Chapter 1
ONE
CHARLIE
In the space between our dreams and being awake we are kissed by angels.
Stephanie Ryan
I loved my job. I did not love February in New York City.
I wrapped my wool scarf more tightly around my face to stave off the biting wind.
I was glad I only had to walk five blocks to the bookstore where I worked.
I wished my small studio apartment was closer, but it was all I could afford in Greenwich Village. I’d been lucky to get it at all.
I stopped by Brewhaha, the coffee shop that was up the street from the bookstore, to get myself a hot chocolate.
I was going to need it to warm myself up after my walk.
The front windows had red and pink hearts plastered all over them, reminding me that Valentine’s Day was only a day away.
The shop was nice and warm but the line was longer than I would have liked.
Luckily I was able to get my order in enough time so I wasn’t late to work.
I was halfway down the block when I remembered that hadn’t gotten myself something to eat. I’d gotten up late and hadn’t eaten breakfast. I shook my head. I’d order something once I was settled in the store.
The wind smacked me in the face as I hurried the last half block to my destination, Time to Read. Thankfully the lights were on and the door was already unlocked. That meant Zenia, the owner, was there. That also meant she’d have already turned up the heat.
Sure enough, I was hit with a wonderful blast of warm air when I opened the wood and glass front door. Bells jingled, announcing my arrival. Selene, Zenia’s sleek black cat, jumped up onto the counter, letting out a demanding “mrow.”
I chuckled as I carefully set down my hot chocolate.
“All right, your majesty, I’ll pet you. Just let me take off my gloves so I don’t shock you.
I pulled off my wool gloves and stuffed them in my coat pockets.
The gloves and scarf had been a Christmas gift from Zenia, which she gave me after seeing the sad set I’d previously owned.
I scratched behind Selene’s ears, loving the contented purr that rumbled from her chest. She leaned into my hand, demanding more scritches. This went on until the clock on the wall behind the counter chimed nine o’clock. With one last stroke I said, “Gotta get to work, Miss Selene.”
I took off my coat and hung it and the scarf on a hook behind the counter.
Then I grabbed my cup, taking a sip of the rich chocolatey goodness as I headed toward the back of the store.
A narrow staircase divided the first floor of the bookstore in half.
The built-in bookshelves went all the way to the ceiling, each side boasting an attached rolling ladder.
I took a moment to inhale deeply. I always loved the smell of bookstores, but Time to Read had an underlying scent that was unique to it alone.
Maybe it was all the old books. I couldn’t say. Whenever I was here I felt energized.
Zenia’s office was in the back of the store on the first floor. The solid wood doorway was set in between two tall dark oak bookcases. I knocked and waited until I heard her call out, “Come in, Charlie.”
Zenia was seated behind an elaborately carved wooden desk that seemed out of place in her small office.
Built-in floor to ceiling bookshelves ran along two walls.
The one behind her desk was filled with leather-bound books, many of which looked ancient.
I often wondered where the books had come from but I’d never had the nerve to ask.
When I’d opened the door, Selene had shot in through the gap and jumped onto Zenia’s lap.
Zenia smiled indulgently at the cat and ran a hand over her sleek fur.
My boss was an enigma to me. In appearance she looked to be in her mid-sixties.
Her waist-length silver hair was always pulled back in a neat braid.
Her tan skin was creased with wrinkles, especially around her eyes and mouth.
But they were lines that indicated a woman who smiled and laughed frequently.
Despite her apparent age, she was fit and spry. I’d seen her climb the ladders in the bookstore as quickly as a person half her age. Today she was dressed in a dark purple sweater with long strands of silver and amethyst chains around her neck that hung almost to her waist.
She gestured to the chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat Charlie. Enjoy your hot chocolate.” She slid a small crystal bowl filled with pink and red wrapped heart-shaped candy toward me. “Take as many of you want.”
“Thank you,” I said as I settled in the comfortable padded chair. “How did you know it was hot chocolate?”
“It’s what you always get on cold days,” she replied.
“True.” I took a sip enjoying the warmth that spread through me. “So, what’s on the agenda for today? I saw a lot of online orders come in last night just before I left for the day.”
Zenia nodded. “We’ll get to those later. I have something else I’d like you to do first.”
I sat up straighter. Zenia’s tone of voice told me whatever she wanted me to do was important. One of the things I loved most about my job was I never knew from day to day what exciting bookish adventures Zenia would send me on. “What is it?”
Instead of answering, she turned to the bookcase behind her and pulled out a large, leather-bound tome and set it on her desk.
When I got a closer look at it, I realized the book was old.
The center of the front cover was embossed with a Celtic triskele.
On the spine of the book was a series of slashes that I belatedly recognized as the ancient Irish alphabet called Ogham.
Excitement filled me. That meant this book was really, really old.
There was a thick leather strap with a lock on the outer edge that looked newer than the rest of the book from which Zenia pulled a small brass key.
She opened a drawer in her desk and drew out a small envelope.
Placing the key inside, she sealed it and handed it to me.
“I need you to take this book and the key to Matteo and Julian’s place.
They are in the midst of some deep research and asked to have this delivered to them rather than coming here to get it. ”
Matteo and Julian were scholars, and husbands, who frequently came to Time to Read to borrow the rare books Zenia collected.
They always brought them back and on occasion would show up with new ones to add to her collection.
And yes, it was a bookstore, but it was also part library.
The loft upstairs housed a locked library that researchers from all over the country came to use.
I once asked Zenia if she was worried that someone would steal one of the books.
She just smiled and shook her head. “The ones who come here know better.”
I gazed at the book before me. “I think I’ll need a bag to carry it in. I don’t want to drop it and damage it.”
Zenia nodded in approval. “Excellent point.” She got up from her desk and went to a small closet on the other side of the room. I heard her muttering while she searched for the bag I’d asked for. Finally she said, “Ah, here it is.”
She came back carrying a large leather satchel with a thick leather shoulder strap and a heavy buckle closure. “This should do it.”
We carefully transferred the book into the satchel and I double and triple checked to make sure the buckle was well closed.
I put the envelope containing the key in my pants pocket to keep it safe.
Zenia handed me a slip of paper on which was an address on Christopher street near the Stonewall Inn.
It was only three blocks from the bookstore.
“This shouldn’t take me too long,” I said as I headed toward the front of the store.
She waved me off. “Take your time. I’ll watch over the front until you get back. Oh,” she added, “Get yourself something to eat at the coffee shop. You don’t want your blood sugar to get too low.”
I turned back and stared at her. “How did you know I didn’t have breakfast?”
She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “You looked peaky.”
I smiled and shook my head. “I’ll get something to eat.”
I went to the front of the store and put on my coat, scarf and gloves. I noticed that heavy clouds had rolled in so I made sure my scarf was secure around my face. The book was heavier than I’d expected and it took me a minute to adjust the strap of the satchel so I could carry it comfortably.
As I suspected, the wind had picked up and it looked like it was going to rain. I picked up my pace as I headed toward my destination. The last thing I wanted was for a priceless book to get ruined in the rain.
I’d just gotten near the coffee shop when a gust of wind blew my scarf into my face, blinding me for a moment.
Before I could stop to adjust it, I heard a man shout and I ran face first into a wall of muscle and heat.
I was going so fast I literally bounced off him and flew backwards, landing flat on my back, hitting my head on the sidewalk.
The last thing I saw before I passed out was a large man with dark hair and the prettiest green eyes I’d ever seen staring down at me.