Theo met them on the Murphy House’s wide gravel driveway. It was a thirty-minute drive from Oak Bramble to the Murphy’s inn, but Justin had made it in twenty at Elle’s urging. When they arrived, she was glad they’d rushed.

Elle had seen Theo in Mom-mode, of course. Mostly, though, she saw Theo with two well-behaved children and the shimmer of Super Mom surrounding her. Her friend was the type who liked things tidy, in order, without a stray hair or bit of makeup out of place.

But today Theo looked like an escapee from a madhouse.

Justin turned off his truck, caught sight of Theo striding toward them, and said, "Whoa."

Elle was determined to put on a brave face. She hopped out of the truck and moved to meet Theo. Her friend had a thick and gloppy paste-like substance in her dark hair, which stuck out in every direction from its low bun. She wore an apron that was covered in what looked like flour. Or, from the crazed look in her eyes, perhaps it was cocaine.

"Thank GOD," Theo said, grabbing Elle and pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oof!" Elle grunted as the air rushed out of her lungs.

Theo pushed back, glanced at Justin, then said, "You brought back up, that's good. The boys are in a state today. My mom decided to leave them a treat to thank me for covering the desk today.”

“Well that’s sweet,” Elle said.

Theo gave her a look. “She snuck them a box full of candy. By the time I found them, they’d eaten God knows how many pounds of sugar.”

“Oh,” Elle said.

Theo didn’t bother to reply. She turned back to the house, dragging Elle by one arm. "Come on. I can't leave them alone for long before—“

"Ahhhhh! Mooooommmmmyyyyyy!"

Theo said some very nasty words all strung together like a long, colorful prayer.

Justin whistled, sounding impressed.

Elle shot him an apologetic look over her shoulder.

Surely it couldn't be that bad, she thought.

Then she caught sight of a massive dog, running toward them from the house like its tail was on fire. The poor thing had been shaved, poorly, and tufts of fur stood out against bits of pink, newly exposed skin.

Theo took one long look. "They're all yours,” she said.

* * *

To say Justin hadn't been prepared would have been a gross understatement. He was no stranger to a challenge. He’d come up on bears while hiking in the North Carolina mountains, seen snakes—poisonous ones, too—and gotten by without losing his cool, but this … He had to fight his instinct to run when he saw what babysitting looked like. And he had a new respect for his mom.

Theo had abandoned them after spitting out instructions.

Don't let them set the house on fire. Come get me, but only if one of them is close to death.

Elle looked wide-eyed and unprepared, and Justin didn't blame her. In her sundress and sandals, she looked ready for lounging outside with some sweet tea. Justin wasn’t sure about Elle, but personally, he would have felt better in head to toe armor.

A ball whizzed past his head.

"You were supposed to catch that!" said the older boy. Was it Ned, or Ian? Justin had no idea.

The younger one pouted. "It was too high. Besides, Mom said not to throw in the house."

Elle raised both eyebrows. She opened her mouth to speak, but the older one tackled the younger and they dissolved into a tussle—kicking, punching, pinching, squealing. She looked at him.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well, what?"

"Don't you speak boy or something? Please tell me having two brothers makes you better prepared for this than I am.”

He shook his head. "Sorry, Princess. Doesn't work that way."

She huffed.

The boys ran into a side table, and Elle jumped to save a glass pitcher from crashing to the ground.

"Outside," she said.

Ned and Ian ignored her.

Justin waited, fighting to hide a smile.

Elle put down the pitcher with a thump. She reached up to tighten her ponytail. Her face was set, serious in a no-funny-business look like one he remembered getting from his mom.

Ponytail ready, she reached into the tumbleweed of boy—a chaotic mess of limbs and shrieks—and tapped the older boy on the shoulder.

Justin wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but he knew a ladylike tap wasn’t going to cut it.

He smirked.

She tapped the boy again. This time, he looked.

"You're it," she said, and then she ran.

The two boys paused. Justin let out a surprised laugh. There was a scramble as they fought to be the first to stand, pushing and pulling the other as they rushed out the door after Elle.

"That's cheating!" the older boy cried, racing after her.

Elle, meanwhile, was flying. Justin followed, a bit slower, but not too slow. He knew this wasn't something he wanted to miss.

