6. Jackson
6
JACKSON
J ane’s jaw was literally hanging on the floor.
Clearly she was shocked to hear the news, and I couldn’t blame her. When Jess had offered me the job, I’d been surprised too.
After I’d got her text, I’d replied to say that I’d call in the morning like she’d asked and would keep my fingers crossed that she’d consider hiring me because I’d be honoured to join the team.
Jess had replied straight away and asked if, instead of calling tomorrow, I’d mind coming to the library instead. And so I had. I’d been here bright and early at eight thirty, ready to meet her.
‘Theo and I really like you,’ she’d said. ‘But we’re just worried that evenings might be an issue for you because?—’
‘Change in circumstances,’ I’d jumped in. ‘I can do shifts whenever you need me.’
‘In that case,’ Jess had added, ‘welcome to the team! How soon can you start? ’
‘Now?’ I’d replied.
Jess said that the role would be a mixture of working in the bookshop and library, plus helping to organise events to generate revenue, which was pretty much what it’d said in the ad. The pay was surprisingly fair too.
She explained that Theo would have to organise the paperwork etc. but I didn’t have anything else to do today, so I’d suggested I could shadow her or do some training in advance.
It had nothing to do with wanting to see Jane again.
Honest.
‘W-wow!’ Jane finally spoke. ‘Congratulations! What a… surprise. A good one, of course. I just… I wasn’t expecting… I didn’t know you’d made a decision yet.’ She turned to Jess.
‘It all happened so quickly,’ Jess said. ‘I confirmed it half an hour ago. I’m so excited! And Theo said you two have met before, right?’
‘Yeah. We used to go to the same school,’ I said.
‘Perfect! You guys will be working together a lot, so it’s great that you already have a relationship.’
‘It was like fifteen years ago, so…’ Jane said.
‘Cool!’ Jess replied. ‘That means you’ve got lots to catch up on! Theo’s checking the dehumidifiers to make sure they’re helping to dry out the ceilings and the floor upstairs and then he’s seeing Bill. He thinks there’s something fishy about the hole in the roof.’
‘Oh?’ Jane frowned.
‘Apparently the type of hole that caused the leak is a bit suspicious.’ Jess shrugged. ‘I know nothing about roofs or leaks, so I have no idea.’
‘That makes two of us,’ Jane added .
‘Make that three!’ I smiled.
‘Not a DIY man, then?’ Jess asked.
‘I can put together IKEA furniture, but that’s about my limit.’
‘Wow.’ Jane’s eyes widened like I’d revealed I could walk on water. ‘That’s impressive. Just looking at the instructions intimidates me.’
‘Same!’ Jess said. ‘Anyway, I’ll take care of things in the library. Jane, can you give Jackson a tour and show him the ropes? It should be quiet for the next couple of hours.’
‘Oh, okay, sure,’ she stuttered.
‘I’ll leave you to it!’ Jess smiled, then left.
‘So, this is kind of…’ I paused.
‘Weird?’ Jane said.
‘I was going to say unexpected ,’ I laughed.
‘Oh! Um, yeah. That’s kind of what I meant. It’s just… it’s been so long and I, given what I’d heard, I just didn’t expect…’
‘Heard?’ I frowned, curious to know what she was referring to.
‘Sorry. Forget I said anything.’
‘No, tell me.’
‘It’s just, the last I heard you were at Cambridge studying economics, then working in the City.’
My gut twisted. I hadn’t expected Jane to know anything about my past. I wasn’t on Facebook. The last thing I wanted was for those school bullies to start contacting me. And the last time I’d checked, Jane wasn’t on social media either.
Once we’d left school, I’d tried to keep in contact, but her dad was really strict, so even though she was sixteen, he still banned her from going out. In the end, I stopped asking and we drifted apart. I went to a college outside of Shamwick, and once I went to Cambridge, I rarely returned.
There was no way I could tell Jane the full story, though, so I just needed to keep it light to stop her from probing.
‘Sounds like you’ve been keeping tabs on me…’ I raised an eyebrow and the corner of my mouth twitched.
‘No! It’s not… I didn’t… I just heard it from Laura when I bumped into her a few years ago and she was talking about old times. She wasn’t gossiping. She was just saying, y’know, how good it was. Like you went to our shitty school and that you’d become a big success, that kind of thing.’
I wasn’t sure if hearing that made me feel better or worse.
At the time it was a big deal.
So many of the teachers at school had written me off and never expected me to make something of myself. But I proved them wrong when I got a scholarship to Cambridge, then, after graduating with a first-class honours degree in economics, landed a role working in mergers and acquisitions at a high-profile investment bank in London.
After working my arse off for years doing gruelling hours including late nights and weekends, I was earning a six-figure salary, renting a fancy apartment and spending crazy amounts of money on designer clothes.
Despite the significant pressure because of the high stakes involved in negotiating and completing successful deals and how competitive the industry was, I’d thought I was living my best life. Until it had all come crashing down.
‘Yeah. Laura was right, I went to Cambridge, then worked in the City, but it was intense. I needed something less stressful and more fulfilling.’
‘I understand.’ Jane nodded, not quite meeting my gaze. I think she was embarrassed. Or worried that I thought she was prying.
I knew she didn’t mean anything by her questions. Jane was always a good person. During the difficult days at school when I was bullied, Jane was one of the few people who showed me kindness. I’d never forget that.
‘So, do you want to give me the grand tour?’ I asked, thinking it was probably best to change the subject.
‘Okay!’
‘Oh, wait.’ I looked down at the coffee cup and paper bags she’d put on the table. ‘Is that your breakfast?’
‘Yeah,’ she replied.
‘Sorry! I don’t want to stop you from eating. Why don’t I have a look around the library and start familiarising myself with everything whilst you have your breakfast?’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Certain.’
‘Have you eaten?’ Jane asked.
‘I had a slice of toast before I left.’
‘Is that all? You’ll need more than that if you’re going to last until lunchtime!’ She smiled. Jane always had a nice smile, and seeing it again made my insides light up. ‘Do you like chocolate muffins?’
‘Love them!’
‘I bought two. I was going to give the other one to Jess, but Maddie, the lady who runs Sweet Treats, which is our favourite cafe, said afterwards that Jess had already been in for breakfast, so you can have it if you like. Consider it a small welcome to the team gift.’
‘Thanks,’ I said as she sat down and handed me a paper bag.
‘And if you’re worried about the calories, I mean, not that you need to because clearly you’re in great shape—I mean, you look fit—sorry, healthy .’ She winced. ‘What I’m trying to say is, eating this muffin is also market research.’
‘Yeah?’ I asked, trying to hide my grin at the fact that she’d just said I was in great shape.
‘Yes, because we’re partnering with Sweet Treats for our in-house cafe. Work starts soon, so seeing as it’ll be an important part of the library, it’d be good for you to sample the goods.’
‘In that case, I think I’d better try something new there every day!’ I laughed. ‘Maybe you could show me where this cafe is later too?’
‘Course I will. Have you been to the beach yet?’
‘No.’ I shook my head.
‘I’ll have to take you there too.’
‘Sounds great. But first, let’s eat.’