Chapter Eight
The doorbell rang and Sage swore under her breath. Why did someone always show up when she was in a hurry to leave the house? Checking her watch, she snatched her earrings off the dresser and pushed them into her earlobes on the way to the door.
She heard the shower running in the guest bathroom as she passed. Matt was driving her to her doctor’s appointment. He’d insisted on cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast while she showered.
The bell rang plaintively as if her visitor leaned on the button and then mashed it quickly and repetitively. Exasperated, Sage yanked open the door without peeping outside first. And then frowned at the stranger on her porch.
The man’s eyebrows rose. “Well….” His eyes dipped down to her chest, lingered, swept down to her feet before coming up to rest on her bust again. Then he licked his lips slowly.
Sage took a step back and gripped the door, preparing to slam it swiftly if needed. “Can I help you?”
He hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m Duane, Helen Lewis’s grandson.”
“Yeah?” That didn’t soothe her at all. According to neighborhood gossip, Duane had been arrested for everything from drug possession to domestic violence. She’d been fortunate enough to never meet him.
“Yeah,” he said to her breasts, licking his lips again. “And you’re the little librarian, huh? Damn, I gotta check out that library.”
Sage backed up another step and inched the door closer to the frame. At five foot eight, there wasn’t much “little” about her with the exception of the breasts he kept examining. While she wouldn’t call them little per se, she just barely filled a B cup.
At her silence, he continued, “Or maybe you’d like to invite me in for a drink?”
“Can I help you, dude? We’re kind of in a hurry.” Matt dropped his hand on her waist in a possessive manner. Sage hadn’t even heard him approach.
Duane scowled at Matt. He straightened and backed away. “Yeah. I came over to say my dog Killer is out. If you see him, give me a holler over at Gram’s.”
“What kind of dog is he?” Sage asked.
Duane shrugged as he galloped down the porch stairs. “Bits of everything mean. He’s not friendly so don’t try to pet if you want to keep all your fingers. He hates strangers.”
“Then he should stay the fuck home,” Matt muttered. “Did he show you a picture of the dog?”
She shook her head.
He grunted. “Well, we should go or we’ll be late.”
***
“What do you want to do for lunch?” Matt started the car as Sage buckled her seatbelt. He paused at the exit of the parking lot of the doctor’s office.
“There’s an Italian place down the road. After that, I suppose I should check in at the library and let them know that I’ve been cleared to return to work.”
“How far is the restaurant?” he asked, dreading the impending onslaught of pasta. He began praying for braciole.
“Past the gas station on the corner, but before the strip mall.”
Matt arched an eyebrow. “And how far is that?”
“About five minutes or so that way.”
He drove the car in the direction she indicated. It was early and traffic was light. “Let me know when we’re close.”
“We beat the lunch crowd,” she said as they arrived. “I’ve come here after work and had to wait for almost an hour to be seated.”
“The food is good then?”
“Very,” she said with a smile, already unbuckling her seatbelt and opening her door.
“And the meat options?” he asked over the hood of the car.
Sage laughed. “The usual. I like the chicken parm.”
They were seated immediately by the ma?tre d’. Their waitress did a double take when she saw him before giving him a flirtatious smile. Standing next to his chair, she placed her hand on his shoulder as she took their drink order.
“Does that happen to you often?” Sage asked when the waitress left them alone.
He shrugged. It had become his norm, and he’d begun to ignore it.
He was acutely aware of it today here with Sage on a sort of pseudo lunch date.
It had been over a week since their discussion about changing their relationship dynamic.
He was still sleeping in her bed. As a friend.
He kept his hands out of her truly interesting places and kept her from seeing his morning erections.
Matt hadn’t shared his secret, and Sage hadn’t said she was interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with him. Not that he could blame her. She was one hundred percent right to be cautious, and his conscience wouldn’t let him enter a relationship with her without telling her the truth.
But he’d had to wait until he was certain she was healthy and didn’t need him around anymore. When she found out that he was a werewolf, she might be afraid of him, and he’d have to leave. But he couldn’t do that unless he knew that Sage was okay.
“It happens to you, too, but you’re pretty oblivious.”
“Me?”
He grinned. “Yes, you.” He pointed at himself. “Matthew Donovan, panting after Sage Hall for the better part of a decade.”
