Page 40 of Promise Yule Be Mine
We soon found out.
When we eventually got to the public library we saw people carrying boxes into the building and Karim standing shell-shocked by the door, shaking everyone's hand in utter disbelief.
"Hey Karim," I said when we walked up to him with our boxes. "What's going on?"
The whole reception behind Karim was stacked with boxes. I put mine near the front.
Karim shrugged with an almost panicked expression. "I know as much as you do. I opened the doors today and people have been flooding in with donations."
"That's great," Kody told him.
He nodded. "Sure is. I guess this might have something to do with it." He gave me a card he'd been holding.
It was a holiday card with a snowy town on the front. On the inside was a handwritten note.
*I heard you need books so I put my elves to work for you. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. X Secret Santa.
"Secret Santa, huh?" I asked.
"It's not you, is it?" Karim raised an eyebrow.
"I'd love to take credit but definitely not."
"Weird. I mean I spread the word, but I didn't think I'd reached so many people."
"Maybe someone was looking out for you," Kody suggested.
Karim nodded. “It seems so. I just wish I knew who it was so I could thank them."
I handed the card back to Karim and smiled. "I'm sure if they wanted to be known they would have put their name down. I think they just wanted to do a nice thing."
"Yeah. That they did. The kids will be so happy. I could even do a reading time for them in the lead-up to Christmas."
"I'd love to help," I said. "If you need a hand to organize the events. I'm a wedding planner so I know a thing or two about events." I handed him my card.
Karim smiled. "I might take you up on that."
When I turned to Kody, he was beaming from ear to ear, staring at me.
"What?" I asked him.
He shook his head and glanced at Karim. "If you need space for the readings you can have them at the snug in The White Elephant if you want. If there's still water damage.”
Karim put his hands together and gave us a bow with shimmering eyes. I hugged him.
"You know," I said when we walked back to the car. "I'm starting to think leaving this place will be harder than I thought."
"Oh yeah?" Kody asked.
"Yeah. There's a sense of community here I haven't felt before. It's very…very endearing.”
"It certainly, certainly is," he replied, staring at me with an expression that until yesterday I would have said was unreadable but I was becoming able to interpret it. And I didn't like it. I didn't like at all, as much I wanted to.
Because it was dangerous.
And I didn't know how much stronger I could be in the face of such feelings.
13
