‘Any other business?’ asked Effie, seeing that they’d worked through every item on the agenda. Well, except for the ghost stuff, but she hadn’t found a good time to bring that up. And probably wouldn’t. In any case, the library’s resident spirit had been reasonably well behaved today, and nothing had shattered or fallen. And the books remained on their shelves, which was a relief given that Theo had spent a solid day working through them and checking for accurate alphabetization. Even if he had teased Effie by putting together an entirely yellow book display.
‘We’ll have to start thinking about the kids’ summer program soon,’ pointed out Bowow. ‘My cousin’s happy to handle the bouncy castles again.’
Effie nodded, making a note to add that to the next meeting’s agenda. Summer would be here before they knew it, and putting together a calendar with something that could appeal to kids of all ages was a full-time job.Herfull-time job, given that she was the only official staffer here, and the rest were volunteers.
‘Here come the baked goods!’ came Bobby’s voice from the hallway.
He and Kirsty appeared, Bobby in his usual flannel and jeans and Kirsty in her designer athleisure. Each carried a platter of buttery pastries from The Golden Hour. These they grandly set down on the table, letting the Friends pounce on the chocolate twists and sugar-dusted beignets.
‘This place is cute,’ murmured Kirsty, glancing around the main downstairs reading area, with its lofty ceiling and stained glass. ‘Great lighting. Imagine the videos you could film here. My followers would just die.’
She pulled out her phone and started waving it around the room, zooming in on the children’s art up on the walls, the cosy reading nooks and the rock display that Effie had put back together after the recent ghostly incursion.
‘You haven’t been in here before?’ Effie couldn’t keep the astonishment from her voice. How did one avoid the siren call of the library? ‘Ever?’
Kirsty shook her head. ‘It’s so imposing with all those steps.’
‘We have an accessible side entrance,’ said Effie, pointing. ‘We put it in a few years back. So you’re not a member?’
She was still trying to wrap her head around this. Even Bonnie had a library card! Effie had signed her up as a birthday gift years earlier. As far as she knew, Bonnie had only used it to borrow back issues ofVogue, but it still counted.
Kirsty shrugged. ‘I mostly read e-books.’
The astonishment was not abating. ‘But you can access e-books free through the library. Not to mention movies and TV. We have admissions deals with the nearby national parks, museums and zoos, too. Oh, and you can even borrow telescopes.’
In her excitement, Effie could feel her magic starting to crackle around her wrists. She willed it away.Not now, magic.
Her phone trained on one of the vintage light fixtures, Kirsty brightened. ‘I do love stargazing. How about you get me signed up? How much does it cost?’
The bewilderment kept coming. There were people in the community that didn’t know the library was free? Maybe Bruce was right. Shereallyneeded to work on getting the word out. How many people weren’t members not because they didn’t like to read, but because they were worried about membership fees or didn’t know what a membership offered?
‘It’s free. All of it. Well, unless you want to print a PhD thesis in full colour. But other than that, free.’
Effie led Kirsty over to the circulation desk, quickly typing her details into the system, then presenting her with a pristine set of library cards. ‘You’re all set. You can even borrow something tonight if you’d like.’
Kirsty hesitated, and Effie steeled herself. Was she going to ask to film a multi-part influencer dance routine in the reading room?
‘Can I borrow the telescope?’ she asked, finally.
Well, that was a relief. ‘Sure.’
As Effie grabbed a telescope kit to check out, Bobby held up a tatty card on a keychain, clinking it against Kirsty’s new one. ‘Twins.’
Against all that Effie knew about her nature, Kirsty smiled. ‘Wow, that card looks like it’s seen some stuff.’
‘I’m OG. I’ve had this since I turned ten.’
Effie passed Kirsty the telescope, walking her through how to use it and where the best night-sky sites were. ‘Actually,’ she added. Her voice faltered. ‘Could I get your help with something? You’ve probably noticed that the library’s social media accounts are a touch under-served.’
Kirsty searched on her phone, pulling up the library’s accounts. ‘Oh, wow. Understatement of the century.’
Here it came. Effie was about to do something she’d never thought she’d lower herself to.
‘Do you think you could give me some tips?’ she asked tentatively. ‘We can pay you, of course. Through the Friends.’
‘Absolutely! I’d love to. Just let me know when.’ A blastof music spilled from Kirsty’s phone as she scrolled back through the library’s account, hitting on the ‘bookworm POV’ video that Bonnie had put together for Effie the previous year. It had received the most views of anything on the account. ‘That video wasn’t bad,’ she added.
‘Thanks,’ said Effie. Bonnie wasn’t here to take credit, so why not?