Elle had kicked off her sandals and ran barefoot through a terraced garden toward a long green expanse. The boys ran after her, pumping their arms at their sides and whooping like miniature warriors.

The stuck up princess he'd met on the plane was long gone. Justin took off his hat and rubbed a hand through his hair.

“Come on,” Elle called to him from the greens.

The boys joined her. “Yeah,” said the older boy. “You chicken?”

The younger one started flapping his wings and squawking. It could have been Justin and his brothers when they were kids. The thought made him smile.

“Oh, you’re in for it now,” he yelled back. He hopped the fence and loped down the grounds toward them.

Ned and Ian stared.

“Better run, boys,” Elle said with a wide, happy smile. “I think he’s it.”

* * *

Eowyn, one of Theo’s sisters, arrived after Elle and Justin had been there for an hour. A small dog followed her, trotting along like it belonged at Eowyn’s side. The boys greeted Eowyn and her dog—called Jane, apparently—with great fanfare, acting as though Elle and Justin had tortured them instead of playing a very athletic game of tag, which had led to playing frisbee with their sorry-looking mutt, then a rousing game of duck, duck, goose that somehow devolved into the boys jumping on Justin.

One look at Eowyn and Elle was happy to give up the pretense of keeping up with Ned and Ian.

“You’re an angel,” she told the other woman. Minutes after arriving at the scene, Eowyn had somehow gotten the boys to focus on “looking for bugs,“ and the two were absorbed in picking up rocks and digging up the garden. Brilliant.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Eowyn said with a laugh. She was short and curvy and had black hair and bangs that made Elle think of Betty Page. That, or perhaps it was because of the red lipstick and pedal pushers she wore. “You’re Theo’s college roommate, right?” Eowyn asked.

“One of them,” Elle said. She had never met Eowyn in person since Eowyn had left North Carolina after high school and had only returned a year ago. Elle introduced herself and turned to include Justin.

“Oh, you don’t need to introduce us,” Eowyn said. She smiled at Justin. “Right, Justin?”

He groaned. “I was hoping you’d forgotten.”

Elle looked back and forth between them. “What am I missing?” she asked.

Justin rubbed a hand over the back of his neck while Eowyn laughed.

“We dated in high school,” Eowyn told Elle.

Justin shook his head, but he was smiling. He put a hand over his heart. “Just dated? Ouch. I thought it was love.”

Eowyn shook her head. To Elle, she said, “Justin was the bad boy in high school. One of those lone wolfs all the girls sighed over.”

“And what about you?” he asked Eowyn with a teasing grin. “I happen to know for a fact you were a heartbreaker in high school.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eoywn said, brushing off his words. To Elle, she explained. “Theo probably told you that we grew up in upstate New York.”

Elle nodded. “She said that your parents moved you here when they bought the inn.”

“Right,” Eowyn said. “So they pack up and move us from New York to some hick town in North Carolina. And let me tell you that was one bumpy transition. The first day of school was pure culture shock. I’m pretty sure a guy drove to school on a tractor.”

“Hey now,” said Justin. “You’re talking to a genuine debutante.”

“Sorry,” Elle said when she saw the look on Eowyn’s face.

“You’re friends with Theo, you can’t be that bad,” Eowyn said.

“You’d be surprised,” Justin grumbled.

Elle smacked his arm.

A tall man with a crew cut joined them. He moved close to Eowyn, putting his arm around her waist. Eowyn smiled up at him before turning to introduce him to Elle.

“Elle, this is Sam. Sam, meet Elle, one of Theo’s college roommates.”

Sam and Justin already knew each other. They shook hands and shared some talk about a construction project Sam had helped with at Oak Bramble.

“I was just telling Elle about how Justin and I dated in high school,” Eowyn told Sam after he and Justin caught up.

“Should I be jealous?” Sam asked her.

“Never,” she said. “I only had eyes for the geeky hall monitor.”

“Liar,” Sam said.

Eowyn laughed, and the couple shared a look.

“Hey y’all,” Theo called from the porch. “I’m taking a break. There’ll be sweet tea on the porch in ten.”

“Please tell me you didn’t just say ‘y’all’,” Eowyn said with a groan. “Elle, I blame you. She wasn’t anywhere near this southern before college.”

Elle laughed.

“Oh, get over it,” Theo told her sister. “You stay here long enough, it’ll happen to you too.”

“Never!” Eowyn cried.

