“It’s not a date! He only asked me for a drink because he feels sorry for me and all his real friends are in London.”
“All right, love, keep your knickers on. Even if that’s true, when was the last time you had a night out?”
June didn’t want to answer that question, so she started scanning the books. “Linda, this one is four weeks overdue,” she said, holding up a copy of Marie Kondo’sThe Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. “You can’t keep them that long; Marjorie would be furious if she found out I wipe your fines.”
“Oh, never mind that old battle-ax. It was a good book; you should read it.”
June laughed. “I know I have many faults, but I don’t think untidiness is one of them.”
“But this book isn’t just about tidying. It’s about how decluttering can improve your life. Here...” Linda grabbed the book and began flicking through it. June tried to ignore the rough manner with which she turned the pages. “Marie says that when you tidy your home, it makes you confront issues you might be ignoring. She thinks that a good tidy can help a person restart their life.”
June realized where this was going. “That sounds very interesting, Linda.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about that chat we had. I swear itwould do you good to have a little clear-out, freshen the house up a bit. I could help if you like. Maybe we could get rid of some of your mum’s old ornaments at the next white elephant stall.”
“I’m very happy with the house how it is,” June said, avoiding Linda’s eyes.
“Of course you are, love.” Unspoken words hung in the air between them. “Now, about this not-a-date with Alex Chen. What are you going towear?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
At ten minutes to seven, June left the house and set off toward Alex’s family’s takeaway, trying to ignore the knot in her stomach. What the hell were the two of them going to talk about? They didn’t have anything in common: he’d been away to university and was now a solicitor living in the city, only back in Chalcot for a few months, and she was a library assistant who’d never left their small village. Perhaps, after one drink, she could pretend she had a headache and leave.
As she approached the Golden Dragon, June could see Alex waiting for her outside. He’d changed out of his usual scruffy T-shirt into a collared shirt, and June suddenly regretted not making more of an effort with her own appearance.
“Hey, you,” he said, when he saw her, and June was surprised to feel her stomach leap. “There’s a bus at five past. If we hurry, we can catch it.”
As they walked to the bus stop, Alex updated June on his dad’srecovery. “He’s meant to be resting in bed, but I caught him trying to do yoga this morning,” he said as the number thirty-six pulled up.
They climbed on board and found seats halfway back. It was only when they’d sat down that June noticed Vera from the library was sitting opposite, her face set in a scowl. June averted her eyes and pretended not to have noticed her.
“So, I’ve got my next book for you.” Alex reached into his back pocket and pulled out a battered copy of Terry Pratchett’sThe Color of Magic. “I fell in love with the Discworld series when I was nine or ten. Have you read any of them?”
“No, sorry.”
“Well, you’re in for a treat. They’re set on this planet that’s balanced on four elephants on the back of a giant turtle. And there’s a librarian character in the books who’s an orangutan and...”
June tried to listen, but she couldn’t stop glancing at Vera, who was watching Alex with her mouth pursed in disapproval. What was the woman’s problem?
“The books have one of my favorite characters in literature ever, Death, who is hilarious,” Alex said.
The bus pulled up at a stop and June saw Vera haul herself up out of her seat. As she turned to leave, she muttered something that June couldn’t make out. She and Alex watched Vera make her way down the aisle and lower herself off the bus. Only when the doors had closed and the bus pulled away did Alex speak again.
“Poor Mrs.Cox.”
June looked at him in surprise. “You know Vera?”
“We lived next door to her when I was a kid.”
June glanced around to check that there was no one nearby before she whispered, “She’s an absolute nightmare at the library.”
“Oh, don’t say that,” Alex said, frowning.
“She makes my life hell with her complaining. And I’m pretty sure she’s racist.”
“You realize that you’re probably the only person she talks to all day?”
“But still...”