left?’
‘Yeah, she went off with some guy. A millionaire traveller. Our parents were furious.’ She dabbed at the corner of her eye with a napkin, hoping her mascara wasn’t running. ‘It didn’t last long. She ended up in Singapore, and the next thing I knew, she’d found someone else.’ She stopped talking. No matter how angry she was with Gwen, this wasn’t her business to tell Harry. ‘Oh no, this is so silly. Can we talk about something else?’
‘If you like,’ he said, with a tone that told her they could return to the topic of her family whenever she was ready.
‘Have you been in construction for long?’ she asked, thinking of his company she had unwittingly rung.
‘Quite a few years now. I’m from Newcastle originally, but started my company here and have been in Derbyshire ever since. I mainly work in site management. I organise the projects, and sometimes visit them myself if they’re local, to assess and give quotes, things like that. Though I used to have more of a hands-on role before . . .’ He trailed off, then took a sip of his wine. ‘What got you into working at the library?’
Chloe smiled at the thought of the large library with its gothic windows and mahogany shelves and of the cat bringing her out of her dark cloud of despair. The library felt like a haven, one of the few places left in Wellbridge not tainted with bad memories and regret. ‘I just love books,’ she said. ‘My mum would take me to bookshops and libraries all the time when I was a child. And if we read a book about a real place, we’d visit. Sometimes all of us, sometimes just me and Mum.’ Gwen had been closer to their dad. She’d had him wrapped around her little finger since she was a kid.
‘Working in the library suits you, you know,’ Harry said.
‘My sister said the same thing,’ Chloe grumbled, wondering if Harry also meant she was bookish and boring.
‘I don’t even think I know anyone who has worked there, aside from you,’ said Harry. ‘I mean, I’ve maybe made small talk with the librarian once, but I certainly haven’t hung out with anyone who worked there. I remember visiting the library a few times when I first moved here, then when I started my business, I went looking for a book about construction. Ah, here’s our food.’ The delicious savoury aromas filled the space between them as they picked up their knives and forks. ‘Then . . . well, to tell you the truth, I hadn’t visited since before Julie died.’
Chloe cut her tortellini slowly, not sure whether to move past the subject of his wife or ask more about her. Still, she had just opened up about her parents and her sister. ‘How long has it been since she passed away?’ she asked, her voice soft.
‘Two years and five months.’ Harry twirled his tagliatelle with his fork.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said quietly. She couldn’t imagine finding the love of her life, marrying them and being happy with them, only to lose them so young.
Chloe thought the date had become a bit gloomy. She was glad he had told her about his wife, though. It was a sign oftrust. Besides, even though she hadn’t lost a spouse, she could somewhat understand his grief. She missed Mum and Dad so much it hurt.
There was a strange sense of relief in knowing they were both grieving, that the library had provided a place of solace and comfort for them.
‘So that was the first time you’d been to the library in over two years?’ she asked. She ate as she listened, and now the painful moment had passed, she found she was enjoying her lasagne immensely.
‘I know there are bookshops all over the place, but I know I’ll actually read a book if I borrow it from the library. The one you suggestedwas great, by the way. To your recommendation.’ He toasted to her, and she giggled. ‘I’m getting through the rest of them. They’re fantastic.’
‘They are good,’ she said. ‘There are loads more in the same vein you’d probably love.’
It was nice to talk about books. It was a safe, easy topic she knew a lot about. It turned out they were both fantasy fans, though where Chloe’s tastes moved towards romance and the classics, Harry tended to like high fantasy and historical fiction. They reconnected on thrillers, though, and were eagerly swapping their favourite authors and twists when their dishes were suddenly clean and a smiling member of the serving staff was handing them the dessert menu.
‘Did you know that restaurants found that if they ask customers directly if they would like the dessert menu, it’s less likely they’ll order something?’ asked Chloe as she flipped it open. ‘Whereas if they just bring you the menu without asking, you’re much more likely to order a dessert. Maybe because you see what’s available and get tempted.’
‘Smart move,’ said Harry. ‘I heard if you’re selling something, it’s a good idea to make sure the customer holds it in their hands. Then they’re more likely to buy it.’
‘I’ll have to remember that if I ever end up back in marketing.’ Chloe smiled. ‘I’m not planning on working at the library for ever, you know.’
‘Is that right?’ asked Harry. He looked so surprised she almost laughed.
