Chapter Six
Operation Small Town, Day 5
The library in Hudson Hollow may be my new favorite place in town. No, scratch that. The world.
When I first passed the library, and I mean passed it, because there was no sign for it, I didn’t give it a second glance. When I finally doubled back and realized I was in the right place, the nondescript building didn’t particularly excite me.
Boy, was I wrong. I know I’m not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but let’s be honest, I work in publishing, and we judge covers all day long.
Readers and publishing people understand the excitement one finds when stepping into a room full of books. We all first felt truly understood when the Beast revealed his library to Belle. Right then and there, having a library fit for a ladder on wheels became our dreams.
I feel a bit like Belle when she enters the Beast’s library. The library is huge . There are two floors lining the outside walls, with a magnificent, tiled ceiling towering above. The circulation desk sits in the middle, surrounded by mismatched tables and chairs where a scarce number of people sit. How are there not more people here? How is this not a tourist destination? Look at all the books !
Okay, I might be overreacting. But libraries have always been my happy places. I lived in the library throughout middle school and high school, and I chose my college for its library. It had four floors—I never wanted to leave.
I make my way to the circulation desk and have to pause for a moment to decide how I’m going to approach this. I can’t exactly go up to this person and say, “I’m using this town for a book, can you tell me everything about it?” That would not only be blowing my cover, but I don’t think the locals would take too kindly to it.
“Are you lost?”
My head snaps up when the woman behind the counter speaks in a rough, loud voice. Suddenly, all eyes in the room are on me. Cool.
I clear my throat and race to get my story straight. I can do this. Calm. Confident. Be one with the locals.
“Hi,” I say quietly, leaning against the desk. I’m hoping if I keep a quiet tone, the rest of the people will go back to their books. I take a quick glance at my surroundings and realize that is not going to happen. There’s an older man sitting at a nearby table staring directly at me. A mother and her son are in the children’s section at the far side of the room, using their position in the raised platform to lean over a banister to get a better look at me, and a few kids are giggling in the computer section behind me. Not exactly the warm welcome I’ve received from everyone else in this town.
“I’m visiting for a few weeks,” I say in a more confident whisper. The woman behind the counter finally looks up from her desk. She’s on the older side, with short, thinning hair, and a cardigan that looks like it was handmade. Her glasses are on the edge of her nose and she looks up at me from behind them, like I’m inconveniencing her in a major way.
“Are you looking for a book ?”
Well, this is a library .
I inhale subtly and put on my best fake smile. “I was actually looking for some information on the town’s history. Would you be able to point me in the right direction? Some archives, perhaps?” In my mind, this was the part where she gets excited that an out-of-towner has shown some interest in this historic town and she offers to tell me all about its Native American history.
That’s not what happens. Instead, she shrugs her shoulders and huffs at me.
This library experience is really not going as expected.
“We don’t have much. Anything we do have would be down that aisle over there,” she says, pointing behind me.
“Oh,” I say, disappointed.
Where is the old, crotchety historian who will become my mentor while I go on my journey to self-discovery?
Anne is not going to be happy about this.
“Hey, Beth.” My head snaps up at the sound of a familiar voice. I find him like a magnet. Liam is in his usual jeans and T-shirt look as he strides up to the welcome desk. He gives me a quick look in his peripheral vision, and then strides right past me toward the librarian. “Here’s your sandwich,” he tells Beth, placing a white paper bag on her desk.
Beth gets a sandwich. I don’t even get a “hello,” but Beth gets a sandwich.
“I am capable of walking across the street, you know,” Beth replies sassily.
“A simple thank you will do,” Liam answers, leaning against the desk. “Not everyone gets my special door-to-door service, you know.”
Charm. Beth gets a sandwich and charm. What the fuck?
“Thank you, Liam,” Beth says.
Liam seems to finally notice my presence—either that or he was pretending not to notice me this entire time—I’m not really sure which. He turns slightly so our forearms gently graze one another and I see goosebumps rise on his skin. I look up and he barely meets my gaze.
“Hey, neighbor,” I say in a weak voice. I pair it with an awkward wave. “Although I’m not sure I can call you that when I’ll only be your neighbor for a month.”
Liam gives me a firm smile, and looks down at the floor quickly, before finally accepting that he has to make eye contact with me eventually. Once he does, his eyes take hold of mine and I can see there are more words in his mind that don’t make their way out. Beth rolls her eyes at us. In an instant, Liam’s attitude seems to change. His shoulders lift, almost visibly shaking off the facade he was just wearing.
“Sorry, can I ask you something?” I say, fully aware that I am, in fact, asking him something.
“Go ahead,” he mumbles.
“Do I… bother you? Or make you uncomfortable? Because if I do, I really apologize, but I’m not really sure what it is that I’m doing—” We start meandering down an aisle of books, heading toward the door.
Liam uprights himself. “Stop. It’s not you, it’s me,” he says. “Look, I—I don’t take to newcomers very well, we’re a close-knit community, you understand? It’s basically ingrained in my DNA to be wary of people from the city.”
