Follow the Stars Home by Luanne Rice

Author:Luanne Rice
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Single mothers, Contemporary, Romance - Contemporary Romance, General, Romance, Mothers and daughters, Fiction, Domestic fiction, Love stories
ISBN: 9780553581027
Publisher: Random House, Inc.
Published: 2001-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

The library was transformed. The band played at the far end of the main reading room. All the tables and chairs had been taken out to create a dance floor. People sipped punch and ate small sandwiches made by volunteers. The only decorations were the books themselves, shelves full of them, their spines garnet, topaz, and verdant in the lamplight.

Dianne had pinned up her hair, put on a little makeup. She wore a brand-new dress, a sleeveless silk sheath of periwinkle blue she had bought because Amy said it matched her eyes. She also wore Dorothea McIntosh's diamond and sapphire earrings. As she stood in the corner, listening to the music, she felt excited and happy. She hadn't had a night out in a long time.

Watching her mother, she felt so proud. Everyone wanted to talk to Lucinda. They surrounded her, telling stories of how she had helped them do research projects, find favorite authors, learn about poetry. Lucinda took it all in, beaming.

When the band stopped, Mrs. Theophilus Macomber stepped up to the microphone. One of Hawthorne's most imposing figures, she was chairman of the library board. Grand in black crepe and a four-strand pearl choker, she made a speech thanking everyone for their generous donations.

“Now, the moment all you readers have been waiting for,” she said. “I'm going to ask Gwen Hunter, our newly appointed librarian, to come up here and introduce our beloved guest of honor.”

“Well, thank you, Mrs. Macomber,” Gwen said in her soft Tennessee accent. She held the microphone, giving it a funny look. “I am none too sure about talking into one of these things, but if there's one person I'd do anything for, it's our guest of honor. I know she needs no introduction at all, Mrs. Lucinda Robbins….”

The entire room broke into applause. Lucinda bowed her head, smiling and blushing. Dianne clapped louder than anyone. As she gazed at her mother, she saw Alan and Amy come through the door, and her heart jumped.

“Mrs. Robbins has been so influential in my life, I don't even know where to begin. When Paul and I moved up here ten years ago, I didn't know a soul. I needed a job, I didn't have a college degree, but I did love books….”

She went on to tell how she had come to the library, at first as a reader and then as a part-time library assistant. Mrs. Robbins had taken her under her wing. Over the years she had encouraged Gwen to apply to schools, to study library science, to apply for library jobs as they became available. She had been a friend and a mentor, showing Gwen how to help readers, especially young people, discover books they would love to read.

“Around here,” Gwen said, “we think Lucinda Robbins is as special as they come. We love her so much, and we miss her every day. We're happy for her though. She'd come to work, and all she'd talk about was her daughter and granddaughter, how she wished she had more time to spend with them.

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