Page 38 of Two’s A Charm

‘There you are!’ she said, before she could catch herself.

‘Here I am,’ said Theo, amused. ‘Were you waiting for me?’

‘No, absolutely not. I just meant...’ Effie cleared her throat. Better to course-correct and hope he forgot about it, rather like when you ended a work call with ‘love you!’, which Bonnie was notorious for, and which Effie prided herself on never having done.

Never having done yet , a little voice in her head noted.

Shut it, little voice.

‘There’s something up with the overdues,’ she said. ‘They’re out of control. I’m going to have to do a drive-around or a book amnesty if we’re going to ensure everything is returned.’

‘You’re right, the shelves are practically bare,’ drawled Theo, amused. ‘So bare it’s indecent.’

Effie coughed as his words conjured thoroughly inappropriate images in her mind. It was like walking into a particularly spicy edition of Bowow’s romance book club.

‘Indecent is a matter of perspective,’ she managed finally.

‘Would you like me to join you on this drive-around thing? I can be quite persuasive when I need to be.’

I bet you can , thought Effie, her mind briefly turning to a particularly memorable scene from one of the novels she’d just loaned out to Serena. A scene that if spoken aloud would absolutely result in her being stripped of her head librarian status.

‘You know what? Sure,’ said Effie, pretending that she hadn’t already decided that he was going to be a part of all of this. ‘That’d be great. There’s one more thing, too, actually.’

‘Wow, none of this was on the intake paperwork when I signed up for the Friends of the Library.’

‘Well, no one’s ever made a donation like you have before. I have to assume that anyone who lends that degree of financial support wants to be involved. Come on.’

Effie led Theo over to the small downstairs conference room used for craft sessions and Bowow’s Read to Dogs story-time sessions. She switched on the striped schoolhouse light that overhung the space, illuminating the row of signs propped up against the back wall.

Well, not signs, really: spreads from a book, each enlarged and displayed individually on its own thick plastic backing – and with a clear protective plastic front for when they were eventually installed outside.

‘ Frogs Are My Faves! ’ Theo exclaimed, making his way from sign to sign and marvelling at the vibrant crayon art and handwritten text. ‘Wow, you got this done fast.’

Effie nodded, beaming. ‘Tessa and Alana stayed back after craft night, and we went through all the yearbook records until they found someone called Elana C, then combed through the phone book. Well not the phone book. Google. And Tessa did the calling. That’s more her thing than mine.’

Theo chuckled. ‘But I’ve heard you read during story time. I wouldn’t mind picking up a call from you at all.’

Effie pretended to regard a particularly excellent frog illustration. ‘I’d have to get your phone number first.’

‘I’m honestly astonished you haven’t asked.’

‘I’m astonished I should have to ask,’ said Effie, with a boldness that surprised her.

‘Touché,’ said Theo. He gestured for her phone, then typed in his number. ‘Now you have no excuse.’

Effie felt her cheeks flush as she took back the phone, even if her heart flip-flopped slightly as she saw the area code that preceded his number. The area code for the city, not the town, and a reminder that he could step back out of her life at any moment.

A text from Tessa popped up, but she muted it. Not now, Tessa. Effie needed to focus.

‘Anyway, it turns out that our author lives a few towns over these days,’ she said finally. ‘She gave us permission to use the story, and offered to donate her licensing fee to a local tortoise society.’

‘She moved on from frogs, huh?’ Theo tutted.

‘Well, not that far on. And surely it’s better to kiss a tortoise than a frog prince.’

‘I’ll have to take your word for that.’ Theo gave her an assessing look. ‘Well, I guess I’d better add a detour to the hardware store to my to-do list, because I’m going to install these along the StoryWalk trail myself.’

‘I think there’s an ordinance against that,’ said Effie. ‘We’ll get someone licensed and bonded to do it. And also less clumsy.’

‘I have to have some flaws.’ Theo cocked his head. ‘But there’s no law against me doing the overdues drive-around, right?’

There probably was some sort of potential liability issue, actually. Although she’d been going to invite Tessa, so she was flouting that law anyway. But Tessa surely wouldn’t mind sitting this one out, not just this once.

‘We should do a launch or something,’ said Theo decisively. ‘A ribbon-cutting for the StoryWalk. We could invite everyone. Maybe your sister could help with refreshments, or an after-party.’

‘Perhaps,’ said Effie diffidently. Ribbon-cuttings weren’t exactly her thing, although it never hurt to get eyes on the library.

Eyeballs meant funding, and funding meant more programs to help serve the community.

But she didn’t particularly like the idea of bringing Bonnie into her library activities.

The library was her one refuge from her sister’s larger-than-life presence.

She’d figure it out. But first, she was going to write up an email blast letting everyone know about the new door-to-door overdues retrieval campaign. She’d have to do it tonight, because she was off tomorrow for Mom’s memorial.

‘Effie,’ said Theo, momentarily. His green eyes met hers, making her feel shy. Shy, but also...powerful. ‘Before you change the topic back to library business, I’m going to ask you something right out, if I may. Would you like to go on a date with me?’

Effie almost said no out of sheer force of habit.

After all, she’d been the invisible sister for so long, and the times when she hadn’t been weren’t particularly ones she wanted to relive.

But Theo was kind, and interesting, and he made her laugh.

And even if he might not stay in town for ever, he was here now , and she wanted to spend some of that time with him.

‘I would like that,’ she said at last, trying, but absolutely failing, to hide an accompanying grin.