Theo just shook her head. “You wait and see.”

“She asked me to grab her pocketbook yesterday,” Sam chimed in.

Eowyn smacked his arm. “Don’t tell my sister that!”

Theo laughed.

Elle and Justin excused themselves, happily leaving the supervision of the boys to Eowyn and Sam.

"They should have babysitting workouts at the gym," Elle said to Justin once they were on the porch. "Instead of tossing tires around or spinning, you could chase small children."

He laughed, a low, amused rumble.

It was a good thing she was already flushed from the aforementioned children-chasing. That laugh of his did strange things to her insides.

They pulled up seats to a patio table with the large pitcher of iced sweet tea between them. While they waited for Theo to return from the kitchen, Elle and Justin kicked back with their icy drinks.

Justin shook his head. "It's been awhile since I've spent time with kids. And those two ..."

"What lovely things are you saying about my children?" Theo asked as she walked onto the back porch.

Unlike her appearance that morning, she looked refreshed and pulled together. Her dark hair was glob-free and pulled into a low ponytail. Her blouse was tucked into a breezy long skirt, and minimal makeup completed the look of perfect mommy. It was as though the woman who'd tossed her children in their direction that morning never existed.

Theo joined them at the table and poured herself a tall glass of iced tea.

"So," she said. "Justin."

Elle sighed. Here we go.

She knew that voice. Theo was the eldest of her two sisters, but she acted as though Elle and Isabelle were included.

"It's nice to meet you," Theo was saying. "Elle tells me you work at Oak Bramble. You must be one of Jess' boys."

Elle did not like the smile on her friend's face. It was part Godfather (mess with my family and I'll have you killed), and part sweet, southern lady (don't let my manners fool you into thinking I can’t destroy you). Theo might have been raised by Yankees, but she had the southern skill of sugar-sweet threats down pat.

One corner of Justin's mouth quirked. "Yes, ma'am."

"She's done wonders with Oak Bramble. You're partially responsible, I hear."

Justin didn't answer but gave a grudging tip of his chin.

"Are you single?"

Elle gasped. "Theo!"

"What?" Theo asked. "The man looks like Chris Pine, and he survived an hour with my children. Is it so wrong that I'm curious?"

Justin laughed, then shook his head. "I'm single," he said.

Theo beamed.

Elle knew for a fact that her friend wasn't interested for herself. She put her glass of iced tea to her neck, then her forehead. It wasn't working, though. She was consumed by a full-body flush. She caught Justin eyeing her, likely wondering if she'd lost her mind.

"What's the last serious relationship you were in?" Theo said next.

This time, Elle cut in before Justin could answer. "Don't answer that," she told him. To Theo, she said, "One more question like that and I'm out of here."

Theo tilted her head. "Was it something I said?"

"You know very well what you're doing," Elle said. "This is just like in college when you'd tear apart my dates—“

"I did no such thing," Theo said, affronted.

"Oh, right. Are you forgetting my freshman year boyfriend? The one you grilled because he wore a suit jacket.”

Theo studied her glass of iced tea. “Elle, no real college student wears a jacket like that on a date. He could have been a serial killer. Or a sex offender!“

"You made him cry," Elle said.

Justin dipped his head. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"He wasn't right for you," Theo said. "You only liked him because he was in the right frat.”

“Not true!” Elle said.

“Then it was his accent,” Theo shot back.

Elle refused to respond.

"Oh, I have to hear this," Justin cut in.

Elle sighed. "You can tell him, Theo, since you're doing such a good job of spilling my past."

Theo smiled sweetly. "The boy was from Boston and told Elle that he had a 'wicked crush' on her."

Justin chuckled.

"He was so sweet," Elle said. "But he never came back after you made him cry."

"Good riddance. For being from a place with such terrible weather, the boy had no backbone. He wasn't for you. You know I love you like a sister, but you’ve been making that same mistake as long as I’ve known you."

Elle needed a moment to recover. "Excuse me? Are we really talking about this right now?" She was going to strangle her friend. For whatever reason, Theo wanted to bring Justin in on Elle's personal history. She didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Justin here doesn't need to be present while you air my dirty laundry."

Justin made a noise of agreement. "Yeah, in fact, I think I need to be going. I promised to help my mom out.”

