She exhaled, leaning against the arm of the sofa. “Oh—hi. Sorry, I didn’t recognize the number. How did you get mine?”
He issued a short laugh. “I rummaged through my uncle’s desk. He had your number in his Rolodex. He was so old-school.”
Some of her unease flowed away, and she issued a small laugh. “Yes, he was.”
“Listen, I’ve been thinking since you left. About what brought you and Uncle Henry together in the first place. The books.”
“That’s true.”
“I realized you love books, and I don’t. I think he would’ve wanted you to have a few more things. I’d like to give you his books.”
Her heart kicked. “Oh, Andrew. I couldn’t—”
“I insist. My uncle would want you to have them.”
Emotion stung behind her eyes. “That’s so generous.”
“Why don’t you swing by and you can look over the collection? The ones you want, I’ll have packed up and shipped to you. The ones you don’t, I’ll donate to the local library.”
“I’d really like to. It’s just…we have to check out soon. And Gabe isn’t ready to leave at the moment…” She trailed off, shooting a look at the bags she had packed and waiting by the door for his return.
“I’ll send a car. It’s a short trip, and you’ll be back before you need to check out.”
She frowned, her mind torn between a chance at Henry’s beloved books and waiting for Gabe.
Andrew was not the enemy. He was an Alder by blood, half raised by Henry, who came with old-world manners and the kind of quiet philanthropy people like her only read about.
The decision formed in her mind almost immediately. “I’ll call an Uber.”
“If that’s easier. I’ll see you soon then.”
She ended the call and hurried to the kitchen to search for a pen and paper to scribble a note for Gabe.
She quickly wrote him a note—the second of what would be many in their relationship. After she signed her name, she drew a wreath around it. It wasn’t as artistic as she wanted it to be—her sister got the artistic genes—but the little hearts encircling her name added the personal touch she always wanted to leave behind.
She propped the note on the table where Gabe would see it the second he walked in, then called for an Uber and grabbed her bag and jacket. Her chest fluttered with anticipation. The thought of all those books…hers. More than things she loved, those books were pieces of her friend. More parts of him she didn’t expect to keep.
The Alder house looked different against a flat, gray sky. Less nostalgic, more imposing. The branches of the front trees had spring buds that looked like barnacles on the cold branches that clawed upward.
Andrew opened the door before she even finished climbing the steps.
“Felicity.” His voice oozed warmth. “Come in.”
She stepped inside, unbuttoning her coat. “Thank you for inviting me back. And for thinking of me.”
“Of course.” He stepped up behind her to ease her coat off her shoulders, reminding her so much of Henry that she got a little teary-eyed. “Let me take your coat. We’ll set it by the stairs.”
“Wait—my phone’s in the pocket.” She reached for it.
He smiled in that same easy way. “You won’t need it. We’re just going to look at some dusty old books. You’ll be in and out before you know it.”
A prickle in her belly came with Gabe’s warning tone in the back of her mind. He would be suspicious of Andrew. Of her being here. Of her going off without her phone.
But Andrew already had his hand on her elbow, guiding her down the hall.
“I thought the library was the other way.”
He shot her a charming smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “You only saw a portion of my uncle’s collection before you ran off yesterday. You’re not going to believe what he has in the study.”
