“Wine,” Cali corrected. “I promised wine. We’re not allowed to have hard liquor at library events.”
“Whatever. You know I spike my coffee before I bring it over for book club anyway, right?”
“Explains the cheerfulness.”
“Hello?” Minka huffed. “I’m always cheerful.”
Cali grabbed her to-go bag and cup. “Apple cider donut?”
“None just yet. But soon. Or so my shipper promises. How about a slice of peach pie? Last chance before the fall flavors arrive.”
“You know what?” Cali frowned. “I’ll just skip it tonight. Kind of lost my appetite anyway.”
Minka offered a sympathetic glance as Cali headed out the door. “That Maine Coon will show up again, Cali, or The Nine will find it. Promise.”
A small glimmer of hope rekindled in Cali’s chest as she made her way back across the street toward the library. The sun was setting earlier these days. The skyline darkened from crimson and lavender to a deep blue and an ever-so-soft chill kissed her bare cheeks.
The library greeted her with its quiet, and she dimmed the lights. All they had were children’s bandages in the first aid kit, but it didn’t matter to her if there were blue monsters or tiny kittens latched onto her skin. What mattered was that thescratch stopped stinging. She applied ointment, which brought some relief, then several bandages. She soaked the trench coat sleeve under the sink in the bathroom then flung it on the back of her office chair to dry.
Nearly 7 p.m. The brown bag dinner from the café sat untouched on her desk in her office, and she didn’t know when or if she’d get around to eating it. But the warmth of the Oat Couture warmed her hands andfilled her belly with calm. She savored the last sips as she did a cross-check of the room. Clear plastic cups sat on a round table in the center of the chairs she’d rearranged into a circle. One uncorked bottle of pinot grigio, a bottle of merlot, and her tattered, multi-bookmarked, personal copy ofThey Both Die at the Endby Adam Silvera rested between them. Although it was young adult—and a bit of a risk to pose it to an adult book club—Cali hoped the other themes would strike chords across the club’s team members, young and old.
She’d never confessed this, but she still sometimes felt butterflies before a library event. Guiding people through a candid and sometimes emotional conversation about fiction wasn’t like project management. The learning curve she’d experienced after she earned her degree was immense. But she was getting better at throwing an idea out there and not expecting others to follow her.
A knock sounded at the library door. Leo gave her a nod from outside, his dimple casting a shadow against his cheek. Cali had to admit, when she’d first moved to Autumn Ridge, that dimple almost did her in. But he only saw her as a friend. It was clear he had eyes for someone else.
Mrs. Ellery waved her gloved hand, and Cali rushed toward them, holding the door open as the remaining members spilled in.
When Lynne, the owner of the only bar in Autumn Ridge, spotted the alcohol, she started pouring. “White for you, Tabitha?” Lynne filled the small, clear cup to the brim.
“Oh no. If Lynne’s pouring, we’re all in trouble,” Tabitha cautioned. “Someone please disarm her.”
“Nonsense. Just because you ended up dancing on the bar once doesn’t mean that’s everyone’s fate.” She turned. “White for you, too, Mrs. Ellery?”
“I actually prefer the merlot—but only a bit. Otherwise it’ll be shenanigans from 7:30 onward.”
Everyone’s eyes widened. Cali blinked from behind her glasses.
“Noted!” Leo teased. “Hide the tables from this one, too, Cali. Didn’t know you were such a party animal, Mrs. Ellery.”
She grinned, lowering her eyes, and shook her perfectly coiffed gray hair. “You wish, Leo.”
They all burst into laughter.
“I’ll have some of whatever she’s having!” said Minka.
“You look like a red, Cali. May I?” Lynne grabbed Cali’s Purride and Purrjudice mug and served her a decent amount. “Now, onto this—”
Another knock echoed from the front of the library. Cali squinted but couldn’t make out a face. She glanced around the room, noting everyone was already here. “Just a moment,” she said, standing. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll come with you,” Leo offered.
She smoothed out the pleats of her A-line skirt and adjusted her glasses. “Please. Enjoy your wine. I’m sure it’s nothing.” But her heart beat in her throat, and her hands tightened into fists as she shuffled toward the doors.
Back at the Eastmoor library, they’d given all the librarians self-defense “boot camp” training. Granted, it was the same training the seniors received—in fact, the seniors were in theclass with them. But Cali had a few tricks up her sleeve should anyone try to mess with her.
But when she reached the door, she felt her breath hitch in her rib cage. Two dreamy blue-gray eyes beamed at her from behind the glass.
She opened the door but couldn’t move. “Ethan?” she whispered. “What are you doing here?”
