“We love having different community members join us for our weekly story time. It’s a great way for the kids to not only hear an amazing story but also to see somebody in a field that they may want to work in later on.”
Kenya breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, what a great idea for Dr. Solomon to read to them.”
She shifted toward an open chair at the back of the group, wondering how she would maneuver to keep her foot in a safe zone. Either way, she would keep her smile ready and inwardly gush at this handsome man who obviously enjoyed being around kids.
“Not so fast.” Solomon held her arm before she could get too far. “You’re doing this with me.”
Her stomach flipped. “I don’t know if I should...”
The librarian’s smile was encouraging, but clueless. “Oh, it will be great! What is it thatyoudo? I’m sure the kids would love to know that as well.”
Kenya’s eyes bounced between both of their beaming faces nodding in agreement. If she didn’t have a ridiculous crush on the doctor, she might tell them that they needed to go on a date. She choked.I have a crush on the doctor.
“I think that an event planner is”—cough—“a little bit hard to explain.”
“Oh, we’ve never had an event planner here. That sounds fun and is a perfect fit for our story. I would love to introduce you to the kids.”
Before Kenya could stop her, the librarian stepped toward the front of the room.
Dr. Anruchi grinned, pleased as a peach. If he didn’t look so adorable, she would tell him where to stuff that smile.
“Oh, dear fake boyfriend.” She tugged at his arm, until he leaned down far enough for her to speak into his ear. Heat from his arm pressed against hers. His expression turned to surprise and then his lips curved into something warmer. In response, the arm she held moved around her back, tucking her into his solid side.
“Yes, dear fake girlfriend?”
He was quite distracting. Where were they again? Oh yes, at the library, to do the worst thing imaginable for her.
“I-I think you’ve made a mistake.”
“Why are you suddenly so shy? The Kenya that I’m getting to know doesn’t back down from a challenge. This is nothing, just reading to kids for a few minutes.”
He didn’t know it all. This was everything. The big rock that wasn’t a foundation but a boulder in her path, time and time again.
“I appreciate you trusting me, but this is something that I’m not very good at.”
How could she even explain to him the way words swam and ran together, especially when she was boxed in or overly stressed. She loved being in situations where she didn’t have to prepare and where she could move with the flow and energy of the room. Words on a printed page were her kryptonite, the bane of her existence.
But she couldn’t tell that tothisdoctor.Oh,Lord Jesus,help me.She looked up at him, his gaze tender and so warm she could almost feel the heat coming from him. She could almost forgetthat they were surrounded by children, and by the way his eyes lingered on her lips, he might have too.
She let go of him. He cleared his throat and dug his hands into his pockets as he turned toward the front.
No, ma’am, no kisses allowed in a library around kids. And most definitely not with a man she was fake dating.
A memory swam before Kenya’s eyes. A time in eighth grade when the assignment had been to write a three-page paper or present a project with an outline. Instead of reading from printed notes, she splashed images all over a board and presented each picture and image from memory.
This could be like that, or even like her pitch meetings. She was always applauded for how creative and out-of-the-box her presentations were. The exceptional work that they saw was survival for her. And she would survive this one too.
Kenya leaned against Solomon. Just enough to grab his attention again, nothing more. “If you’re making me do this, I have an idea. How about you read, and I act out the story?”
It was Solomon’s turn to look hesitant. Kenya widened her eyes in return, and perhaps her naturally curly lashes fluttered a little more than usual because Solomon’s reluctance melted into the cutest, slowest grin that spread across his face. The face of someone looking forward to seeing an adventure unfold.
“Okay, boys and girls.” The librarian clapped her hands three times, and the room quieted. Kenya was impressed. “I would like to introduce you to not one but two special guests today. First, how many of you remember who we had last week?”
“Mr. Hoskins.” An eager beaver with a gap-tooth grin blurted out the answer before her hand had a chance to pop up.
“That’s right, and what does he do for his career?” The librarian leaned close, as if to pull out the answer with her sweet proximity. She set her eyes on one particularly shy boy. “Do you remember, Collin?”
“He, um, fixes toilets?”
