I kept my eyes on them, and I saw the look of relief when Kit slid off her bar stool and slipped away. I swallowed hard as I watched Kit lean against the other side of the pool table. I wanted to join her and talk to her, but I didn’t want to be another one of those guys bothering her.
I turned to Nick who was still standing next to me. He was watching Melissa patiently. Nick turned to see that I was watching him. He laughed and patted me on the back. “Never have to worry about Melissa. We’re soul mates!”
I tried not to make a face. I needed to stay in good standing, especially with Nick, so I had to be respectful and personable, but I had to know, “You believe in soulmates?”
“Absolutely,” Nick said, taking a big gulp of beer. “Without question. You don’t?”
“I guess I haven’t given it much thought,” I said, shifting my weight from one leg to the other. Nick could see I wasn’t a believer, though.
“Well, then you haven’t met your soulmate yet.” Nick laughed and then said with an almost cautionary tone. “But watch out. When it happens, you’re in trouble. There’s no turning back.”
Chapter 5: Kit
The next two weeks were just a steady stream of community members coming into the library and telling me how beautiful they thought William’s team’s Christmas tree was. This wouldn’t have been so bad if William hadn’t decided to volunteer as a tutor for the high school. He was meeting with students every evening to help them with math, writing, and SAT prep. So, he was there to hear the constant awe and wonder people experienced when seeing the tree for the first time.
Trent and I were at the circulation desk when Ms. Pearl came into the library. As she removed her mittens and reached into her satchel to pull a book out, she said, “Well, I hate to admit it, but I think that the Senior Citizens’ Center tree is the most beautiful one of the year.”
Trent didn’t even look up from his computer. “Kit hates it.”
“I don’t hate it,” I protested.
“She does,” Trent said as he clicked through the books he was about to check back into circulation.
Ms. Pearl put the book she wanted to renew onto the circulation desk between us. “Why, dear? It’s lovely.”
Trent stopped clicking and turned in his desk chair to face me. “Yeah, Kit. Why do you hate the most beautiful tree of the year?”
I sighed. “I just like a theme. Okay?” I opened the book Ms. Pearl was renewing to scan the barcode.
Ms. Pearl looked curious. “Who decorated the tree?”
Trent pointed a thumb over at William. “The guy over at the tutoring table.”
“Oh, I see,” Ms. Pearl said with raised eyebrows.
“What?” I said defensively. “That has nothing to do with how I feel about the tree! Why isn’t it believable that I just don’t like the generic tree with no theme?” I pushed the book back to Ms. Pearl.
“Because that sorry excuse for a tree that Ms. Patty put up last year didn’t have a theme, and you didn’t object then,” Trent said, turning back to his desk.
“Also, it’s a Christmas tree, dear. Christmas is the theme,” Ms. Pearl said, smiling at me as she took the book back.
As soon as Ms. Pearl left, I checked my watch. It was time to close. Trent stood up after logging out of his computer.
“Going to The Pub tonight?” I asked.
“Look at you, party animal,” Trent said, smiling. I had made a point of going out more since Trent called me a hermit. “I wish I could, but I told Sasha we could have dinner together at home tonight.”
“Sounds nice,” I said with a smile.
I decided to head to The Pub on my own. Aunt Rita was working a late shift at the hospital, so I thought it might be nice to get dinner at The Pub. I loved walking through town at night during the Christmas season. The twinkling lights looked enchanting.
The Pub was busy for a weeknight. The Nirvana song “Smells like Teen Spirit” played on the jukebox. I decided itmight be faster to eat at the bar, and I took a seat at one of the corners. The bartender, Ray, gave me a menu without a word and disappeared to fill drink orders. I ordered a glass of red wine and a steak salad. I had brought a book with me. I pulled it out of my bag and flipped to the page I had marked. Just as I started to sink into the story, someone sat down next to me. I looked up to see William.
William was looking straight ahead. He made eye contact with Ray who brought him a menu. “A Sweet Water IPA and a burger, please.”
William turned to me and asked. “Any good?”
Ray appeared with my wine and William’s beer.
