I sighed, semi-excited, semi-terrified to say it aloud. “I went out for dinner with someone last night.”
Izzy grinned, leaning across the counter. “You had a date?”
I nodded.
“Did he ask you out?”
“I asked him.” Still wasn’t sure where I’d scraped up the courage to do that.
“Good for you. Who paid?”
“He did.”
“Did he compliment you? Say anything sweet? Ask to see you again?”
A smile spread across my face. She had no idea. The sweetest compliments. And insisting we’d be dating soon far surpassed asking to see me again. “All of the above.”
“You like him.”
It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway. “So much.”
“It sounds like he likes you too.”
“Yeah, he does.”
“He’s nice? Is he good enough for you?”
Good wasn’t even close to an adequate description for him. How could I explain, though? If I told her the things I liked most, she’d likely think he was overbearing and controlling.
For me, it was a fantasy. I loved knowing Liam was on guard more than enough for both of us. The way he considerately asked where I wanted to sit. The way he touched my face and gently kissed me without touching me anywhere else. But Izzy wouldn’t understand the significance. She had no idea what was really inside my head.
“Jenna!” she said sharply. “This shouldn’t be a hard question. Is he a good guy? Why did that make you sad?”
I looked sad? I was thinking about good things, but they were only goodbecauseI was messed up. It was so hard to separate the good from the bad. I just wanted to enjoy dating Liam. I wanted him to get to know the best parts of me, but also the real me, and while those felt like two different things, in reality it was just a messy tangle, and I didn’t want to be a mess.
“He’s a great guy. The best. And I’m not sad. It’s just...he’s intense. It’s already moving fast.”
Izzy frowned. “Have him come here soon so I can meet him.”
“I will. You’ll love him when you meet him.” Jeez, I was giving myself whiplash, but despite my reservations, I couldn’t pin any of it on him.
Izzy gave a noncommittal harrumph. I wanted to convince her that he really was a good guy, but she’d see it for herself when she met him. With the way he was acting, I had a feeling that would be soon. I didn’t like whatever she’d seen on my face, though. Would he be insulted if he sensed the same hesitation?
Before I could say more, it was time for my first group. The morning passed quickly, then late in the afternoon, while Izzy was running a group and I was sitting at the desk screening a cute picture book an indie author had sent for our consideration, a chill ran down my spine. Again. This was the third time today I had the feeling of being watched. I looked around discreetly, but like earlier, I didn’t see anyone paying any attention to me or doing anything out of the ordinary. What the heck?
It wasn’t unusual for me to worry about nothing, but I was usually fine at the library. Like any job, work could be difficult at times, but that rarely overshadowed the peace of the library. This was my happy place.
Maybe Tyler’s bombshell was making me think about Brian more than usual. Or maybe being on the cusp of dating Liam had me feeling extra sensitive. Either was possible, or maybe both at the same time was just more than I could handle. That sucked, because I really was excited about Liam.
Just in case it wasn’t in my head, though, I walked through the children’s section, up and down each aisle, checking every nook and cranny. They’d already started to enclose the area that would be the new sensory room, and I peeled back a corner of the plastic to look in there. No one was going to creep around near the children in my library.
I returned to the desk, relieved but frustrated and still on edge. I finished reading the book and emailed the purchasingdepartment to recommend it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. What if it wasn’t my imagination? If it wasn’t coming from anyone in the children’s area, could it be an adult looking in here at the children? I couldn’t ignore that.
I headed out to the main circulation desk, watching for anyone lurking near the children’s area. I didn’t see anyone suspicious. A book sat on the table closest to the entrance, but no one was nearby.
“Hi, Fran, how are you today?” The older librarian was as nosy as she was caring. She was the perfect person to ask.
“I’m good, sweetheart, what brings you over here?”