Chapter 2 #2
The library greeted her with its quiet, and she dimmed the lights.
All they had were children’s bandages in the first aid kit, but it didn’t matter to her if there were blue monsters or tiny kittens latched onto her skin.
What mattered was that the scratch stopped stinging.
She applied ointment, which brought some relief, then several bandages.
She soaked the trench coat sleeve under the sink in the bathroom then flung it on the back of her office chair to dry.
Nearly 7 p.m. The brown bag dinner from the café sat untouched on her desk in her office, and she didn’t know when or if she’d get around to eating it.
But the warmth of the Oat Couture warmed her hands and filled her belly with calm.
She savored the last sips as she did a cross-check of the room.
Clear plastic cups sat on a round table in the center of the chairs she’d rearranged into a circle.
One uncorked bottle of pinot grigio, a bottle of merlot, and her tattered, multi-bookmarked, personal copy of They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera rested between them.
Although it was young adult—and a bit of a risk to pose it to an adult book club—Cali hoped the other themes would strike chords across the club’s team members, young and old.
She’d never confessed this, but she still sometimes felt butterflies before a library event.
Guiding people through a candid and sometimes emotional conversation about fiction wasn’t like project management.
The learning curve she’d experienced after she earned her degree was immense.
But she was getting better at throwing an idea out there and not expecting others to follow her.
A knock sounded at the library door. Leo gave her a nod from outside, his dimple casting a shadow against his cheek. Cali had to admit, when she’d first moved to Autumn Ridge, that dimple almost did her in. But he only saw her as a friend. It was clear he had eyes for someone else.
Mrs. Ellery waved her gloved hand, and Cali rushed toward them, holding the door open as the remaining members spilled in.
When Lynne, the owner of the only bar in Autumn Ridge, spotted the alcohol, she started pouring. “White for you, Tabitha?” Lynne filled the small, clear cup to the brim.
“Oh no. If Lynne’s pouring, we’re all in trouble,” Tabitha cautioned. “Someone please disarm her.”
“Nonsense. Just because you ended up dancing on the bar once doesn’t mean that’s everyone’s fate.” She turned. “White for you, too, Mrs. Ellery?”
“I actually prefer the merlot—but only a bit. Otherwise it’ll be shenanigans from 7:30 onward.”
Everyone’s eyes widened. Cali blinked from behind her glasses.
“Noted!” Leo teased. “Hide the tables from this one, too, Cali. Didn’t know you were such a party animal, Mrs. Ellery.”
She grinned, lowering her eyes, and shook her perfectly coiffed gray hair. “You wish, Leo.”
They all burst into laughter.
“I’ll have some of whatever she’s having!” said Minka.
“You look like a red, Cali. May I?” Lynne grabbed Cali’s Purride and Purrjudice mug and served her a decent amount. “Now, onto this—”
Another knock echoed from the front of the library. Cali squinted but couldn’t make out a face. She glanced around the room, noting everyone was already here. “Just a moment,” she said, standing. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll come with you,” Leo offered.
She smoothed out the pleats of her A-line skirt and adjusted her glasses. “Please. Enjoy your wine. I’m sure it’s nothing.” But her heart beat in her throat, and her hands tightened into fists as she shuffled toward the doors.
Back at the Eastmoor library, they’d given all the librarians self-defense “boot camp” training. Granted, it was the same training the seniors received—in fact, the seniors were in the class with them. But Cali had a few tricks up her sleeve should anyone try to mess with her.
But when she reached the door, she felt her breath hitch in her rib cage. Two dreamy blue-gray eyes beamed at her from behind the glass.
She opened the door but couldn’t move. “Ethan?” she whispered. “What are you doing here?”
He towered over her, dressed in black jeans and a gray, rib-knit Henley that hugged his physique. His dark hair was softly disheveled, parted loosely at the temple with waves brushing forward and framing his brow. The gray of his shirt nearly matched his eyes.
“And how do you know my name, cat thief?” A smirk stretched across his lips, the kind of grin that belonged to someone who never lost a bet.
Cali flinched. “I’m not—I didn’t mean—” She found herself tongue-tied. “It was Minka,” she confessed.
“I’m impressed with how fast you do your research.”
He stepped closer and leaned against the doorframe.
So close he could press into her if he took just one step more.
So close she could make out a shadow of stubble along his jawbone.
So close she could smell his cologne, like cedarwood and vanilla with spice.
She felt the grip in her hands loosen, a slow rush of heat building in her abdomen.
“Hey!” Leo hooted from the back of the library. “Look what the cat dragged in!”