Pretty sure that Benjamin Buttface had just been nice to me.
I wasn’t expecting that.
At all.
8
BEN
So, Sarah was an aspiring author.
Impressive.
Neither Jess nor Theo had mentioned that before, but judging by how quickly she’d shoved the book Jackson had bought for her inside her bag and her reaction when I asked, it must be some kind of secret.
I’d meant what I’d said, though. I admired anyone who had the balls to follow their dreams and knew what they wanted. I still didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life.
That wasn’t a bad thing, though. It was good to be free.
I used to make plans.
Father instilled that in us from a very young age. ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail.’
He’d had our lives all mapped out for us from the second we were born. After graduating from the finest universities and business schools, we would all go straight into the family property development business.
Although I’d learnt the ropes from a young age—I didn’t have much of a say—I always knew that working there wasn’t going to be for me. Given the choice, I would’ve preferred to dosomething more hands-on, like carpentry, but that was never going to be an option, so I looked for an escape route that would give me some freedom but also keep Father happy.
I’d told him that there was a great business course in the States that I wanted to do, and I think because Theo was doing such a good job, he wasn’t too concerned about me spending time abroad to study.
But as soon as I went to the US and got a taste of what life was like without being under Father’s thumb, I knew there was no going back.
The thing was that whilst I was there, Ididmake long-term plans. I thought I had my whole future mapped out. And then my entire world blew up.
That was when I learnt that plans weren’t for me. It was better just to live in the moment and go with the flow. For now, I was happy spending time with Theo and working here at the library. Once this gig was over,who knows? I’d just have to see which way the wind blew.
My phone buzzed, and when I pulled it out of my pocket there was a message from Theo telling me to come to the main library hall instead of the first floor to look at the progress of the studio flat like we’d planned.
‘Hi,’ I whispered as I stepped in front of the meet-cute desk (that was what they called the place where readers checked books out—cue eyeroll).
‘Change of plan,’ Theo said, ushering me outside. ‘I need you to cover for me in the library for half an hour.’
‘Okay.’ I nodded. I knew diddly squat about romance books, but I remembered how to do the checking out stuff from the last time I’d covered for him, so I’d be fine. Theo had something important to do, and I wanted to help.
‘Thanks, back soon,’ he said.
I returned to the library hall and took a seat at the meet-cute desk. Everything in here was so pink. The bookcases, the sofas, cushions. Even some of the book chandeliers were rose-coloured too.
It was fairly busy. There were some members with their heads buried in paperbacks sitting on the sofas and window seats. So far, no sign of anyone wanting to take their novels home.
That reminded me. Now I had a book to read.
I pulled it out of my back pocket and sighed.
I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than read this, but needs must and all that.
Seeing as I had nothing else to do, I might as well read a few pages.
Well, that wasn’t strictly true. I was sure I could find something to do on my phone, but I was working in a library, so that wouldn’t be good for business.