“Oh, that’s sweet,” Theo said. When Justin stood to leave, Theo not-so-subtly checked him out.

Elle jumped to her feet. "Sounds great. Let's go."

Theo gave Elle a knowing look, but said, "Thank you for helping with the boys. You're lifesavers."

Justin tipped his baseball hat and headed to the door. Before Elle could follow, Theo caught her arm.

She pulled Elle aside. "That is one fine man," she said.

"Lower your voice," Elle hissed.

"Elle, sweetheart. You are falling for him, and I don't blame you one bit. Did you see him with the boys?"

Elle put up a hand. “Theo, you're pushing."

"I know, you hate pushing."

They started walking through the house. Elle kept her voice low. She didn't want Justin to hear what she had to say next.

"He's handsome and loves his momma, and yes, he was a star with your hellions, but he is not the man for me. Besides, I just broke up with Carter. I'm not ready to jump into something new. Especially not with him."

"Why?" Theo asked. "Why not him?"

"You know what I want," Elle said.

"A house you can decorate like some Southern Living ad, with matching setters and two tow-headed kids who say 'yes, sir' and 'no, ma'am'. I know, I know. I’ve seen your vision board. And a guy who looks like Justin isn't who you had in mind."

"No," Elle said. "He's not."

Theo narrowed her eyes.

"Don't give me that look," Elle said, pausing in the hallway. "It's not just that he's scruffy, or has tattoos running up and down his arms like some sailor—

"God those tattoos are sexy," Theo interrupted. "And his hands. Wow."

Elle glared. "You're not helping."

"Sorry," Theo said. "Keep telling me about how the sexy, sweet man with the tattoos is completely wrong for you."

"I want a certain type of future," Elle said with a huff of frustration. "And he's not the one to give it to me. He lives in a shed, Theo. An honest to God shed. Do you remember what I said in college? When you asked why I only dated men who always looked like they dressed for Sunday dinner?"

Now it was Theo's turn to sigh. "Yes. I do. But—"

"No buts."

"I know you only date men who you think could be the man you marry, but sometimes rules need to be bent."

Elle shook her head.

"You're not happy, Elle," Theo said softly. "These men you date, they're all men your momma would approve of, aren't they? How about finding a man who makes you happy instead?"

"That's not fair," Elle said. "I don't just date men my mother would like."

Theo gave her a knowing look.

"Shoot. Do I?" Elle thought back. From Carter—who didn't count because she knew her mother approved of him—back through all the men (and boys) she'd dated after she left home.

Yes, she vetted potential boyfriends against the values her mother had instilled in her since she was a little girl. Money. Upbringing. Family name. But when had her mother's values become her own?

Elle wanted a kind man. A man who would be honest. A man who would be a good father. Someone she could rely on, someone who would make her want to be a better person.

None of those things were on her mother's invisible list of requirements.

"Well darn it."

Theo patted her arm. "I shouldn't gloat."

"But you're going to anyhow, aren't you?"

Theo smiled. "Now run along with the handsome man who would make your momma break out in hives. Do something I wouldn't do, okay?"

* * *

Elle was quiet as they left the Murphy House. They had to pass through downtown Woodbine Valley to get to Oak Bramble, and Justin slowed once they reached town.

“You hungry?” he asked. “I know a place that serves a great breakfast.”

It was only mid-morning, but Elle’s early-morning croissant seemed long ago.

“I’m famished,” she said. “Breakfast would be great.”

After he parked, they walked through town to the diner. Downtown Woodbine boasted a main street lined with shops, art galleries, an ice cream shop, and a few other businesses. Elle people watched as they walked, picking out the tourists and noticing a few families who looked like they could be locals.

The diner was one of those old-style places, with lots of chrome and a bar with stools. They picked a booth, then ordered from a waitress who greeted Justin by name.

”I’m sorry about Theo giving you the third degree," Elle said after the waitress left. "And for her boys. It was nice of you to help me."

"It was no trouble," he said. “And don’t worry about the third degree. I get it. She’s your friend. She’s just looking out for you.” He paused while the waitress delivered their coffee with a “here you go, sugar” directed to Justin.

Once she left again, he said, “Besides, you should tell her not to worry so much. It’s not like we’re dating.”

Elle winced. “Believe me, she knows. Honestly, I don’t think it matters. I showed up at her place with you in tow. Therefore you’re on her radar.” She sighed. “She could be a little less caring when it comes to my personal life if you know what I mean."

