Page 46 of Two’s A Charm

HOCUS, POCUS, LIbrARY FOCUS

Effie

When Theo showed up at the Chalmers family Queen Anne two days later, ready for their overdue book collection ridealong, Effie was deeply ensconced in her cat mom duties.

Which, as it turned out, was somewhere she quite liked being.

She’d always had a soft spot for cats, but she now properly understood Bowow’s fascination with her furry friends.

Tessa had come by with tiny handmade collars for the kittens, and an etched nametag for the mother cat, whom Effie had called Agatha, due to the mystery she’d generated. She was stroking Agatha, whose neck shone with a gleaming bell and a glittery charm.

‘You have such a talent for crafts,’ said Effie admiringly, watching the soft living-room light play off the charm. ‘How’s the shop-hunting going?’

‘Actually, not badly. Hannah’s been showing me a few places.’

Effie nodded stiffly. She was still coming to terms with the odd way that her and Bonnie’s friendship groups were starting to overlap.

In the past few weeks, Effie had spent quite a bit of time with Kirsty, discussing social media strategy.

And Alana had been attending the library’s craft nights.

But she still wasn’t quite sure how she felt about Tessa hanging out at The Silver Slipper, or Hannah being the one to browse shop locales with her friend.

Between this and Theo talking about a job back in the city, Effie’s whole world was topsy-turvy.

‘Hannah, huh,’ she said, trying to keep her tone neutral.

She failed.

‘Yes, Hannah.’ Tessa frowned, like she wanted to add something, but wasn’t sure how to put it.

‘Actually, I think something’s up with her.

She’s been really away with the fairies.

Missing appointments, forgetting to text, showing up without the keys.

Do you think it’s related to the situation with her dad? ’

Effie pondered this. Hannah’s dad had been diagnosed with early onset dementia a few years back. It had been a difficult time leading up to the diagnosis, with Hannah’s mom making up every excuse under the sun to explain it away.

Peter’s just overworked. He’s low on B vitamins. He hasn’t been sleeping well. We all have our little moments.

‘Hannah probably just has too much on her plate,’ said Effie. ‘It’s not easy keeping up with the latest in eyeliner trends.’

Ordinarily, Tessa might have laughed, but today she frowned. ‘They’re not all bad, Effie. Don’t you think we’re past this whole teenage clique thing?’

‘Easy for you to say when you’re the one in the clique,’ she snapped, hating herself even as she said it.

Tessa’s mouth tightened, but she didn’t respond. She was too kind, too good, to let herself go there.

Thankfully the doorbell rang before Effie could double down on her cruelty.

‘Knock knock!’ It was Theo, who’d arrived with a basket filled with cat toys and catnip. ‘For Mom and the littles,’ he explained. ‘The kid at the pet shop gave me a ton of recommendations. I just about maxed out my credit cards.’

This was hyperbole if ever Effie had heard it, but she appreciated the sentiment.

And the gifts, for she was quickly realizing that hosting a family of kittens was an involved endeavour.

The kittens were still tiny, but it wouldn’t be long until they were wandering all over and testing the limits of the upholstery fabric or Effie’s makeshift litter box.

‘Hey, Tess,’ said Theo easily. ‘How’s the crafting going? I’m on turtle number four. Shelby’s never been so spoiled.’

‘Look at you go. You’ll have to join me for a class when I open my new studio.’ Tessa’s tone was warm. She wasn’t going to betray Effie for her sharp words. ‘I’m not sure of the when or where yet, but it’s in the works.’

‘Sign me up for a membership, or whatever you have going on.’ Theo knelt down by the fluffy bed that housed Agatha and the tiny kittens. ‘Ready to pry these overdue books out of the hands of the local book hoarders, Effie?’

‘Want to join us, Tessa?’ asked Effie, trying to throw her friend an olive branch. It wasn’t always easy for Effie to pick out when she’d misstepped in a conversation, but it seemed to happen often. Sometimes she wished she had Bonnie’s unique brand of social magic.

Besides, it was the first time she’d seen Theo since his trip to the city, and she was worried that he’d decided to take the job offer after all. Tessa would be a welcome buffer.

Tessa’s face darkened slightly as she shook her head. ‘If you’d texted me earlier, I would’ve said yes. But I’ve signed up for a yoga class at Alana’s studio. Send me photos of the kittens, though. I’ll try to think of some names for them.’

‘Big car,’ observed Theo, as Effie unlocked the Jeep. ‘I thought you’d drive something more like a Vespa.’

To be honest, a Vespa was Effie’s dream vehicle.

She’d always had visions of herself cruising around the tiny villages of Sardinia, fresh market produce in a basket on the back, silk scarf fluttering in the breeze.

