42. Jess
42
Jess
Six Weeks Later
A s I sat at a table in Sweet Treats, I sighed. I’d just finished interviewing another person for the librarian role, and like the six other people I’d seen over the past week, she just wasn’t right.
On paper, she seemed perfect. She’d worked for libraries all across London, which was amazing, but she seemed snooty. My gut told me she wouldn’t be a good fit for the library. Or this town.
I couldn’t believe I was about to say this, but I was looking for someone with community spirit. Edwin clearly was rubbing off on me.
It was true, though. The Romance Library was a start-up, so it was important that whoever joined could be a team player and was ready to muck in and help out with whatever needed doing to get it off the ground.
The woman who’d just left gave me the impression that if she broke one of her perfectly manicured fingernails whilst putting a book on the shelf, she’d need to take the rest of the day off sick to get it fixed.
No. I’d just had to keep going and hope that one of the two other candidates I had left to see would be ideal. Especially seeing as the library was opening in two weeks.
The last six weeks had been a whirlwind. Thankfully the sale had gone through quickly and renovation work started straight away.
Seaview High was in relatively good condition considering its age. Mainly because it had some work done a couple of years before it closed and Edwin had been keeping a close eye on it ever since.
As the team of contractors were super professional, the work had progressed without any major issues, which was a relief.
On the marketing side, with Sarah’s help I’d set up the library’s social media pages and we’d been posting every day to help drum up interest.
Now we had a few hundred followers, which was encouraging, but we’d need a lot more to make this venture viable.
I’d emailed Mia Bailey as Sarah suggested but hadn’t had a reply. When I followed up after a couple of weeks, her assistant said she was on holiday and had a lot of prior engagements in her diary, so she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to help but would let me know as soon as she’d had a chance to discuss it with Mia.
So it wasn’t an outright no. There was still hope. On my evening walks on the beach, I’d been asking the universe to get Mia to agree. And that wasn’t the only thing I’d been trying to manifest.
I’d also asked if Theo could come back to me. It’d been almost two months that we’d been apart and it hadn’t got any easier.
Although being based in Sunshine Bay was ideal for work, it wasn’t so good for my heart. Everything here reminded me of him.
When I came to the bakery, I thought about the crumpets and the first time Theo bought me the delicious cakes.
If I went for a drink at the Seaview Arms, I thought about the talent show. These days, even when I sang in the shower, my mind drifted to Theo.
Every time I walked along the beach and sat on our bench, I pictured the times we’d read there, when he’d made me come with his hands and all the blissful evenings we’d just watched the sunset together.
I hadn’t had time to look for somewhere else to live, which meant I was still based at the B&B. And everything there held a different memory of Theo. My bed, the desk and of course the rocking chair.
Depending on what time I finished work, I always tried to read before bed. Even if it was just a couple of chapters. I’d devoured over a dozen books since Theo had left.
Books were my happy place. They helped me to forget about the stress and pressure of everyday life. When I was lost in the pages, I was able to imagine a world where I’d still get my own happily-ever-after.
Books brought me so much joy. They gave me hope.
And I was so grateful that Theo was the one who helped me rediscover my love for them. I had a lot to thank him for.
That was why no matter how busy I was, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get Theo out of my head .
So I’d decided: once the library was up and running, I was going to message him and ask if he wanted to meet.
He might have already moved on with some chic Parisian, and knowing that would hurt like hell, but I had to try. If I didn’t, I’d always wonder, what if ?
I’d considered inviting him to the opening, but that day was already going to be stressful and if he didn’t turn up, I’d be upset. I needed to be a hundred per cent focused and make this opening a success. So as much as I wanted to, I had to wait. I’d survived for two months (just), so I had to be patient and hold on a little longer.
I reckoned that a couple of weeks after the opening would be good. Then we would’ve been through most of the teething problems and things would be much calmer.
Until then, I had to focus on getting someone to help me out.
