I grin, realizing that the whirlwind of a weekend together meant just as much to him as it did to me.
“Thank you, Isaac,” I answer. “Maybe one day I’ll call you.”
His expression lights up. “If I should only be so lucky.”
fourteen
THEN
THE DOOR TO THE BOOKSTOREwhere I worked chimed, and I knew exactly who it was.
We were about to close, but Shelby, who worked there on Wednesdays and Fridays after school, said an “Isaac Brooks” would stop by to pick up his order.
Initially, I was confused hearing his name regarding a book order because that was a made-up scenario. It wasn’t real life, and it was eight months ago.
Sure enough, after he reached out to me for the third time, Isaac ordered books for his classroom.
I glanced up from the counter to see his bright smile and confident disposition. “Well, well, well... look what the cat dragged in,” I said, smiling.
As he walked toward me, I realized his hair was longer, and his facial hair was more pronounced than it was, but when he flashed a familiar smile, I felt like he looked exactly the same.
“That is a very fifty-year-old dad thing to say,” he teased, approaching me.
I laughed. “Well, I’ll admit I thought of about ten different things I could say to you when I saw you for the first time in eight months, and that was the best I could do.”
“I highly doubt that was the best of your options.”
“Well, I considered, who let this guy in? But that didn’t make sense because I’m the only one working.”
He laughed as he moved closer, bracing the counter and towering over me. I forgot how all-consuming being in his presence could feel. He had one of those magnetic personalities. The kind that takes up all the space and absorbs all the oxygen, and yet, I didn’t mind.
“I’ve come to collect something that’s mine,” he said, staring down at me.
My heart somersaulted in my chest before I realized what he was talking about.
“Right. Your books,” I said, dropping to my knees to the box with a yellow Post-It that read Isaac Brooks on it. I grabbed the box and hoisted it on the counter with a loud thud, then blew my hair out of my face.
I had all day to prepare to see him, but I was still visibly flustered. I could feel the heat bloom over my chest, neck, and cheeks. The way his gaze dropped from my eyes made me wonder if he was counting how many hives were appearing on the tender skin of my neck.
“Thank you for the support, really.” I nodded and swallowed hard. “We’ve barely been hanging on these days, so anytime anyone makes a large order like this, it means the world to me.”
He shifted the box toward him, and I ignored my desire to look at his hands.
“Of course,” he said. “How have you been?”
I opened my mouth and closed it, letting the drumming in my heart consume my thoughts. “I’ve been good. You?”
“Good,” he said. He paused for a moment and then stuffed a hand in his pocket. “Listen, I wanted to ask you—”
“I’m engaged,” I blurted.
Surprise covered his features, and then he furrowed his brow. “Oh.” His eyes searched my face for understanding, so I held up my left hand.
“Yeah,” I said. “Last month.”
He nodded once. “Congratulations. That was—” He breathed in through his nostrils, and I knew the word he was going to say, but he politely stopped himself.
“Fast? Yeah, I know. But John knows what he wants, and it just... makes sense?”
