Page 74
My laugh drew several curious glances. Charm smiled into her glass before leaning closer.
“I promised to behave,” she whispered.
“No one asked me to make that promise.”
“Well, you aren’t maid of honor one.”
“I’m the best man.”
“You look pretty enough for the title.”
“You’re flirting with me.”
“I’ve been flirting with you for two hours. Keep up.”
The warmth in her eyes erased the rest of the terrace. Her knee rested against mine beneath the table, and neither of us pretended the contact remained accidental.
Dinner continued around us while our conversation found its old rhythm without effort. Charm told me about the collection of books growing along the exposed brick walls of her loft, most purchased from thrift shops, library sales, and street markets. She’d developed a talent for finding damaged first editions nobody else noticed and an inability to leave behind books containing handwritten notes.
“You’re buying strangers’ annotations?” I asked.
“I’m rescuing them.”
“Some college student writing ‘symbolism’ beside every mention of weather doesn’t improve the book.”
“You’d like the interesting ones. I found a poetry collection with the same sentence written beneath every poem.”
“What sentence?”
“She would’ve understood this.”
My attention settled on her face. “Who was she?”
“I don’t know. That’s what makes it beautiful.”
“That sounds tragic.”
“Beautiful things usually are.”
The words quieted something between us, though Charm didn’t leave them there long enough to become dangerous.
“I also found a romance novel with three phone numbers written inside the back cover.”
“Same handwriting?”
She Nodded. “Three different men’s names.”
“Maybe the owner enjoyed options.”
“She circled one and wrote ‘never again’ beside it.”
I cant help but laugh as I drink from my tequila and soda. “That’s useful archival evidence.”
“I’m considering an exhibit.”
I laughed, and her answering smile made fifteen months feel thin enough to tear. “I have a question,” I said.
“Oh no.”
