Page 16 of Library or Lattes?

I smiled. “Geoff’s secret recipe. But no, it’s just me today. I was going to take a look at the travel books.”

“Travel books?” Jo said, lighting up. “Now, that’s my favorite section. And I just keep ordering more even when we don’t really have enough shelf space.” She gestured at the overstuffed shelves opposite her desk. “Anything in particular you’re looking for?”

“Just looking around. Just want to see what’s there.”

“Well, we’ve got the whole world on those shelves,” Jo said, taking another bite of pie. “And if you need any recommendations, you know where to find me.”

I headed in the direction of Lennie’s favorite spot to drop my bag while I searched the shelves. Halfway through the romance aisle, though, I stopped in my tracks. There he was. Sitting in Lennie’s seat by the window, his head stuck in some giant textbook. The mansplaining weatherman.

Me: Guess who’s in your seat at the library …

Lennie: It better be you

Me: Mr. “mansplaining the wind”

I laughed when I saw Lennie’s reply. A bunch of expletives mixed with emojis.

And I covered my mouth too late. He’d seen me. He’d heard me.

Mr. Arrogant looked straight up the aisle and sighed dramatically. “I’m actually trying to study here, if you don’t mind.”

I turned to look at the rows of books, just so I wouldn’t be glaring at him. He was intense. Serious. And, I realized, kind of sexy if you were into guys with egos. I could feel my cheeks flush. What was even happening? I walked away, quickly, back to Jo’s desk. Back to safety.

“What’s the deal with the grouch down there?” I rolled my eyes toward where he was sitting. He was just so rude. It was infuriating. And if he was a tourist, shouldn’t he be going back home to wherever he came from?

Jo leaned over the desk and lowered her voice. “Well, you know Hadley Spence and her husband, Alfie?”

“Yeah?”

“He”—Jo pointed toward the grumpy guy—”He is Alfie’s brother, Theo. And I don’t know what’s going on, but that one’s carrying some worries, if you ask me. I’d go a little easy on him. There usually is a reason when people aren’t kind.”

“He wasn’t kind to you?” I asked, shocked that anyone could be anything but nice to Jo.

“Oh, I can deal with him just fine.”

“I feel kind of bad for him now,” I said, glancing back. He was still reading the giant book, leg bouncing under the table.

Jo cocked her head and looked at me. “Don’t get me wrong. If he speaks to me like that again, I cannot be held responsible for my actions.” That was more like it, I thought.

I picked up a couple of books from the travel section and walked back toward Lennie’s desk with the intention of giving Theo another chance.

He didn’t even look up when I sat down. I pushed the pie box across the table at him.

I smiled. “Pumpkin pie?”

He arched an eyebrow and opened the box like he was scared. “I’ve already eaten …”

“And you can’t eat again?”

“It’s a library.” His tone was condescending, but he picked up the little wooden fork and started to poke at the pie, taking the tiniest piece and tasting it. “Total sugar overload. But thank you.”

“So what’s your story? I don’t think I’ve seen you at Oak High?” I asked, as cheerfully as I could manage. Not everyone made a good first impression. Especially if he was sad about something, as Jo thought.

“No. I graduated last year. I checked out the community college for while I’m stuck here, but … it’s not exactly … academic … is it?” He took another bite of pie, and I couldn’t help noticing that he was handling the sugar just fine.

“I think it’s supposed to be okay.” I bristled at the “stuck here.” “What is it you want to study, that needs a more academic school?” I hoped I didn’t sound as irritated as I was. How dare he come to Oak Falls and criticize things he knew nothing about?

“Architecture. And even if I could put up with the subpar schooling, it’s not as if I can find inspiration in the varied buildings around here. Except for the library, I guess. That’s why I was sketching yesterday—”