5
NORA WASN’T SURE that Hilary was being entirely honest when she said that the date-with-a-book club was nothing to do with actually dating. But then, Hilary was with Toby and yet still going to this book club, and that was why Nora gave her the benefit of the doubt.
Although it seemed like a lot of trouble compared to her Bristol book club, Hilary had insisted it would be worth it to be in the ‘best group’ since that meant the book club meeting was at Oliver’s.
Nora had parked her car behind the church again, having found that it was a handy spot for getting almost anywhere in the town. She headed to the library where she was hoping to sign up to the book club. Doing it via the library was apparently the ‘in’ to being in the right book club group. The library was at the opposite end of the high street to Candles and Cushions and was separated from the road by railings and then a garden with plenty of benches that might invite someone to sit and read, if it were a warmer day.
As soon as the wooden doors swung open, Nora was flung back in time to her childhood and the visits to her own local library. The smell was almost exactly the same and she immediately loved the fact that Croftwood Library had managed to survive any kind of modernisation that might have changed that. The library of her childhood had closed years ago so it was heartening to find that the same fate hadn’t touched this one.
‘Morning,’ said the woman from behind the desk that dominated the entrance. She had brown curly hair and was wearing some dungarees with a Liberty print blouse underneath, both of which Nora loved.
‘Morning. I was hoping to sign up for the book club.’
‘Wonderful! These are the book choices for this month. We always have a romance, a crime or thriller and a biography or historical non-fiction. Most of the copies are out on loan apart from this one.’ She pointed to Unruly by David Mitchell which was the history of all the Kings and Queens of England. ‘I think people are overwhelmed by the idea of that much information in one book. Most people have gone for the thriller this month.’ It was The Housemaid by Freida McFadden.
‘I’ve been meaning to read that, so perhaps that’d be the best choice,’ said Nora, keen not to have to tackle anything too taxing.
The librarian checked her computer. ‘I don’t have any in at the moment but I’ve got a handful due back in the next couple of days. I could put you on the waiting list. Do you have a library membership?’
‘I’ll need to join, please. I’ve only just moved to Croftwood.’
‘Ah, welcome to the town! I’m Lois. I live in Worcester but obviously spend quite a bit of time in Croftwood.’
‘Nora. I can’t believe this library, it’s just like the one I used to go to as a child.’
Lois beamed. ‘I know, isn’t it gorgeous? We had to fight to keep it from closing a couple of years ago. It was a bit tired and neglected but this book club is actually what helped save it.’
‘Now that you’ve said that, I remember hearing the story on the radio. Didn’t you win an award or something?’
‘We were Library of the Year. It was pretty amazing. Do you have any ID on you? I can take your details off that if you have something like a driving licence.’
Nora rooted around in her purse and found her driving licence, then wandered over to browse the shelves while Lois sorted out the membership. She tended to read thrillers most of the time but she loved a really thick book now and again having grown up stealing her mum’s Jilly Cooper novels. Polo was a particular favourite and she had a very battered copy that now she thought about it was possibly in the box that Julian had because she didn’t remember unpacking it.
She was flicking through a book called ‘Wild Swimming’ when Lois came over and handed her the membership card.
‘I love the idea of wild swimming,’ Lois said. ‘Not that I’ve ever tried. It’s just got a strange appeal.’
‘I used to live near the sea so I swam most days. It was a sea pool, so not exactly wild but I think it’s a similar experience and you definitely get the same benefits.’
‘You must miss that now you’re living the furthest you can get from the sea.’
‘I’ve found a lake so I’ve been swimming there for a couple of weeks.’
‘Oh, fantastic. So not an organised thing? That’s quite brave.’
‘I suppose I know what to look out for after so many years, and it’s definitely a high-quality lake, not a stagnant pond or anything.’
Lois laughed. ‘Where is it?’
Nora’s heart sank. She should have anticipated this.
‘I’m not sure exactly, I came across it when I was on a walk. I don’t think I could find it any other way.’ It wasn’t an outright lie. If she hadn’t seen Archie and Tatty the other day, she’d never have ventured further than the lake itself, and would never have known that it was in the grounds of Croftwood Court.
‘Lucky you. That sounds idyllic.’ Lois didn’t press for any more information, and Nora was grateful for that. She’d be more careful about what she said from now on. ‘So we’ll give you a ring when the book’s in and I’ll add you to the book club list for next week. Will you get through it before then?’
‘I should think so,’ Nora said confidently, ‘And the meeting is at Oliver’s?’
‘Yes. We have so many people in the book club now that we have three venues and only people who book through the library can go to the meeting at Oliver’s since that was our original meeting place. We have meetings at the Courtyard Café for anyone linked to a library other than Croftwood. We get a lot of people from Worcester,’ she explained. ‘And then there’s a meeting at Croftwood Cinema for anyone who just wants to join in and isn’t a member of the library but actually it’s become overspill for the entire club. It’s been huge since the summer. We had to start that one after the Croftwood Festival because there was so much demand.’
‘That’s incredible. Running a book club on that kind of scale must be a lot of work.’
‘It’s the biggest part of my job now,’ Lois said. ‘Luckily we have a great team here so Linda and Rosemary manage the library day-to-day, and I run the book club. Today’s my regular day to cover for both of them and I love working on the desk. Except on Saturdays. It’s total chaos.’
‘Well, thanks for enrolling me,’ Nora said. ‘I’ll pop back as soon as I hear from you.’
