46. Jess
46
Jess
‘ R eady?’ Theo asked as he zipped up his jeans.
I knew I’d missed him a lot, but I didn’t realise how much until I saw him again.
Last night was magical. We spoke for hours about what had been happening with the library and then, just like he’d said in the audio, we made love.
It wasn’t just sex anymore. That was very clear. I felt it in the way our bodies moulded together perfectly. The sensation of having his skin pressed against mine felt as natural as breathing. Theo had come home to me.
If he wasn’t here today, I would’ve been okay. But knowing that when I went to see the library for the first time he’d be right beside me was a gift no amount of money could buy.
‘As I’ll ever be.’ I took a deep breath.
There was a knock at the door. That must be Jane.
I slid on my shoes, then went to open it.
‘Oh!’ Jane said as she stepped in the room. ‘Sorry, I didn’t realise you had company. ’
I’d completely forgotten that Jane didn’t know about Theo. He’d barely been back in Sunshine Bay for twelve hours, but somehow it seemed like no time had passed. Like he’d always been a part of my life.
‘This is Theo, my…’ I paused, then looked at him sheepishly. I knew what I wanted to call him. We’d said that we were going to make a go of things, but we’d never got around to discussing titles.
‘Boyfriend,’ Theo said, finishing my sentence, as butterflies erupted in my stomach.
‘Oh!’ Jane’s eyes bulged. ‘I didn’t know you, er…’ She blushed and her gaze dropped to the floor before shifting upwards again. ‘Nice to meet you.’
‘Likewise,’ Theo said. ‘Shall we go?’
‘Yep. My stomach’s more tangled than a box of Christmas lights, so the quicker we go, the quicker I can hopefully see that everything’s fine and calm down.’
‘It’s going to be great.’ Theo rubbed my shoulders.
‘I know. I’m just nervous.’
I had a good feeling about it. The team had kept me informed every step of the way and although I’d had a few site visits during the works, when I knew they were getting close to finishing, I decided I didn’t want to see it. I trusted them, so said I’d prefer to see it in person when everything was done.
We set off, and when I spotted the bright pink sign with ‘The Romance Library’ in beautiful white lettering and an illustration of a pile of romance books beside it, my heart bloomed.
‘Oh my God!’ I jumped up and down on the spot. Even though I’d seen the logo on my computer before I approved it, seeing it in the flesh made everything start to feel so real. ‘It looks amazing! I can’t wait to go inside!’
Colin, the project manager, spotted us and came over.
‘Morning, Jess!’ he said brightly. ‘Theo!’
‘Hi, Colin!’
‘I didn’t know you were popping down! Thought you were still in Paris.’
‘Couldn’t stay away.’ Theo faced me and smiled.
‘This is Jane,’ I said.
‘Nice to meet you.’ Colin shook Jane’s hand.
‘Come on, then, let me show you your lovely library!’
As we stepped through the brand-new solid wooden double doors, my jaw dropped.
The old wooden floors had been fixed and buffed to perfection. The previously dull walls in the corridors were now painted a warm rose shade and looked beautiful.
Various bookish quotes like ‘I’d rather be reading’ and ‘Just one more chapter’ had been carefully stencilled onto the walls and instantly brought a smile to my face.
First Colin led us down to what used to be the old classrooms but had been transformed into our own bookstore.
‘It looks fantastic!’ Jane grinned.
‘It really does!’ I was smiling so much my cheeks started to shake.
Even though there weren’t any books on the shelves lining the walls, I could already visualise how it’d look once there were.
The shop had the same colour scheme as the corridors: white and rose walls and wooden floors. In the centre of the room was a square which would be the till area.
Next Colin led us through to the space I planned to use for events, which at the moment was just empty. I loved that it looked nice and big, though, so there was plenty of room to fill it with the readers, authors, Bookstagrammers and BookTokers and other people I hoped would flock to our talks.
‘And now for the big one,’ Colin said as he stood outside the grand hall, which would be the main library space.
‘Ta-da!’ he said, opening the doors.
‘Wow!’ My eyes bulged as I took in the sight.
Along the shiny wooden floors were rows upon rows of tall pink-and-white bookcases, complete with rolling ladders.
Instead of having normal spotlights, I’d ordered multiple book chandeliers which looked like illuminated open books flying down from the ceiling. I’d chosen different colours, including pink, yellow and white, which really brightened up the room.
Large oval windows flooded the room with natural light and in front of each one was a comfy window seat.
On the subject of seating, the big comfy chairs and sofas we’d ordered had arrived and had been strategically placed around the room.
