Two weeks later, Marjorie returned to the library. It was a bright Wednesday morning, the first rays of sun finding their way into the library. I hadn't seen Luca since after my experiment with his story and despite Cat's frequent suits, I still missed the ghost.

When Marjorie entered, the sound of the chime seemed brighter, and her energetic presence filled the room with a glow from the moment the door closed behind her. The librarian still used a walking stick for support, but her steps seemed far less painful than the last time I had seen her. On the doormat she stopped, straightened her back, took in the room with gleaming eyes, and let her gaze travel to me. A smile lit up her wrinkled face.

"Lynn, so good to see you. How are you?"

Before I could answer, Cat appeared out of nowhere, pranced up to Marjorie with his tail held high, and weaved a figure eight around her ankles, purring.

"And of course, happy to see you too, Cat, my amazing companion. How are things in the world beyond human perception?"

"Splendid, splendid and the better for having you back, Marjorie, my love." He sat down and wrapped his tail around his paws, looking up at her as stern as he could. "But we shouldn't waste time on platitudes—I'm here with a mission, ready to brave an important challenge."

Marjorie raised a brow. "Weighty words, my dear Cat—is something amiss?"

"Not yet, but I need to address an important issue before you make a mistake. What do I have to do to talk you out of sending our young Lynn away?"

His words made it hit home that, with Marjorie returning, my time in the library was running out. Cat turned his head to send me a conspiratorial wink, but then faced the librarian with his best pleading eyes. "I beg you to mark my words. After intense deliberation, I came to the inevitable conclusion that this young woman is a keeper."

I rolled my eyes at his formulation, but Marjorie only chuckled at his dramatic words. "Good to know you approve of Lynn, my dearest Cat, because I'm more than half of the mind to offer her a part-time job here."

It took me a moment to realise what this meant, but then a pleasant shiver ran down my spine, and my nagging worries for my future dissolved like sugar in a cup of steaming tea. The next thing I felt was a pang of doubt, though. Could this be happening to me for real? "You wouldn't be kidding about something like this, Marjorie, would you?"

"Of course not." She leaned her stick against the umbrella holder, hung her coat and unwrapped her long woollen scarf. "See it like this—for the next few weeks, I'm allowed to work half days only and should avoid spending endless hours sitting behind a desk at all costs. If I follow the doctor's orders, things should improve fast, but she suggests reducing my workload in the long term and take better care of my health. As much as I love this place, I think she has a point."

Bless her doctor. "I'm sorry to hear, but I don't want to keep you from doing what you love most."

"Not at all, my dear. This will help me enjoy my time here more, and I'll be able to concentrate on the things that matter most to me. So, with Conny's agreement, I already suggested to the manager hiring you for three days a week."

Conny hadn't mentioned her involvement, but now I wondered if this conspiracy had been part of her jovial mood these last days. I made a quick calculation. The pay for a sixty percent job would not be lavish, but enough to cover the rent and my most basic needs—just. But I could always look for another part-time job atop of it, tutoring maybe.

"Unfortunately, I can't offer you more because of our limited funding." Marjorie, who observed me, must have misinterpreted my thoughtful expression. "If all goes well, you will receive a raise after three months, though."

I hurried to set her right. "Believe me, three days a week is far better than nothing." While the library would still feel empty without Luca, my future looked much brighter of a sudden, and I couldn't wait to tell the news to Becca, Sim, and my dad.

"Then I'm glad. I also talked to several members of the community board and they support giving you a contract for a year at first. I think you know one of them. She's a nurse and was full of praise for you. She also mentioned your reaction the day of the accident, and I think she might have tipped the mood of her colleagues."

I remembered the woman well, although I'd never suspected she was connected to the library in another way than as a customer. "She and her friends were a great help themselves, and she convinced Conny to go see a doctor on that faithful day, something Paco and I didn't succeed in."

"Brigid is a wonderful person, and she said if I wouldn't have suggested keeping you on the team, she would."

Her words ignited warm fuzzies in my bloodstream. While I had been channeling my worries about my future into writing a happily ever after for Luca, Marjorie had spent her convalescence creating this job for me—with success.

"You are a rock star, Marjorie." I was tempted to hug her, but didn't dare, afraid to hurt her new hip.

"I know." Her grin matched Cat's, who snuggled up on my desk and began washing his fur. "Did you already have tea?"

Right, with her back at work, the tradition of morning tea would be revived too. "Not yet. I'll set up the kettle."

