By the Dawn's Early Light (Stars, Stripes, and Hockey Nights #2)

1. Hadley

Hadley

The first time I fell in love, I was four years old, sitting cross-legged on the circle rug at the library while the librarian read Beauty and the Beast. I knew right then and there I wanted to be a librarian when I grew up.

I inhale the unmistakable scent of old paperbacks and sigh. Nothing can match that smell.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Donna, our children’s librarian, says as she rushes into the room. “I got caught up at the Coffee Loft.” She passes me a vanilla latte with caramel drizzle. “I thought you might want this.”

I cradle the to-go cup in my hands and take a tentative sip of the hot beverage.

“Thank you,” I say after swallowing the sweet and slightly bitter confection.

“I’ll never turn down a latte.” I grab the stack of papers I’d carefully set at the head of the table and start placing them in front of the empty chairs.

“You’re the first one here, so you haven’t missed anything. ”

Donna takes a seat and picks up the packet of papers I put in front of her.

She glances it over as the rest of the team makes their way into the conference room and settles.

“This looks great,” she says. “I’ll start pulling some hockey books to add to the American history books display in the children’s section today. ”

Brad, our young adult librarian, scoffs. “I tried to get tickets. Do you know how expensive they are?” He flops into his seat with a sigh. “I couldn’t even afford the nosebleeds.”

“No kidding,” Dom, our community outreach organizer says. “I’ve been a hockey fan all my life, so I’ll still be watching the tournament. From home, with good snacks and no crowds.”

Brad chuckles. “I hear ya. I think some of us are planning to watch from Tom’s if you want to join us.”

I roll my eyes as their conversation continues. I’ve never understood people’s fascination with sports. Why would you want to watch grown men run around, or I guess, skate around, when you could be off on an adventure in the pages of a book? “Okay, fellas. Are we ready to get started?”

The meeting goes well, with everyone agreeing that capitalizing on the Stars and Stripes Tournament is the way to go.

“Next month, we’ll be focused on back-to-school planning, so don’t forget to send me your requests by the end of the month so we can pivot at our first meeting in July if necessary,” I say.

The team grabs their updated calendars and meeting agendas before leaving me alone in the conference room.

I let out a deep breath and shake the tension out of my shoulders.

I’m young to be the program director for the Capitol City Public Library, and sometimes I feel the pressure that brings.

Brad and Dom are nice, but they’re older and fairly set in their ways.

They’ve been easy to work with, but I constantly feel like I have to prove myself.

Standing, I collect the extra papers from the table, and my vanilla latte, and head to my office. It’s going to be a long day.

“Mommy?” I hear a scared little voice call from around the bookshelf nearest my office. “Mommy?”

Sounds like someone might be lost. I pop into my office and leave the coffee and papers on my desk before heading out to search for the source of the little voice I heard.

“Hey,” I say, squatting to her level when I finally spot her tucked into the corner and wringing her little hands together. “My name is Hadley, and I’m a librarian here. Can I help you find anything?”

The little girl’s eyes start to water. “I lost my mommy,” she whispers.

“I’m good at finding things,” I tell her. “What’s your name?”

She sniffles and wipes the tears from her cheeks with the backs of her hands. “Mila,” she says.

“Hi Mila, it’s nice to meet you.” I smile at her, hoping to calm her fears. “Would you like to walk with me to the check-out desk and see if we can page your mom? I’m sure she’s worried about you, too.”

Mila looks down the aisle and back at me, clearly weighing her options. “Okay,” she says finally, reaching out to take my hand.

“What’s your mom’s name, Mila?” I ask as we walk together to the children’s circulation desk where a volunteer is busy helping another family check out.

“Marisol.”

I nod and squeeze her hand. When we get to the desk, I stop and squat down again. “I’m going to step back here and call for your mom. Do you want to come behind the desk and pick out a sticker while we wait?”

Mila nods and shuffles her feet as we move around the counter to the sticker bin.

“Here you go,” I say, passing it to her for her to sift through.

“You can pick your two favorites, okay?” She offers me a watery smile before sticking both hands into the bin.

Satisfied that she’s occupied, I pick up the phone and hit the button that lets us make loudspeaker announcements throughout the library.

