Besides, he’d walked directly into it.
“Sorry,” Charlie said, apparently realizing that Scott was blushing. “We’re probably not at the dick joke stage of our relationship yet, huh?”
“It’s cool,” Scott responded immediately, not wanting Charlie to feel bad about it. “Just took me a second to get.”
“I’ll try to be more direct next time. You still owe me a better joke.”
“I do, don’t I?” Scott said. He couldn’t help himself grinning as one popped into his head. “Okay, okay. Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon?”
Charlie blinked at him, obviously waiting for the punchline.
“Great food, no atmosphere.” Scott continued to grin, waiting for Charlie to react.
Charlie stared for a few moments, but then chuckled. “That was not a better joke.”
“But you laughed,” Scott pointed out.
“I did. It’s awful, and I’m telling it to my brother so he can add it to his growing catalogue of dad jokes.”
Scott was happy with that response. He felt as though he was starting to get this wholemaking new friendsthing right.
“I need to get going,” he said, though it wasn’t really true. He just didn’t want to make himself look as desperate for human companionship as he was right now.
“Don’t let me keep you,” Charlie said, although Scott thought he detected a hint of disappointment in his voice. That was kind of nice. He liked the idea that Charlie liked hanging out with him.
Scott stood and stretched his arms above his head, his neck cracking as he did so. It was probably about time he treated himself to a nice, relaxing bath. Hopefully without having to share it with any dogs.
“I guess I’ll see you around?”
“I’m always here,” Charlie said. “Weekdays, anyway. I get the weekend off unless disaster occurs.”
“Does disaster occur often?” Scott asked.
“Surprisingly, no. The weekend staff are good people. I’ve only had to come in a few times. This is a very peaceful place.”
“Yeah, it feels like it,” Scott agreed. He liked it here. He felt as though he could breathe. “Anyway. Thanks for letting me play with Kayla.”
“I’m sure she’d love to play with you anytime,” Charlie said. “Thank you for helping me calm her.”
“No problem.” Scott grabbed his stack of books and headed for the checkout machine.
He wasn’t completely sure yet, but it felt like he and Charlie were going to be friends.
Chapter Five
One of Charlie’s favorite things about working at the town library was that his friends and family could come in and see him whenever they wanted.
Today, Marcus had dropped by with the product of a new recipe he was testing out—peanut butter cupcakes with salted caramel frosting.
“Can we get married?” Charlie asked, taking another bite. He’d dated Marcus for a few weeks, but it had quickly become obvious that they were better off as friends. Being married to a baker would have had its perks, though.
Extremely fattening perks, but Charlie could have lived with that.
“So they’re good?” Marcus asked, holding his hat in front of him with both hands as he waited for a verdict.
“They’re awesome. Everything you make is awesome,” Charlie said.
Marcus smiled shyly, looking down at his feet. “Thanks. Are they gonna work for fall?”
