Page 6 of The Library of Second Chances
The man turned to face her. He looked to be in his thirties, with a strong, square jaw and a chin dimple. Definitely not the same man who had spoken of pompous parties at his estate onthe upper floor last night. This man, when he saw her, didn’t smile, but acknowledged her with a small nod.
‘What was it you were looking for, again?’ Mrs Cook asked the man. She added to Chloe, ‘You’ll have to help me use the computer, love.’
The receptionPC, the only one in the library, was an archaic thing that still used WindowsXP. Chloe fumbled through the search function, half her mind still upstairs with the mysterious stranger. She had to push the thought away for now and shelve it in her mind with all the other inexplicable clutter.
‘I’m looking for a book.’ The man’s voice was deep and rich, with a Geordie accent.
Both women stared at him. Was he being pedantic? This was a library, of course he was looking for abook. ‘What kind of book? We have lots,’ said Chloe pleasantly.
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Fantasy. Swords and heroes. Things like that.’
Mrs Cook clicked her tongue as thePCrefused to load. The man turned from them, examining the beams and the gothic windows. Chloe wondered if Clementine was around, maybe watching from a beam. Mrs Cook abandoned thePCand instead grabbed a file from the back shelf. She started rifling through it while Chloe watched on in dismay. The file was as thick as her forearm. It would take ages to find what they wanted.
‘There’s a fantasy section on the upper floor,’ she suggested after the silence stretched between them.
‘Would you take him there?’ asked the librarian.
Chloe guided the man through the archives, half nervous she’d meet the stranger from the night before, that he would have somehow snuck back inside to torment her. But the library was still empty. Even Clementine wasn’t slinking around.
Chloe let the man go first. He climbed the spiral staircase with a confident stride, like he had been here before. Halfwayup the stairs, Chloe thought she felt something. A flutter of . . . eagerness. Not from herself, though. It was like the room’s mood had shifted. It felt like anticipation, like lying in wait at a surprise party.
Then it was gone.
She stopped halfway up the stairs, feeling strange.
‘You coming?’ asked the man, having reached the top. He glanced back at her.
‘Yes. The fantasy section’s just up here,’ she said, shaking off the odd feeling. She sprinted up the last few steps and turned to the rows of bookcases. Up here, the sunlight from outside shone through the gothic windows, casting golden beams on the shelves.
‘Here it is. There’s a decent collection here,’ said Chloe, showing the newcomer a few titles. Their collection of fantasy took up two bookcases, organised in Young Adult and Adult fiction.
‘I’ve read that one.’ He pointed at one she had pulled out. ‘The writing style’s too juvenile for me.’
Chloe was indignant; he’d just insulted one of her favourites. ‘I see.’ She slid the book back, hiding what she was sure was an annoyed look on her face. ‘How about theWheel of Timeseries? We have a couple of copies of the first one here . . . Yes, here it is.’
The man took the book in his hands and opened it, cracking the spine. The awful sound was a physical pain to Chloe, and she couldn’t conceal her wince.
‘What?’ he asked, seeing her flinch.
‘That’s a first edition.’
He huffed. ‘I didn’t realise we weren’t allowed toopenthem.’
Chloe felt herself puffing up like an angry bird, but she swallowed her anger. This man was a visitor to the library. Where she worked. She rearranged books on a nearby shelf, hoping he would go away soon.
When she glanced up, the man’s eyes were roaming the first page again. Then he closed the book and said, ‘Yeah, this’ll do,’ without smiling or looking at her.
‘There’s some Terry Pratchett too,’ she said. ‘You might—’
‘No, this one’s fine.’ He turned and stomped off. His heavy steps descended the spiral staircase.
What a bum.Chloe was aware that working with the public meant the occasional rude interaction, but she had hoped people who visited libraries would be nicer. The more the minutes ticked by, the more annoyed she became. It was like being in the shower days after an argument and coming up with the perfect response.
‘Yeah, you’re welcome!’ she called over the banister, even though the impolite stranger had long since left.
‘What’s that, love?’ Mrs Cook’s voice rang from downstairs.
‘Nothing.’ Her face on fire, Chloe hurried to her next task.
