15. Jane
15
JANE
‘ I t looks amazing!’ I stepped back and admired the cafe, which was finished last night.
Like the rest of the library, the large, airy room had a pink-and-white colour scheme.
The rich scent of freshly brewed coffee and sweet pastries filled the air and as I took in the sight of the pretty glass display counter, my mouth watered.
It wasn’t just the traditional cakes and pastries in Sweet Treats that were impressive. What immediately caught my eye was the display of bookish-themed cupcakes and biscuits.
Some cupcakes had a colourful 3-D bookstack on top, which almost looked too pretty to eat. Others had a mini open book resting on the pink, white or yellow icing with different messages like ‘I Love Spicy Books’ or ‘Romance Rocks’.
The biscuits also had romance-related quotes like ‘Good Girl’ and ‘Book Boyfriends Are the Best’, and the extra-large cookies had longer sayings—for example, ‘I Like My Coffee Steamy, Just Like My Books’. I loved the heart-shaped biscuits with pretty red icing too.
I could see that Jess and Maddie had put a lot of thought into choosing the furniture. There was a mixture of pink-and-white painted wooden tables, and light grey chairs. I didn’t even need to sit in them to know that they were comfortable. They weren’t those hard wooden seats that hurt your bum after two minutes. Nope . These ones were spongy and cushioned with a circular arc shape to support your bottom and your back, so you could immerse yourself in a great book whilst enjoying some coffee and cake in comfort.
There were also cute window seats with a view of the pretty row of shops opposite us, so if customers wanted to take a break from reading, they could people-watch instead.
Shelves lined one wall with a display of popular books available to buy, including our book of the week, and the other walls were decorated with framed quotes about love and romance.
Yep. Love & Lattes was even more perfect than I’d imagined.
‘We still have some little bits and bobs to do this morning,’ Maddie said, ‘but hopefully we’ll get it all done before the big opening at lunchtime.’
‘I’m sure we will. And these are fantastic!’ I picked up the stack of glossy leaflets on the table and turned to face Jackson.
During the three days that the library was closed, I’d missed him.
I knew it didn’t make sense. After all, I’d gone years without seeing Jackson, but during the short time he’d been working here, I’d grown to like the ritual of seeing him. Even if we hadn’t got to spend much time together this week.
When the library reopened on Wednesday, Jackson had asked for my help with choosing the merch items shortlist to present to Jess. He’d said that as I was the expert, he’d really value my opinion on what kind of things romance book lovers would enjoy.
Naturally I told him that a selection of bookmarks were a given, as well as a tote bag. I also suggested stickers and T-shirts would be good too.
Jackson seemed so grateful for my suggestions. As I talked, his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm causing my whole body to light up. Truth was, that was how my body responded whenever he was around. Especially when he saw me and his face broke into a smile. God, I loved his smile. And I liked talking to him (when I wasn’t getting tongue-tied, of course). He was just so…
Gah.
I was becoming obsessed. I really needed to find a man outside of work instead of fixating on one that could never be mine.
The whole Tinder hook-up plan had fallen flat before I’d even created my profile.
When I’d got home that night, I’d seen my brother scrolling through Tinder, complaining about the ‘mingers’ that were clogging up his inbox and how he was only interested in ‘fit birds’ with ‘big knockers’.
Listening to how he spoke about women made me want to throw up. And then it occurred to me that if I went on any of the dating apps, my poor excuse of a brother would be on them too. If he ever saw me on there, he’d go straight to my parents, and because of their double standards, all hell would break loose.
So that was that. Dating apps weren’t an option. If I wanted to lose my V-card at some point this century, I had to find another way.
Anyway, I didn’t want to think about that, or my family, right now. Being at my parents’ felt suffocating. Like all of the happiness and joy was being sucked out of me. But thankfully I was here, at my happy place. As soon as I stepped into the library, it was like I came back to life.
Spending time with like-minded people like Jackson and of course Jess and Theo was like a breath of fresh air.
The positivity and happiness within these walls were infectious. That was why it was so important that we made this cafe opening a big success.
