Page 32 of Two’s A Charm

LET’S SIT AND WEED A SPELL

Effie

‘Welcome to weeding day,’ said a despondent Effie to the empty library.

Not a single soul had shown up.

Well, this was disappointing, and rather surprising.

The townsfolk of Yellowbrick Grove might be scattered, but they tended to support the library’s initiatives.

And Effie had heavily promoted this one.

She’d put signs up throughout the library, sent out a newsletter, and had Kirsty put together a social media post which had garnered a record number of likes, and, in a library first, a comment!

She’d even gone to the effort of ordering pizza, as well as treats from The Golden Hour Bakery, which she’d now have to consume all by herself, without even the Friends of the Library group to help.

The only upside was that if no one else was around, Effie could use her magic to help speed up the process. Her wrists crackled green as she pored over the weeding lists. If she focused, she could have this wrapped up in a few hours.

The warmth of her magic was just starting to pour from her wrists when the door swung open.

A familiarly athletic, well-dressed figure stepped through, clad in a coat that Effie was a bit envious of, and beautifully shaped boots that Effie definitely coveted.

She wasn’t a fashionista like Bonnie, but she was a thoughtful thrifter, and she liked to think she had an eye for things that were classic and well made.

Especially when said things were being worn by someone so good-looking.

She swallowed, willing her magic back inside, and tugging her cardigan sleeves down over her wrists.

‘I hope I didn’t miss the party.’ Theo raised an eyebrow at the ample spread of snacks, and the clearly empty library.

Ah. So at least one Friends of the Library member checked their email.

Effie felt slightly effervescent at the thought that Theo had made the effort.

And slightly anxious at the fact that they were about to spend an evening together.

Her and Theo! Never in a million years could she have anticipated it.

‘You know readers.’ Effie did her best to keep the dismay out of her voice. She really had wanted tonight to be a success. ‘They like to be fashionably late.’

‘To weeding day, the social event of the year?’ Theo put his hands on his hips in a show of indignation that made Effie smile. ‘I’m surprised they’re not banging on the doors like a horde of invading zombies.’

‘I know,’ said Effie. ‘I’m sincerely surprised that Freddie Noonan hasn’t shown up.’

Theo frowned, then grinned as he got the reference. ‘Ah, the guy with the fabulous lawn.’

‘It really is fabulous,’ agreed Effie. ‘I think he does the edges with a ruler.’

‘I’m just glad that I didn’t wear my tuxedo. In case it was a typo,’ Theo clarified.

Effie couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Theo in a tux would have been a sight to behold. Anyone who looked that good in sweaty running gear would be a force to be reckoned with in a three-piece suit.

‘Oh, you were hoping for some library nuptials?’ she teased, grateful that her nerves weren’t coming through in her voice.

‘Sure. Colour me curious. I’ve seen bookshop proposals, so why not a library wedding with an open guest list? And hopefully an open bar.’

‘Paid for by your generous donation.’

‘Yes indeed.’ Theo shook his head sadly. ‘But alas, a typo.’

‘I don’t make typos,’ said Effie, with faux indignation.

She divided her weeding printout in two, clipping one half to a clipboard that she passed to him.

‘Well, I do, but I don’t let them stand.

And while we don’t have an open bar, we do have an excellent array of off-brand soft drinks purchased from the on-sale section of the grocery store.

Can I tempt you with some Banta or some Mister Pepper? ’

‘Mister Pepper?’ Theo chuckled. ‘The underachieving brother of the Doc, huh.’

‘Their parents are disappointed, although they’d never admit it.’

‘Ah, I empathize fully,’ said Theo, jauntily opening and closing the clasp on his clipboard. So, paperwork was a novelty to Theo. The man had clearly never held an admin role in his life.

‘Wow, how are there so many books that deserve weeding?’ he asked as he flipped through the list. ‘Some of these are stunners. The Care and Upkeep of Anglerfish ? Toilet Paper Tube Parade Costumes for the Frugally Minded ? And this one! Frogs Are My Faves ! I’m going to borrow that one right now to keep it in circulation. ’

He wandered down the stacks, frowning as he narrowed down his search to a particular section, then triumphantly pulling out a handbound green volume that had clearly been created by a child.

‘It’s magnificent,’ breathed Effie. She’d never seen the little volume before, even though she’d wandered the stacks tens of thousands of times over the years. ‘How did it even end up on the shelves?’

‘It must be part of a class project or something.’ He flipped open the book, looking for a date. Written in pencil on the inside of the back cover was June, 1984 .

As he read, Effie leaned over his shoulder, shyly at first, then slightly less so as she found herself caught up in the typewritten text and the cut-paper images that had been carefully pasted in by a grade schooler decades earlier.

‘I think frogs are my favourite, too,’ said Theo, chuckling at the particularly fat, big-eyed frog that spanned the midpoint of the book. ‘We absolutely can’t weed this.’

‘Maybe we can do a weeded books display,’ said Effie, drawing back as she realized she’d been about to touch the soft hair at the base of his neck. ‘We could put the most intriguing titles out to encourage people to borrow them.’