He chuckled. "Yeah. I used to have a friend like that." He paused. "So how'd you two meet?

“We were placed in the same dorm our freshman year in college. I met both Theo and our other friend, Isabelle. After our first year, we got an apartment together and lived together until graduation. I suppose we just ... clicked. She moved out here when she had Ned, to be closer to her parents. I haven’t seen enough of her since then.”

“You miss her.”

She glanced at him, then nodded.

Justin nodded, seeming to absorb the information. The waitress returned with food, a full breakfast for Elle, and a piece of pie for Justin. Elle couldn’t remember the last time she’d ordered bacon and eggs with real, old-fashioned biscuits—complete with pools of melted butter. It smelled almost as good as Jess’ croissants.

"You like living in the city?" Justin asked her after a few minutes. She was so focused on the rich food, it took her a moment to answer.

“Yes and no,” she said after she finished chewing.

It was a simple question. Or, it had been a simple question with a simple answer. Today, though, something was different. Today, when she thought about where she wanted to live, she thought of the view of the mountains from Oak Bramble. Blue peaks in fog for as far as she could see. Mist cloaking the trees. The crisp air. Singing birds. The chatter of crickets.

She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I do like it," she said, "Or I did. But I don't want to be there forever." She thought back to her conversation with Theo. "I know it sounds silly, but I have a dream of owning a big house. Not in the city, but maybe not so rural as this place.”

Justin nodded to let her know he was listening.

"Chapel Hill was a great place for school and work. Now that I've been there for a few years, I'm ready to move on." She hadn't known it until that moment, but the words felt right. Something had been off lately. She loved working in a library, but she wanted to try something new. Something with fewer stacks of scientific journals and socially inept researchers, and more time with people who gushed about books. Or maybe a job where she could make something beautiful, she thought, thinking back to helping Jess with the table settings. Such a small thing, but it had made her feel creative and energized. It was a good feeling.

And being close to Theo made a difference. She liked being able to help out her friend, and she liked seeing her. Elle wanted to live somewhere like Woodbine Valley, where everyone helped each other and knew one another by name. It made her yearn for something she barely recognized. Elle wanted to belong. Not just to one person—although that would be nice—but to a place. To a community.

It was how she'd want her (depressingly theoretical) children to grow up, too. As a part of a place, and not just another anonymous face in a big city.

"I know how it is," Justin said. "I lived out west for years, but at some point, I was ready to come back. It's quiet out here," he said. "People talk to each other."

She nodded. "Yes, exactly."

“You ever think about moving here?“ he asked. Then added, as an afterthought, “to be closer to Theo.”

Elle thought for a moment, trying not to read anything into his question. "I do like it here,” she said. "I don't know if I could find work in such a small town, but … yes, I’m tempted. Although it would mean a big pay cut. And a change of work.”

She debated sharing her next thought. It was something she hadn't told anyone, or even spoken aloud.

"I wouldn't mind the pay cut if I could work in the libraries again."

“But you work in a library now." He’d finished his pie and pushed his plate aside.

“Technically, yes,” she said. “But I'm in a research library. I get some time with people, but mostly adults. People I have to be serious and professional around ... It's hard to explain. I help people research things, but mostly online. I spend a lot of time alone with a computer."

Justin made a noise of understanding.

She wrinkled her nose. “With my current job, I'm so removed from what made me fall in love with this kind of work in the first place." She paused, catching herself from saying more. Something about the way he waited for her to continue, the way he was listening to her, made her want to keep going. But she held back. “How about you?" she asked. "You said you like the pace here. Is that why you came back?"

Justin shifted.

"I'm being nosy," she rushed to add. "You don't have to answer that."

"No," he said. He glanced at her for a moment as though debating how much to tell her. "I had a great job. Friends, money, apartment; the works." He paused. "My best friend and I started a company together. Everything was great. Then it wasn't."

She cocked her head, listening.

"He died. Two years ago."

"Oh, Justin," Elle's voice quavered. "I'm so sorry." The idea of losing Theo or Isabelle made her heart ache for him. Was that why he was so closed off? So gruff? Or perhaps he had always been like this, but only more so after losing his friend.

"You didn't know," he said simply. "No need to apologize. He lived fast and hard. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. But I was."

