[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Chapter Forty Six – July 6

I could barely eat breakfast the next morning; it was like the first day of school nerves all over again. I nibbled at a piece of toast, my eyes checking the clock continuously. I was literally exhausted; the two hour time difference was catching up with me.

Finally, I kissed my mom and the dogs goodbye and drove the short ten minutes to the Wakamata Library. The library was small, but modern. A renovation only eight years ago made it seem much newer than it really was. The city of Wakamata has proudly been served by the library for well over 100 years.

After locking my car, I headed to the elegant front doors. I walked in slowly, looking around at my old familiar home away from home.

“Oh my goodness! Olivia!”

I looked over at the Circulation Desk. Sally, a lady who had been with the library for over twenty years was still there. It was a welcome sight. I smiled brightly as she ran over and gave me a hug.

“They said you were coming back. I just didn’t know it was today!”

We talked briefly. Finally I excused myself to clock in and head downstairs to the Children’s Room.

I had loved the Children’s Room from the moment I had first stepped into it. My mom had taken me to story times when I was little; it was kind of sentimental that I was now the one leading the story time. The entire area was decorated with an undersea theme; fish danced along the walls and a sailboat sat in the center of the room with benches for the children to sit and read.

The Children’s Services supervisor, Lily, sat behind the desk checking in a whole stack of new books to put out. When she saw me, her face lit up. She jumped up and came around to give me a hug. The library had always been a pretty “huggy” place.

“I taught you well,” she said. Lily was of retirement age, but her dedication to the job prevented her from even saying the word “retirement.” I had a great deal of respect for her; she gave me my first job and she had fought tooth and nail to keep me from getting fired. I grinned.

“You always told me to drive a hard bargain,” I said. “No way was I going to come back without them meeting my terms.”

I walked with her behind the desk. She picked up my nametag from the island. “I never threw it away.”

I slipped it over my head. For the next hour I
sat with her catching up on everything I had missed.

“A couple people have just gotten fed up with the situation and left,” Lily explained. “Of course, they don’t replace the jumpers. I think every single one of us here has had to work a different department in the last two months. It’s the first time I’ve seen a desk with a sign directing people to another desk because there wasn’t enough staff to work each area.”

I looked around. For a summer, the decorations in the room were threadbare at best.

“Thank goodness the summer reading theme this year is water,” Lily said, reading my mind. “We didn’t have time to decorate so we relied on our everyday decor.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a mother walk down with two adorable twins. The little boy and girl had identical smiles and flaxen hair. Their eyes lit up when they saw me.

“Mrs. W-yans!”

Two sets of feet ran through the library. I didn’t have the heart to remind them not to run. I walked around the desk just in time to have their little arms hug my legs. When they let go, I kneeled down to their level.

“Well look at you two,” I said. “You’ve gotten so tall since the last time I saw you.”

Little Ashton and Ruby had been in my story time before I was fired. Their mother walked up, smiling brightly.

“We heard you were hired back,” she said. “The kids couldn’t wait to come by and say hi.”

Ashton held up a plastic train. He was obsessed. “Can you show me train booooks?” he asked, stretching out the word “books” as he always did.

“Let’s see if I remember where they are,” I said. He grabbed my hand and I walked back through the stacks right to the train section.

I had almost forgotten how rewarding a happy child holding a book could be.

--------------------------

After a day of reuniting with co-workers and trying to quickly create programming that would begin the next week, I was exhausted. At seven o’clock I booted up my computer. I had a Skype promise to keep.

In five minutes I was staring at Nick’s face.

“You look exhausted,” he said right away.

“Well, hello to you too,” I said with a laugh.

“How was your first day?”

“Exhausting,” I admitted. “But, it was kind of fun being back. I’ve made a lot of friends over the years.”

“Who couldn’t love you?” Nick said.

“Shut up,” I laughed.

“I’m serious.”

I smiled; instinctively I touched the necklace around my neck. He sighed.

“I want to kiss you so bad.”

I puckered up, touching my lips gently to the screen.

“Not the same,” he complained. I shrugged.

“So does anyone know how you’ve spent the last month?” he asked, changing the subject.

“I told my supervisor and a few other people,” I admitted. “Of course, I think the thing that exhausted me the most today was answering questions about Hunter. They’ve seen him around town with Jess.”

Nick frowned. “The idiot thinks he’s pretty ballsy, doesn’t he?”

I nodded. “Of course, he also has been telling people that I had been cheating on him for over six months. He’s trying to play the sympathy card.”

“Is it working?”

I shook my head. “Not with the people I work with. They’ve always had my back.”

“If I was there---“ Nick began. I shook my head.

“I’ve already seen the results. Which reminds me, when do you get that cast off?”

Nick held up his hand. “Two weeks. The fractures have healed faster than they thought.”

“Good. Let’s try not to break it again,” I warned. He smiled.

“I don’t plan on it. I want to have two working hands when I get to hold you again.”

I felt a pleasurable warmth flow through my body.

“Mmm, and what do you plan on doing with two hands?” I teased.

He laughed huskily and began to describe a few of his, er, specialties. I was getting turned on just listening to him.

Then my mom walked in.

I slammed the lid of my laptop down fast.

“Mom!”

She had a load of laundry in her arms. “What?”

I fumbled. I was thankful the sound muted on the laptop as soon as the lid was closed. “I, er, I’m talking to Nick.”

Her eyes lit up. “Where?”

I pointed to the computer.

“Let me talk to him,” she said eagerly. I tried not to look horrified. “Er, let me warn him. Leave,” I said, motioning towards the door. Rolling her eyes, she walked out, closing the door. She left it opened a crack.

I lifted the lid.

“What happened?” Nick said. “I was just going to tell you how I was going to drip---“

“My mom wants to talk to you,” I said. I knew I must have looked flustered. Nick smiled.

“Did she walk in?” I nodded.

“Ooh, I feel so high school,” he said. I rolled my eyes. He laughed.

“Let me talk to her.”

Clearing my throat I called her in. She sat down beside me.

“Oh, how cool! Hi, Nick.” She waved at the screen. He waved back.

They spent a few minutes talking to each other; it was the weirdest experience of my life. For years she had complained about the posters of Nick and the Boys taped all over my walls and peeling off the paint when they fell down. Now, here she was, carrying on a pleasant chat. Life was so weird.

“Well, I’ll let you two continue your talk,” she finally said. “I hope to see you soon.”

“Likewise,” Nick said.

With a kiss to my temple, mom rose. This time she closed the door behind her completely. I turned back to the screen.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Nick said laughing.

“We averted disaster when I slammed the lid shut,” I said.

“Oh yes, where was I?”

“Nick!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll be good.”

I smiled. “Aren’t you going to eat dinner?”

He held up a bowl of beans. I raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve been slipping on my diet,” he explained. “I think it must have been all the milkshakes and whipped cream.”

I blushed. “So what’s that?”

“I’m on a macrobiotic diet. It calls for eating a lot of grains, vegetables, and beans. I’ve been farting all day.”

I laughed loudly. “I think this is the first time I’m actually glad I’m not there.”

“Hey! You don’t seem to complain about this rock hard bod. I’ve got to keep it in tip-top shape.”

I mentally undressed him; he had a point. I glanced at the clock, time had flown.

“I’ve got to go Nick,” I said. “I’ll leave you to your beans.”

He took a big bite. “Luff you,” he said through a mouthful.

I laughed again. “Love you too.”

Before I turned off my computer for the night, I went over to my Twitter. I broke into a huge smile.

@nickcarter I love you, Livvy!