Page 21 of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop
‘Are you okay?’ Marcus asked.
Swallowing hard on the lump in my throat, I nodded. ‘Sudden childhood memory being back here.’
He smiled and indicated that I should sit down in one of the tub chairs. There were two folding chairs set up opposite it, each with a clipboard and pen on them, and a low table to one side.
‘It’s not very formal but we prefer to conduct interviews surrounded by books rather than downstairs in the staffroom,’ Marcus said. ‘Lily will be along in… Ah! That’s her now.’
I heard the door closing.
‘Sorry, Dad,’ a woman called. ‘There was a huge queue.’
‘Our candidate’s here,’ Marcus called back.
Lily appeared holding several bottles of water. My stomach started spinning as she placed them on the table then straightened up and looked at me.
‘I believe you already know my daughter, Lily,’ Marcus said and my nerves cracked up another notch. So she definitely remembered me and her dad knew who I was too.
‘It’s been a long time since we were at school together,’ Lily said, proffering her hand.
I rose and shook her hand, noting how cold it was from carrying the chilled bottles. Her grip was firm and I wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d given my hand a hard squeeze – it would have been no less than I deserved. I searched her face for signs of animosity. She wasn’t smiling at me, but she wasn’t scowling either. As she’d brought up the subject of school, it was probably best to address that straight off.
‘Yes, it is,’ I said, settling back into my chair. ‘So much has changed since then. I’ve changed, thankfully.’
If I’d been meeting Lily on her own, it would have been an appropriate moment to spill out a heartfelt apology but I didn’t feel I could in front of her dad. I wasn’t bothered about making a fool of myself but I didn’t know what sort of relationship he and Lily had and how much about her school days she’d shared with him, so I hoped this was enough for now.
‘Pleased to hear it,’ Lily said. ‘So, let’s get started. We thought we’d tell you a bit about the bookshop and why we’re advertising a short-term contract before we go through the questions. Sound okay?’
‘Sounds great. Thank you.’
Between them, Lily and Marcus briefly outlined the history of the bookshop, the range of books, the events they held and their values, concluding that the contract was to cover for Marcus who was about to have a double knee replacement operation. They were both so animated as they spoke, the love they had for the shop and their passion for the written word coming across in spades. They viewed Bay Books as an essential part of the community and I loved the initiatives they’d introduced to try and engage with readers from various ages and backgrounds.
I remembered liking Marcus when I was a kid and that warmth he exuded was still present, but it was Lily who stole my attention. If I was asked to summarise in five words the Lily I remembered from school, I’d probably have said quiet, polite, studious, kind and sensitive which made me want to hang my head in shame. She’d never done anything wrong and I’d been horrible to her. Now I still recognised the young girl from school but the five words which sprang to mind were strong, confident, engaging, passionate and inspirational. I wasn’t the only one who’d changed since school.
Lily looked different too. She still had long dark hair but it had some lighter streaks in it which really suited her. I remembered her hair being somewhat frizzy but it was now curly. Her long eyelashes accentuated her soft brown eyes. I’d always thought that Lily had a pretty face but now she was beautiful and I kept having to remind myself to look at Marcus too instead of giving all my attention to my former nemesis. No, that wasn’t true. Lily had never been my nemesis. She’d only ever offered friendship and had never been unkind to me, even though I’d given her plenty of cause to be.
‘Any questions so far?’ Marcus asked, drawing my attention back to him.
‘No, it’s a great bookshop and everything you’ve done with it sounds really impressive. I used to come here loads when I was a kid.’ My voice caught in my throat as another memory snuck up on me of being here with Pia one Christmas. There’d been a shelving unit in the shape of a Christmas tree and it had a special name – the Bookmas tree. I glanced over to where it had been, picturing Pia slowly circling it, beside herself with excitement at all the festive reads tempting her.
‘But you’ve never been in as an adult?’ Lily asked, drawing my gaze back to her. Her tone was light, but the words felt like a challenge.
‘I set up my business at seventeen and worked seven days a week for years so I rarely made it into town. I’ve ordered from you online, though. I like to support local businesses where I can.’
‘We really appreciate that,’ Marcus said, smiling at me. ‘Now that we’ve told you all about the shop, let’s move onto the questions for you. Please will you briefly walk us through your career so far, particularly highlighting the skills and experiences which you think make you a good candidate for this role.’
* * *
‘It went well,’ I told Danika over the phone as I walked back to the car. ‘Or at least I think it did.’
‘How was Lily with you?’
‘Better than I deserved. I hope how much I’ve changed since school came across, but we’ll just have to see. Even if I don’t get the job, I’m glad you talked me into applying.’
‘Do you want the job?’
‘Ireallywant the job,’ I admitted.
‘Then I’m keeping everything crossed for you. When will you hear?’
