“Yes. Have you been looking after yourself? Should you really be in work so early? Sit down and leave the returned books to me. Thank you for passing some clothes to Siegfried, for me to wear.”
Suki pulled away. “I’m fine. I wasn’t sure when you’d be back, so I moved the reading group session to an earlier date. I’m having a crustacean section next week.”
“A cesarean? Oh, Suki. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry I wasn’t around...”
“I only found out the day before last. The baby is lying in a beach position.”
“Do you mean breach?”
“Yes. That’s it. It’s the safest way to deliver, for both of us. So, I want to ask for your help with something.”
Martha expected her to run through a list of tasks, all to do with administration of the library, but instead Suki took a deep breath. “Will you come to the hospital with me?” she asked. “After my culmination, Ben has made his mind up and he isn’t coming back. My mum is in Marbella-ella, and I could really do with a friend right now.”
Martha glowed inside when she heard that word. Perhaps there wasn’t a particular time, or happening, that made an acquaintance become a friend. Maybe it was just an organic thing, not to be studied or planned. “I’d love to help out,” she said. “Have you thought about your hospital bag, and what to pack? I believe that you won’t be able to lift anything afterwards for at least six weeks. You should stock up your kitchen cupboards with tinned food.”
Suki sighed with relief. “I knew you’d be good at this. I’ve told Clive that he’ll have to appoint someone here, sooner rather than later. Your sister gave me your job application and I passed it to him.”
“I thought about my Cumulus Vitae when I wrote it,” Martha teased.
“Do you mean your Curriculum Vitae?”
“Something like that.”
Branda was the first person to arrive for the reading group. “Martha,” she exclaimed. “You’re back. I’ve bought you a new book.” She reached into her large purple handbag and took out a hardback with a black cover and big orange capital letters. “It’s very noir,” she said. “I totally recommend it for our next read.”
Nora reached under her seat. “I’ve brought you chocolates, to say thanks for doing my laundry,” she said sheepishly. “My new boyfriend fixed my washing machine.”
Siegfried was the next to arrive. He gave Martha the briefest glance, then rolled his eyes when he saw Branda’s book.
“I’m not sure what we’re supposed to be discussing,” Horatio said. “I’ve brought the book about the inmate and the goldfish.”
Martha waited patiently for them to settle down, to take things from bags and to remove their coats. She found their chatter warm and animated, rather than stressful.
Clive arrived and sauntered into the library. “Martha,” he said with surprise in his voice. “It’s, um, good to see you back.”
“It’s nice to be back. I trust you received my job application and reference?”
“Yes. Um, it was very interesting. It’s gone to the panel for consideration.”
“Panel?”
“It’s a new appointment system,” Suki said. “A panel of people read all the applications, to ensure they’re all considered fairly. It’s good for diversity, isn’t it, Clive?”
Clive’s cheeks reddened. “Um, yes.”
“Well, I thought you might like to take this session, Clive,” Martha said. “Suki is having her baby next week, so someone needs to look after the reading group.”
Clive’s eyebrows sprang upwards. “Me? Can’t you—” he started.
Martha held up her hand. “I’m sorry but I have a reader to attend to.” She raised herself on the balls of her feet as the library doors opened. She watched as her nana came inside.
Clive looked over at Zelda, who wasn’t wearing her headscarf. His Adam’s apple dipped when he looked at her hairless head. “Well, I suppose I could, um...”
“There are packets of biscuits in the cupboard,” Martha told him. “But the group do appreciate homemade ones. Suki can give you copies of my book-rating spreadsheet, so you can facilitate the discussion. You’ll need to select the next book for everyone to read. Don’t pick a thriller, though. We’ve had our fill of those.”
Branda cast her a pleading look but Martha had already moved away.
She and Zelda found a quiet corner in the library. It was where they used to sit together when Martha was a teenager, when they wedged together to read a book.
They took a similar position now, rather older but still the same people underneath. Time and life events might have battered them but Martha felt strong. She knew what she wanted, and it didn’t need green ticks, or amber stars, to tell her it was good enough.
Zelda’s forehead wrinkled as she looked around at the books. “The library hasn’t changed much. It’s still ah-mazing.” She brushed under her eye with a finger.
“So why are you upset, then?” Martha stuck out her chin. She reached in her pocket and handed her a tissue. “Aloe vera.” She nodded.
“Because I get scared sometimes. I’m here with you now, and we’ve had Christmas together and it was glorious, but I don’t know how and when things...will end...”
Martha took her hand. “I thought you were the woman who battled a crocodile and won.”
Zelda gave a small laugh. She reached up and touched the back of her head. “I have the scar to prove it.”
“And are you one of those people who reads a book and tries to guess the ending?”
“No. I hate that. I like a nice surprise. I don’t want to know what comes next until it happens. I take each page and chapter as they come.” Zelda smiled as she realized what she had just said.
“Shall we choose something to read together?” Martha asked.
Zelda nodded. “Remember how we used to crawl on the floor to look at the bookshelves?” She pressed her hand against a shelf and slowly lowered herself down to the floor.
“Are you sure you can get down there? Let me help you. You could really use a cushion. You might hurt your knees,” Martha said.
Zelda gave a pronounced sigh. “If I can fight a crocodile, I can get down on the bloody carpet.”
Martha grinned and knelt down beside her.
Then, together, they slowly walked their fingers across the spines of the books.
Acknowledgments
As always, I’d like to thank my mum, dad, Mark and Oliver for their unending support.
I have a fantastic team around me at my literary agency, Darley Anderson, including my superagent, Clare Wallace; Mary Darby; Emma Winter; Tanera Simons; Kristina Egan; Sheila David; Darley himself and Rosanna Bellingham.
To all at Park Row in the US, especially my brilliant editors Erika Imranyi and Natalie Hallak, publicity ace Emer Flounders and the rest of the team. In the UK, I’d like to thank my fab editor Sally Williamson, and everyone at Harlequin.
Thanks to my lovely circle of author friends who provide meet ups and online support, including B. A. Paris, Pam Jenoff, Mary Kubica, Antoine Laurain, Ben Ludwig, Keziah Frost and Kim Slater.
My huge thanks go to the libraries I visited in the UK as part of Read Regional 2017. Everyone I met was friendly, knowledgeable and happy to share their experiences and expertise. (And, just in case you’re wondering, the man in the ferret costume and bacon rasher bookmark are true stories!) Thanks also to Suzanne Hudson at Oldham Library, and Danny Middleton at Manchester Central Library for their support.
I’ve met lots of fantastically supportive independent booksellers on my writing journey. They are too numerous to name here, but my special thanks go to Pamela Klinger-Horn, Mary O’Malley and Jordan Arias. Also, many thanks to readers, bloggers and reviewers everywhere, and to Waterstones Oldham.
For more information, and writing tips, please visit www.phaedra-patrick.com. I’m happiest on Instagram, but you can also find me on Facebook and Twitter, too.