Page 15 of Kiss me Forever

“Oh, yes, we certainly can,” Mrs. Hargrove says as she relieves him of the donut bag, wanting to be the first to pick out a tasty treat. “You’re such a gem, Magnus.” Her cheeks are flushed as she beams at the man. Magnus affects the young and old. He really is too charming for his own good.

Before I can say anything else, both staff and patrons surround Magnus as people accept his generous offerings, telling him how wonderful it is for him to bring this in. He’s charming everyone in sight with sugar and smiles. I don’t know what to do.

He grabs a cup of the coffee and hands it over. “For you, my lady,” he says with a wink. I’m not turning down a free coffee. At the first sip, I sigh. It’s a hot mocha which is just what the doctor ordered.

“This is very generous of you,” I tell him.

“I like doing nice things. I’m not a bad guy,” he says.

“No, I don’t think you are,” I admit.

We’re interrupted again as more people come up. This has turned into a social gathering, everyone forgetting we’re in a public library where we should be quieter. I don’t mind, though, as I love when everyone’s festive.

Magnus hangs around the library for long enough for me to fall for him a little more, and then he’s gone as quickly as he arrived. I don’t know what this visit means. I haven’t seen him in days, then he shows up with goodies, and then he rushes out again. I try to get back to work, but as flustered as I was before he showed up, I’m even more flustered now.

Over the next week, Magnus continues to show up, bringing goodies, making me lose my breath, then rushing back out again, all without us doing more than some small talk. I try to not read anything into it, but I’m so dang confused. Magnus is so engaging, and includes everyone in his conversations, and his goodies become more and more elaborate, with pastries, sandwiches, fruit platters, and finger foods. A sure way to a woman’s heart is food, at least this woman’s heart.

He walks in again at the end of the week an hour before story hour for the kids. I can’t help but laugh as he strolls in the door in a batman costume, looking far sexier than any man has a right to look. My heart instantly pounds away.

“What are you doing?” I ask him.

He places his hand on his hips and talks in a low gravelly voice. “Mrs. Hargrove said they needed a storyteller for the kids,” he informs me. “Batman to the rescue.”

When the kids show up and see him, they bounce up and down in delight. I stand back and watch as he reads the kids a story, his voice perfect. The kids are captivated, and the parents are equally smitten, snapping pictures and praising him for his creativity and taking this role so seriously. I’m pretty damn smitten myself.

“Oh, Piper, he’s simply amazing,” one of the mothers gush to me as we clean up after the event. “You’re so lucky to have found someone like him.”

I want to shout to them all that he’s not mine. He’s been showing up a lot, but we haven’t gone on another date, and we haven’t even talked about us. I don’t know what to think about all of this.

“He’s certainly not bad to look at either,” another mother adds with a wink. “The way he connects with the kids is just wonderful. He’s a real keeper.”

I don’t want to talk about my relationship, or non-relationship with Magnus, so I simply nod at the mothers. “He’s certainly something else,” I say with a chuckle.

“You need to hold onto that man. I know we have a no men rule allowed at book club, but he can come anytime he wants,” Michelle from my book club tells me. “I could stare at that man all day long while he speaks. His looks, his voice, his body. Talk about the total package.”

I shake my head. “No men allowed,” I tell her. She simply sighs.

“What a charmer he is,” Mrs. Hargrove interrupts. “I wouldn’t mind sharing the desk with him.”

I’m a bit horrified by this. Mrs. Hargrove never speaks about men this way. She laughs at my shocked look.

“I was a young lady once too. I can still dream,” she tells me with a wink before turning and walking away. What has Magnus done to our little town? These women are all acting like they’re in heat. It’s crazy.

Even Mr. Jacob’s, our usually grumpy patron, walks up with a smile. “That young man knows how to treat people right,” he tells me as he sips on one of the many coffees Magnus has brought in. “He brought my favorite coffee today. You don’t see that kind of attention to detail much these days.”

“He is thoughtful,” I admit. I realize there might be a riot on my hands if I try to keep Magnus away from here. He’s charmed the entire library. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole town is eating out of his hands.

“You better not let him slip away,” Michelle tells me.

I give a nervous laugh. “It’s really not like that,” I tell her. “We’ve only been on one date, and maybe we’re . . . friends.” Hell, I don’t know what we are.

Michelle waves her hand in the air as if I’m crazy. Maybe I am. It’s getting harder and harder for me to believe my own words. Each time Magnus comes in, and smiles at me, I feel more of the walls around my heart chipping away. I wish I knew what it all meant.

One thing I do know is that I’m falling for him which sucks as I don’t know what he thinks about me. He can’t be doing all of this to play a game though, can he? A man doesn’t give this much of his time for a fling. At least I don’t think he would.

All I know for sure is that each time he shows up at the library, my resolve to not see him romantically chips away a little more. If the man doesn’t make a move soon, I might just jump on him. Maybe that’s his plan. If it is, it’s a great plan. We’re going to have to talk . . . just as soon as I’m brave enough to initiate it.

Chapter Ten

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