“Wait. Let me get this straight. You don’t like me because I live in the city? Not because I acted slightly manic when we first met—which I have apologized for.”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Liam starts, hurriedly pushing some rogue blonde locks out of his face. “The last time someone came to Hudson Hollow from Manhattan, with their posh outfits and fancy cars and fast talking, they came to build a resort on the lake, looking to demolish hundreds of homes in the process.”
I open my mouth to speak but take a beat.
“There’s so much to unpack there I’m really not sure where to start,” I finally say. “Do I look like a property developer to you?” Suddenly, Beth appears from behind one of the large columns and shushes us. Like she literally puts her finger to her lips and goes Shhh! —I’ve never seen a real-life librarian actually do that.
When she disappears again, I turn back to Liam, whose arms, whose very muscular arms, are now crossed in front of him. Stay focused, Lucy. Don’t compare them to the forearms described in every single freaking romance book you’ve ever read.
Liam sighs. “Historically speaking, when people visit from Manhattan, families notwithstanding, their intentions are usually to build a resort, or luxury condominiums that price out the locals. They’re only concerned with what the town can do for them. And I guess I was worried that you were more of the same,” he sighs, shrugging. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge you and your intentions.”
Um.
Well.
Fuck.
You might be a bit on the nose there, Mr. Miller.
Okay, but this isn’t actually the plot of a Hallmark movie. I’m not here to demolish his town or franchise his business. I’m just here for the experience . I’m not stealing anything. I’m not taking anything away from the townspeople. I’m just seeing what it has to offer.
“I hope you realize that not everyone from the city is evil,” I say, brushing it off. “And not everyone from the city drives fancy cars. Most of us can’t even afford cars. The car I’m driving is a friend’s car. It would literally take me ten years at my current salary to even be able to finance that car.” Man, that is so depressing to say out loud.
Liam exhales and the tension in his shoulders visibly softens.
“I don’t think all people from the city are evil,” he says. “I just don’t trust them.”
“Well, there are about three million of us that live on that island, so maybe you should open your mind a little bit,” I suggest. I put my thumb and pointer finger together, making a “just a little bit” gesture with my hand. Liam finally breaks a smile.
“I guess that’s reasonable,” he says.
Well, this scouting mission has been a little bit of a bust. Beth the Bitchy Librarian gave me zero insight into a happy-go-lucky townie who could own a used bookstore, and now Liam, the self-proclaimed Officer Against the Infiltration of Urban Outsiders, is continuing to treat me like an enemy of the state. How am I ever going to write an outline for this book when I can’t even find one inspirational character?
I start to turn for the door when Liam speaks again. “Lucy, wait,” he says, catching me up. “I’m sorry, really. I just—can we try this again?”
“Try what again?”
“This,” he gestures between us. He stands up straight and quietly clears his throat. “So, Lucy, nice to see you again,” he says in a British-sounding voice.
“Jury is still out on that one,” I reply, raising a brow.
Liam ignores me. “I see you’ve chosen to spend a beautiful summer’s day in an old dusty library, what’s that about?” he asks, still in character.
Shit, he’s eerily intuitive. Or maybe it just stems from him being chronically suspicious. How do I lie to him when I can clearly see that he’s trying to make the best out of this strange situation?
“I’m an editor, I go where the books are,” I say with ease. Okay, there are worse things I could have said. That wasn’t too bad.
“Sure, but what are you really doing here?”
“What?” My cheeks go red as I consider the real meaning behind his question. Does he think everything I’ve said to him has been a lie? Is he asking me what I’m doing in Hudson Hollow? Have I only been on the job one week and already my cover is blown? I would suck on Law & Order . “I didn’t realize you doubled as the library security,” I quip, trying to divert attention away from Liam’s question. I turn and walk toward a stack of books, trying to end our conversation. He follows me.
“Or it’s just a curious mind wondering what kind of publishing company allows their employees to take a month’s long vacation.”
“Are you familiar with the HR policies of publishing houses?”
“I could be if I set my mind to it,” he replies quickly. I narrow my eyes at him. He does the same to me.
I feel myself wavering. Stay as close to the truth as possible , Anne’s voice echoes in my head. “Well,” I start, unsure of what I’m actually going to say. “If you were familiar with our policies, you would know that employees are entitled to a four-week sabbatical after working at the company for five years.” He doesn’t need to know that the rule actually applies to people who have been there ten years and it’s an eight-week sabbatical.
“Is that so?”
“Yep, so here I am.”
“Hmm,” he grunts. He quickly checks his phone. “I have to get back. And I am sorry, for being judgmental,” he adds.
“Sure you are,” I shake my head.
“See you, Lucy,” he winks. He walks away before I can respond.
A wink.
A wink that felt dangerously flirtatious. Was it? And why did it make my stomach flip?
I try not to let the feeling of excitement in my belly have too much of an affect. I am here to do a job. I’m not here to fraternize with the good-looking chef from across the street. That’s what the main character in a Hallmark movie would do. I won’t be distracted from my goal. Heartwarming’s next editor cannot get distracted by small-town life. She must stay focused.
So, she will.