Elle waited for Justin to continue.

“After he died, I didn’t want it anymore. None of it. Besides, Adam owed a lot of money. He had debt I didn’t know about. So I sold my stuff, closed down our business, liquidated our assets. Moved back here as soon as I could.”

She shook her head. “I can’t imagine how hard that was for you,” she said. “I wouldn't have brought it up if I had known."

"It's not something I talk about," Justin admitted. He rubbed one hand over his forearm, the arm with the tattoo of mountaintops covered in trees.

"Did you get those after he died?" she asked.

"Yeah." His voice was rough. “When we lived here, Adam hated the mountains. Said he felt closed in by the trees. But the moment we got to L.A. he changed his tune. Guy couldn’t stop talking about ‘getting out in nature,’” he made a rueful smile. “He talked big about going camping, or even leaving L.A. and moving to the mountains, but it was just talk. One of his girlfriends was a painter and did a mural in our place. He broke up with her but kept the painting. When I moved I had to paint over it, but first I got this.“

He held out his arm to her. “It’s the same painting.” She traced the inky path along treetops with one finger. When he shivered, she let go, suddenly aware of how intimate her touch had been.

"What about the other arm?" she asked. “And your chest?”

The corner of Justin's mouth quirked. “Those are from when I was young and stupid."

“You? Never.” She smiled. “Tell me."

He explained the history of the tattoos curling up his left arm. A flower for the woman who broke his heart in college. Another of a Celtic mark meant to honor his family name. Lines and shapes on his chest that meant nothing, but looked cool to a twenty-something Justin.

“What do you want to do now?” she asked after he’d explained his tattoos. “Your mom mentioned that she’s buying Oak Bramble. Does that change things for you?”

He groaned.

She winced. “Sore topic?” she asked, guessing.

“You could say that.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I was going to buy the place,” he said. “I had it all planned.”

“But your mom is buying it. Isn’t that a good thing?”

He shrugged. “It is. Sure.”

Elle sat back, thinking. “I think I get it.”

Justin gave her a quick, doubtful look.

“No,” she said. “I do. You’re not sure what to do with yourself now. You came home, work became your focus, and now someone’s pulling the rug out from under you.”

He tugged on his hat, something she noticed he did when he was getting cranky.

“Oh, I’m so right,” she said.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You don’t have to.” Elle was smiling. “Let me guess, you don’t like change, do you?”

“I like it just fine,” he ground out. “You ready to go?” He slid out from behind the booth, not waiting for her reply.

Elle followed, trying and failing to leave the booth elegantly, thinking that booths and short women did not mix. She stepped out of the diner and into the sun, walking quickly to catch up with Justin. The sidewalks were crowded with people who were out to enjoy the good weather. Shops had opened their doors, and everything from fluttering dresses to home décor was on display. Elle wouldn’t have minded a lazy post-breakfast stroll, but Justin strode toward his truck like a man on a mission.

"Listen," she said after she caught up to him. ”I’m sorry I said that. About you not liking change. I should have just kept my opinions to myself.”

He grunted. He didn’t look happy, but at least he’d stopped to listen to her.

“You and I got off to a rough start,” she said.

He grunted something that sounded like, “That’s for damn sure.”

“But this morning was pretty … okay. Wasn’t it?”

Another grunt.

“What if we called a truce," she said. “I’ll quit asking personal questions, and we can go back to having an okay time.

He didn’t say anything to that, but gave her a look she interpreted as something like, Women are weird.

"You and I," she said. “We can be friends, right?"

This time, his pause was long enough to make her feel like a complete idiot. Asking him to be friends like a five-year-old in a playground. What was she thinking?

She was thinking that she liked this man. She wanted to be his friend. She wanted to spend time with him. And, perhaps, by putting whatever this was into the “friend” category, she could keep things light and easy. Safe.

Then, Justin held out his hand. The flutter in her stomach, the tingling rush that ran up her spine, told her Justin would never be anything but dangerous to her.

"Okay, then,” he said.

She took his hand. His skin was warm. The callouses made her shiver.

"Friends," he said with a confident, amused grin.

"Friends," she echoed.

* * *

Justin smiled. “Would you mind a detour?” They were at his truck, but he paused before opening her door.

“What kind of detour?”

“Come on,” he said, taking her by the hand. “There’s something you should see.”

