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Footsteps echo from elsewhere on this floor as someone rushes in our direction. A moment later, a young bloke comes around a corner and halts, gawping at the broken table. "What happened? I was in the microfiche room when I heard a crash."
The microfiche room is on the other side of this floor. Still, I'm surprised he could hear the crash. All these shelves seem like they would muffle that noise, but apparently not.
Cat stares at me, her eyes wide.
Time to do the one thing at which I never fail. I affect an air of cavalier disinterest as I wave a hand toward the table. "It must have been suffering from intense dry rot. The university really should take better care of its furniture."
"Dry rot?" the bloke says, his brows knitting together.
"Yes, that's right." I pull out my wallet and select several bills, then hand them to the confused young man. "This should cover the cost of replacing the table."
He flips through the bills, and his eyes bulge. "This is a thousand dollars."
"Take a bit for yourself, but save most of it for the library."
The young man bites his upper lip. "I'd better give it all to the library. I don't work here."
I pat his shoulder. "You are a rare upstanding citizen."
Then I clasp Cat's hand, leading her away.
Once we've exited the building, Cat halts and turns toward me. "You gave that boy a thousand dollars. For a table that probably cost fifty at most."
I shrug. "Money is not a problem for me. But you know that."
"Aye." She squints at me for a moment. That expression always means she's trying to figure me out. "I love you, Alex, but I don't think I'll ever understand you."
A wave of cold rushes through me. She had told me once that she'sinlove with me, but now she has proclaimed outright that she loves me. I know it's essentially the same thing. Still, I can't deny that her statement makes me uneasy. Things might be wonderful now, but eventually, my house of cards will fall.
But I won't think about that today.
I throw an arm around her shoulders and start walking. "Let's have lunch at our favorite restaurant. It is our anniversary, after all."
Cat grins—and my chest aches.
