lunch in town today and keep ourselves out of mischief?”
They spent the day avoiding
discussion of the library. They had lunch at Lynn’s Café, a quiet spot in town
where the food was great. The owner, Lynn, went the extra mile to make her
customers feel at home. She thought Anne was spunky and Meara deserved a
medal. She slipped Meara a giant chocolate chip cookie as a reward for her
patience. When they arrived home in the late afternoon, Meara was glad to hand
Anne off to Diana. Meara retreated to her house. She was pacing when the
phone rang.
“Did he call yet?” Anne asked.
“No, Anne,” replied Meara calmly.
“Did you think he would go into the meeting, get approval and run out to call
me? He may not call until tomorrow.”
“He’ll call tonight. I just know
it.”
“He won’t be able to get through if
you’re on the line.”
“You didn’t get call waiting?
What’s wrong with you? Goodbye!”
Meara heaved a sigh of relief. She
was nervous enough without Anne calling every five minutes. The butterflies in
her stomach anticipated hearing his voice again. He had a deep, slightly
gravelly voice that sent shivers up her spine. She shook her head to clear her
thoughts. Maybe mixing personal and professional wasn’t such a good idea.
Chapter Four
In the meeting room, Duncan and the
Board of Trustees worked their way through agenda items. They were making
pretty good time if his quick glances at his watch were correct. They were
wrapping up old business and were about to get to new business. Meara was new
business. He was going to convince them to hire her.
The Board president read off the
next item. “It looks like we have a successful candidate to replace the former
Head of Youth Services.”
“Yes,” Duncan replied. “A
librarian named Meara Martin has moved into town. She has an excellent work
history and she interviewed well.”
“Do we really need to replace the
former librarian?” asked the Board president.
“Mrs. Martin is a degreed librarian
with managerial experience and dedication to the field. All of her references
were glowing. The Board has said in the past I could use additional help in
running the library. I find Mrs. Martin can fill that capacity and run the
Youth Services Department. It would be killing two birds with one stone.”
Duncan had their full attention. He
rarely spoke for so long. The Board members knew Duncan Phillips was not a man
to make snap decisions or let his feelings guide his judgments.
“If Duncan says this librarian will
work, I say hire her. The library needs to get some kids in here. It’s a
little too quiet,” said one of the Board members, a retired teacher, if Duncan
remembered correctly.
The Board voted. All were in favor
of hiring Meara. Duncan knew she was the right choice. He wanted to work with
her and be friends, maybe even more. He zoned out on the meeting. He wondered
what it would be like to hold her in his arms. He wanted to run his fingers
through her hair and kiss her dimple. He wanted to tease her and make her
laugh. He noticed the room had gotten quiet. The Board members were looking
at him.
“Duncan, are you all right?” asked
the Board president.
“I’m sorry. I was thinking I’ll
need to get a set of keys for Mrs. Martin.”
Duncan stayed focused until the
meeting ended. He retreated to his office. The library was closed. He found
Meara’s resume and application. He made notes about salary and benefits. He
was stalling, but he was calming his nerves.
“Here goes nothing,” he said aloud.
He dialed her number. He didn’t
want her to think he had forgotten her. He wondered if she would be waiting
for his call.
On the third ring, she answered.
“Anne, stop calling every five minutes. You’re making me more nervous than I
already am!”
He chuckled. “I’m sorry, Mrs.
Martin, but I’m not Anne. I’m
They spent the day avoiding
discussion of the library. They had lunch at Lynn’s Café, a quiet spot in town
where the food was great. The owner, Lynn, went the extra mile to make her
customers feel at home. She thought Anne was spunky and Meara deserved a
medal. She slipped Meara a giant chocolate chip cookie as a reward for her
patience. When they arrived home in the late afternoon, Meara was glad to hand
Anne off to Diana. Meara retreated to her house. She was pacing when the
phone rang.
“Did he call yet?” Anne asked.
“No, Anne,” replied Meara calmly.
“Did you think he would go into the meeting, get approval and run out to call
me? He may not call until tomorrow.”
“He’ll call tonight. I just know
it.”
“He won’t be able to get through if
you’re on the line.”
“You didn’t get call waiting?
What’s wrong with you? Goodbye!”
Meara heaved a sigh of relief. She
was nervous enough without Anne calling every five minutes. The butterflies in
her stomach anticipated hearing his voice again. He had a deep, slightly
gravelly voice that sent shivers up her spine. She shook her head to clear her
thoughts. Maybe mixing personal and professional wasn’t such a good idea.
Chapter Four
In the meeting room, Duncan and the
Board of Trustees worked their way through agenda items. They were making
pretty good time if his quick glances at his watch were correct. They were
wrapping up old business and were about to get to new business. Meara was new
business. He was going to convince them to hire her.
The Board president read off the
next item. “It looks like we have a successful candidate to replace the former
Head of Youth Services.”
“Yes,” Duncan replied. “A
librarian named Meara Martin has moved into town. She has an excellent work
history and she interviewed well.”
“Do we really need to replace the
former librarian?” asked the Board president.
“Mrs. Martin is a degreed librarian
with managerial experience and dedication to the field. All of her references
were glowing. The Board has said in the past I could use additional help in
running the library. I find Mrs. Martin can fill that capacity and run the
Youth Services Department. It would be killing two birds with one stone.”
Duncan had their full attention. He
rarely spoke for so long. The Board members knew Duncan Phillips was not a man
to make snap decisions or let his feelings guide his judgments.
“If Duncan says this librarian will
work, I say hire her. The library needs to get some kids in here. It’s a
little too quiet,” said one of the Board members, a retired teacher, if Duncan
remembered correctly.
The Board voted. All were in favor
of hiring Meara. Duncan knew she was the right choice. He wanted to work with
her and be friends, maybe even more. He zoned out on the meeting. He wondered
what it would be like to hold her in his arms. He wanted to run his fingers
through her hair and kiss her dimple. He wanted to tease her and make her
laugh. He noticed the room had gotten quiet. The Board members were looking
at him.
“Duncan, are you all right?” asked
the Board president.
“I’m sorry. I was thinking I’ll
need to get a set of keys for Mrs. Martin.”
Duncan stayed focused until the
meeting ended. He retreated to his office. The library was closed. He found
Meara’s resume and application. He made notes about salary and benefits. He
was stalling, but he was calming his nerves.
“Here goes nothing,” he said aloud.
He dialed her number. He didn’t
want her to think he had forgotten her. He wondered if she would be waiting
for his call.
On the third ring, she answered.
“Anne, stop calling every five minutes. You’re making me more nervous than I
already am!”
He chuckled. “I’m sorry, Mrs.
Martin, but I’m not Anne. I’m