Aidan
“Are we done now?” Xander moans as we post yet another laminated flyer on a post near Triple C Café.
“That should be the last of them.” I turn to face him. Lloyd is strapped to my chest in a baby carrier, and his little legs dangle as I move. He’s been comfortably napping as we walked.
Xander pumps his fist and claps my back. “Fuck yes. Let’s get some coffee. Is your girlfriend working today? You should bring her something.”
My lips press into a frown. He’s been teasing me nonstop about Charlotte for the last few days. “Charlotte is not my girlfriend.”
He holds up a finger. “Yet.”
“Yet,” I add reluctantly. “I don’t want to bother her. It’s Sunday, and she’s probably busy.”
“It would get you some friendship points,” he says with a raised eyebrow.
“What like Stardew?” I inquire.
He nods.
I look up the street toward the glass window of Sunflower Books.
Even from this angle, I see Thelma in the window, napping in whatever sunlight she can get on this cloudy day.
But it’s impossible to tell how busy the store is right now.
It could be packed with Sunday shoppers, their wallets loosened from mimosas and eggs benedicts from Little Bennett’s or Valley Station, the nicer restaurant in town.
You’re just going to bother her, I tell myself. Just go home. Maybe read a book.
But what if Xander’s right?
The thought of her smile is what wins me over. Letting out a sigh, I add, “Take the dog.” I unbuckle the baby carrier from my chest and hand the tiny dog to Xander. The transition wakes Lloyd up from his nap. He sneezes and does one of those half-yawns, half-whines.
Xander tosses a grin at me as I walk up the steps of the café. “Get me a hot caramel latte.” I wave him off and go in. A few minutes later, I come out with a coffee tray and three cups.
I stop when we get to the door of Sunflower Books. “You should take Lloyd,” I remark to Xander. “I’ll see you at home.”
He shakes his head and reaches for the door. “It’s dog friendly.”
“Are you sure?”
His response is to pull open the door and barge right in. I grit my teeth and follow him, expecting some sort of tongue lashing from Charlotte about bringing the dog in.
Several people mill about the store. One person is rubbing the belly of a purring Thelma as she lounges in the windowsill. Another is talking excitedly about a new Leigh Bardugo book to their friend. It smells like lavender and peonies.
My gaze darts around the store, searching for the one person I hope to see right now.
Charlotte is ringing a sale behind the counter.
Her long golden-brown waves are tied up in a thick braid that rests on her shoulder like a rope.
Tendrils of hair escape and frame her face like a halo.
She’s dressed fairly casually in a T-shirt with a bookish slogan and jeans.
She looks up and her mouth curls into a smile when her gaze meets mine.
Her eyes grow wide as she takes in the little fluffy dog strapped to my chest.
“Oh my god,” she cries. “He’s so cute!”
As do some of the other customers. They flock to me, hounding me with questions about Lloyd. I answer them with a bashful smile, but all the while, a buzzing noise grows in my ears.
“What’s your dog’s name? He’s so adorable!” someone asks.
“Lloyd,” I reply, careful to pronounce both Ls in his name. After a heartbeat, I add quickly before anyone thinks I’m weird, “My students named him.”
The questions keep coming.
“How old is he?”
“What breed is he?”
“Does he like sitting in the baby carrier?”
My mouth goes dry with all the talking. My gaze darts to Xander, but he’s in the corner, flipping through a book about Stardew Valley recipes. Some help he is. I swear a woman is about to ask for my number when Charlotte is suddenly at my elbow.
Pointing to the paper cups in my hands, she asks, “Is one of those for me?”
“Yes, uh, the one with the C,” I reply and hand it to her, trying to focus on her face and ignore the buzzing clogging my ears. “It’s a London Fog.”
“Wonderful!” She exclaims and takes the cup, beaming at him. “Hey, let’s go in my office.”
Wow, Xander was right.
“Sarah, I’m heading to the back.” Charlotte grasps my hand and leads me through the bookstore.
The buzzing dissipates, and my hearing clears.
As we pass Xander, he flashes me a thumbs up.
Thelma trills and runs behind us, darting through the doorway at the last second.
She leaps on top of the desk and meows loudly.
As Charlotte closes the office door behind me, I can’t help but let out a sigh of relief, and a loud, “Thank you.”
She laughs. “Of course. Do you want me to leave you alone?” She runs a hand over her cat’s fluffy back. “Thelma will hang out with you if you don’t want human company.”
“Can you stay?” I ask.
“Of course. I’ve got two employees working on the floor and they can handle it..” She looks me up and down, taking in Lloyd still strapped to my chest. He squirms and kicks his little legs. “So, this is Lloyd?”
I told Charlotte all about my tiny dog the night before. How one of my students just showed up with him one day and offered him to me after their dog had puppies. I couldn’t resist the big, soft brown eyes. “The one and only.”
She points to my set up and says, “That has to be one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.”
“You and everyone else think that. I hate it,” I reply and gaze down at him.
I ruffle his little ears. He wakes up from his nap and looks at her with his big bug eyes.
He gazes around the office. He finally spots Thelma on the desk and lets out a low growl.
The fluffy cat just swishes her tail in curiosity.
“Is he wearing a shirt?” Charlotte asks as she gives Thelma a scratch behind her ear.