‘Thanks.’ Jackson smiled and just like always, my stomach fluttered. ‘Glad you like them. Hopefully we’ll get some sign-ups for the first silent reading party next Friday night too.’
‘I’m sure we will,’ I gushed.
‘What do you think?’ Jess said as she came into the cafe with Theo. As happy as I was to see them, I was also a little gutted as I was enjoying chatting to Jackson.
‘I absolutely love it!’ I replied. ‘And the sign looks brilliant too. I’m amazed you were able to get it made so quickly.’
‘You can thank this gorgeous man for that! He literally knows everyone in the trade, so he clicks his fingers and shit gets done.’
‘That’s not entirely accurate,’ Theo said. ‘I’d never click my fingers. Not my style.’
‘True,’ Jess laughed. ‘You two came up with so many good names it was hard for me and Maddie to choose, but I think Love & Lattes suits this cafe perfectly.
‘Agreed,’ Jackson said. ‘Jane’s suggestions were brilliant.’
‘It was a team effort,’ I said, thinking how sweet it was of him to give me all of the credit. ‘And I’m sure it was you, Jackson, who suggested Love & Lattes.’
‘You two work well together.’ Jess smiled. ‘We’re expecting a good turnout, but I reckon the majority of people will come tonight, which means it’s gonna be a long day.’
‘We’re ready for it!’ Jackson said enthusiastically.
‘That’s the spirit!’ Theo added.
A few hours later the cafe was all set up. Maddie had added an extra batch of mini bookish cupcakes in a variety of flavours, including chocolate, vanilla, coffee and red velvet, to give to guests who ordered a coffee or drink.
Guests gushed not just about how pretty the cafe was but also how delicious the cakes, biscuits and coffee were, which was exactly what we wanted to hear.
At around five, just as it was starting to get dark, we closed the cafe to have a quick tidy-up and get everything prepared for the evening opening celebrations, which were scheduled to start at seven.
‘Need an extra pair of hands?’ Jackson asked as I helped Maddie and Tamsin, who would be the main person manning the cafe, clear away the last of the coffee mugs and plates.
‘We should be fine, right, Maddie? ’
‘Yeah. Once we’re done here, me and Tamsin will get the next batch of biscuits and cakes and bring them over.’
‘Okay. If you need anything, just shout,’ he said before leaving the cafe.
‘We will.’
Ten minutes later, Maddie and Tamsin had headed off to Sweet Treats and I was setting out leaflets on the tables promoting our new offers and the first silent reading party.
Just as I bent down to take more leaflets out of the box, a loud crash made me jump out of my skin. When I looked up, I saw a brick flying through the air before plummeting to the ground.
What the hell?
Seconds later, I heard footsteps and Jackson raced into the room.
‘What was that? I heard…’ His eyes flicked to the window, then to the floor where the brick had landed. ‘Shit!’ He raced over and placed his hands on my shoulders. ‘Are you okay? Are you hurt?’
I heard him talking and I saw him in front of me. I even felt the heat from his palms, but for some reason, I couldn’t speak.
‘What happened?’ Jess ran into the room, quickly followed by Theo.
‘Someone threw a brick through the window!’ Jackson shouted.
‘What the fuck?’ Jess’s eyes bulged. ‘Jane?’ She walked quickly towards me. ‘Jane,’ she repeated. ‘Talk to me. Are you okay?’
‘Maybe you should sit down.’ Jackson released his hands and pulled a chair behind me. I instantly missed the heat of his palms. ‘Here.’ He gently guided my body towards the chair. ‘Sit down for a second.’
‘I’ll make some tea.’ Jess rushed behind the counter.
‘Jane.’ Jackson’s voice sounded again, softer this time.
‘I…’ I attempted to talk. ‘It just came out of nowhere. I bent down to get more leaflets and then…’
‘I’m going to look outside,’ Theo said. ‘Whoever did this will be long gone, but it’s worth a try.’
‘Be careful,’ Jess called out.
‘I’ll be out in a sec,’ Jackson said. ‘I need to make sure Jane is okay.’
‘I… I’m fine,’ I said.
‘You’re in shock.’ He took my hand and squeezed it gently. I was about to tell him that it felt really nice but caught myself, just in time.
