Page 18 of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop

LILY

‘We’re all in agreement?’ I asked, looking from Dad to Cassie and back to Dad late the following morning.

They confirmed they were so I grabbed the cardboard wallet full of CVs and headed down to the staff room where I flicked the kettle on.

Cassie had arrived for her shift an hour ago and, between serving customers, Dad and I had updated her on Lars’s interview last night and the pros and cons of Lars and Melissa as the only two suitable candidates.

I’d awoken this morning from an unsettled night in which I’d drifted in and out of jumbled dreams of my school days, seeing Lars again evidently having triggered the release of several previously forgotten memories.

As I dressed, I’d still felt torn between the two candidates but talking it over with Dad and Cassie had helped and we now had a plan with which I felt comfortable.

After sending some hot drinks up in Jeeves, I sat down at the table, removed Melissa’s CV and dialled her number.

We’d all agreed that we needed a better understanding of her passion and knowledge for books before we could consider offering her the job but, if she responded well to a few more questions, it was hers.

Melissa answered on the third ring with a cheerful, ‘Melissa Gilchrist speaking.’

‘Hi, Melissa, it’s Lily Appleton from Bay Books. Is it a good time for a quick chat?’

‘Absolutely.’

‘We’ve come to the end of our interviews and have narrowed it down to the final few candidates. I just wanted to check a couple of things with you before we make our decision.’

‘Fire away.’

‘Great. We talked about your interest in books during the interview and I’d just like to explore that a bit further. Is that all right?’

Silence.

‘Melissa? Are you still there?’

‘Yes, erm… Can I be honest with you, Lily?’

‘That would be appreciated.’

‘I don’t really enjoy reading that much. I used to when I was a kid but then I discovered boys and, let’s face it, how many men are turned on by a book geek?’

I stiffened, the smile slipping from my face.

Plenty of men, actually. Men who also like books, men who like women who like books, men who…

I shook my head to dislodge the train of thought and refocused on what Melissa was saying, although I had a sinking feeling that the niggles I’d had about her last night were about to be proved right.

‘It’s not that I don’t read. I always take a book on holiday with me, although the one I took to Malta last summer is still by my bed, gathering dust, and I can’t for the life of me remember what’s happened so far.’

‘So would it be fair to say that books aren’t a passion for you?’ I asked, fighting hard to sound positive.

‘That’s right.’

‘And, actually, you aren’t a reader at all?’

‘Not really.’

‘So what you said in the interview?—’

‘I could hardly say I hate books, could I?’ She sounded indignant as she cut across me. ‘You’d never have given me the job if I had.’

She laughed and I laughed with her, thinking how I’d just dodged a bullet.

‘Thanks for that, Melissa. As I say, we’re down to our last few candidates so I’ll let you know by tomorrow at the latest.’

‘That’s fine. Oh, while you’re on the phone, can I just check the hours? You said it’s Monday to Friday but you might need me to work some weekends in December.’

‘That’s right.’

‘The weekdays are fine but I don’t want to work weekends and you should probably know that I’ve got a holiday booked in December. I go on the 13th and get back the day after Boxing Day.’

I clamped my lips together, eyes scrunched tightly closed and counted to three before I responded in a positive-sounding tone, ‘I’ve noted that down. Thanks, Melissa. We’ll be in touch very soon. Have a fabulous day.’

‘I will. You too.’

If I’d been using a landline, I’d have slammed the phone down into its cradle. If Melissa’s evident dislike for books hadn’t already been a dealbreaker, her lack of availability in our busiest month would have been. I’d made it very clear in the advert how important it was to be free in December.

Grabbing a red biro, I placed a big cross over Melissa’s CV and picked up Lars’s with a sigh.

‘It’s for the business,’ I murmured. ‘I can put my personal feelings aside for Bay Books. I can be a professional.’ Although I had to acknowledge the skip of my heart at the thought of seeing Lars again. If he accepted.

My hands were shaking and my heart was thumping so heavily as I attempted to call Lars that I kept pressing the wrong numbers.

Finally getting it right, my stomach churned as I waited for the call to connect and for Lars to answer.

It rang and rang and I was convinced I was about to get his voicemail when he picked up, giving his full name just like Melissa had.

‘Hi, Lars, it’s Lily at Bay Books. How are you?’

‘Lily! Hi! I’m good, thanks. Yourself?’

I’d noticed during his interview that he’d lost his accent – something that was even more obvious to me when speaking to him over the phone. I wondered if it had been intentional after the kids picked on him about it at school.

‘Yeah, fine. Look, erm, we’ve finished our interviews now and considered each candidate carefully and, erm…’ My throat had gone very dry and I grabbed the mug of tea I’d made and took a quick gulp, immediately regretting it because it was far too hot and scalded my mouth.

‘It’s a no, isn’t it?’ Lars said. ‘I understand. I knew it was a long shot but it was worth a try. It was good to see you and your dad again. I really appreciate you giving me the interview opportunity. I didn’t think you would.’

Although I couldn’t see his face, I could hear the sadness in his voice that I’d seen in his eyes back at school.

‘What makes you say that?’ I asked.

‘After the way I treated you at school. You didn’t deserve that when all you did was try to be nice to me. I was bang out of order but… No, I’m not going to rattle off any excuses. I was totally in the wrong and I’m sorry for any hurt I caused you back then.’

I clapped my hand to my chest, stunned. The last thing I’d expected was an apology and it had been so heartfelt. The knot in my stomach loosened somewhat and I felt a lot more positive about what I was about to do.

‘Thank you for saying that,’ I said, my voice sounding small and distant as I battled with my emotions. ‘It means a lot.’

‘I should have said it yesterday. Sorry.’

‘The thing is, Lars, it isn’t actually a no. If you’re still interested, Dad and I would like to offer you a full-time four-month contract at Bay Books.’

There was a moment’s silence, presumably while he let that sink in.

‘You’re serious?’ he asked eventually.

‘Deadly serious. We’re looking for someone who has good customer service experience, which you have in spades, but what all our staff have in common is a passion for books. None of the other candidates came close to you in that regard so we’d love it if you could join us.’

‘Really? Yes, please! You’ve just made my day! I promise you won’t regret this.’

‘Welcome to the team. Are you still all right to start at half ten on Monday?’ I’d need to spend some one-to-one time with him first thing so I wanted to wait until Cassie had arrived for the start of her shift.

‘Yes. I’ll be there.’

‘Great. I’ll send you the contract by email as soon as I can – definitely by this evening – and just drop me an email or ring me if you have any questions.’

‘I’ll see you on Monday, then. Thanks for giving me a second chance. Bye.’

He disconnected the call before I could say anything else. Thanks for giving me a second chance. I hoped I wouldn’t regret it but something in my gut told me I wouldn’t. And something in my heart stirred too.