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I walk out and wave at the others, smiling.
Then I head back to my work at the library, laughing softly.
It was worth watching him get all annoyed and worked up to have to deal with a little embarrassment.
For the rest of the afternoon, I chat up patrons and smile when they congratulate the library for love a book day.
Everyone should love a book.
But the whole time that I’m smiling and chatting with people, my mind is stuck back in that damn jail while he holds my hands, with purple nitrile gloves on to boot, and tries to do my fingerprints. His eyes kept coming back to my face and he kept messing them up and swearing under his breath.
I’ve never been a big fan of grumpy sunshine books but I think that I’m gonna start reading that particularly trope almost exclusively now. Because there is something really hot about pissing a grumpy guy off laughing at him.
And I’ve apparently been missing out all this time!
Cannon comes up to me when I start to gather my tables and the books up to head back in when the library closes at six.
“Hey, can I help you with that?”
He grabs one of the tables up and hauls it in without even breaking a sweat. I look like I’ve been pulled through a wind tunnel backwards.
But his admiring eyes are balm to my soul.
“That would be wonderful.” I smile at him and he touches my hand as he gathers up the table I was trying to move by myself. He makes it look easy but he’s a big guy.
And as I smile at him, I glance over and see the Sheriff standing at the bottom of the steps,staring at me with a frown on his face.
I smile and wave at him, grinning even more when he turns to walk away.
I look at Cannon when he comes back. So…do you really like it here?”
He laughs. “I’ve been asked that a million times in just as many ways. Yes! I love it here! The weathers’ fantastic, the people are nice. The job is way easier than being in the army which is what I was doing last year, so…yeah. I do enjoy the whole thing.”
“Are you doing this again tomorrow?”
I shake my head. “No. This was just for National Book Lovers Day. Tomorrow I’ll be locked up inside just like always.”
He nods. His dark hair is ruffled slightly and his bright blue eyes dance.
“How would you like to come out with me this weekend? I was gonna go out to the beach and relax a little. I hear there’s some great food down there.”
I nod my head and I should be thinking about his question. But instead, my eyes are on Booker Sloan. And the way his eyes go dull and he turns away when he hears Cannon ask me out.
I look back at him and I know there are no sparks. I like him but not in that way. Apparently, I’m a sick puppy because I only like grouchy guys who want to yell at me all the time and then stare at me with pretty pale green eyes that sparkle with some emotion that I’m not sure I’m ready to admit I see.
Sighing, I lay a hand on Cannon’s arm and he frowns. “I know that look.”
“I like you, Cannon. But only as a friend. Nothing more.”
He groans and then smiles gently at me. “Well, I’m not gonna admit that that kinda burns. But I guess I’ll get over it. If you still want to go this weekend?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. But thank you. Maybe in a little while. I’m booked solid with work right now.”
His eyes dart down the stairs where Booker got stopped by one of the education committees. “If you change your mind? I’d like to be just friends if that’s all you want”
I grin at him and pull him in for a hug. “Consider us friends. And if I wasn’t so busy, I’d take you up on it. But I really have a ton of stuff to do at the library. Raincheck?”
He grins and once again I wish I wasn’t so insanely stuck on the guy who’s shuffling down the stairs.