The rest of Wednesday and Thursday, I spent floating on cloud seven, happy for the first time in several months with the turn my life was taking. Friday morning, the librarian surprised me with my contract.

"Here you go, Lynn, all ready to sign. But take your time reading it first." She held out a neat sheaf of papers.

I picked up the sheets to check them. "Seventy percent? I thought you mentioned sixty?"

"Yes, Conny asked me to reduce her own hours. Is this too much for you?"

The worry line forming on her brow made me laugh. "No, it's perfect. Thank you so much." I reached for a ballpoint pen to sign when Conny turned up. I held up the contract for her. "Conny, thanks a lot."

"You're welcome, and I'm glad this works for you. No longer working on Saturdays will allow me to spend more time with the kids. They grow up so fast now, and I want to be part of their life, not just the Mum who is away all day working."

I could relate with that, even if it meant I would have to work Saturday mornings in the future as well. Marjorie seemed to follow my thoughts. "We thought it might be an effective solution if you take over Wednesdays to Saturdays. Mondays and Tuesdays are always slow, so you would be here when your youthful energy is most needed."

The suggested arrangement would allow me Mondays and Tuesdays off, a lot of time to follow other projects. Perhaps write a book? The thought popped up in my mind as a surprise, but it sounded exciting. I must have made a funny face, though.

"Is something wrong? Would you prefer a different schedule?" Conny reached out a hand. "We can discuss this, of course."

"No, it's perfect. Thanks a lot to both of you." I picked up the pen and scribbled my signature next to Marjorie's on the last page, my hand shaky with the excitement.

The librarian's face beamed as I handed her the signed contract. "Welcome to the team. We should celebrate. Let me invite you both for lunch today."

During the lunch break, she took us to a small restaurant two streets away. I had never been there, but it was nice and quiet.

Over the delicious meal, I couldn't help but ask Conny about the development in her relationship with Paco.

She blushed, staring into her salad bowl as if the greens in there were the most fascinating things in the world. "We will take the kids to the aqua park this weekend. Danny has already packed his bag yesterday once he learned of the plan."

Marjorie's brows formed not high arches. "Paco? Did I miss something?"

Conny looked at me, and I felt the urge to help her. "He took us out for pizza after the vernissage, and he drove Conny to the doctor after the incident with the kids. Danny is super fond of him."

A knowing smile formed on the librarian's face. "Not only Danny, it seems. Congratulations, Conny, I wish you all the best."

"Thank you. But let's talk about something else. I don't want to jinx what is yet to blossom."

To my chagrin, Marjorie took this as a cue to ask about my state of relationship. "What about you, Lynn? Do you have someone you like to spend your time with?"

"Aside from my dad and my friends Becca and Sim?" I sighed, the picture of Oliver popping up in my mind. "Not at the moment, not after the scene my ex made at the opening of Paco's exhibition. If I needed any further hint that I was done with him, that was it."

Conny placed her hand on mine. "You're better off without him, and you know it. One day, someone will waltz into your life, just like Paco did in mine. Someone worth your time and love."

If this meant that she found Paco worthy of her time and love, then I was happy for her. But I felt a sad pang when I thought about Luca's dimples and his cherished visits I no longer could enjoy.

Marjorie seemed to realise this wasn't the best topic and steered the conversation back to more cheerful themes. While we laughed about a story from her rehab clinic, I realised that in the company of these two different women, my fear I would never find a place for myself in this world seemed like a nightmare I'd outgrown and could only look back on with a smile. If becoming an adult meant I was finding friends so much older than myself, it wasn't as bad as I had feared.

Not even the downpour wetting us to the bone on our way back to the library could dampen my soaring sprits. I had a job, and two wonderful colleagues, and my future seemed far more solid than it did in the last three months. Despite the rain hammering against the windows all afternoon, I felt like the master of my destiny, with an outlook on a sunny future. Even the loss of Luca's company faded in the wake of the recent development, and I hoped he had found happiness and fulfilment too, like I had intended with my story.

I was halfway through rereading Conny's report for the financial control when the library door opened and a gust of cold, damp air wafted to my desk and rippled the sheets in my hand. With the wind entered a young man in a black anorak. He rubbed his hands over his dripping hair and made it stand up in all directions, but he didn't seem to mind or notice. With an unconscious motion, he brushed away the droplets clinging to his shoulders and looked around with wide eyes, taking in the library as if it were a warehouse of wonders.

When his gaze met mine, two dimples formed on his cheeks, and I knew I had seen this face before. Was it—the shock of recognition chilled my bones. Something like this might happen in a fairy tale, but never in real life, right?