Huntsman - Morgan Brice Page 0,21
receptionist’s desk drawers, the rare book room, the attic.”
“There’s a rare book room?” Despite everything, Liam felt a thrill of excitement.
Jeffries chuckled. “Probably not as big as some, but it has local journals, letters, photographs…things that are important to the folks here.”
Two women looked up when they entered. “Liam, I’d like you to meet Linda and Maddi, the two most dedicated and wonderful volunteers in the world,” Jeffries said. Liam didn’t have any question about which name went with which person. “Ladies, this is Liam Reynard, the new head librarian.”
Liam stepped forward to shake their hands. He guessed that Linda might be in her early sixties, with short dark hair and mocha skin, average height, and a solid, compact build. His fox roused when they shook hands, tail twitching.
She’s some kind of dog. Basset hound? Beagle? Could be a good ally.
Maddi was probably in her late teens, with brown hair pulled up in a ponytail and expressive blue eyes. She was petite and even shorter than Liam. He couldn’t help smiling back at her broad grin and noticed that she seemed to be almost bouncing with energy.
She’s a shifter, but I’m not sure what. Some kind of cat. Also a good ally.
Liam wondered what his two new acquaintances made of him, and whether they read his “other half” just as easily. If so, no one commented.
“I was just giving Liam the grand tour,” Jeffries told them. “Linda and Maddi do pretty much everything around here—pull and re-shelve books, handle interlibrary loans, manage new media orders, oversee the lending program, and a lot more. But they really shine with the community programs, the festivals, and the arts outreach.”
He clapped Liam on the shoulder. “They get to do the fun stuff, which leaves you more time to fill out paperwork, handle the budget, be the liaison to the city council, the Institute, and the festival planning committees.”
Liam smiled. “I’m looking forward to all of that,” he replied, and he meant it. No one liked paperwork, although Liam knew it went with the job. But his fox excelled in anything that smacked of a “performance,” which included presentations and committee meetings. Foxes had a reputation for clever maneuvering that was well-deserved. His Leo nature just put that into overdrive.
“Welcome,” Linda said. “Enjoy the tour. I’ll bring in muffins on Monday and maybe we can sit down over coffee and talk about some of the plans for the summer. It’s going to be here before we know it!”
“That sounds fantastic,” Liam said. “I’m all ears, and I do have some ideas that worked well at my old library, so maybe we can figure out if they’d add anything here as well.”
Linda elbowed Jeffries. “New blood. This is going to be fun.” She looked to Liam. “I worked with Walter here at the library for ten years, and Maddi’s been with us since she was in middle school. Walter did a great job and believed in the power of a good book. But he wasn’t well at the end, and some things got put on the back burner.”
Maddi rolled her eyes. “What she’s also saying is that you’re a lot younger, so that bodes well for technology, new ideas, and internet stuff. We all loved Walter, but let’s just say he wasn’t a huge fan of computers.”
Liam laughed. “Fair enough. I can’t wait to put our heads together.”
With a wave and a promise to bring back lattes for the two volunteers, Liam followed Jeffries into the next room. He knew a small-town library would be dwarfed by the big university counterparts he’d grown used to. But he realized the real difference in size when he noticed that the main circulating collection here could have probably fit into two good-sized rooms in a normal house.
“Don’t judge a book by the size of its cover,” Jeffries joked. “Walter and Linda did a great job of curating the catalog to offer a wide range of materials, while also going deep on favorites like mysteries, thrillers, and romance. We have a busy interlibrary loan program too. Ebooks and audiobooks as well. And for being up in years, Walter had a progressive streak, so there are all kinds of books for LGBTQ youth, mental health topics, and more. I doubt there’s a dusty book on the shelves.”
Liam nodded, understanding what Jeffries meant. A big collection that was either outdated or not in sync with local tastes might look impressive but didn’t do anyone much good. He’d much rather need to