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“Barb, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
She gives me a hard stare before she sighs and puts her hand on my shoulder. “Okay. But if you want to talk, I’m here. Okay?”
“Thank you,” I smile at her. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to focus.”
I go back to sorting the books in the book cart so I can get them back on the shelves.
“How is Will?” I ask. “The last time I heard, you were potty training him. How’s that going?”
Will is her two-year-old son, whom she’s raising with the help of her mother. Will’s father disappeared a year ago and hasn’t been heard from since. Barb’s face immediately lights up as she talks about her son.
“He’s the perfect boy,” she coos. “And potty training was a success.”
“Amazing news. You never bring him to work anymore. I miss the little guy.”
Barb laughs. “My mom gets bored staying home alone, and she feels like she has a purpose by taking care of him. I swear he is starting to enjoy hanging out with his grandmother more than me.”
We are both laughing when someone walks into the library, and we turn to see who it is. The smile clears my face when I see Liam. He’s dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt that shows off his muscles. I feel my knees go weak at the picture he presents.
“Welcome to Willow Falls Public Library,” Barb greets cheerily. “What can I do for you?” When she notices Liam’s intense gaze on me, she quietly sidesteps him and walks to the other side of the counter, leaving us alone.
“Hey.” He stops a few feet away, smiling.
“Hello, stranger.” I can’t help the smile that crosses my face at the sight of him. “Long time no see.”
He lowers his head. “I’m sorry about that.”
“I was just teasing you. I know you’ve been busy.”
His eyes wash over my face before he looks directly into my eyes. “You look beautiful as always, Penny.”
A blush creeps up my cheeks, and I turn back to the book truck, trying to focus on the books. “How’s work going?”
His eyes light up. “The beginner class can now identify dangerous plants at first glance.”
“That’s amazing,” I gasp, pausing with my hand resting on a book. I remember how hard it was for them to grasp the concept of poisonous plants the day I was there. To think they can now identify them so quickly is astounding. “I guess they can give credit to their amazing teacher.”
“Come on,” he laughs, waving his arm. There’s something different about him. He smiles easily now. His eyes light up when he smiles, and there is a looseness to his jaw that wasn’t there before. I stare at him as he smiles and notice that the crow's feet by his eyes are completely gone. It’s as if he’s aged backward in the few weeks since I’ve seen him.
“You look different,” I say softly. “Good. You look good, Liam.”
I see a blush come over his cheeks as he smiles at me.
I pull my shoulders back. “So what can I do for you?”
“I’m here to browse some books for the kids.”
“What type of books?” I lead him to the children’s section. “Fiction, creative, educational, inspirational, biographies? We have a little bit of everything.”
“I want everything you can give me.”
“Okay. On which subject?” I catch his stare, and he shakes his head.
“Something on plants and animals. I have some students who are visual learners. I thought having some fun diagrams and pictures would help them retain the information faster.”
“What a great idea. Follow me,” I smile at him and wave him down the aisle with just the type of books he’s looking for. I run my hands over the books until I find the one I’m looking for. “Here, check this one out.”
I hand the book to Liam, and our fingers touch. I feel a shock run all the way down to my toes. He takes the book and flips through it, his brows lifting. “I love this. It’s mostly about plants, though. You have something similar for animals?”
