Page 37 of Falling

“But obviously, as the founding member, the meeting time needs to suit you,” he continued with finality that brooked no argument.

“Founding member, huh?” I tried to hide the smile tugging at my lips, but it was a losing battle.

“I’ve already done the paperwork,” Miles admitted. “Which I had to make up myself from scratch so it’s actually just a spreadsheet of library opening hours with blocks of time colored in. But it works. Anyway. Would two hours make sense? Three?”

“Two sounds like enough,” I said. “What time?”

“I was thinking ten,” Miles said. “And that I’d start taking my lunch break at noon, and maybe you’d let me buy you coffee after. So you can fill me in on all the latest gossip.”

“Gossip?” I asked, the picture of innocence.

“It’s better than cash around here,” Miles said. “And as Otter Bay’s only librarian, I have to know what’s going on. I can’t… libraries are an important part of the community. I still don’t feel cut out for this, but… I’m trying. I need help,” he said, looking up at me again, eyes soft and pleading, pink tongue darting out to wet his lips. “I’m asking.”

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and forced myself not to change my hold on him, in case it freaked him out.

I wanted to say anything, you can ask for anything, I’ll do it.

But again, with the freaking out.

“Ten on Mondays sounds perfect,” I said. “Want me to get Seth to make flyers?”

Miles glanced away, looking at the TV. “I was thinking I might try my hand. Always wanted to. If that’s okay?”

“It’s perfect,” I said. “But keep in mind that he loves to have his fingers in absolutely everything. You can always get a favor out of him by asking.”

“Is that how you got this couch out of him? And the bookshelves?”

I laughed. “You figured out that was me, huh?”

“You’re the only person I complained to,” Miles said. “I didn’t even mean to complain to you, you just…”

“Dante says I have a violet aura,” I said. “Because I’m very sympathetic.”

“I met him,” Miles said. “He was checking out the entire metaphysical section.”

“He’ll come back with suggestions and maybe a crystal.” I grinned at the thought. “He’ll be at the stitch ’n’ bitch, too. He’s okay once you get used to him.”

“Well, I dunno what color your aura is, but you do give off safe vibes. You’re the perfect person to run a gay bar. Faith feels like such a haven. So he’s probably right.”

“I think he’s right about a lot more things than people give him credit for,” I admitted. “I’m not sure he’s right about them for the reasons he thinks, but I’m not sure that matters. He’s a great judge of character.”

Once I was done defending Dante, I realized what Miles had actually said. “Faith feels like a haven to you?”

“Well… yeah,” Miles said, snuggling closer to me. “I guess it feels like an extension of you. And the first thing you ever did was rescue me, so. I dunno, I’m being weird again.”

“I like the weird. I’m…”

You say things like that and it makes me want to be the person you come to for everything.

Instead of saying that, I stared at the TV like I was watching it. Lucky I’d seen Jurassic Park a dozen times.

“Weird, too,” I said eventually.

Miles relaxed against me again, and the next time I came out of my own thoughts, he was asleep.

15

MILES