Chapter 10
Sara walked into the coffee shop at a quarter to two. She spotted Hannah immediately. She was sitting at a small table in the back of the shop, with a paper cup of coffee by her side and a half-eaten sugar cookie next to it. Hannah was typing on her laptop and looked oblivious to the rest of the world. Sara got herself a coffee before walking over to say hello to her sister. Hannah didn’t even notice her.
“I take it the writing is going well?” Sara asked.
Hannah looked up in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I have an interview at three at the bookshop. They advertised for part-time help.”
“Oh, that might be perfect! And I bet you’d get a good discount on the books, too.”
Sara laughed. “I didn’t even think of that. But you’re probably right. And I think it would be fun. I don’t know how much competition I’ll have, though. I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
“Well, good luck. Pop in after and let me know how it went. You can leave your coffee here if you want.”
“That’s probably a good idea. I should have bought it after the interview. I guess I’m a little nervous. It’s been years since I’ve interviewed for anything.”
“You’ve got this. With your library experience, they’ll be lucky to have you.”
Hannah’s encouraging words calmed Sara a little. She took a deep breath.
“Okay, I’m off. Will be back in a bit.”
She headed into the bookshop and looked around. Her interview was with Alison, one of the owners. At two in the afternoon, the store wasn’t too busy. There were a few people browsing in the aisles and one paying at the register. The woman ringing up the sale looked to be in her fifties and Sara guessed that might be Alison. She waited until the customer left with their bag of books before she walked up to the counter.
“Hello, I have a meeting with Alison. I’m Sara.”
The woman glanced at the clock above the door. It was a few minutes before two. She looked pleased.
“Wonderful, and you’re right on time. Let me just grab Brooklyn to watch the register and we can sit down in the back.” She disappeared into the back office and returned a moment later with a younger woman who went behind the counter and smiled at Sara. “Good luck,” she said as Sara followed Alison to the back office.
There was a big desk and two chairs facing it inside the office. Alison gestured for Sara to have a seat.
Once she was seated, Sara opened a folder and handed Alison a crisp copy of her résumé.
“I printed some extras out, just in case.”
Alison took the résumé. “Thank you. I meant to print a copy earlier and then things got busy.” She looked over the résumé for a moment.
“I love that you worked as a librarian. I think you mentioned in your email that you took time off to raise your children?”
Sara nodded. “Yes, I have four boys and the youngest is in school full-time now, so I am eager to work again. I miss it.”
“Are you looking for part-time, mother’s hours?”
“Yes, ideally anytime between nine and two or two thirty. As long as I can be home by three.”
“That should work. Brooklyn is taking some college classes so she’s looking to shift her hours to evenings and weekends. We need the most help during the week. Have you ever worked retail?”
“No. But I think library work is similar. I used to help people find books and make recommendations.”
Alison smiled. “I think that’s close enough. Do you have any questions for me?”
Sara thought for a moment. “How long have you owned the shop?”
“Not very long. Just over a year now. This store was a long-held dream of mine. I’d worked for years as an editor until the magazine had layoffs. Timing is everything—the owner of the bookshop mentioned she was looking to retire and a good friend knew this was my dream and she helped to make it happen.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. And is it what you’d hoped it would be?”
Alison nodded. “Yes. There was a learning curve, but when you love what you’re doing, it doesn’t feel like work.”
“That’s how I feel about books and why I liked working in the library. I really think this will be a good fit for me. I am addicted to reading.” Sara grinned.
“Would you be able to start on Monday?” Alison asked.
Did that mean she got the job? Sara wasn’t sure if Alison was just generally asking about her availability.
“Yes, that would be perfect, actually.”
“Excellent.” Alison told her the hourly rate, which was about what Sara had expected. “If that works for you, you’re hired.”
“Yes, that works for me.”
Alison stood. “Great. If you want to follow me, I’ll introduce you to Brooklyn.”
Sara followed her to the counter and Alison made the introductions. “Brooklyn will be here Monday and she can train you on the register and then when she leaves at noon, you can take it from there.”
“Perfect! I will see you both on Monday.”
Sara walked back into the coffee shop in a daze. This time Hannah saw her coming. “How did it go?” she asked when Sara reached her.
“I start Monday! I can’t believe it.” Sara reached for her coffee and took a sip. It didn’t quite seem real that finally, she had a job lined up and it was at a bookstore.
“I’m so happy for you. I’m here just about every afternoon now, so I’ll pop over and say hello. And maybe this weekend, we’ll celebrate, if you can get out.”
“If not, then you can come over and we’ll relax in the backyard and have a cookout. And there will be celebrating.” Sara couldn’t wait to tell Tom and everyone else.
Sara was in such a good mood as she left the bookshop that she stopped by the local butcher shop on the way home, to splurge on steaks for dinner. She decided to serve them with baked potatoes and roasted asparagus. She poured herself and Tom a glass of cabernet when he got home and when they were all gathered around the dinner table, she shared her big news.
“I finally got a job. I start Monday at the bookshop on Main Street!”
Two of her boys weren’t paying attention but her oldest gave her a thumbs-up. “That’s great, Mom!”
Her youngest looked confused. “Will you still be here when I get home?”
“Yes, honey. Nothing will change for you. I’m going to be working part-time.”
“What will you be doing there?” Tom asked.
“Whatever needs doing, I suppose. Stocking the shelves when books come in, ringing up customer orders. Helping people find books.”
He frowned. “I didn’t realize you were looking at retail jobs. Do you think that will be enough for you? I thought you’d probably go back to a library.” And just like that, her happy moment ended.
“I tried. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been looking for ages and they never have an opening. And if they did, I don’t know that it would work with what I need for hours. This really seems perfect. I’m excited about it.” Or at least she was, until Tom’s lack of enthusiasm burst her bubble.
Tom took a sip of his wine and smiled slightly. “Well, if you’re happy with it, that’s all that matters. And the hours will be good. Cheers.”
He tapped his glass against hers but her celebratory mood was gone.