‘Or buy them,’ added Theo. ‘With all proceeds supporting the Friends of the Library, of course.’

Effie, now at a safe distance, raised an eyebrow. ‘Look at you, Mr Non-Profit.’

‘It sucks to see something taken out of circulation, but there’s only so much space on the shelves. And in the basement,’ he added, before Effie could jump in. ‘I’ve come in a few times using the elevator, so I’ve seen the chaos down there. It’s a paper fire waiting to happen.’

‘It’s highly organized chaos,’ protested Effie. ‘Every stack of paper has its place.’

‘I’m not sure an insurance company would accept that argument.’

Effie gave him a good-natured shove. Theo turned to her, surprised at the contact, and their eyes met. For a fleeting moment, Effie wondered what it might be like to kiss him.

But no, it was impossible. She was at work, and she’d never do anything to jeopardize her position. Not to mention that for all she knew, Theo was planning an imminent return to the city.

‘Come on,’ she said, breaking his gaze. ‘We’ve got thousands of books to weed, and if you’re wanting a decent selection for the display, we’d better get to it.’

‘How about we get some music going?’ he asked.

Out of sheer habit, Effie almost used her magic to switch on the vintage stereo that sat in the far corner of the downstairs reading room. She remembered herself just as her wrists started to glow, and hurried over to turn it on manually instead.

As golden oldies shimmered across the room, earning a thumbs up from Theo, Effie reminded herself that she was going to have to find the books on her list the old-fashioned way, using her legs and hands rather than the magic that ran through her blood.

It would take so much longer than her usual book tidying and sorting efforts, which she managed in a few quick minutes at the end of each night, humming ‘Be Our Guest’ as she did, but she supposed it was a chance for her and Theo to spend a bit of time together.

Although not together together. Together in a way that allowed for some personal space, and that was generally quiet (Effie’s preferred way of spending time with someone).

‘Ben E. King,’ said Theo approvingly as ‘Stand By Me’ came on. He sang along quietly, and surprisingly tunefully.

‘I didn’t know you were a karaoke fan,’ she said, as she pulled out a couple of ancient geography books predating the current world map by several decades.

‘Only in the comfort of my own shower,’ said Theo.

Effie was suddenly beset by visions of Theo in the buff in extremely steamy environs and, goodness, was the air conditioning not working in here?

Of course not, Effie, it’s jacket weather outside.

‘Right. The acoustics,’ she added awkwardly.

‘A clawfoot tub just doesn’t cut it when you’re trying to hit those high notes.’ There was a thud as Theo plopped a heavy tome down on his stack of weeded books.

‘So,’ said Effie, trying to change the conversation away from Theo’s naked body, ‘how have you been finding Yellowbrick Grove? Is it feeling like home yet?’

‘It’s quaint,’ said Theo. ‘I’ve been doing the walking tour with the app.’

‘Really?’ Effie puffed with pride as she considered a book about Venn diagrams called Stuck in the Middle with You . Its pages were falling out. ‘That was one of my initiatives. We put it together last year. The StoryWalk is this year’s.’

Theo’s head popped up over the stack next to Effie’s. He waved Frogs Are My Faves at her. ‘The StoryWalk! This is perfect for the StoryWalk!’

Effie couldn’t help but laugh. It was adorable. And if it was by a local author, all the better.

‘We’d have to get the rights, though.’ She pulled out a sad volume about rabbit psychology. ‘We’d need a way to get in touch with the author.’

‘Careful, I hear little kids charge a fortune for StoryWalk rights.’ Theo was browsing the culinary section, which held all sorts of weedable wonders.

He held up a recipe book showcasing the wonders of savoury jelly desserts.

‘This isn’t on my list, but for the safety of your readers, I think we should weed it. ’

‘But that’s a local favourite,’ said Effie. ‘I’m surprised it’s not checked out.’

Theo blanched. ‘Please tell me you’re joking. Nope, I just saw the docket at the back. You’re right. Endless due date stamps. If this is the type of food the town appreciates, no wonder I haven’t been able to find decent sushi.’

‘I absolutely would not risk the local sushi. We do have a great Ph ? place, though.’

Theo raised his eyebrows, impressed. ‘I could go for some Ph ? . Or a banh mi.’

‘They do a great one. The bread’s so sharp it cuts your mouth.’

‘Shall we?’

Effie turned, confused. ‘Shall we what?’

‘Grab something more substantial than congealing pizza and flat soda?’

She tapped her list, which she was only halfway through. ‘But we’re weeding.’

Theo regarded her for a moment, then gathered his stack of books.

‘We are indeed,’ he said quietly.

He returned to his list, and Effie did as well, poring over the stacks as she searched out the seemingly endless selection of books on her list.

As she worked, the music on the record player appeared to increase in volume, until every note seemed to blare with nerve-jangling amplification.

She wondered whether it might be the fault of the ghost, but as she crept over to the record player to adjust the volume dial, she realized that the seeming crescendo was actually due to the fact that Theo’s easy banter had subsided entirely.

The next book on Effie’s list was called Signs You’re Doing It Wrong. She sighed. Maybe she should give it a read before weeding it.