Page 159 of The Blessings of Christmas
CHAPTER 9
With the staff seated around a table in the back of the library, Josie had Malcolm present his idea to the group the following week. A lull usually fell over the library in the middle of the afternoon and that day was no exception. Sybil was working the desk.
“I think that's a great idea.” Eileen dove right into the idea of taking some of the Christmas children's books to Open Hearth. Josie was not surprised at all by her enthusiasm. The older woman had been with the library way before Josie had joined it, and she always backed fresh ideas.
“But what if our books get lost? Or messed up?” Known for her cross-referencing skills, Hillary posed the question.
“We have a budget for new books.” Josie wasn't going to let one objection derail her. “And so often we have duplicates of a book that people have donated.” Donated books were constantly being shoved through the book return slot. Finally she’d put a large barrel inside the front door. The staff emptied it about once every two weeks.
“What titles would you suggest?” Josie asked.
For the next fifteen minutes suggestions flew. Of courseHow the Grinch Stole Christmaswas at the top of the list, alongwith some old-time favorites like theNight before Christmas.Charlie Brown Christmaswas also right up there. One of Josie’s personal favorites wasThe Best Christmas Pageant Ever.She was happy to see that Eileen was jotting down notes.
But at one point, Eileen stopped writing. Her brow furrowed and she tapped her pen on the pad of paper.
“What is it?” Josie asked. Was her colleague having reservations?
“I was just thinking,” Eileen said slowly. “If we’re promoting the idea of the library and Amblebury is too small to have their own, maybe we could go over and read to the kids.”
“What a great idea.” Malcolm was quick to jump on that idea. “Then the kids and parents would know what’s inside the books. They would realize how fun the stories would be.”
Josie could picture Malcolm reading stories to the children. He would probably be very dramatic. The kids would love him.
“We could take turns,” Eileen suggested. “I would love to get to know the children.”
“The more, the merrier.” Of course she would offer the opportunity to all the staff. But Josie sensed that some of the librarians might not be too enthusiastic about reading to children. Hillary could be kind of shy. By the time they finished throwing out ideas, they had at least twenty books on the list.
After the meeting, Malcolm went back to the front desk and Sybil headed home. It was Wednesday night and they had evening hours. Although she wasn't technically on the schedule, Josie was eager to begin working on the books for the clinic. From time to time she could hear Malcolm talking with one of the visitors. His infectious laughter soared over the stacks. That made her happy too. Eileen had also stayed to work on the project. Together they pulled books from the stacks and placed them on the cart behind them.
“It's fun having Malcolm back, isn't it?” Eileen cast a glance toward the front desk where Malcolm was charming Charlotte Whipple. Emily's next-door neighbor was a frequent visitor at the library.
“Yeah. It is fun.”And he’s making me a nervous wreck.
“Oh, I think it's more than fun between you two.”
When she looked up, Eileen was looking at her with a curious smile. “What is it?”
TakingMadeline's Christmasfrom the shelf in front of them, Eileen added it to the pack. “Oh nothing. I just always thought you two had a special relationship.”
What was this?A special relationship?Josie was glad that they were too far away for Malcolm to hear that comment. And there was absolutely no reason for the shimmery nervousness in her stomach. “Friends,” she said firmly. “We've always been good friends. Jogging buddies.”
Tilting her head to one side, Eileen looked full of mischief. “Really? I'd always hoped the two of you would, you know, get together.”
“But he was dating my friend Bryn.” Josie's voice had dropped to a whisper. No way did she want Malcolm to overhear this conversation.
“Yes, and now she's married to someone else and Malcolm's back.”
“And he's engaged,” she hissed. Why didn't people get that?
“Engaged is not the same as being married.” Eileen was looking very pleased with herself.
Her face burning, Josie clutched the end of the cart. “I think I'm going to store these in my office so that no one gets them mixed up.” And Josie emphasized “mixed up” because certainly Eileen was confused about Malcolm. Wasn't she?
Crutches tucked under her arms, somehow Josie got the cart into her office. She stayed there until her cheeks had stopped burning and her breathing had returned to normal.
That night Malcolm called Darcy.Their last conversation had ended on a sour note. He wanted to clear the air, but she hadn't answered when he called her during his lunch hour. Finally she answered. “Hey, Darcy. I've been trying to get you but you're never home.”
“Christmas shopping. You know.”
