Page 2 of Kiss me Forever

“I could sit here and talk all day, but I better get out there. I have many patrons to assist,” I tell her.

“Of course you do. I’ll get out of your hair and will see you for book club,” she says. We hug again, and she rushes out. I then make my way to the floor. As soon as I step out of the door I’m thrilled to see a crowd of patrons, happily moving through the library. The crowd has grown in my short time in the back. This is often how the library is in the summer. It’s less crowded in winter, but we still get a lot of visitors.

The first person to catch my attention is a sweet little angel, Abby, who’s nine years old. She’s standing in front of the fantasy section, her eyes wide with indecision.

“Hey there, Abby, do you need help finding something?” I ask as I kneel down to her level.

She looks up, her eyes brightening. “Hi, Miss Piper. I want to find something with dragons,” she tells me.

“I can help with that,” I tell her as I lead her over to our new release section, The Dragon and the Girl Series. “You’ll love these books, and they’ll keep you busy for a while. You’ll have to come back and tell me what you think about them.”

She takes the first book then gives me a hug before she leans back and bounces up and down. “Thank you, Miss Piper,” she says. This right here is why I love my job so much. It fills me with warmth and joy to find a perfect book for a wonderful person.

Abby runs off, and then Mr. Elder wanders in, looking lost. I walk up to him. “Hello, Mr. Elder, I haven’t seen you in here for a while,” I say in greeting. He smiles as he carefully moves forward.

“I’ve been visiting the grandkids in Arizona. It was time to come home, though, cause you know it gets way too hot there this time of year. I’m a Northwest person, and I like my cooler days and nice brisk wind in the summer.”

“Oh yes, way too warm in the Middle States in the summer,” I agree. “What are you reading these days?”

“I read that whole Reacher series you recommended while in Arizona and couldn’t stop. I love the mystery and getting to read about the same character in different situations all of the way through. Do you have another recommendation for me?” he asks.

“Oh, I have so many recommendations, but I also have another favorite series of mine,” I assure him. I take him over to the mystery section and show him some of the latest releases. Then, I stop in front of my all-time favorite series. “This is a super long series with the same characters with new adventures in every book. You have four women as the main characters, with the men as their sidekicks. The chemistry is real, and the adventure, crime, and intrigue are phenomenal in each book. Give the first book a shot, and I bet you’ll be hooked all the way through,” I say as I hand him 1st to Die, the first book in the Women’s Murder Club series.

He takes the first three books in the series, fully trusting my opinion, and I watch him walk up to the counter to check out. I can’t wait to hear what he thinks about the series. These will keep him busy for months.

Next to rush to my side is Ashley, a first-year college student. Her arms are full of research papers and textbooks, and she looks stressed, which isn’t unusual. Even in high school she put school above all else. One day this girl will be the first female president in the US. I have no doubt about it.

“Hi, Ashley; I see you’re in a rush as usual,” I tell her as I step up next to her to open the door of one of the private rooms. She’ll be in there until closing and looking much less harried on her way out.

“Hi, Miss Piper. Yes, I’m working on a history project about our founding. I’m super excited about it. I have a ton of books to go through,” she says, thanking me as I hold open the door for her. She quickly drops all of her items on the table and wipes her brow.

“Can I help you find anything?” I always ask, but I think this girl knows the library as well as I do.

“Nope, I’ve got this,” she tells me.

I make an internal note to self to bring her some lunch in a few hours. She works so hard she’ll forget to eat. I like to help her out. I love making someone’s day a little easier and a whole lot brighter.

“Then I’ll get out of your way so you can get busy,” I say.

The next few hours fly by in a blur, just as every single day does for me. When you love your job that’s how every moment is. Mrs. Hargrove comes to me as she always does at lunch and forces me out the door for at least an hour. If I even attempt to come back early she pushes me back out. She always tells me I must have a life outside of the library, and she’s going to ensure it. I do appreciate her as I love to feel sunshine on my face. Once I leave the library I can be outside all afternoon. It’s just hard to get me out the doors.

I send a quick message and am thrilled that Livie is free. She tells me to meet her at the small garden in the town park, that she’ll bring the food, and I’m to grab coffee. I go to my favorite shop and order our iced coffees, then head to the park. She isn’t far behind me. We meet at our favorite picnic table and take a seat as she pulls out sandwiches, chips, and cookies. A nice breeze is blowing over us with the hot sun above. It doesn’t get better than a day like this.

“I bet the first part of the day felt like five minutes to you,” Livie says as she munches her cookie. We always choose dessert first. That way, if we get too full, we’ll already have had the good stuff.

“You know it. No new people today, but plenty of locals. Found a new dragon book for Abby and got Mr. Elder started on the Women Murder Club series. Not a bad start to the day.”

“It’s amazing to me that you can find anything at any time in that library. I swear you must dream about books,” Livie says.

“I do dream about books. I think people who don’t are weird,” she assures me.

“I might dream about characters from books, but I can’t say I’ve ever dreamed about actual books,” she says.

“I love listening to audiobooks now so I can move around and still read, but there’s magic in paperbacks, the way they smell, the feel of the paper beneath my fingers, the beauty in the covers. I’m not even ashamed that I dream of books,” I tell her.

“That’s why I love you so much.”

“I love you for too many reasons to count,” I say.

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