But there was a huge disconnect between the Effie of her dreams and the Effie of reality, with the latter fiendishly aware of the dangers of riding a motorbike.

At least in books there was no way to get hurt.

Other than emotionally. Unless papercuts counted.

‘It was my mom’s,’ she explained, reaching reflexively for the broomstick that hung from the rear-view mirror as she pulled out of the driveway.

‘She was a larger-than-life character. Like bottled sunshine, which is a cliché, but clichés are clichés for a reason. She could make anyone laugh. And she was an amazing haggler. The best. Everyone at the farmers’ market quaked in their boots when she arrived.

We used to get our radishes and cucumbers practically free. ’

‘Does that explain the Caution: this vehicle makes frequent stops at yard sales bumper sticker?’ asked Theo.

‘It explains so many things,’ replied Effie. She rubbed the bridge of her nose beneath her glasses. ‘I miss her.’

Theo was quiet next to her. ‘I can’t even imagine what it might be like.’

‘I’m terrified I’m going to forget her,’ admitted Effie. ‘One of our friends’ dads is having memory issues...’

Theo nodded. ‘I heard.’

Effie swallowed. ‘Oh. Basically, every time I hear anything about him, all I can think of is that our memories are all that’s left of Mom. And once they’re gone...’

Theo nodded. ‘I get it.’

She pulled up at Willamina’s, a charming cottage bright with hanging flower baskets (a brightness darkened by a surfeit of hideous garden gnomes).

‘How did your meeting go?’ she asked after a moment.

‘It went,’ said Theo with a chuckle. ‘But I have a few days to make my final decision.’

Effie’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel as she thought about Theo leaving Yellowbrick Grove for good. But should she be surprised, really? He had a whole life back there, a whole world of opportunities. Whereas here he had just the Friends of the Library group. And Effie.

‘Are we going in?’ he asked, shaking her from her thoughts.

Effie unbuckled her seatbelt. ‘We are.’

They came back with a stack of books and a few slices of carrot cake.

After Willamina’s, they stopped at barista Terrance’s apartment (how could so much laundry fill one small space?), a new mom’s house (where Effie held the baby while the poor woman showered), and then the Dorothy House, which Bronson was busy painting grey, inside and out.

‘It’s hideous,’ breathed Effie to Theo, as she grabbed the stack of overdues off the porch. ‘Criminal.’

Theo grimaced in agreement. ‘They probably only coughed up the overdues because they’re not monochromatic enough.’

They spent the entire morning driving around chasing down books and being plied with baked goods and coffee, which honestly was not a bad way to pass the time. Especially when you had good company along for the ride. Even if that company was only temporary.

‘Wow,’ said Theo, when they’d reached the last of the houses on their list. ‘You’re going to need new suspension after this.’

The poor Jeep groaned under the weight of what was easily several hundred books, not all of them only recently overdue.

They’d managed to collect a few that, according to the date stamp in the back cover, had been due back thirty years earlier.

They were so old that they weren’t even in the system – Effie hadn’t even known they were outstanding.

Thankfully, she was an old pro at declining book ‘donations’, or it would’ve been worse. Effie had learned the risks of accepting mildewy basement boxes, because you never knew what you were going to infect the rest of the collection with. Mould. The plague. Impossible-to-remove mouse-pee smells.

‘I’ve never been this flush with cookies and cake in my life,’ said Theo, through a mouthful of carrot cake. ‘I think I pursued the wrong line of work.’

You did! Effie wanted to shout. Because it’s taking you back to the city!

But instead, she exhaled quietly.

‘Speaking of,’ said Effie, as diffidently as she could manage, ‘the college is looking for an adjunct poetry professor to replace the one I told you about, who had to fly back to Germany. It’s not tenure track, and I know it’s not a particularly prestigious school, but if you wanted to, you could apply. ’

Theo cocked his head. ‘How did you find out about this?’

‘I asked,’ said Effie quietly. ‘I mentioned that you’re almost done with your master’s, and that you’ve basically been acting as an employee of the library. And that I’d write a letter of referral if you needed it.’

Theo almost choked on his cake. ‘You did? You would?’

‘I think the town would love to have you,’ she said quietly. ‘Whether you’d love to have the town, that’s up to you.’

Having recovered from his coughing bout, Theo regarded her thoughtfully. ‘You, Effie Chalmers, are an enigma.’

Effie pulled the Jeep into the library parking lot. ‘I’ve certainly heard worse. Now, are you up for helping lug this first batch of books inside?’

Theo opened the door, dusting carrot cake crumbs onto the pavement. ‘Let’s do this,’ he said.