‘Erm, hello. Are you Jessica?’ A soft voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
When I looked up, there was a petite woman with glasses, white skin and brown hair tied up in a bun. Her cream blouse was buttoned all the way to the top and she wore a calf-length pleated grey skirt and brown ballerina shoes.
I didn’t know why, but I instantly liked her.
‘Yep, I’m Jess!’ I smiled warmly. ‘Are you…’ I glanced down at the CV in front of me, ‘Jane?’
‘Yes. Sorry I’m early. I can come back in fifteen minutes if you like?’
‘No, no, you’re fine. Please have a seat.’
So far so good. I got a nice vibe from her and she was early, which was a positive sign.
‘Thank you. ’
After I’d ordered Jane a drink, we got started.
‘So what made you apply for the role?’ I asked.
‘Firstly, I love books,’ Jane replied. I noticed that she spoke very softly. It was a good thing the bakery was quiet—otherwise it’d be hard to hear her. ‘Especially romance novels. I’ve been reading them since I was a teenager.’
‘What do you love about them?’
‘Where do I start? There’s so many things! I love the butterflies I get watching a couple fall in love. The escapism. The way great books help you forget about real life. They give you hope and make you believe in love. I like that I get to fall for a new book boyfriend every time I pick up a novel. My experiences with romance in real life are… well, limited.’ She hung her head. ‘So reading about the characters going through those emotions is reassuring. Knowing that they’ll always get to live happily ever after is really comforting.’
She was spot on. That was exactly what I loved about romance novels too.
Hearing Jane’s response made my thoughts drift back to Theo. The time we spent together was the kind of swoonworthy romance I loved reading about. It was a shame we didn’t get our own happy ending.
‘It says on your CV that you’ve worked in a library and a bookshop before?’ I forced myself to focus on the interview again.
‘Yes. I spent a few summers working in a library in Hastings and for the past year I’ve been working in a bookshop in London. But it’s really expensive to live there, so I’ve had to move back home with my parents.’
‘In Sunshine Bay?’
‘No, in Shamwick—a town a few miles from here. ’
‘And how’s that going?’
‘Um, it’s… difficult. That’s why I’d really love this job. I’m a really hard worker and I’m passionate about books. Honestly, this would be my dream job. I follow you on social media, so I know how important The Romance Library is to you. And I know there’ll be a lot to do to get it off the ground, especially in the beginning.’ Jane was speaking so quickly now, like if she didn’t get all the words out in one go she’d forget what she wanted to say. ‘But if you give me this opportunity, I promise I’ll do whatever you need to help you make it a success.’
Jane blew out a breath, like she’d used all her energy to answer my question and had nothing left.
I loved everything she’d said. And most importantly, I believed every word.
‘When can you start?’ I asked without hesitation. I was scheduled to interview someone else tomorrow, but I’d call straight after this to tell him the position had been filled.
‘Oh!’ Jane’s eyes bulged. ‘Erm, tomorrow? I’m not due to work at the bookshop again until the weekend and I only have another week’s notice left to work.’
‘That’d be amazing! Actually…’ I paused. ‘I’ve just remembered, I have to speak to the accountants about setting you up on the payroll and do all the other paperwork first. And I don’t know how long that’d take.’
All of this was so alien to me. I tried to pretend I knew what I was doing, but the truth was most of the time, I was just winging it.
‘Don’t worry. You must have loads on, so why don’t I start tomorrow anyway and you can work out the official stuff whenever.’
‘Seriously?’ I frowned .
‘Yes,’ Jane said. ‘I want to help. And I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t mind getting out of the house!’ She chuckled lightly.
‘I can imagine! Well, if you’re sure, that’d be brilliant, thank you! Welcome to The Romance Library team!’
‘Brilliant! I can’t thank you enough!’ Jane beamed. I could tell she was genuinely happy. I was too. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. ‘I’m just going to pop to the loo.’
‘Okay,’ I said.
Just as I picked up my phone to text the accountant, I saw there was an email.
OMG.
It was from Mia Bailey.
She’d finally got back to me about the opening.
My finger hovered over the message and I held my breath.
Here’s hoping it’s good news.