Page 53 of The Overdue Kiss

“They’re fine. Nothing I can’t handle.”

Nodding, he pats my shoulder again.

The doors behind us open, and Chris frowns at the crowd pouring through the opening. He quickly flips his visor down. “Gotta run, man. I don’t want to get caught up in a conversation and be late. You better not be skipping our next weekend at Brokedown. I better see your face there.”

I laugh. “I’ll be there.”

He revs the engine twice before merging into traffic and heading up to the ritzy section of the mountain.

The weight in my hands reminds me that Chris’s special delivery has now become mine. I cross the street and rush to the library, only to be disappointed when I find it locked up with a giant closed sign on the window.

To be honest, I have never been interested in the library’s hours until today.

“Hey, you. Trying to break in to check out a book?” Maya laughs as she jogs up next to me, her long floral dress swaying with her strides.

“Where did you come from?” I glance around the street.

“Church.”

My eyebrows shoot up, and she answers my question before I can ask it.

“I snuck in right when it started. I planned to say hi to you after the service, but you literally bolted out the doors.”

“It was a fast walk.”

“You were sprinting. The preacher said amen and you just—‍” she slides her right hand off her left in a quick gesture “—‍boom. I just wanted to make sure you were good. No fire or anything.”

“Man, everyone is checking on me lately.”

She winks. “Sounds like a good problem to have. Was that one of your gang members waiting for you?”

“Group, Maya. My backpack should know this by now.”

“I do.” She beams a mischievous smile at me. “And I like it when you call me your backpack. But that doesn’t explain why you are breaking into the library?”

“Oh. I have something for you.”

“For me?” She blinks, not prepared for my response.

“Here.” I hand her Chantelle’s paper bag, careful to support the bottom.

“Des... what on earth did you... is this a book box? Oh my goodness, I’m hyperventilating. Does that say Evie freaking Chandler?” She bounces on her toes and switches to Spanish as she rambles.

I cut in. “She’s a friend of mine.”

“What—what? You know her?”

“Just another member of my ‘gang’ that you make fun of.”

“Oh, no... no. Please tell me you didn’t tell her I make fun of your biker group.”

I resist the urge to torture her. “You can rest easy. I didn’t tell her.”

She sighs, laying a hand on her chest.

“Well, are you going to open it or just hold it all day?” I press.

Hot pink paper goes flying in the air. Maya squeals and swoons over the limited-edition paperback and nearly faints when she sees it’s a signed copy. Then she weirdly smells the pages as she flips through them.

---