Gabby was dancing again, this time around the circulation desk as she sorted books from the cart into two stacks—yes and no. The GSA at the local high school was holding a book club this month at their group meetings. One of the teachers had reached out to Grace to brainstorm a list of young adult books featuring LGBTQIA characters. I watched Gabby tap her chin on the spine of a book as she looked back and forth between the two piles.
“What’s up, Gabs?”
She paused, mid tap. “I’m debating the merits ofEvery Dayby David Leviathan. I mean the main character,A, doesn’t really have a gender. Instead, every day they wake up in a new body. I’m not sure it would fit in this list we’re creating.”
I considered the book for a moment. “Well, it likely depends on what they want this list to accomplish.” Gesturing at the book in her hands, I continued, “That one would certainly be a good jumping-off point for conversations on gender identity, being gender-fluid, et cetera.”
Gabby nodded. “You’re absolutely right.” Dropping the book on her yes stack, she jerked her head toward Elle with a smirk. “Did you ask her to help with your listing?”
I looked back to Elle, who still had a flush spreading over her cheeks. “Not yet.” I hesitated, wondering if I should share. Hell, what did I have to lose. Clearly I wasn’t getting anywhere so far.
I jerked my head back in the direction of the kitchen, figuring it’d give us some privacy. Gabby followed me without a word.
That changed as soon as we entered. “What’s with the change in venue, Roberts?”
Looking back toward the main library and seeing that no one was near, I looked at Gabby. “I saw a text on her phone.”
Gabby’s brows drew together. “Whose phone? Elle’s?”
“Who do you think we are talking about here, Gabby?”
She rolled her eyes. “Continue, Mr. Snoops-a-lot.”
“Not snooping, saw it accidentally when I glanced down. Elle said she was texting with her sister. The text that I saw on her phone said something about how she should jump my bones.” I couldn’t hold back the grin that popped up at the thought of seeing my name on Elle’s phone, much less the content of the message. Elle jumping me? Where should I sign up?
“See,” Gabby hissed. “This is not an unrequited attraction here, Nate. You need to ask her out.”
I shook my head in disagreement. “I gave her a bit of an opening, and she didn’t bite, Gabs. She can be shy. I don’t want to scare her off.”
Gabby looked skeptical. “Tell me more about thisopeningyou supposedly gave her.”
My body practically hummed with energy as I thought back to Elle’s cheeks flushing at my words, highlighting her freckles. God, she was sexy. Those curves didn’t hurt. But damn, I loved talking to her too. While shy at times, she seemed comfortable with who she was. It was damn attractive.
Leaning out of the kitchen, I looked past the shelves of nonfiction books to see Elle’s back as she typed away. She paused, leaning her head on her hand as she twirled some hair around a finger before resuming her typing. Watching her, I wondered what it was that she was working on today.
“Editing,” Gabby whispered from over my shoulder.
Looking down, I found Gabby standing right beside me, watching Elle as well.
“Excuse me?”
“You asked what she was always working on.”
“I asked that out loud?”
Gabby grinned at me as she bumped my hip with hers. “Sure did, big guy. And what have you been doing for the past month that you didn’t know Elle’s job?”
I didn’t answer, not because I didn’t know what Elle did, but because I knew how much trust Elle had put in me to share her dream. For her, I prayed she was writing about Peter, Thea, and some crazy mystery in the Parisian catacombs. I wanted her to write that novel and surprise everyone with how amazing it was, including herself.
Hell, each time she’d come in to write over the past month and a half, I’d warn myself not just to sit and watch her like some creeper. She’d twirl her hair while typing, occasionally wrinkling her nose that had freckles scattered across. Thinking back, I could picture her head nodding in time to whatever music was flowing through her earbuds. And then there was the first time she stood up and I saw those curves in yoga pants and a thin T-shirt.
Holy shit.
I’d been grateful that I was sitting at the desk because my body reacted as if I was still a teen who couldn’t control his reactions rather than a man in my late twenties. Damn.
“Earth to Nate,” Gabby called.
Not pulling my eyes off Elle, I merely mumbled, “What?”
