“I want someone I enjoy spending my time with to be there when I’m free.”
“So you want me to be at your beck and call?”
“No. I want you to want to spend time with me whenever the two of us are free. However that tim
e is spent is up to you. But I want…”
I drew in a deep breath as her beautiful eyes stared up into mine. For a timid woman, she really knew how to back me into a corner. The tenacity and fire in her words was alluring, and it showcased a side of her I wanted to get to know.
“I want to get to know you,” I said. “If you’ll let me.”
She nodded as she speared a bite of her salad. I watched her roll it around in her mouth, munching mindlessly as she thought. Never had I sat on the edge of my seat like that before. Never in my life had I been so nervous for a fucking answer to come from some woman I was chasing. It had been a long time since I’d pursued a woman like this, and none of those women made me hang onto her every word like Libby did.
What the hell was this woman doing to me?
“Okay,” Libby said. “I think I’d like that.”
“Good,” I said. “I’d say we could start now, but I’m due back at work in fifteen minutes. Are you doing anything tomorrow night?”
“Nope. Just sitting around with dinner and my cat.”
“You have a cat?”
“A calico. His name’s Mozart.”
“A fan of classical music?” he asked.
“It’s a secret passion, yes.”
“Well, maybe I could take you to the symphony sometime. They aren’t playing this weekend, but in a few weeks their season will start back up.”
“I’d like that,” she said, smiling. “What were you thinking about for tomorrow night?”
“There’s a bookstore downtown I thought we could go to. Since you’re such an avid reader.”
The light in her eyes returned, igniting her features as her innocence poured through. There she was. There was the Libby I found on the steps of that wedding venue. She was peeking through and it clenched my gut with happiness.
Such a small gesture bringing light to a wonderful woman.
“To the bookstore it is, then,” she said.
Eleven
Libby
Our first trip to the bookstore was phenomenal. It had this old-world charm to it, and we ended up spending almost two hours there. Every book I touched Graham was determined to buy for me, despite my protests. My shelves were quickly filling with romance novels and fantastical love stories between people I lost myself in. He whisked me away to things I’d never experienced. Restaurant I’d never eat in on my own dime and symphonic concerts that took my breath away. But they always ended the same.
They always ended with that beautiful bookstore.
We went so frequently that the owner knew us by name. And every single time I walked in, I made a beeline for the romance department. I wanted to know if they had gotten anything new in or had any rare copies of things I could take a look at. Chairs peppered the dark corners of the bookstore with lamps to illuminate their spots. Graham would always pull up a chair next to me and bring my feet to rest in his lap, then stick his nose in a biography while I began my new love journey. They were my favorite moments with him. When the two of us were reading in that dark little corner by lamplight with my feet in his lap. It felt natural and comfortable to be with him like this. His tie would be loosened and his coat would be draped over the back of the chair. His sleeves would be uncuffed and rolled up, giving me a good look at the throbbing veins and the strength of his muscles.
“Good book?” Graham asked.
I didn’t know I was chewing on my lower lip until he caught my attention.
“Sorry,” I said breathlessly. “Yes. Very good book.”
“Your cheeks look a little flushed,” he said.