What wasn’t typical was waking up thinking about a stranger with eyes that told ancient stories and a smile that made my stomach tilt.
Attraction was a distraction. Distractions turned into mistakes. I’d learned that pattern early.
I shoved off the covers and padded to the bathroom, where I frowned at my reflection. My hair had chosen violence, forming a reasonable curl on one side and a rebellious fluff-wave on the other.
“Pick a texture,” I muttered at it.
It did not.
I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and gave myself a quick pep talk in the mirror:
“You’re capable. You’re smart. You can find a book. You can, at minimum, function like a moderately stable adult for one morning.”
My reflection looked unconvinced. I ignored her and headed toward the kitchen.
Eloise was sitting cross-legged on the counter, eating toast and reading a romance novel like she was the patron saint of cozy mornings. I was beginning to second-guess the key I’d had made for her.
She glanced up. “You’re awake early. That’s suspicious.”
“I’m awake exactly on time.”
“Exactly why it’s suspicious.”
I poured coffee in the travel mug I liked best—the one with the worn gold lettering that readLibrarians Do It Quietly—and took a long sip.
“Well?” she asked.
"Well, what?”
Her eyes narrowed in that I-know-thingsway that made me want to flee the apartment. “Who were you thinking about that got you out of bed so expediently?"
“No one.”
Her grin spread, sharklike. “You’re lying. And not doing a good job. Which means he wasfoine.”
I pointed my mug at her. “He was a patron. Andfinedoesn’t have an O sound.”
“A tall patron. And it does when I'm speaking of afoineman.”
I glared.
“A damp patron.”
I glared harder.
“A patron who looked at you like you hung the moon.”
My face flamed. “Stop noticing things! You weren’t even there!”
“I will when you stop glowing.”
“I’m notglowing. I’m caffeinated.”
“Caffeinated people don't turn pink when someone mentions tall, damp strangers.”
I inhaled sharply and pretended not to hear her. “I have to get to work. You know… the place that pays the rent for this apartment, where, I might add, you don't live.”
I grabbed my bag, feeling Eloise’s amused gaze following me all the way to the door. Rain pattered steadily outside, but it wasn’t as gloomy as usual. In fact, it almost felt… energizing.
