“Deal,” I say—way too fast. On the rare nights he’s away for a case, I can barely sleep. Ineedhim in my bed.
He nudges his nose against mine. “Come on. This prank—orwhateverit is—can’t last forever, can it?”
The Oak is just five minutes away, and we’re grateful to slip inside, out of the heat.
The bar smells like wood and warm bread. After Quentin’s arrest the place closed for a bit, but the mayor eventually convinced him to sign over power of attorney. Now Josh runs it, and everyone loves him—mostly because he hasn’t quite figured out proper serving sizes.
“Welcome, welcome!” Josh calls as he darts behind the bar to serve Steve, who gives us a cheery wave. “I’ve got your book—no worries.”
I frown. “You’ve got our what?”
“Your book!” Josh bends, rummaging under the counter before presenting us with a worn paperback.Love, Late Fees, and Other Disastersis printed across the front. “You left it here, didn’t you?”
“I—what? No!” I whirl toward Rafael, who raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t!”
Rafael looks back at Josh. “Did you actually see her drop it off?”
“Well, no,” Josh admits, handing Rafael the book. “But her name’s on the first page, so I set it aside.”
“Thanks, Josh,” Rafael murmurs, already flipping through the pages.
“I don’t get it,” I say, scanning the room as if I’ll see someone recording us or something. “Why is someone taking us on this book hunt? And why these places? Or better yet… what are we supposed to find at the end?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure I get this one.” Rafael turns the book and shows me a highlighted line:
Finally, they’d said it. And it was over—it had to be—but they both knew it just meant they’d have to find each other again.
I remember this scene. Both main characters had ulterior motives when they started dating each other, but they ended up falling in love. The fallout was brutal, written in the most excruciatingly painful way. Ilovedit.
I shake my head. “I don’t get it either, but I think the next location is the last one.”
“It was over,” he echoes, thoughtful. “You might be right.”
Great. But where? There’s no clear clue this time—the line’s just about feelings.
“A place where… things end?” I say aloud. “Or where youfindsomething again?”
“And it’s about us,” he adds, quietly.
A sudden ache blooms in my chest. I remember those three awful days at the hospital being unsure if Rafael would ever wake up. But I never believed it was over. I was ready to be there forever if I had to be.
“Wait—hold on,” I gasp, locking eyes with his. I can almost still see the guilt and pain flashing in his eyes when I told him I wished he’d never come back. I regret it to this day. “They’dfinally said it,” I quote, pointing to the line. “And then it was over. But they had tofind each otheragain.”
“Uh-huh,” he says slowly, still not putting it together.
“It’s the library,” I breathe. “That’s where we told each other the truth. I thought you might’ve been the killer. You were investigating me.”
“And once it all came out, we lost each other—only to find each other again.” His eyes widen with a soft laugh. “Holy shit, Freckles. Are you looking for a job? I could use another PI.”
“Sorry, I’m fully booked.” After stealing a kiss, I tug on his hand. “Come on. We have to go.”
We wave a quick goodbye and run out of The Oak. Quickly, we make it over the bridge and past the school, and the library comes into view. Even with the memory of Rafael pointing a gun at me there, this is still my favorite place in the whole town.
We enter, breathing hard from the quick jog, and I nod a silent “Hello” at every familiar face. The silence here is different from anywhere else. It’s reverent, filled with knowledge, with art.
Rafael leans closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Another place that, if I may say so, has one major drawback.”
“Tons of books?”