Elle followed him down the sidewalk, retracing their steps through the tidy downtown. She enjoyed seeing little kids running ahead of their parents, rushing to press their faces against the ice cream shop’s window. There was a park with a large green space and a gazebo, and not far from there she could see a white church spire. The town was small but complete.

Justin led her across a green to a small white house with large windows. The moment they stepped inside, Elle knew where she was.

“Books!” She said.

Justin wasn’t grinning, exactly, but she could tell he was pleased by her reaction.

The tiny house had been converted to a library and was lined with shelves of books. The tall windows gave the library a warm glow, and the rooms were cozy instead of crowded. She stepped inside, passing the front desk where a librarian in funky glasses waved at Justin. Each room held a different genre, and a sign pointing upstairs told her where the nonfiction stacks were held.

Elle could never tire of bookstores and libraries. Especially libraries. They held such a wealth of information, fathomless adventures, hours upon hours of escape.

Elle and Justin circled back to the front of the house, where a children’s story hour was taking place. Children formed a half circle around a woman in a jewel-toned tunic holding a book. Their faces were all trained on her as she wove the story around them, using her voice to bring a magic-filled world to life. She ended the story and the children groaned.

“Read another!” A little girl with pigtails begged.

“Yeah!” A chorus of small voices chimed in.

The woman laughed. “I’ve read two already,” she said. “I need a break. Unless you can convince a volunteer …”

The kids looked around, eagerly eyeing the nearby adults. Elle and Justin realized the trap had been set, but they were too late.

“She’s a librarian,” Justin said, nudging Elle forward.

The audience cheered. The little girl with pigtails jumped to her feet and grabbed Elle by the hand, dragging her forward. Elle looked back over her shoulder and mouthed, “You’re mean!” to Justin. Then she turned back, careful not to step on small fingers as she was taken to the reader’s seat.

The older woman gave up her chair with a smile. “Why thank you y’all so much for volunteering,” she said. “Are you really a librarian?”

“Yes,” Elle said, mindful of her audience. She lowered her voice. “I’m a research librarian, though. I’ve never read books out loud.”

The woman winked at her. “You’ll catch on.” For the kids, she added, “Just read and don’t let them rope you into too many stories.”

Elle took a seat, and the kids helped her pick out a book. At first, Elle could tell she left a lot to be desired as a reader. She was too tense. Too formal. She could feel Justin watching her, and for some reason, it made her want to prove that she could do this, too.

As Elle read, she began to lose her self-consciousness. She pushed all thoughts of being perfect away and started to have fun. The first time she got a laugh from her listeners, she beamed. It was the best feeling in the world.

She’d never thought of becoming a children’s librarian. It had seemed too close to being an elementary teacher—too wild and chaotic. But the little faces peered up at her with focus, intent on hearing the story, just as she told it. Time stretched and Elle lost herself in the story. The kids gasped and laughed, clapped and cheered as the hero had misadventures.

When the woman in the jewel-toned tunic returned to say storytime was over, Elle was surprised by her disappointment.

“But what happens at the end?” a boy asked. “Does the dragon eat him?”

The pigtailed girl chimed in, “She can’t stop reading now.”

Parents started to arrive.

“Perhaps she’ll return for our next storytime,” the woman said. “Are you available next week?”

“I’m afraid not,” Elle said, truly sorry.

The kids were shuttled off by their parents and likely forgot all about their guest reader. But Elle had a feeling she wouldn’t forget.

“You’re good at that,” Justin said as they walked back to his truck.

“Really?” she asked. “You’re not only saying that because we’re friends now?”

He grinned. “Nope. And you’re not that good. The other librarian did better voices.”

She laughed.

“But you held their attention. That’s impressive. And—" he glanced at her. “You looked happy.”

Elle mulled over his words. She wasn’t the type of person to seek happiness from her job. Security. Status. Those things, yes. Happiness? That was something you found at home, or—for her mother—by shopping.

They arrived at his truck, and he opened her door. Elle hopped in, finding a certain satisfaction at her newfound ease with his beast of a vehicle.

When he started the thing, it coughed and rumbled a bit before the engine turned over.

“Thank you,” she told him once it lowered to a purr.

He looked at her. Just a look, but it was enough to make her wonder why she’d asked if they could be friends. “Don’t mention it.”