Page 61 of Always Be My Pumpkin

‘Gracie?’ The tone is friendly but brisk. ‘It’s Nora, from HR.’

‘Yes. Hi.’ I push open the staffroom door, heart pounding in my chest.

‘Congratulations,’ she breezes. ‘I’m delighted to tell you that you placed first on the panel for the librarian position.’

‘Oh my God, are you sure?’ I say, and immediately realise how ridiculous I sound. As if our human resources department gets their kicks from pranking unsuccessful candidates for fun. ‘Sorry, I mean thank you. That’s wonderful news.’ I breathe out my relief and drop down on the nearest chair.

‘That’s okay,’ she tells me. ‘It’s a lot to take in. It was extremely competitive with so many external candidates, but you did really well, and Gemma will be in touch later to talk about the details. Congratulations again.’

‘Thanks,’ I say, and Nora hangs up. My cheeks ache from smiling as I sit and process the news, muttering thank you, thank you, thank you to no one in particular. I’m so grateful, I’m fit to burst. This is exactly what I need to kick-start my latest plan: get over Flynn.

Maybe I should call him, share my good news. Just a quick call, what harm could that do? But I feel like an addict craving one last fix, when I know cold turkey makes more sense. I’m still debating in my mind when I hear a loud knock.

‘Gracie?’ Gertrude inches her head around the door, and I smile and give her a thumbs up. She bounces forward and pats me on the shoulder. ‘Well done, my dear. I’m so pleased for you.’ She sounds like she really means it as she adds, ‘I’m sure you’ll do a wonderful job, and you’ll do our village proud.’

I nod and say, ‘Thanks, I’ll do my best.’

I can’t tell her yet that I might request a move to Abbeyville. She’d rope in Moll and Barty to throw me in the stocks, then pelt me with pumpkins and paperback romance.

The week flies by in a flurry of workshops and story times, and by Thursday morning the library is covered in fake spiders, stingy jacks, and smiley ghosts. There are spooky lanterns and seasonal garlands hanging everywhere, and the entire village looks like a glorious pumpkin patch. All the windows along the main street have crochet pumpkins on display. The knit and crochet group have been distributing those for weeks, and I crocheted a batch for the Corner Bar. Audrey has them on her window ledges, and a row along the shelf behind the bar.

And everybody I meet fills me in on their costume choice, and whether they’ll be opting for cosy or creepy or some hybrid of the two, as if I’m personally responsible for balancing the scales. The knit and crochet group are going with a Derry Girls theme, and they’ve stockpiled the craft closet with school uniforms and tracksuits, and enough scrunchies and recycled plastic bracelets to bring Ireland in the nineties vividly back to life.

I’m about to go for break when I see Aisha walking towards the desk with a silver satin bomber jacket on one arm and a bottle-green school blazer dangling from the other. Her curly black hair is bunched in a high ponytail and she’s wearing enormous hoop earrings exactly like Michelle’s. She settles her laden arms on the counter and says, in what I think is supposed to be a Derry Girls accent, ‘Which is more Michelle?’

‘They both are.’ I grin. ‘But the bomber jacket is more you.’

‘That’s what I think too.’ She raises her fist. ‘Slàinte, Mother—’

I cough loudly before she can finish that quote. Aisha has taken acting classes in Abbeyville and she’s keen on setting up an amateur drama group in Oakwood. But I don’t think Gertrude will appreciate her method acting Michelle Mallon at the library front desk.

She gives me a wink, pulls on the satin bomber, and sashays out the door, almost crashing into our county librarian on the way.

‘This is Maria, the architect.’ Gemma turns to her companion as Gertrude shoos me out to greet them.

Gemma phoned ahead to say she’d be bringing the architect working on our extension plans to meet with us. She still assumes I want to take over from Gertrude.

And I do. But with everything that’s happened, I’ve started to wonder if I should want something else. Something more. Everyone seems to be leaving, moving away, moving on. Should I be moving on too?

But even if I should, I still care about this library, and I want to see what the plans are.

‘Hi, Maria.’ I shake her hand, then I point to the folder tucked under her other arm. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing what you have in mind.’

‘I’ve reserved a table in the Corner Bar,’ Gemma tells me. ‘We can take a look there, if you’re free?’

‘That’s perfect, I’m about to take my break. I can get coffee while we look.’

‘Ella’s almost finished her workshop,’ Gertrude calls breezily. ‘We can manage here. Take all the time you need.’

‘Excellent.’ Gemma nods. ‘We’ll show you the plans, and then we can walk over to the house. Pat’s going to meet us there.’ She looks thoughtful as she adds, ‘It was his home, after all, and his heritage. I’d like to make sure he’s happy with what we have in mind.’

‘That sounds great,’ I say. ‘He’ll appreciate that.’

I fetch my bag from under my desk and follow Gemma and Maria out. They chat about the weather and the village and the fabulous crochet garlands lining our main street. I smile and nod along, but I barely register what they’re saying.

All these years I’ve hoped for this to happen. The opportunity to manage a library that could help Oakwood grow. And now it’s here, I’m considering asking for a transfer. The last few days I’ve been telling myself that it will be good for me to move on, and I should use that as a stepping stone to chase new promotions, new dreams. To leave the sad memories behind. But inside I feel hollow. Can I really hand over my beloved library to someone else? Am I really going to give up and walk away because it feels too hard to stay?

Twenty minutes later, I watch Audrey clear our empty cups and wipe clean the table so Maria can lay out her drawings. And my heart pulses with excitement as I take in her plans. She’s stayed true to the Georgian heritage, but she’s opened up the space and added rooflights and skylights to fill the place with light. Pat’s house is all high ceilings and tall windows, and it will be relatively easy to connect to the existing library.