She laughed. “That’s different. I had moments when I suspected that you were attracted to me, but I didn’t think it was specifically me. It was like, ‘Well, that’s Matt.’ I sort of just dismissed it.”
Groaning, he ran a hand over his face. He’d shaved before Sage’s doctor’s apartment, and for a change, his jaw was smooth. “I really should have spoken up sooner, but a guy doesn’t tell the woman he’s pining over details about his love life—or lack thereof.”
The waitress popped back up, bringing water for him and sweet iced tea for Sage. Unfortunately, he hadn’t looked at the menu and that gave her the excuse to linger and give him suggestions. After a few minutes, he ordered the chicken parm with broccoli on the side to get rid of her.
Sage hid a smile behind her tea glass. Matt glared at her. “You could have helped.”
Giggling, she held up a hand. “What was I supposed to do? You held your own.”
“I helped you with Duane,” he pointed out.
Sage frowned. “Did I tell you his name?”
No, but he’d heard their entire conversation while in the bathroom.
Once the direction of the conversation became clear, he’d hurried out to discourage Duane.
Matt picked up his water and drained half the glass while he wracked his brain for a plausible answer.
“Must have overheard it at some point,” he mumbled at last.
“But I didn’t learn his name until today.”
“Um—” Fortunately, their waitress chose that moment to check on them. She refilled his water and then leaned her hip on the table, her back to Sage.
“I get off after lunch. So, you know, if you want to—”
“Miss, are you seriously asking out my husband right in front of me?”
The waitress’s eyes flew wide, and she gasped. She whipped around to face Sage. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t see a ring. I thought you guys were just co-workers or something. I’m so sorry. I’ll go get your food.” She hurried away.
Matt laughed. “Husband, huh?” He liked hearing Sage refer to him as her husband.
Sage gave him a shy smile and sipped her tea. “You’re welcome.”
***
Sage stepped into the library with Matt at her side.
She spotted the head librarian, Mrs. Lemon, behind the main desk and headed for her.
Her face lip up in a wrinkled smile as they approached.
“Sage, it’s so good to see you. We were so worried about you,” she said in her hushed tone.
Even when she wasn’t in the library, Mrs. Lemon kept her voice low.
She was a sweet woman and a good boss. Unfortunately, low funds kept her from hiring a second full-time librarian.
“Thank you. I’ve been fine. Thank you for the flowers,” she said, referring to the bouquet of daisies and sunflowers the library had sent to the hospital. Of course, she’d forgotten the flowers and left them in her room during check out because she’d been distracted by Matt’s sudden appearance.
“Will you be returning to work soon?”
“Yes. I came to tell you I’ve been given the okay to return to work.”
“I’m glad to hear that. We’ve missed you. We’ve had several patrons ask after you as well. Do you think that you could make it in on Friday?”
Sage nodded, relieved at the idea of having a few additional days to rest. “Thank you, Mrs. Lemon. That would be great.”
“And who’s this handsome young man you’ve brought with you?”
“Oh, this is my friend, Matt.” Sage smiled up at him. “He’s been taking such good care of me during my convalescence.”
“How nice! Why don’t you give him a tour of our little library?”
“Um. Well, sure.” She took Matt’s hand. Once they were out earshot, she whispered, “There really isn’t much to see. It’s a nice library, but…. Well, we could use more funds.”
“I could make a donation.”
Sage squeezed his hand. “That’s nice but not necessary. We’re working on a grant proposal.”
He hummed. “I can’t recall the last time I was in a library.”
“It’s a bit of a struggle to remain relevant because of the internet.
I’ve met people who swore up and down that our town didn’t even have a library.
” She ran the tips of her fingers over the spines of a set of books on the nearest shelf.
“But I love it here. I love the smell of books, the feel of paper in my hands.”
“Don’t you own a Kindle?”
She laughed. “Yes. That’s for when I’m too impatient to wait for the printed copy.
Or when there isn’t a printed copy. There are some wonderful independent authors out there these days.
” She waved at Sarah, one of their volunteers, on their way out, not stopping to hold a conversation.
Sarah’s eyes flicked from her to Matt and then back again, her eyebrows rising.
Sage sighed and mentally prepared herself for an inquisition when she returned to work.