Page 57 of The Romance Library

Edwin showed me all the old classrooms and the large hall, which he said was used for assemblies, school lunches, sports and other activities.

If everything went to plan, this would be the main library area. I hoped to use the classrooms for different things. Maybe we could knock down a wall between two of them to make one larger room for a bookshop.

I’d also like to have a reading and relaxation zone on the first floor, where people could hang out with their favourite book and a drink. The views upstairs were amazing, and it’d be great to take advantage of that. So maybe we could have a book cafe with a terrace where in the summer readers could relax on daybeds with comfy cushions and a book and read whilst enjoying panoramic sea views. Then at night it could transform into a bookish wine or cocktail bar.

That would have to be part of phase two of the library, though, because I wasn’t sure I had the budget for that.

At the back of the building, there was a large concrete space that used to be the playground. I wasn’t sure yet what that could be used for.

Then I reminded my brain that I hadn’t even secured this building yet, so I was getting ahead of myself thinking what I could do with another one.

‘What’s down there?’ I pointed to a stairwell.

‘The basement.’

‘Can I have a look?’

‘Of course!’ Edwin led the way. He had to push against the heavy door a few times before it opened. ‘I haven’t been down here for a while. Hopefully the light works.’ He flicked the switch, and after a few shaky flickers, the bulb illuminated the small room.

Edwin moved some sort of rock on the floor, then used it to wedge the door open.

There were rows of filing cabinets and bookcases with different folders and files stacked on them.

‘Do you know what’s in those?’ I pointed.

‘As far as I know it’s just old paperwork. Probably not very interesting.’

‘Would you mind if I took a look?’

‘Don’t see why not.’ Edwin shrugged, then looked at his watch. ‘How much time do you think you’ll need? I have to leave in about fifteen minutes.’

‘I won’t be long. Probably half an hour or so. An hour, tops.’

‘I see. When you’ve finished, pull the front door shut, then on my way back into town in a couple of hours, I’ll lock up properly.’

‘You sure?’

‘Not a problem! I appreciate your enthusiasm for this building. It’s very special to me, so it means a lot that you want to learn more about it.’

It was definitely a good idea to come here.

‘If I’m given the chance, I’d like to preserve the history of this place. It’s clear that it’s an important part of the community, and I’d like to honour that.’

‘I’ll leave you to it.’ Edwin smiled diplomatically, then left. I supposed he couldn’t be seen to be playing favourites.

After resting my handbag on one of the filing cabinets, I started sifting through the files.

A lot of the documents inside were old invoices. I coughed as the dust tickled my throat.

‘Oh!’ I said as I spotted a thick hardback yearbook.

I pulled it out.

Seaview High Secondary School 1979.

I dragged out an old box from the corner and sat down on it as I started flicking through the pages.

Ha! I swore that boy looked like Bob, the pub landlord we’d met last night. I scanned the names and sure enough it was. I wondered how many other Sunshine Bay residents I’d recognise.

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