I was expecting a delivery of cushions and blankets any day now too. I wanted whoever visited the library to feel like they could kick off their shoes, snuggle up in a cosy chair with a cushion, blanket and a book and read.
‘This looks incredible , Colin,’ I said excitedly.
‘Congratulations.’ Theo wrapped his arm around me and kissed me softly on the cheek.
‘Thanks. It’ll look even better when we have the books on the shelves,’ I said .
‘The team will be bringing in all the boxes from the storage out back shortly, so you’ll be able to get started in an hour. Does that work for you?’
‘That’s perfect!’ I said.
‘In the meantime, how about I take you ladies for breakfast?’ Theo smiled.
‘Sweet Treats?’ I grinned, thinking it’d be just like old times.
‘Of course.’ Theo took my hand.
‘I’ll leave you two to it,’ Jane said.
‘Nope.’ I shook my head. ‘Theo invited both of us. And have you seen how many shelves we have to fill? You’re gonna need a big brekkie to give you lots of energy!’
‘If you’re sure?’
‘Certain,’ Theo said.
After we’d eaten a plate of crumpets and different pastries, we headed back to the library. We didn’t get to say goodbye to Maddie because she wasn’t there. She must’ve been on a break.
‘I’m so relieved that everything’s turned out so well with the renovations. It’s going to take days to get everything ready, though. I don’t know how we’re going to do it all.’
As we approached the library, my mouth dropped open.
Stood outside were at least half a dozen familiar faces, including Maddie, Edwin, Barbara, Glenda and Candace.
‘What are you all doing here?’ I said, trying to stop my eyes flying from their sockets.
‘Theo said you might need our help,’ Edwin replied.
‘You know the saying, love,’ Barbara added. ‘Many hands make light work. Tell us what you need and we’ll help you get it done.’
‘I can’t ask you to do that!’ I said. ‘You’ve got the pub to run. And, Maddie, what about the bakery? And Candace—’
‘Don’t you see, Jessica?’ Edwin said. ‘You’re part of our community now. And that means when one of us needs something, we all rally round to help. So like Babs said, put us to work. Not just today, but always .’
My heart inflated like a hot-air balloon. They were all so kind.
‘Thank you.’ I put my hands to my chest, then turned to Theo and threw my arms around him. ‘I really appreciate you organising this.’
‘That’s what boyfriends do for their girlfriends.’
‘Look at them.’ Candace grinned. ‘They’re adorable!’
‘Aren’t they just?’ Edwin winked. ‘I knew from the minute they locked horns in my office that they were made for each other.’
‘Wait a minute…’ I frowned. ‘Did you set us up?’
‘I have no idea what you mean.’ Edwin smiled. ‘I wanted to ensure Seaview High was sold to the best candidate: someone who understood the community. The fact that you had to spend time together and take part in community activities was just a happy coincidence…’ He winked.
‘I knew you weren’t as innocent as you looked!’ Theo joked. ‘Thank you for helping to bring us together.’
‘You’re welcome. My wife and I met at Seaview High, so I like to think this building helps to bring people together. And didn’t you say Mrs Davis met her husband there too? ’
‘Yep!’ I said.
‘Who knows who else will find love at The Romance Library?’ Edwin grinned. ‘I’m very much looking forward to the opening.’
‘Speaking of which,’ Maddie added, ‘we’ll be here to help for the opening day too.’
‘Really?’ My eyes widened.
‘Course!’ Candace agreed. ‘I’ll send one of the girls over to serve some orange squash to keep the crowd hydrated.’
‘If you print some posters, we can all put them in our shop windows,’ Maddie suggested.
‘Great idea!’ Barbara said. ‘If you do leaflets, we can hand them out and put them on the bar to help spread the word.’
‘That’d be amazing!’ I said.
‘And I can make some book-themed biscuits for the opening too if you like?’ Maddie offered. My eyes widened as I remembered that I’d thought of the same idea when I was brainstorming with Sarah, but I hadn’t plucked up the courage to ask Maddie.
‘Kara from the hairdressers said she could do your hair and make-up if you want to tart yourself up for all the photos the paps are going to take,’ Barbara said. ‘Bob offered to act as security, but I reckon he’ll be about as helpful as a Chihuahua!’ she cackled.
‘I don’t know how I’ll be able to repay you all.’ Tears filled my eyes.
‘Simple,’ Edwin said. ‘By doing your best to make the library work! We’re all rooting for you!’
And as I looked around me and saw the warmth in their eyes, I knew he was right.
I had a great feeling about the opening day.
Something told me it was going to be a huge success.