Page 16 of Touch My Shelves

No, he doesn’t. There’s no way he thinks of me at all.

The library in the castle is by far my favorite place. The gardens are beautiful and the ballroom is grand, but it’s the library that draws me in. In the short time I’ve lived in the castle, I find myself seeking out the solace of the old and new books on the floor-to-ceiling shelves.

It’s just as easy to find a classic first edition as the latest BJ Sully sci-fi thriller. I love his books and have read everything he’s ever written. A television series has been made out of his newest series and I’ve watched every episode so far. It’s okay, but not as good as the books.

I’d begun rereading one of the books, the second in the series. It has a very steamy sex scene. As I was closing the cover, I noticed the author’s picture on the jacket. Even in the black and white image, I see Brax around the eyes. I chuckle and shake my sad, foolish head. I’m so focused on the man, I’m seeing him everywhere now.

There’s even a rolling ladder to reach the top shelves. On one end of the room, there’s a metal spiral staircase that takes you up to a second level of full bookcases. The chaise lounge by the large window is where I’d spend a lot of quality book time if this were my castle. I wonder which books Brax pulls from when he’s in need of reading material.

Before we make it back to the castle, Freeya and I swinging our clasped hands, our bucket is filled with treasured finds.

“I really like you living here, Poppy.”

I ruffle her blonde hair. “I like living here too. Who wouldn’t like living in a real castle with an awesome kid like you?”

“Do you have a special heart friend? Aunt Lena says I’m not supposed to assume gender because the heart loves who the heart loves and the rest doesn’t matter.”

That’s a very insightful way to look at love and I want to hug her and tell her how wonderful she is. “Nope. I don’t have anyone special to my heart.”

She tilts her head up and asks, “Have you ever?”

“No, not really. In school, I had a friend I went to things with, but he wasn’t my boyfriend.” He also came with benefits, but I’m not going to mention that.

Back home, you were expected to marry almost right out of high school, but I fought against doing that, not to mention I didn’t have time for a relationship. I went off to college at eighteen and worked hard to keep my grades up so I didn’t lose my scholarship. Naudi was my assigned roommate, and luckily we hit it off. She was in fashion design, and after graduation she moved to New York. I was going to go with her to write and become a bestselling author. When the time came, though, instead of following through with our plan, I was offered a job at our hometown newspaper and I took it.

“My dad doesn’t have a heart friend either. My Aunt Lena has a husband that is her heart friend. Uncle Damon makes her smile, and they laugh a lot and kiss on the lips. I wish my dad had someone to be his heart friend. He doesn’t laugh much and he’s always working unless he’s with me.”

I nudge her with my shoulder. “Don’t you have fun when you’re with your dad?”

Freeya bounces over to pick up another shell. “Yeah. We play games and stuff, but it’s not like a heart friend. Did you know there are caves around here?”

I blink at the abrupt change of topic, then crossing my arms, I wait for her to continue whatever story she’s going to tell. I fell for the first few before I realized she was pulling my leg. “Oh, really? Do tell.”

Instead of telling me, she grabs my hand and pulls me up the beach toward an outcropping of large rocks. “Come on, I’ll show you. I think pirates must have used them to hide treasure in.”

I roll my eyes and stumble along behind her. “I’m sure they did.”

She starts climbing upward and the path doesn’t look very safe to me. “Does your dad let you do this?”

“We go rock climbing all the time back home,” she calls over her shoulder as she moves further up the rocks.

That didn’t exactly answer my question. I have to almost crawl with my hands to navigate upward, it’s so steep. With a heaving chest, I fight for breath as I reconsider. “Freeya, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Come on, Poppy. It’ll be fun!”

Memory flash of my brother saying the same thing just before we jumped in the silo and then realized we were too short to get back out. It took him standing on my back in order to climb out. The plan had been for him to run home and get help. Instead, once he got home and noticed a tiny speck of blood on his knee, he passed out. I was in that silo for four hours until my dad happened by on his way to feed the cows.

After a few more feet, I can almost hear the danger alert sounding. I’m out of breath and sweating when I finally reach Freeya and I’ll be darned if we aren’t standing at what appears to be the entrance to a cave. Before I address the cave and its risks, I have to make her understand. “Freeya, going into caves alone isn’t a smart thing to do. You could be hurt and your dad wouldn’t have any idea where you are.”

Her gaze casts downward, knowing she’s done wrong. “You aren’t going to tell my dad, are you?”

I sigh and have a decision to make with a very fine line to walk. “I won’t tell your dad if you promise you willneverdo it again.”

Her blue eyes flash and she nods emphatically. “Okay. I promise. But since you’re here, can I show you the cave? It’s really neat inside.”

Glancing at the five-foot-tall hole, I have mixed feelings. Peering inside, I see nothing but darkness. There could be spiders, or bats, or anything really. “Well, maybe we can go in just a little.”

“Great!” she squeals and runs to the side of the cave opening and moves a rock. “I keep a flashlight here for when I want to explore.”

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