Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Sierra pushed the cart through the racks at the campus library, weaving her way around a group tour.
The library of the famous Harry Potter books was based on the Trinity College Old Library, and tourists frequently came to the other parts of the library, namely the Berkley Library building, where Sierra worked, by mistake.
Plus, campus tours for prospective students had this part of the library complex on their route as well.
Sierra typically didn’t mind, but on days like today, the tourists congregating in massive, inconvenient groups in the middle of the path made her job reshelving books almost impossible.
Keeping her face neutral, she passed around the group and began shelving the books on the cart in their correct location.
Once she finished the ones on this particular shelf, she grabbed her cart and wove her way back through the tour to the other side, fighting not to voice her frustration as she slammed the books into the shelf.
“Whoa there, you know the books aren’t the ones sponsoring the tour, right?”
Sierra spun around to find her coworker, Tyler, leaning against the shelf behind her. Tyler was tall and lean, with a mop of red hair pointing every which way on his head.
“Go away,” Sierra muttered as she continued shoving books on the shelf as hard as possible.
“Not until you stop taking your anger out on the poor books. They didn’t do anything wrong, you know.”
Sierra could feel her resolve melting and a smile cracking through her anger. “How do you always do that?”
Tyler smiled. “It’s my secret talent. Plus, as a book lover, I have to advocate on their behalf.”
Sierra shook her head as she chuckled. It was well-known around the library that she wasn’t a reader.
Apparently, all the other staff had gotten jobs here because of their love of books.
Sierra didn’t know why they had hired her exactly, considering she had been honest in her interview when she said that she read maybe one book a year—and usually only if it was assigned for a grade.
Tyler began grabbing books off the cart and shelving them on the shelf behind her. “I still don’t know why Mona hired you.”
Mona was the staff manager at the library, and Tyler brought up Sierra’s strange hiring at least once a day, even though she had been hired over two months ago. Sierra knew better than to answer Tyler’s rhetorical question at this point.
“So, what are your plans for Halloween?” Tyler asked, after a moment of silence.
Sierra pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at the date. “It’s September 30th.”
“Exactly. Time to start planning.”
Sierra looked up at the ceiling and shook her head. How she ended up with the same hours as her exact personality opposite, she was unsure. She supposed some deity was having a laugh at her pain. “You know I was raised religious. We never celebrated Halloween.”
Tyler feigned shock. “What? No Halloween? How did you ever survive?”
“Like most of the world survives without Halloween, I assume,” Sierra retorted. Technically, her family had celebrated around this time of the year. But they celebrated Día de Los Muertos, which she didn’t feel like explaining, so she didn’t mention it.
“How was your Tinder date last night, by the way?”
“Ugh,” Sierra groaned, grimacing. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Tyler reached to grab a few more books from the cart. “My offer still stands, you know.”
Sierra shook her head. “I’m not going on a date with you, Tyler. I already told you, I don’t date coworkers.”
“If it meant I could have you, I would quit.”
Sierra laughed, “And never see your first love again? I highly doubt it.”
Tyler looked at the book in his hands. “You’re right, I don’t know if I could stay away.”
Sierra sighed, grabbing the last book on the cart. “I appreciate the flattery, Tyler, but I’m afraid you’re not really my type.” She shelved the book and began walking back with the empty cart to trade it for a full one, Tyler hot on her heels.
“Not your type? Can you tell me what your type is exactly?”
Sierra spun around, narrowly missing Tyler with the cart. “Tyler, don’t ever offer to change yourself for a woman, okay? It won’t work out.”
Tyler nodded, “Okay, I won’t…But if I did, what would I have to do for you to love me?”
Sierra began pushing the full cart toward a different shelf alcove.
“I’m not playing the ‘what if’ game, Tyler.
I’m sorry.” Although what she said sounded serious, Sierra knew that Tyler asking her on a date was more a joke than anything.
He wasn’t truly interested in anyone; he just liked the chase and was known around the library as a bit of a playboy.
“I understand,” Tyler replied, the smile falling from his lips.
He wasn’t sulking, but clearly sensed the conversation was over as he grabbed another cart and headed in the opposite direction.
Sierra watched him go, knowing that even though he said he understood, he really didn’t, and he would ask her out again next weekend and the one after that. It was just who he was.
Sierra turned back to her cart and began pushing, almost hitting a man who had wandered away from his tour. She quickly raised a hand over her shoulder in apology before entering the alcove and returning to her task.
She had been so distracted by what she had said to Tyler that she didn’t recognize the man she almost hit until he cleared his throat. She spun around to meet his emerald-green eyes.
“Aodhan.” She looked to her left and her right to see no library employees or tour in sight. “What are you doing here?”
He motioned to the shelf behind her. “Looking for a book. Then I saw you.”
Sierra kept her face neutral as she crossed her arms over her chest. “What book?”
“Uh…um…” He quickly glanced around, reaffirming Sierra’s suspicion that he hadn’t come here for a book at all. “Do you have any in Gaelic?”
Sierra raised an eyebrow. “Of course, this is the University library.” She snapped before his words sunk in, causing her to pause.
“I didn’t know you read Gaelic.” She motioned to an alcove across the way.
“All of our Gaelic books are on that side. I don’t read or understand Gaelic, but you can head to the Information Desk to look up a specific title. ”
Aodhan nodded in understanding but didn’t move. Sierra waited, but he didn’t say anything, he just stared at her.
“So…is there anything else I can help you with?” Sierra was really trying to be nice, but this man was just so strange. She already wished she could go back in time and never match with him in the first place.
“No. That’s it, I suppose.” And with that, he turned on his heel and headed for the front of the library.
Sierra turned back to her shelving, but she couldn’t get Aodhan out of her mind. He clearly didn’t come to the library for a book, and he didn’t have any study materials with him. Plus, he hadn’t looked shocked to see Sierra when she had clearly been surprised to see him.
Something about Aodhan set off warning bells in her head, and Sierra made a mental note to check that she had her pepper spray in her bag when she left work. The last thing she needed was some crazy nut of a Tinder date turning into her worst nightmare.