CHAPTER 37 – CASPIAN
I set an iced latte and a blueberry muffin in front of Cole and sit down with my own coffee.
Cole studies my face.
“Thank you. What’s with the look?”
“What look?”
I aim for nonchalance, but my mouth betrays me. A sunny, bright, idiotic grin spreads on my face.
“You haven’t blinked once and your smile’s all dopey.” He lowers his voice, leaning over the table. “Antonio?”
“We’re going out on Friday.”
“What?” Cole’s smile lights up his whole face. “That’s amazing! Where are you taking him?”
“My first thought was Paris,” I admit. “It might be too much.”
Cole chokes on his muffin. “You think?”
“Our first date has to be perfect.”
My voice is louder than I intended, and a hush falls over the café. The kind that crackles with curiosity, enthusiasm, and a total lack of personal boundaries.
Dorothy leans over the counter.
“We can have a Sudoku night! He showed such promise with a pencil.”
“Naked Sudoku!” Steve Pell yells, for no reason.
Ann-Sabrina scrolls on her phone.
“Ignore Steve. What you need is seduction. Candle wax and edible underwear for starters. I know a shop.”
Of course she does.
Juniper raises her hand politely.
“I fell in love with Eliot when he told me the three most common ways to die in a library.”
“That,” Steve says gravely, “is a red flag.”
“Your face is a red flag,” Ann-Sabrina tosses.
“Your hair is literally red,” Steve says, crossing his arms.
She flips him off with a flourish.
Eliot draws back his shoulders, delighted to have an audience.
“Fun fact—the leading cause of librarian death is nut-related. Many have choked on nuts during their lunch breaks.”
“Gagging and choking sounds like a tragic way to go,” Earl says, looking at me anxiously.
He wrings his hands together.
“Here’s an idea. Before giving him anything he could choke on, observe his swallowing technique.”
“Earl please, I can’t breathe,” Ann-Sabrina wheezes, doubling over.
Earl looks confused.
Cole fixes his eyes on the latte, ears pink.
This town is unhinged, and I love it.