Page 32 of Love in the Stacks
I shake my head, not wanting to jump to conclusions. Surely after the way I’ve been treating him, Adam wouldn’t do something like this for me. Although, I remember, I did tell him a couple of months ago how I wish I had some natural light in my office. The poster isn’t natural light, but it’s definitely more welcoming than the blank wall.
Tasha fiddles with something on my desk and holds a folded piece of paper out to me. “Let’s find out,” she says. “This has your name on it.”
Indeed, written in meticulous print in black ink on the front of the piece of paper, is simplyNicole.
I unfold it to find a printed-out meme. The image is of a super cute Pomeranian puppy’s face. Around it are the words:
“Here’s a cute puppy to brighten your day.”
It’s not signed, but there’s no doubt who left it on my desk, and therefore who hung the poster in my office. The gesture floors me. My eyes start to sting, and I have to blink hard to keep the tears at bay.
Tasha, who I’ve forgotten again, puts a hand on my shoulder. Tilting her head, she catches my eyes and says softly, “Nicole, with all due respect, I know you are a full-grown adult, but what are you doing?”
I laugh and shake my head. I’m not sure myself. I murmur a goodbye as she leaves to take her spot at the front desk.
My phone pings. It’s a text from Adam. Well, a meme in two comic strip-style panels. In the first panel, a goldfish says to another goldfish “You wanna hang out later?” The second panel zooms out to show the two goldfish alone in a small fishbowl. The second goldfish answers, “Yeah, probably.”
I chuckle and shake my head. He’s a little wrong though. I don’t want to hang out with Adam because of a lack of options. I want to hang out with him because he’s genuinely nice to be around.
I’m surprised by how much I enjoy hanging out with him. At the same time, I don’t want to lead him on or give him any impression that I want to be more than colleagues. I cringe, thinking that inviting him into my apartment late at night isnotthe way to get that point across. But if there’s a chance we can go back to our work relationship and how it was before Soapbox, I’m definitely on board.
I catch Adam outside Herb’s closed office door just before 9:30. He watches me approach, apprehension written on his face and in the way he grips his hands together. I smile at him, a true, honest smile that I feel to the tips of my ears. His shoulders slump in relief. He smiles back, the warm, wide grin I’ve gotten used to. I stop in front of him, my hand finding his like a magnet.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “I’ve beenawful. I’m sorry.”
“Let’s forget about it,” he says, squeezing my hand.
I hesitate for a moment, then ask shyly, “Can I hug you?”
Instead of answering, he pulls me in and wraps his arms around my back. My arms loop up and around his neck, my head resting ever so gently on his chest. Every part of me that’s touching him feels hot, like I’m standing too close to a fire. My pulse quickens, and I lean into the embrace.
Herb’s office door opens, and we quickly pull apart. “Oh,” Herb squeaks, startled. “I was, um, just looking for you two. Come in, please.”
He disappears into his office as Adam blushes and I chuckle. Adam thrusts out his arm gallantly, ushering me through the doorway.
We each take a seat in Herb’s office. With everything that’s happened already this morning, I haven’t had a chance to obsess over this meeting. Herb hasn’t given any clues as to what it’s about.
With that thought, Herb clears his throat and asks, “How’s the graphic novel project going?”
“Great!” I respond enthusiastically. “We should be ready to start circulating the books, in what?” I look to Adam. “About two weeks?”
Adam nods his agreement. “I just need to finish cataloging, and Nicole is working on the marketing plan.”
Herb claps his hands together once and says, “Excellent. I’ve got to tell you, I’ve been seeing more and more buzz about graphic novels in the academic library chatter since you proposed this idea in the fall, Nicole. As a matter of fact,” he pauses here as he pulls somethingup on his computer screen. “I think the two of you should submit to present about this project at the National Library Association Annual Conference.”
“Really?” I ask, trying to veil my excitement. The NLA conference is the biggest library industry conference in the country. Presenting there would be huge on my résumé.
“Yes. The conference is in New Orleans in mid-April, but presentation proposals are due at the end of next week. You’d have to submit something right away if you’re interested. We have some library budget dollars available to pay your way to the conference if your presentation is selected, if we scrimp a little.”
I look at Adam, but his face is pale. I turn back to Herb.
“Sounds like a great opportunity,” I say. “Adam and I will discuss it, and we’ll let you know if we decide to submit.”
As we step into the hallway, Adam starts, “Nicole—”
I cut him off quickly. “Let’s talk in your office.”
He nods and we walk down the hall.
