The light in the main area of the library seemed harsh compared to the cozy reading room as Emma quickly pointed him in the direction of the circulation desk before ducking into an office door that read "Employees only."
It was fine. This was all fine. He could put his head down and busy himself looking around at the shelves or something. He could pretend to be really interested in books even though he wasn't much of a reader and the only words he could think of werethe ones describing Emma.
There was a shelf along one wall with a new releases sign over it so he figured that would be a good place to lay low for now with the usual paperbacks and a few hard cover books. One of them actually caught his eye, and he picked it up off of its stand to take a closer look. It was an oral history of new wave music in the eighties, which fit perfectly with the Project Lyonheart movies he was working on right now. He immediately recognized the names of some of the artists in the blurb on the back. Echo and the Bunnymen, Blondie, Eurythmics. Someone had been playing the best of the Pet Shop Boys to get the Project Lyonheart cast in the mood on set today, so Chase got an extra kick when he saw them mentioned.
"See something you like?"
Emma was standing there looking the way she had when he dropped her off this morning with her black slacks and a blue knit shirt with just enough of a v-neck to make a man stare. Yeah, Chase saw something he liked, but he wasn't about to tell Emma that the something was her.
"A book about new wave." He held it up to show her the neon pink and blue cover. "You may have to check this out for me so I can do research for my movie."
"You know, as a resident of Los Angeles County, you can use your library card in any of the branches." She leaned in closer as if she was about to tell him a secret. "Even this one."
"What if I don't have a library card?" he whispered to her.
She pulled back and scowled at him, and he couldn't tell if she was teasing him or seriously disappointed. He really hoped he hadn't disappointed her.
"Put it back on the shelf and let's get out of here."
Yeah, he disappointed her, or at least her voice was disapproving. Whatever it was, Chase figured he would have to do something to turn that frown around. At least, he wanted to do something to make her smile at him again.
And that's when the perfect opportunity presented itself in the form of a petite woman with dark hair and a very high-wattage smile.
"Heeeeey," the woman said without taking her eyes off of him. "Who is this?"
"Nothing," Emma replied.
"Um, I'm actually somebody." Chase put on his Hollywood smile and reached his hand out to introduce himself. "Chase. And you are?"
"Sabrina."
She gently took his hand, and it seemed to be shaking a little bit. Yeah, she recognized him even if she was trying to play it off like she didn't.
"So, Emma." She took her hand back and turned. "Is this the guy you've been talking about?"
Chase looked to find Emma's face contorted in some weird fake smile. "Yep, this is the one."
She flashed her fake smile in his direction, andit felt a little odd. But he quickly realized it was because she wanted him to play along to whatever lie she was telling. "Yep, that's me I guess!" he exclaimed.
"Well, I'm glad Emma has a boyfriend now," Sabrina said.
"A what now?"
Oh wait, he didn't realize that's what they were talking about, and he wondered how this conversation had become so out of his control.
"Well, she says you're not her boyfriend," Sabrina said with an eye roll. "She also said she didn't like the latest J.D. Robb book, so I don't really trust her judgment right now."
"Ah, well, I see," Chase replied with a bit of trepidation.
Emma took a step closer to him, her perfume teasing his nostrils. He didn't remember that when he dropped her off this morning.
"It doesn't have a label," Emma said. "We're just having fun for now."
Fun? That stung Chase more than it should've considering their situation. It also was a good reminder that this wasn't a relationship. This was Chase fulfilling the wishes of a fan. That was all. He couldn't get his feeling entangled in all of it.
"Anyways, we have to get going."
"Oh, of course." Sabrina gave her friend a knowing smile before turning back to Chase. "It was nice to meet you, and I hope to see you again soon."