“Yes, he is.” I unhook the straps holding Lloyd in and put him on the ground, revealing his new shirt that says, “Save the Summerville Library!” along his back.
He shakes his little body and gets up on his hind legs, pawing at her leg.
“Xander knows a printer. I got one for Thelma, if she’ll tolerate it. ”
Charlotte’s eyes grow wide, and she giggles, jumping on the balls of her feet while clapping. “Oh my gosh! Aidan, I love it. Thelma is going to love it too.” She reaches down to examine the little top and strokes Lloyd. He pants and wags his curled tail.
I pull out a tiny white shirt from my jacket pocket and hand it to her. Our fingers brush and my skin tingles as her soft skin meets mine.
But Charlotte doesn’t make any note about my touch and instead pulls the shirt over the cat’s head and her front legs. The cat doesn’t protest and instead rubs her face against Charlotte’s touch, while slowly blinking and flicking her tail back and forth.
“See! She likes it,” Charlotte declares as she scratches Thelma’s chin. The cat stretches and shakes once before walking over to me and head butting my hand. I run my fingers in between her ears, and she purrs like a motorboat. “She likes you too.”
“It seems she does,” I say, not hiding the surprise in my voice.
“Look at my little advocate! Wait, is that a QR code?” Her gaze switches back and forth from Thelma to me. “Does that go to the petition?”
I grin. “Yup.”
She laughs. It’s a beautiful, fully belly laugh, and my sides involuntarily move with her. “That’s amazing,” Charlotte finally says. “Aidan, I love it.”
“We also posted a bunch of flyers around town,” I say, shifting on the balls of my feet.
Her face falls. “Oh, but it’s raining. They’ll get—”
My mouth widens into a grin. “I laminated them on Friday. The school has a laminator machine.”
“Oh, you are the absolute best, Aidan!” With a squeal she throws her arms around my neck, sending jolts up my spine.
My body stiffens at the unexpected embrace, but then I bring my arms up to hug her back.
I didn’t realize she would get so excited about lamination.
I wonder what she thinks of warm fresh copies straight from the printer.
After a few seconds she leans back from my arms, her hands still clutching my biceps, while mine remain at her elbows.
“Sorry. I had a nightmare last night that the library closed and then my bookstore burned down, and then I had to close, and I was living on the streets. But then Thelma grew to like twenty feet tall and stepped on me.” She shakes her head.
“I’m rambling, and you don’t want to hear about my weird dreams.”
I brush my thumb along her elbow, feeling the heat of her body through my palms. “I have dreams where the school fell into a sinkhole.”
She cocks her head to the side. “That sounds oddly specific.”
“I read a book in middle school where a school falls into a sinkhole. During school hours too,” I remark, my lips pressing together. “It scarred me for life.”
Charlotte squeezes my biceps. “That’s horrifying.
” An escaped lock of golden-brown hair drapes over her forehead and brow.
I’m certain that it’s distorting her vision of me.
I reach up and tuck the errant strand behind her ear.
The tips of my fingers brush the skin of her cheek and her ear lobes.
Am I dreaming, or did she just move closer to me?
Am I about to kiss Charlotte Ferguson?
A knock breaks the spell. I jump out of her hands and plaster my arms to my side. A faint blush creeps up my face.
The door cracks open, and Sarah pops her head in the doorway. I guess she spots us, because she grins sheepishly and says, “Hey, the computer is protesting its existence again. Can you come fix it?”
A sigh escapes Charlotte. “Yeah, I’ll be right there.” Walking toward the door, she calls over her shoulder, “Stay as long as you like. Thank you again for everything.”
I scoop Lloyd up and follow her, croaking out, “I should go. I’ll just grab Xander and head out.”
We reach the showroom of the store when Charlotte grips my elbow.
“Hey, you should come to Book Club. It’s seven on Tuesday night at the library,” she adds.
“We’re talking about the library to drum up support, but you might like the book too.
It’s Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books, by Kirsten Miller.
” Her gaze travels to the front of the store.
There’s only Sarah and Xander at the counter.
“I’ve got more copies up front if you want one. ”
Book Club? I don’t want to go to Book Club and talk to a bunch of strangers.
Yes, we’d talk about books, but still. I look down at my shoes, my mind swirling with many possible excuses.
I’ve got grading, lesson planning, gaming with Xander, or a therapy appointment.
I just have to pick one, and then I’ll spend the evening playing Stardew Valley and not talking to strangers.
I open my mouth to pick one of those excuses when I lift my head and get a glance at Charlotte’s face.
My heart thumps in my chest.
She’s looking up at me again like I’m the most interesting person in the world, like there’s nowhere else she’d rather be than spending this moment here with me.
Her gaze is intent. Her smile is soft and open, inviting.
Her head is tilted to the side, her braid falling over her shoulder.
That lock of hair has come loose from its space behind her ear.
I can’t lie to her. If I want to date Charlotte, I have to show up for her. She’s asking me to show up for her.
Sucking in a bit of air, I open my mouth to say something, but the bell above the door twinkles. We turn to the newcomer, and my stomach drops.
“Charlotte,” Bridgett Hartlett sings out in a high-pitched voice. “It’s so good to see you.”