‘And I’ll see you at the book club for your date.’
Nora went cold. ‘I didn’t think that it was actually going to be a date. Do you mean it’s a date with the book?’
‘Sorry, I should have explained,’ said Lois, smiling and unaware of Nora’s dread that she might have signed up for some weird speed-dating involving books. ‘We just match you up with someone else who’s read the book. Not like romantic dating, although we have had a few successes in that department. It could be anyone, and usually once you’ve had a chat about the book with your date,’ she air-quoted, ‘it turns into more of a group thing. The idea behind it was to be less intimidating so that individuals feel more comfortable joining in. Saves having to find a friend who’s interested in coming.’
‘Ah, okay. That makes sense.’ Nora laughed with relief. ‘I guess it’s a good way to meet other people from the town.’
‘Exactly! And the group that meets at Oliver’s is almost all locals. It’ll be great,’ she said reassuringly.
Feeling pleased that she’d finally done something to involve herself in the community, Nora left the library and headed to Oliver’s for a chai latte. She could see Hilary’s partner, Toby, sat at the same table he had been at the other day. He smiled and raised a hand when she went in. She waved back, feeling odd that they kind of knew each other without having spoken. She was sure Hilary would have shared their conversation with him, and she didn’t mind that, but it might take a while to get used to that small-town thing where everyone knows everyone and their business.
Today, the barista was a bearded man, similar to her age rather than Jack from her last visit.
‘What can I get you?’ he asked.
‘An oat milk chai latte, please.’
‘Drinking in?’
‘Yes, thanks.’
‘Take a seat and I’ll bring it over.’
Nora paid with her phone and took a seat at a table tucked in the corner behind some open shelving that was chock-full of trailing foliage. While she waited for her drink she replied to a text from her friend Liz, who she used to swim with regularly at Clevedon. Liz was free to meet on Saturday, so Nora suggested late morning which would give her time to pick up her box from Julian’s and then wash the whole experience away with a lovely cold swim.
‘One oat milk chai latte,’ said the barista. ‘Are you a new regular?’ he asked with a lazy smile, leaning against the shelves with his arms crossed and making no move to go back to the counter.
Nora gave him an uncertain smile. ‘Why would you say that?’
‘I saw you wave to Toby. And I had a text from my girlfriend Lois who I think you just met? So I put two and two together.’
She desperately wanted to make some quick-witted comment but couldn’t think of anything. And besides, it was nice that everyone was so welcoming. Or it would be once she got over the weirdness of it.
‘Hey, Oliver. I hope you’re not going to need legal representation when Nora has you arrested for harassment.’ Toby called over. He’d pulled his headphones down so they were looped around his neck, and he looked amused.
‘I’m not harassing her, I’m making friends with a new customer,’ Oliver objected.
‘I’ll vouch for him and reassure you that it starts out like this but develops into something that seems more normal once you get to know him,’ Toby said.
‘Good to know,’ said Nora, grinning. ‘I’m not used to a town on this scale. I’ve moved here from Bristol,’ she said to Oliver.
‘As owner of the best coffee house in town, allow me to formally welcome you to Croftwood.’ He held out his hand and Nora shook it, noting that it didn’t have the same effect on her as when she’d shaken Archie’s hand, and making a mental note to wonder more about why that might be later on.
Toby came over and stood next to Oliver. ‘Nice to say hello properly,’ he said with a reassuring smile. ‘I think word has spread that Nora Hartford has moved to town so this isn’t the last time you’ll come across people being odd around you. Hilary’s mortified about the other day.’
‘I’m not being odd!’ Oliver said, looking offended.
Nora laughed. ‘She shouldn’t be. I was the one who took her by surprise. I should have made an appointment instead of turning up unannounced.’
‘You made her year,’ said Toby. ‘She’s been singing your praises to everyone. I imagine that’s how Oliver ended up coming across like a stalker. He’s probably been hyped up by Hilary. No offence, you’re not a Hart Pottery lover are you Oliver?’
‘I like a bit of crockery as much as the next man,’ said Oliver. ‘But I have to admit I googled you about two minutes before you walked in here, after Lois texted me. She was pretty excited.’
Nora was baffled. She was hardly a celebrity, but the demographic of people who bought her mass-produced work was thirty- to fifty-year-old women, so perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised that other people in Hilary’s friendship group had heard of her.
‘Well, I’ve signed up for the book club and this is a pretty good chai latte so I probably will be a regular. Despite the overly attentive proprietor.’
Toby barked out a laugh and slapped Oliver on the back. ‘That’s what you’ll come to love about this place, Nora. Oliver’s a mine of information about everything and everyone in Croftwood.’
‘So get used to it?’
‘Ha! Nora, we’re going to love having you here,’ Toby said, heading back to his own table.
‘Well, it’s nice to meet you,’ Oliver said, looking abashed. ‘Next time you come in, it’s on the house.’
‘That’s okay,’ Nora said, smiling.
‘Lois’ll kill me if she knows I let you buy that one, so you’d be doing me a favour.’
Nora strolled back to her car with a smile on her face. Maybe she ought to be wary about making friends with the first people she’d met. She didn’t want it to end up like when she went to college, having to avoid people for the next three years because she’d misjudged who she might get along with. But she was older and wiser now and they seemed like genuinely nice people. Normal people, with jobs and partners. Could it really be that easy to make friends? Probably best to be cautious, just in case. But she already got on with Hilary. At least she could pump her for information about the other people she came across. Weed out the weirdos.