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ChapterForty
SPENCER
Don’t get me wrong: I love my job. When you’re a man who commits to the library sciences, you pretty much have to. It’s not a career choice typically associated with masculinity. Luckily I’m comfortable with mine. And everything about the reference desk speaks to important parts of me.
The part that craves my own answers.
The part that thrives on sharing my knowledge.
The part that lives to help others learn.
And they teach me. Together we expand. Explore. Create. Evolve. You can’t tell me that’s not cool.
It’s very cool.
But these days, when I’m at the library, my mind keeps drifting over to the campsite. To Tess. And it takes all my willpower and strength to be patient. Like with Mrs. Henderson, who came through earlier in her curlers, throwing tantrums over due dates again. And with Mrs. Dodd, who’s in the non-fiction section right now making space for a hundred autobiographies.
Normally I’ve got all day to serve patrons. Mrs. Dodd, in particular, is one of my favorite people on the planet. But my number one favorite person? She’s across town at the Sunny Camp ranch. Probably being adorable. Whatever she’s doing.
I just want to get there and see for myself. But I’ve got three more hours to get through first. At least it’s time for dinner now. So I grab my phone and head to the break room.
I’m deep in thought—as deep as you can get while eating cubes of leftover lasagna with chopsticks—when someone taps my shoulder. I jerk my head up to find Kayla standing over me.
“Sorry,” she says. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Nah. I’m good. Just surprised.”
“That I’m here at the library with you? Like I am every other weeknight?”
“No.” I set down my chopsticks. “That I’m on my dinner break, and you’re not at the desk.”
“Oh, that.” Kayla sits beside me. “Pam showed up to do some kind of tech check on both our computers. I’ll head back in fifteen minutes. In the meantime, she’s going to send any patrons who come by over to Lucy.” Kayla glances around, even though it’s clear we’re the only ones in the break room. “I need some advice,” she whispers. “About Clive.”
“Ahhh.” I splay my hands. “The Irony Chef.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind,” I say. “What’s up?”
“This is going to sound weird.” She fidgets in her seat. “Especially because I’m pretty sure Tess was trying to set you and me up …” Kayla’s cheeks blotch up. “Sorry about that.”
“Oh, yeah. I knew all about it.” ButKayladoesn’t know that since then, Tess has CHANGED HER MIND. And until Tess and I go public after camp, we’re not telling anyone. Except all the members of both our families. Apparently. Quite the secret.
“Don’t worry,” I tell Kayla. “It’s cool that you’re not interested in me.”
She chews her lip. “It’s not that I don’t like you.”
“No, no. I get it.” I rub a hand along the back of my neck. “You just like Clive … in a different way.”
And for the record, I like someone in a different way too. In fact, I like her in anI’m falling in love with herkind of way.
“Okay, good. Because I really do need your advice.” She leans in, keeping her voice low. “Clive and I have been seeing each other every night since we met.”
“Whoa. You have? Good for you!”
She wrinkles her nose.
“Notgood for you?”
