Even though it was a little corny of him, Gabe felt like the library was the heart of Greenwich. It had done its best to keep up with the times. There were banks of public-use computers alongside the rows of books, and they offered all kinds of classes and community groups throughout the day and into the evening.

Whether it was grandmas coming to type with two fingers or students fueled by coffee searching for textbooks, mother-and-toddler dance lessons or Spanish for beginners, the big building was always full of people from all walks of life.

Gabe’s job wasn’t particularly challenging. Mostly, he was responsible for putting books back where they lived, keeping on top of their filing system, and liaising with the various teachers to make sure their tightly packed schedules ran like clockwork. While it may not have been particularly intellectually stimulating, it was certainly good for his soul.

There were several sessions that Gabe also helped out in, like the after-school kids’ art program he was currently washing up from. That was his favorite. He loved the kids’ never-ending enthusiasm for pasting glitter and bottle tops onto card, nor the proud looks on their folks’ faces when they were presented with the creations. It was pure and innocent as well as a lot of fun.

He’d actually been enjoying his afternoon, but as he was scrubbing green paint out from underneath his fingernails, a pang of sadness snuck up on him. He wasn’t even sure where it came from, but he suddenly remembered that Lewis wouldn’t be coming home after work. That Max wouldn’t be waiting on the other side of the front door for their return, ball in his mouth and tail wagging.

Gabe shook his head crossly and turned his attention back to the paint. Maybe not. But Duchess, his new cat, would be there for him. She would be hiding under the coffee table and might very well hiss at him. But she couldn’t fool him. She’d eaten all the food he put out for her every day, even if it was when he wasn’t looking, and she loved the scratching post and fluffy basket he’d bought her.

One day soon, she was going to creep out and let him stroke her. Until then, he could just be patient, content in the knowledge that he’d got her out of the noisy shelter and given her a warm, safe, loving home.

He went back to the activity room and stacked the chairs, picking any stray feathers he found and wiping up the splatters of Elmer’s glue that were starting to dry on the laminated floor. He had an hour left for the day, and as it was a Wednesday, it was normally his evening off. But one of the other climbing instructors had called in sick, so of course he’d offered to cover for her. He felt weary though. All he really wanted to do was swing by the store for supplies, then go home and cook him and Duchess a nice dinner each.

There was no sense in complaining though. So he vowed to embrace the rest of the day and have fun. He’d still get home in good enough time. Besides, it wasn’t like he had a boyfriend there waiting on him.

On his way back to the reception he passed through the hot desks. These were simply rows of empty tables where people came with laptops and notepads to work, often scattering their materials over an entire table.

There was only one, solitary figure sitting there that evening. Gabe recognized him right away and couldn’t help but pause in his stride as he realized who it was.

Joey Sullivan. Or at least, the guy he’d assumed to be him. The one from outside the bakery. He was even more gorgeous now Gabe could see him up close. He was wearing a t-shirt, displaying nicely toned arms with several tattoos on each one. Beside him were stacked several library-branded CD cases, and he tapped his foot as he listened to the music through the earphones plugged into his laptop.

He was staring intently at his screen, but something must have alerted him to Gabe’s presence. He looked over sharply and pulled one of the buds free from his ear.

He went to speak, but then his eyes went wide. Gabe wasn’t sure why; he was too busy being embarrassed at getting caught staring. The poor guy probably got enough unwarranted attention as it was. But despite his heartache, Gabe couldn’t quite suppress the flicker of desire seeing him evoked.

“Can I help you?” Joey asked once he’d regained his wits.

Gabe cleared his throat and smiled, hoping he didn’t seem creepy. Most guys didn’t like being looked at like that. He was normally way more careful than that.

“Just wondering if you found everything you needed today, sir?” he asked in a friendly tone.

Joey frowned. “You work here?”

“Uh, yeah?” Gabe replied, unsure why that should be such a surprise. “I think we actually passed each other a couple of days ago,” he said to try and break the tension that seemed to be between them. “By Maggie’s bakery. I’m Gabe Robinson.” Joey looked at him warily. He seemed skittish. Hardly a big-time popstar. “You’re Joey Sullivan, right?”

Joey winced and Gabe immediately felt bad. But then Joey smiled. Gabe wasn’t sure if it was forced or not. “Yeah, that’s me,” Joey said as he closed his laptop and pulled out his earphones.

“Oh, sorry,” said Gabe, feeling flustered. He was making a mess of this. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. Please don’t leave on my account.”

Joey shook his head. “I have to get going anyway.”

Gabe tried not to take it personally, but he’d obviously upset the guy. “Well, it was nice meeting you,” he offered as Joey slung his bag over his shoulder and picked up the stack of CDs. “Hopefully we’ll see you back here sometime?”

Joey’s eyes flicked to the CDs. “Yeah, maybe,” he said before hurrying off.

Gabe sighed and gave him a few minutes before walking the same way back towards the reception desk. He was being ridiculous. But he’d sort of hoped to exchange a few more words with him. At least Gabe knew who he definitely was now.

Gabe had naturally assumed Joey would be relieved to be home after all the fuss and stress that must come with a celebrity lifestyle. But he’d seemed withdrawn. Maybe the quiet was a bit of a shock to him and he was still adjusting?

“Penny for them?” Mitch said as he approached the desk, causing Gabe to look up.

He smiled at his boss. Mitch was in his sixties and probably should have retired by now. But like Gabe, he loved the people too much to leave. He was a big bear of a dude, solid with a gray mustache and wire-rimmed bifocals. Gabe had several friends with serious crushes on him, but Mitch had been very happily married to his wife Mary-Lou for over four decades.

“I just met Joey Sullivan, that guy who used to be in a pop band.”

Mitch scoffed. “I know who Below Zero are,” he said, fussing with his Rolodex. “Were. They did that Oh oh oohh song. Jenny cried her eyes out when they broke up, but good old Gran and Gramps promised to buy her Reyse Hickson tickets when they go on sale.” He chuckled. “He’s her favorite, but she was still pretty excited to hear that Joey had moved back here.” He winked at Gabe. “I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of her in the future.”

Gabe laughed. He knew Mitch and Mary-Lou would love to see more of their grandkids. They had about a dozen scattered across the country.

“He wasn’t what I expected,” Gabe admitted, leaning on the counter.

Mitch arched an eyebrow at him. “And what were you expecting?”

Gabe shrugged. “I don’t know? Someone larger than life maybe?”

Mitch looked at him slyly. “He’s gay, you know.”

Gabe felt the tips of his ears heat up. “So?” he replied in a vain attempt to pretend like that information didn’t interest him. “I’m not looking for anything, and he’d be too young for me anyway.”

“Not that young,” muttered Mitch with a devilish glint in his eye.