Page 15 of Honey Bee Library
He was the complete opposite of what I’d expected a library patron to look like. The horde of necklaces, rings, and bracelets he was wearing was excessive for this small town.
Never in my life had I seen a man quite like him in Harmony Island.
He looked around the library at first, like he didn’t know what he was looking for, but as soon as his gaze landed on me, a slow, cocky smile formed on his lips. Then he sauntered—yes, sauntered—over to me and rested his right forearm on the counter as he leaned in close.
“I’m looking for Cole Watkins,” he said before he gave me a wink.
I frowned. “Cole Watkins?” I repeated as I racked my brain for any book with a character by that name. “Do you remember where you saw it?” Isabelle had shown me how to search titles in the library’s database, but she never showed me how to search by main character names.
The man knitted his eyebrows together. “The other day,” he said.
That was positive. “The other day,” I repeated as I shook my mouse to wake up the computer. “Do you remember the title?”
“The title?”
I nodded as I double-clicked on the catalog icon, and the search screen popped up. “I can’t really find Cole unless I know the title.”
Silence fell between us, and when he didn’t answer right away, I peeked over at him. He was staring down at me with wide eyes—wideocean-blueeyes.
“What on God’s green earth are you talking about?” He tapped the counter. “I’m looking for Cole Watkins, my friend. Not some character in a book.”
Embarrassment raced through me. “Oh!” I said as I lifted my hand from the mouse and stood. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was still in librarian mode, prepared to lead him down an aisle, or if I was so full of nervous energy that I just needed to move. “I’m so sorry. I thought you were looking for a book where the main character’s name was Cole Watkins.” I shook my head and felt like an idiot. How had I made such a mistake on day one?
“Naw, that would be cool though. Cole would get a kick out of it if you actually found a book with his name in it.”
Realizing that he was still waiting to see if I knew where to find his friend, I shook my head. “I don’t know a Cole Watkins here in Harmony.” I frowned. “Is he new?”
The man nodded. “You could say that. He rolled up here a few days ago. He’s at the diner? Sunny…something.”
“Sunny Side Up?”
“That’s it.” The man slapped his hand down on the counter. Then he lifted it so he could point his finger at me. “I knew it was a good idea to come in here.”
Now that I knew this man was looking for a real person, and not a book character, it felt strange that he was in a library. Most times when I was lost, I asked at a gas station for directions.
“Why are you looking for him?” I leaned in. “Does he owe you money?” I snorted at my own joke.
The man’s eyes glistened with excitement. “You could say that.” He leaned in as well, bringing his face dangerously close to mine.
Suddenly, I realized what I’d done. I wasflirtingwith this man. Sure, he was attractive in a purposefully grungy way. And it felt good to flirt with someone with no strings attached. It had been such a long time since I’d gone out on a date that I wasn’t sure if I even remembered how. This conversation was bolstering my confidence in a way that I hadn’t realized I needed.
But reality was cruel. I was a single mom getting her life back together. The last thing I needed was Abagail’s folded arms and pursed lips as she stared down at me when I informed her that I was entertaining a man. She wouldn’t say anything outright judgy, she would just make it clear that she did not approve.
So I pulled back. I returned to my seat and glanced up at the stranger before I offered him my best librarian smile. “Let me draw you a map,” I said as I grabbed a pen from the black pen holder that said,pen thieves will be prosecuted…or at least heavily side-eyed. After I fished out a scratch piece of paper from the recycling bin, I did my best to draw a map of downtown Harmony.
Once I was done, I handed him the piece of paper. “Here, I hope this helps.”
He had been leaning on his elbow that was resting on the counter while he watched me draw. He took the paper and studied it for a moment before he glanced back at me. “This is great…” He quirked an eyebrow like he was waiting for me to fill in the blank.
“Oh, Sabrina.”
He smiled. “Sabrina,” he said low and slow.
It made my entire body flush. “Yes.” My cheeks warmed, and I inwardly groaned. The last thing I needed was for him to know exactly what his voice was doing to me. Especially since he clearly knew what he was doing.
“Liam,” he said as he reached over the counter and offered me his hand.
I studied it, not sure if I should take it or not. But I didn’t want to be rude, so I accepted it. “It’s nice to meet you, Liam.”
