Page 29 of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop
‘Can I just say something which might sound daft but I need to say it?’ he asked.
‘Of course.’ I kept my voice positive but braced myself for some criticism.
‘It’s just that…’ He paused and scrunched up his nose. ‘I’ve never actually worked for someone else before – well, not since I was a pot washer in my teens – so I don’t actually know how to be an employee.’
His vulnerability was so endearing and his honesty refreshing. I’d expected to dislike Lars but I found myself increasingly drawn to him. History repeating itself.
I gave him a reassuring smile. ‘Should I let you into a secret? Neither do I. This is the only place I’ve ever worked and it’s a family business so it’s not the same. From what I’ve seen so far, you’re doing great.’
He smiled back at me and I couldn’t help noticing the tension leaving his shoulders. Working here was evidently a big deal for him and I liked that he cared.
‘Let’s finish our tour,’ I said, ‘and then I think we’ve earned ourselves another cuppa.’
* * *
It made sense for Lars to take the same lunch break as me while I was training him. I’d encouraged him to get some fresh air and he took my advice, asking if he could get me anything while he was out.
‘I’ve brought a packed lunch,’ I said, ‘but thanks for the offer.’
‘How’s it going with our new recruit?’ Cassie asked, joining me at the till as Lars left the building.
‘Pretty well, I think. He’s taking everything in and he seems to be great with customers. Could be a good fit. How’s the morning been?’
‘Fairly quiet, so we’ve managed to get all the stock out on the shelves and the orders are ready for the post.’
‘Great work. So why are you frowning?’
‘It could be nothing but, when we were talking about Lars’s interview, you said he’d mentioned being an online customer so I looked him up on the system – interested to see what his reading tastes are – but he’s not on there.’
‘He isn’t?’
‘No. I’ve tried his surname with and without the accent over the “o” but it didn’t make any difference.’
‘Maybe he ordered them under a different name.’
‘Maybe.’
The insinuation sat heavily between us.
‘I’m sure it’s nothing,’ Cassie said. ‘People lie in interviews all the time. Take that Melissa, for example. She lied about liking reading to impress you.’ She winced, clearly realising that the point she was making in Lars’s defence wasn’t a positive one.
‘He probably buys from The-Site-Which-Must-Not-Be-Named,’ I said. ‘Might have been embarrassed to admit it.’
I tried to sound breezy about it but it bothered me. I understood if Lars bought books elsewhere, especially as he’d also said he rarely made it into the town because of the long hours he worked, but why lie outright like that? Why say anything at all? He wouldn’t have been rejected for not being a customer.
When Cassie disappeared to finish assisting Dad, I couldn’t help myself and tapped Lars’s name into the system, just in case Cassie had entered it incorrectly – perhaps only using one ‘n’ or one ‘s’ but after every possible combination of spelling I had to concede that Lars Jóhannsson wasn’t a Bay Books customer. I wasn’t going to ask him about it – none of my business where he purchased his books – but the earlier positive impression of him was tinged with disappointment. Too many men in my life had lied to me or omitted key information and let me down – Justin, Ewan and Wes – and I didn’t need another one on that list. Earlier, I’d found myself warming to Lars and could even imagine us one day finding our way back to friendship, but now I felt wary. Yes, this was a small lie and I could imagine it slipping out in a moment of discomfort, but small lies or cover-ups typically led to bigger ones and I’d had my fill of that.
16
LARS
‘How was your first day at the bookstore?’ Freyja asked, smiling at me over FaceTime.
It was the third time I’d answered the same question in as many hours, having met up with Danika for a quick drink after work and stopped off to see Nanna on the way home, but I wasn’t going to answer it any the less enthusiastically. It was nice that they all cared.
‘Really good. It’s strange being told what to do rather than being the boss, but it’s fine. You should see the place. I’d forgotten how big it is…’
When I’d finished filling in Freyja on all the details of my day, she said my sister wanted to ask me something and handed the phone over to Kára.