“Marisol, please come to the children’s circulation desk. ”

It only takes a few minutes before mom and child are reunited.

I watch as Marisol carries Mila close to her chest back to the little tables in the children’s section.

There’s something so sweet about watching parents with their children.

I remember getting lost between the shelves of the library more than once as a little kid.

It was hard to stay with my mom when there were so many new books to explore.

The rest of the day passes in a blur, and I’m packing up when I hear a familiar voice laughing outside my office. Shutting down my computer, I grab my purse and head for the door to meet my friend.

“There you are,” Paige says, her blonde hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, and she’s wearing purple leggings with a tank top emblazoned in the words “I don’t sweat, I sparkle” in silver glitter across the front.

She looks like she’s ready to pop into an aerobics class, which makes sense since she’s a trainer at the local gym.

“Where else would I be at 5 o’clock on a Wednesday?

” Paige has been my best friend since I moved to DC to do an internship during grad school.

We met at the cafe near the Capitol while I was at lunch one day, feeling sorry for myself for even taking the internship.

She sat down next to me, started talking, and that was that.

I’m definitely the introvert that got adopted by the extrovert, as they say.

“I know,” Paige says, grinning. “That’s why I’m here. I thought we could grab a bite to eat before you head home?”

I shake my head. “I can’t. I’m supposed to be at my parent’s house at six o’clock for dinner.”

Paige puts her hands on her hips. “That’s on Sunday,” she says, rolling her eyes. “If you don’t want to grab dinner out, can we pick something up?”

I chuckle. “I’m not trying to evade this time,” I say, though to be fair, I have been known to try to get out of public outings before. “Dinner got moved because Eloise and Clara have their dance recital on Sunday.” I shrug.

Paige grins. “Okay, but don’t think you’re getting out of girls' night Saturday. It’s my turn to pick the movie, and I have the perfect one in mind!”

Inwardly, I cringe. It’s probably some sports romance.

I love Paige, but she’s a little obsessed with sports.

“Sounds great,” I say, before giving her a quick hug.

“I’ve got to run, but I’ll see you this weekend.

” I wave to Donna on the way out and rush out the front doors of the library.

My car is parked in the parking garage behind the library, so I round the corner of the historic brick front building, and nearly slam into someone.

“Sorry,” I say, and give the woman I almost knocked over a quick smile.

If I’m going to make it into Maryland to have dinner with my parents, I’d better get a move on.

My parents’ house comes into view, and I slow down, taking a moment to appreciate the view of my childhood home.

The white siding of the traditional colonial gleams in the evening sun.

Black shutters bracket the front windows, which glow with light from inside.

Roses fill the flower beds beside the small front porch and remind me of summers sitting on a blanket in the front yard, eating strawberries and reading while the sweet scent of the blooms filled the air.

When I park my Toyota Corolla behind my sister's gigantic SUV, I’m already fifteen minutes late.

Traffic was a beast for a Wednesday night, but at least I had more time to listen to the audiobook I downloaded this afternoon.

I don’t drive often. Living in DC, it’s easier to use public transportation than to find parking.

The only time I use my car is when I’m going to the grocery store or coming here.

I’m listening to the end of the chapter, staring at the home I grew up in, when the front door opens. My dad steps onto the porch dressed in his usual khaki pants and Hawaiian button-down shirt. “Are you coming in?” he calls.

I turn off the car and step out, closing the door behind me. “Yeah. Sorry Dad, I was just finishing up the chapter,” I tell him as I ascend the front steps. “It’s good to see you.”

He leans in and gives me a hug before opening the door and ushering me inside.

“You too, buttercup. Your mom and sister are in the kitchen finishing up. You might want to hurry. Your mom was saying something about sending out a search party just before you pulled up.” He chuckles and veers off to sit in his recliner.

The TV is on, playing some animated kids movie that my nieces are watching intently.

“There you are,” Mom says when I turn the corner into the kitchen.

“I was getting worried.” She’s wiping her hands on the apron she’s worn since I was a kid while my sister moves dinner rolls from a baking sheet onto a serving platter.

“I just told your sister I was going to send Arthur out to look for you.”