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“Hope you have wonderful dreams of Chris and his smarmy smile,” Seth calls down the hall. You better believe I’ll be dreaming of Chris, but they’ll more than likely be nightmares of me having to beg him to take me out on another date so I don’t look like a big ol’ liar.
Monday morning, Millie struts into the library, looking tanner than she did a week ago. She has a blissful smile on her face that says everything is perfect in her world—something I wish I could say for myself. As soon as her eyes land on me sitting behind the front desk, she squeals like a pre-teen and rushes over to hug me. Gertrude glares at us from across the room with her tiny glasses perched on the end of her nose.
“Sorry,” we both mutter and begin shuffling things around on the desk in an effort to look busy. This is a technique I’ve used for years. I’m ninety-five percent certain she sees right through it, and one day, she’ll decide she’s had enough.
“So, how was the honeymoon?” I ask out of obligation. The massive smile on her face already tells me all I need to know, but the woman is about to explode from waiting to tell me everything…well, not everything. I’m so happy for my friend that I could burst. If anyone deserves to be loved by a man like Jameson, it’s Millie Parker—well, Millie Lane now. I just wish that I had what she has. I want to be adored and cared for. Good grief, the way that man looks at her could thaw even the most frozen of hearts.
She tells me all about the resort they stayed at in the Caribbean, the crystal-clear water, and the massive amounts of food they ate. It sounds magical. I’d love to go sit in the sand with never-ending food and drinks and forget all about my problems. Instead, I work all day for a grumpy boss, go ‘home’ to my grumpy brother's house, and spend my evenings feeling grumpy while sending out my resumé to companies that expect me to have five years of experience for an entry-level position. I need to end this pity party. I’m not the girl who whines and complains about my situation. I’m the girl who is hopelessly optimistic, and if I don’t like something, I fix it. Or at least, I want to be that girl.
“But I missed everyone so much,” Millie continues. “How was it back here in Waverly? Anything interesting happen while I was gone?” she asks. My mind immediately goes to the crazy rumors about me and Seth dating and my failed attempt at a date with Chris. And oh my gosh, Chris… I still have to convince him to take me out again. Hopefully, Seth hasn’t found out that I was lying to him. I can just imagine his satisfied, gloating face.
“Oh, it was just the same as always around here,” I say. I’m not lying. I’m simply choosing to omit a few details. There’s always some insane gossip going around, thanks to Shandi and her posse. This week, it just so happened to center around me…yet again.
“Oh, okay. Well, I better get to work. A lot to catch up on,” she says as she walks to her desk in the children’s area.
The morning drags on and on. Mondays are usually the slowest days here at the library. There are no story times, book clubs, or teen programs, and hardly anyone comes in to browse books. At 11:00, I decide to cut out a little early for lunch so I can stop by the fire station and plead my case to Chris. If he works the same schedule as Seth, he should be on shift right now.
The library isn’t far from the station, so I decide to walk. It’s a nice day out, and I could use the sunshine and fresh air. Plus, it’ll give me a chance to clear my head. Honestly, what I could use is a good cry, but that’ll have to wait until later. If I cry now, it’ll just be one more thing for the town to talk about. I pass by the empty storefront that’s been vacant for going on two years now. I stop and look at it for a minute. It’s not necessary. I’ve looked at this building hundreds of times; I know every detail of it by heart. I would paint the storefront a light blue, and the inside would be covered floor to ceiling with used books in need of a second chance. That’s what we all need, isn’t it? A second chance? My dream is to have an entire section of well-loved antique books with leather covers and pages yellowed from age. For a moment, I allow myself to dream.
My eyes scan the building one more time, and then I continue on my way. I see the fire station up ahead, so I pick up my pace, hoping I won’t be spotted by too many people inside. I’ve never been here before, so I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go. Is there a door I’m supposed to knock on? Should I call Chris to let him know I’m here? I don’t want him to see my name flash on his phone and give him false hope. Oh no, is seeing me here going to give him false hope? Fortunately, the bay doors are open, and a few guys are doing some work on one of the trucks.
“Incoming,” I hear someone say. I guess that means I’ve been spotted. Four heads all turn to look right at me, and of course, one of them is Seth. A smile spreads across his face when he sees me, and he jumps down from the truck to greet me.
“Hey, what are you doing?” he asks. Holy smokes, that smile is going to make me combust. His t-shirt fits snuggly around his biceps and chest, and he has some kind of greasy substance on his arm and cheek. I don’t know what they’ve been working on, but I’m wondering if it would be inappropriate for me to just find a chair and spend my lunch break here, overseeing whatever it is.
“I came by to talk to Chris. Is he on shift?” I ask, forcing myself to seem angry with him. I didn’t think it was possible, but Seth’s smile gets even wider. He knows something. Abort mission. Get out of here while you still can.
“He is, but he and the chief went to do something in town,” he says.
“Can I wait for him?”
“It will probably be a while. I don’t think Ol’ Gertie will appreciate you being gone so long.”
“Fine. Just tell him I stopped by to talk to him,” I say as I turn to leave.
“Bye, Hannanah,” he calls out.
“Stop calling me that!” I yell over my shoulder. I hear a few snickers from the other guys who have been feigning work while we talked. Bunch of nosy gossips.
“Never!” Seth yells back, and Lord help me, a smile spreads across my face for the first time today. Thankfully, he can’t see it.
