Page 10 of A Kiss to Remember
“Why don’t I remember you being this snarky before?” he asked in lieu of greeting.
Because we’ve never had a real conversation past “Hi” and “Excuse me, I need to get to the creamer” at Mimi’s Café.Since saying that would reveal more than she was willing to expose, she went with, “I’m not sure I can answer that. And tell me that’s not what you called to ask me.”
He snorted. “No. It hit me that we didn’t come up with a cover story for how we got together. If our...relationship is going to be believable, we’ll have to be of one accord with that.”
“Wow.” Remi shook her head even though he couldn’t see the gesture. “Is even saying the wordrelationshippainful?”
“Oh, sweetheart, if you only knew,” he drawled.
No, Remi ordered her damn heart again. You will not turn over at that endearment.Cut the shit!
She cleared her throat, absently picking at the thread on the couch cushion beneath her. “So do you have any ideas for how we became completely enamored of one another?”
“I’m guessing me trying to stop you from bringing disease and destruction to the earth, but we ended up falling for one another is out?”
A loud bark of laughter escaped her, and she clapped a hand over her mouth even though no one lived with her to hear it. “And what’s this disease that I’m so intent on bringing to the earth? Love?”
His mock gasp echoed in her ear. “How did you know?”
She snickered. “Okay, I’ve readPestilence, too, and Laura Thalassa is brilliant. Oh, which reminds me.” She snapped her fingers. “I’ve been meaning to recommendCraveby Tracy Wolff, if you haven’t read it already. I think you’ll love it.”
“Thank you. I’ll definitely pick it up.” A pause. “How do you know what books I’ll love?” he murmured.
Heat surged into her face, and she closed her eyes, lightly banging her head against the back of the couch. Dammit.
“I’m a librarian. It’s my job to notice what people are reading.”Nice save, she assured herself. She hoped.Please God, let it be a nice save.“Besides, when a man comes into the library and I catch him unashamedly reading YA paranormal romance, my nerd heart rejoices. And I want to feed his literary addiction.”
When he chuckled, she silently breathed a deep sigh of relief. And sent up another prayer of thanksgiving. And maybe a promise to attend service on Sunday. It’d been a while.
“There’s our story,” Declan said. “We met at the library when you noticed what I was reading and suggested a book you thought I’d like. We struck up a conversation, I asked you out, the rest is history.”
“It’s like our own book nerd fairy tale.”
“Book nerds are the shit.”
“Hell yeah we are.” Remi grinned, and once more had to order her heart to stop doing dumb things. Like swooning.
“’Night, Remi. And thank you again.”
“Good night, Declan.”
Remi:I’ve arranged our first date for Friday night after you get to Rose Bend. Hayride.
Declan:Pass.
Remi:Sorry. Bought the tickets. You wanted to be visible. What’s more visible than a hayride?
Declan:Dinner. Coffee. A stroll. Standing in the damn street. All don’t involve hay. Or hay.
Remi:We’re doing it. Suck it up, city boy.
Declan:Why am I doing this again?
Remi:Hey! You kissed me!
Declan:Oh believe me. I can’t forget.
Remi:...