‘Maybe.’ I nodded slowly. ‘But what are we going to do? The evening celebration is starting soon. We need to get everything ready!’ I jumped up.
‘We’ll cancel it,’ Jess said calmly as she brought over a steaming mug of tea.
‘No!’ I raised my voice, which I didn’t do often. ‘There’s too many people coming. We can’t let them down. And we need the money.’
‘Your safety’s more important than money,’ Jess insisted.
‘I couldn’t see anyone out there,’ Theo said as he returned to the cafe. ‘But I’ve called the police. This was a deliberate attack. Call me paranoid, but I think someone’s trying to sabotage the library. This is the second time something has happened.’
‘What?’ Jackson said. ‘Someone’s done this before?’
‘Not a brick, no. But a few weeks ago, just before you started, we had a leak on the roof. Bill said it looked like someone had deliberately tampered with the tiles and damaged the roof. We both suspected it was foul play, because causing a leak like that wasn’t easy, but didn’t have any proof. And now this? It’s too much of a coincidence.’
‘But who would do something like that?’ I asked.
I remembered Jess had said Theo thought the roof leaking was suspicious, but I didn’t realise he meant someone had deliberately sabotaged it. I thought maybe the tiles the builders had used weren’t the ones they’d paid for or something a lot less sinister.
‘Someone with a grudge against the library,’ Jess added.
‘What, like another library? Or a bookstore?’ My brow furrowed. That sounded a bit drastic.
It couldn’t be another cafe in town that was worried about the competition because Sweet Treats was the main cafe slash bakery in Sunshine Bay and Maddie was a partner in Love & Lattes. Plus everyone in this town was so lovely.
‘No.’ Theo blew out a frustrated breath. ‘Someone like my father. He’s not happy that Edwin sold the building to Jess to open a library. And he hates that I resigned from working at his company to work here instead. If he drives us out of the library and we had to sell, the land would be free for him to buy to build his luxury apartments, just like he always wanted.’
‘And I suppose he thinks that then you’d be forced to go back to work for him too, right?’ Jackson said.
‘Correct.’ Theo nodded. ‘My brother Ben said he’s convinced that it’s only a matter of time until I come running back with my tail between my legs. And although Father wouldn’t admit it, I’ve heard on the grapevine that he’s lost a lot of business since I left because many of my contacts aren’t happy working with him.’
‘So he has a strong motivation for the library to fail,’ Jackson added.
‘That’s right.’
‘Shit,’ Jess said. ‘I know your dad’s a monumental dick, but would he really stoop this low?’
‘When it comes to business, he’s ruthless. Father would stop at nothing to get what he wants.’
‘So what can we do?’ Jess said, concern in her eyes.
‘I’d love to march down to his office right now and give him a piece of my mind, but we don’t have any proof, so I don’t think we’ll get anywhere that way. Hopefully the police will be here soon and we can see what they say. In the meantime, I’ll make a call and get some cameras installed.’
‘But what about tonight?’ I asked.
‘I don’t know.’ Theo sighed. ‘Maybe we should cancel, like Jess said.’
‘I really think we should go ahead,’ I insisted. ‘If your dad is trying to sabotage the library, he’d love us to cancel and upset customers and members. He’d want us to fail. Which is exactly why we have to go ahead.’
‘That’s actually a good point.’ Jess stood up straighter. ‘If he wants to fuck with us, we have to show him we won’t be defeated.’
‘Yes!’ I said, feeling a surge of energy race through me.
‘I was kind of in agreement about cancelling,’ Jackson said. ‘I wouldn’t want anyone else to get hurt. But you’re right, Jane. The show must go on. I can keep watch outside whilst the event is on to make sure no one comes back, but we’ll still need to find a way to get everything cleaned up and ready in time for tonight.’
‘That won’t be a problem.’ Theo smiled. ‘This is Sunshine Bay. The town famous for its community spirit . Isn’t that right, Jess?’
‘Yep!’ She smiled like a light bulb had just gone off in her head. ‘I reckon we can round up a few people who’d be more than happy to help…’