Page 16 of Honey Bee Library
He held my hand for a few seconds longer than normal, and my gaze instantly dropped to study them. There was a lot happening between us, and I wasn’t sure what any of it meant. All I could think about was that there was a giant possibility I was misreading everything. I sucked at love. My empty bed and empty ring finger were proof of that.
I slowly pulled my hand back in a way that I hoped told Liam I was flattered but not interested. I was saving him from pursuing a single mom with a complicated history with her ex. I was certain that as soon as he learned those facts, he’d lose interest.
“I hope you find your friend,” I said as I nodded toward the map I’d drawn.
He glanced down at it before he began to slowly fold the paper, and then he stuck it in his back pocket. “I hope so, too.” He met my gaze once more.
It startled me how bold he was. He never wavered. He didn’t drop his gaze when the connection between us grew too intense. He seemed so relaxed and confident. And his relaxed confidence startled me just as much as his flirting did.
“Will I see you around?”
Ha. That was a joke. I doubted a sexy single guy ran in any of my circles. If I wasn’t at the library, I was either at the park with Samuel or hanging out at the apartment with Abigail. My life was anything but glamorous, and this guy, even while wearing a basic t-shirt and jeans, looked grungy chic. I would bet my first paycheck that those jeans cost more than my Ford Focus. I knew money when I saw it, and this man had money.
“Probably not,” I said as I pushed my chair away from the desk and stood. “It was nice meeting you, Liam.” I reached down and picked up a few file folders, tucking them against my hip like I planned to take them somewhere. Truth was, I just needed an excuse to remove myself from this situation.
Liam didn’t move. Instead, he just stood there, watching me. His half smile sent butterflies racing through my stomach, and all I could do to retain my sanity was turn and walk away. I could feel his gaze on me as I rounded the counter and hurried to disappear down the nearest aisle.
“Nice to meet you, too, Sabrina,” he called after me.
I threw up my hand in a half-hearted wave and didn’t stop moving until I got to Isabelle’s office. She was sitting at her desk, clicking away with her mouse when I burst inside and shut the door behind me.
Her hand went to her heart as she jumped back. “Sabrina,” she breathed as color returned to her face. “You scared the living daylights out of me.”
I offered her a sheepish smile before I peeked through the side window next to her door, half expecting to see Liam following me. “Sorry,” I said, relief flooding me when I saw that we were alone. “Didn’t mean to do that.”
Isabelle had composed herself by the time I turned back to her. She had rolled her chair back under her desk and returned to moving her mouse around on its pad.
“Everything going okay out there?” she asked, her gaze never leaving the screen.
I didn’t know where to start. Part of me wanted to talk to her about Liam. But the other part of me wasn’t sure what she was going to say. The last thing I wanted my new boss to think was that I was a shameless flirt who would use every opportunity to pick up guys.
I wanted to prove to her that I could do this job and do it well.
“Just a patron asking for directions to the diner.” That seemed good enough. It was the truth; I’d just left out a few details.
She glanced over at me. “Yeah, you’ll get people like that. They seelibraryand thinkyellow pages. Especially with the retired folks around here.” She returned her gaze to her computer screen once more.
I figured it wouldn’t hurt to let her think it had been someone’s grandfather who’d come in. I doubted I would ever see that man again, so it would be best for me to just forget about him.
“I drew a map and sent him on his way.”
“Great.” She glanced back over to me. “I’m going to finish up here, and then I’ll be out to do some more training.”
I held onto the folders that I’d brought with me and nodded. I hoped she didn’t see them and ask me why I’d brought them to her. Right now, they were grounding me in the present. “Perfect.” I jutted my thumb toward the circulation desk. “I’ll head back out, then.”
She nodded. “Sounds good.”
I opened her office door and hurried out, shutting it behind me. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that Liam was no longer standing at my desk. After settling in, I half-expected him to jump out from behind a bookshelf. But as the minutes passed with no sign of Liam, I let myself relax.
He had left the library, and since he was just passing through, I was never going to see him again.
He was in and out of my life in a matter of moments.
I tried not to think about him while I listened to Isabelle going over the cataloging system in the computer. I also tried not to think about him while Isabelle showed me how to doctor up a children’s book that looked like it had been sat on and then chewed by someone’s puppy. I also tried not to think about him while I gathered my things from my assigned locker in the break room. But each time, I failed horribly.
There was something about that man. Something about his confidence, his self-assurance, that drew me in. Maybe I was jealous that Liam seemed to know exactly what he wanted in his life. His confidence went deeper than just wanting to find his friend. He wasn’t floundering like I was. He just…knew.
I envied that.
