Page 55 of The Romance Library

There was a reason why he’d held on to it for so long, and I thought it ran deeper than wanting to find someone who fit in with the community. He seemed emotionally attached to it.

I also remembered that during our first meeting, he’d asked Theo whether he planned to renovate the building. When Theo had said he planned to tear it down and build something new from scratch, I’d noticed how Edwin had flinched.

I’d put money on him wanting to keep the building intact. Which worked in my favour. I doubted a million pounds would be enough to buy the site, create a completely new building and cover all the other costs, so I’d need to make the most of what we had.

It wasn’t feasible for me to do everything at once. I’d have to get the main library up and running first, then start generating money fast to develop the rest of the building bit by bit.

But in order to work out what was feasible and how to maximise the existing building’s potential, I needed to know it inside out. I wanted to explore every nook and cranny.

I needed to fall in love with the building just like Edwin had. If he saw that I was emotionally invested and wanted it to thrive for generations to come, that’d put me in a good position.

Yes. Good plan.

It was too late to call or text him now, so instead I fired off an email.

Hello, Edwin,

Hope all’s well. I was sorry not to have seen you at the Seaview Arms this evening. You missed a very memorable night! Thanks for the invite. Theo and I are currently brainstorming ideas for our act. I know everyone’s excited to see what we come up with.

Anyway, I was hoping that I could visit the site tomorrow afternoon around fourish? I’d really like to get to know the building better. I’d like to preserve as much of its original beauty as possible, and to do that, I’d love the chance to see all the rooms and every part of it personally.

I know you’re a busy man, so I wouldn’t take up too much of your time. I’d just need you to give me access for an hour or so.

Please let me know if that’s okay.

Warm regards,

Jessica

Done.

Hopefully after my visit tomorrow, I’d be one step closer to winning this presentation.

18

Jess

Islumped down on the train seat, then looked at my watch. I was going to arrive at Seaview High much later than I’d planned because I’d been with Cecil all afternoon going through admin stuff.

One of the many things we’d discussed was Mrs Davis’s books. The rent on the house was paid for another three months, but at some point I’d need to go there and do an inventory. Checking through close to eighteen thousand books was going to be a monumental job, so it was another task to add to my growing to-do list.

It was so overwhelming and I told Cecil so. I said this was so far out of my comfort zone it might as well be on the moon.

He encouraged me to keep going, and when I left, he handed me an envelope and said to open it when I had a moment because he thought it might help.

Unless it was someone to take over and write and do the pitch for me, I didn’t see how it would. But now was as good a time as any to see what it was.

I dipped my hand in my bag and pulled it out.

When I opened the envelope, I recognised the handwriting. It was another letter from Mrs Davis.

Hello, Jessica,

If Cecil has given you this letter, it’s because he’s sensed that you’re feeling a little overwhelmed.

Perhaps you’re feeling out of your depth and wondering if you’re up to the job. I want you to know that you are more than capable. You can do this.

Maybe you’re also questioning if all the hard work will be worthwhile and whether the world even needs a dedicated romance library. So I thought now would be a good time to share more of my story with you.

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