32. Jackson
32
JACKSON
A s I sat at the front of the library hall and saw fifty guests with their heads buried in different romance books, my heart swelled.
We were only an hour into our first silent reading party and it was already a big hit.
Originally, we’d hoped to get thirty guests, but we’d exceeded expectations and I could tell from the massive grin on Jess’s face that she was happy.
Even though the ticket price included a glass of Prosecco or hot drink, guests had already bought extras in the cafe, which would be great for boosting the library’s profits.
Guests were allowed to bring their own books, but we were running special offers on some bestsellers tonight, so we’d sold a shitload of those novels too.
And people were loving the merch. They’d bought a ton of stickers and bookmarks. The tote bags and mugs would be ready in time for the next event and I reckoned they’d sell well too. Things were really starting to take off .
My phone pinged. Shit. I thought I’d put it on silent. As I pulled it out of my pocket and glanced at the screen, my eyeballs nearly flew out of their sockets.
‘Fuck!’ I shouted. Everyone’s heads snapped up from their books.
‘Sorry.’ I winced. ‘Jess, Theo, Jane—can I borrow you for a second?’ I whispered. Once we were safely out in the corridor, I held out my phone. ‘I think you’ll all want to see this.’ I pointed to the email that had just come through from D.D. Desire’s agent.
‘Oh my God!’ Jess squealed before remembering she had to keep her voice down.
‘Wait.’ Jane’s eyes popped. ‘D.D. is coming here ? To do a signing? And a reading?’
‘Yep!’ I grinned, then read the message again, just to double-check that it was real.
Dear Jackson,
Thank you for your patience. I’m thrilled to confirm that D.D. would absolutely LOVE to visit The Romance Library for a signing. She has also suggested that she do a reading from Illicit Delight.
We’re still working out dates, but it’s likely D.D. will be available to visit on a Sunday afternoon in around four weeks’ time. I’ll confirm the exact date and time shortly so that you can start promoting the event.
Looking forward to it already!
Yours sincerely,
Veronica x
‘That’s incredible!’ Theo said. ‘Well done, Jackson.’
‘This is the best news ever!’ Jess jumped up and down repeatedly. ‘Thank you sooo much! Right, Jane and I better get back. Although I doubt I’ll be able to concentrate on anything right now. I’m so excited!’
‘Me too! You’ve made our week, Jackson.’ Jane gave me a warm smile and my insides lit up.
I felt like I’d just invented water. They were all so happy and grateful. And knowing that I’d played a part in their joy made pride fill my chest.
‘This really is fantastic news.’ Theo slapped me affectionately on the back. ‘Everything’s going well tonight too.’
‘Yeah, I’m really pleased with it.’
‘When Jess told me you planned to hold a party in the library, at first I thought she meant a rave!’ He laughed. ‘I’d seen stuff about these bookish gatherings in other countries but never realised it’d be so popular here too.’
‘Book lovers obviously love reading, but I think there’s something cool about doing it in a social setting with other bookworms. Maybe it’s because they know that in the breaks they can chat about what they’re reading with someone who’ll be interested. It’s a good way to switch off from scrolling on social media and do something social, without being too social if that makes sense!’ I chuckled. ‘They don’t have to worry about having to make awkward conversation because they already know they’ve got stuff in common.’
‘So true. I love the idea of people coming here and making friends. Thanks for organising it. It’s only been a few weeks since you’ve joined us, but we’re already starting to see an increase in profits thanks to these events and the marketing initiatives you’ve implemented in the bookshop and cafe, and now we’ve got this mega signing to look forward to. Anyway, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate you.’
‘Thanks.’ My face broke into a smile. It was good to know that I was making a difference. And even better to hear that my efforts were appreciated. ‘I’m really enjoying working here.’
‘Glad to hear it. Anyway, we’re going to need more Prosecco and teabags. I had no idea readers got so thirsty! For speed, I was thinking I could get the Prosecco from the pub because Barbara will give me a discount, whilst you get another box of teabags and some biscuits from the supermarket. We’ve sold out of all of the bookish ones Maddie made.’
‘Course. I was just gonna bring more books from the shop to sell in the library during the next break.’
‘Okay, great. I’ll help you with that first.’ Theo nodded.
We started walking towards the bookshop, but just as we stepped inside, the whole building plunged into darkness.
‘What the…?’ I said loudly.
‘Must be a power cut,’ Theo replied.
I reached in my pocket, pulled out my phone and switched on the torch. Theo did the same.
‘You okay, Ellen?’ I called out as I spotted our volunteer behind the till, her eyes wide.
‘What happened?’ she asked.
‘Power cut,’ I said.
‘Hmmm, I’m not sure…’ Theo called out. I used the torch to scan the shop and spotted him with his face pressed against the window. ‘The streetlights are on. And the lights are on in the shops across the road too. I’m going to take a look in the electricity cupboard downstairs. Maybe a switch has tripped or something.’
I really hoped it was something we could fix quickly. There was a hall full of people who’d paid good money to come and read, which they couldn’t do in the dark.
‘I’ll come with you.’
‘We need to let Jess know we’re on the case first, though.’
When we got to the hall, people were holding their phones in the air to light up the room like music fans did at concerts and the hall wasn’t quiet anymore. The sound of nervous chatter buzzed in the air.
‘What happened?’ Jess said.
‘We’re going to check the electricity cupboard to find out.’
Theo and I raced down to the basement, eager to get the lights back on ASAP. If guests didn’t enjoy themselves tonight, they wouldn’t fork out to come to another event and we needed all the money we could get.
When Theo reached the electricity cupboard, it was already open.
‘Fuck!’ he shouted.
‘What?’ I said, wondering what was wrong, but as I got closer I understood his reaction.
‘This was exactly what I feared.’ He sighed. ‘There hasn’t been a power outage. Someone deliberately cut the electricity.’
Shit.