He did, and it didn’t take long to go over what had happened the night before. And, since it was the third time I’d told the story that morning, I was already getting tired of talking about it and started leaving out parts, some of which were apparently important, because Graydon started looking puzzled and I had to go back to clarify, which meant I should have just told the full version in the first place and it would have saved time.

At the end, Graydon sighed and shook his head. “All for the sake of a budget.”

“Sort of,” I said. “But if you look at it another way, it was for a man’s pride and sense of self.” I let the words settle a moment, then said brightly, “Speaking of budgets . . .”

Fifteen minutes later, I had Graydon’s approval to hire a part-time bookmobile clerk.

“On probation,” he said, scrawling notes onto a legal pad, “with the probation period lifted when he or she obtains a commercial driver’s license. This is the only solution,” he said, sitting back and nodding. “I’m only surprised it took you so long to come to me with this.”

“Um . . .”

“Minnie.” He smiled. “I knew perfectly well you couldn’t expand the hours with only two people. What I wanted all along was for you to recognize and accept that.”

“You did?”

“Of course. If I’d simply told you to hire someone before you were ready, you would have resisted it, possibly resented the new hire, and then we’d have an unhappy bookmobile, and no one wants that.”

I turned it all over in my mind and came to an obvious conclusion. “You,” I said accusingly, “are an excellent boss.”

He smiled smugly. “I am, aren’t I?”

“And since you are so excellent at bossing, I have a favor to ask.”

I asked, he granted it, and smiling broadly, I thanked him and hurried downstairs while pulling my phone out of my pocket. At the bottom of the stairs I started texting.

Minnie: I have a solution to your grandmother problem.

Josh: Yeah what

Minnie: No, I’m serious. Come to my office and I’ll tell you.

A panting Josh rushed into my office, and I told him. Once he’d recovered from the shock, he agreed that the answer I’d suggested would work, and he pulled out his own phone.

*   *   *

Late that afternoon, I posted a sign on the library’s front door and a notice on the website: “The library will close at four o’clock and will reopen at five o’clock. We regret any inconvenience this may cause.”