Bella headed back toward the children’s section.
“What does some boring librarian know about good music anyway?”the girl murmured to her friend.
Bella ignored them, deciding that the girl hadn’t meant for her to hear that remark, even when the friend giggled loudly.
And even though it stung, it tracked.
Bella’s cool cousin, Harper, had introduced her to the local music scene when she was a teenager, and the two of them had devoured all the local artists, from folk groups to hardcore bands, whenever Bella got the chance to visit Harper’s family in Burlington.
But Bella’s taste in music didn’t really impact her style or her attitude the way it seemed to for a lot of people. On the outside, with her long wool skirts and cardigans, and her soft library voice, she probably seemed like the last person who would be a fan of the indie music scene.
You can be yourself and love what you love,Harper’s voice said reassuringly in her head.You’re the real deal.
Bella smiled, even as she felt a pang of loss for the older cousin who had always been her hero.
As soon as the children in the reading circle were back in sight, Bella felt completely content again. She had built a life that was just right for herself, sharing her love of books and music with her community. That was all that mattered. She didn’t need street cred with the college girls.
Just as Bella returned, Mrs. Abraham finished another book, and the kids began cheering for her again.
“Oh, my goodness,” the older woman said with a smile. Then she sneezed.
“God bless you,” all the little voices chorused.
“Thank y—achoo,” she sneezed again.
“God bless you,” the children said again.
“Oh, dear,” Mrs. Abraham said, looking down at the little girl who still lolled in her lap. “Emmy Rogers, you don’t have a cat at your house, do you?”
Emmy shook her head.
“Oh, good,” Mrs. Abraham said and then sneezed again.
“I havethreecats,” Emmy told her proudly.
“Isn’t that lovely,” Mrs. Abraham said fondly before sneezing again, threetimes in a row.
“Mrs. Abraham,” Bella said, rushing over. “Why don’t you head out? I can read the last story today.”
“Oh, yes,” the sweet lady said. “I’d better find my allergy medicine. Thank you so much children, for reading with me today.”
The children chorused back a thank you to her and she hurried off, sneezing twice more before she made it out of sight.
Bella slipped over to sit in the special chair and look at what other books Mrs. Abraham had pulled for today.
“What do we think about a Piggie and Gerald book?” she asked.
When she glanced up at the kids, she spotted her nephew Cody standing near the back. He must have slipped in during Mrs. Abraham’s sneezing fit.
Thank goodness he didn’t overhear that conversation about music,Bella thought to herself.
The teen stood as far away from everyone as possible, his wide shoulders practically brushing the bookshelves at the back of the section. He was in his usual uniform of jeans, a black t-shirt, and a faded, navy-blue hoodie. His guitar, which he was never far from if he could help it, leaned against the bookshelf next to him. Cody’s dark hair was just long enough to brush his shoulders, and the look in his expressive brown eyes told her his mind was on something far, far away from this tiny town and its library.
He looks so much like his dad,Bella thought to herself without meaning to.
“Miss Bella, Miss Bella,” Susan Charlotte called outworriedly, stopping her train of thought. “Bennet Baxter needs help in the bathroom.”
“Oh my goodness,” Bella said, glancing around but not finding any other adults in the area. “Cody, can you come over and help out for a minute?”
