Page 32 of The Legend Next Door
At last, a white Nissan sedan pulls up and Jeremiah gets out clutching a stack of five or six books under one arm.
“Bought some books, huh?” I call out, hardly giving him time to close the car door.
I know, I know. I heard it too.I’m having an off day. It’s the hangover talking.
“Well, yes, but no,” he says as though the sentence makes sense.
“So those aren’t books then?” I tease.
“N-no, they are books. They’re definitely books, b-but they aren’t mine.” I love it when he gets all spluttery like this. His cheeks go pink and he starts blinking harder and faster than normal. “I mean, they are mine, butIdidn’t buy them.”
“How come?”
“Because I’m on a very strict book ban.”
“What’s a book ban?”
“What’s a book ban?” His face transforms as I watch. Spluttery to infinitely pleased with himself in under two seconds. “Well, well, well. Looks like we finally found something that the legend next door isn’t an expert on.”
“What am I not an expert on?”
“Being bookish.”
“I know about being bookish.” I’m talking straight out of my ass, but I’m having fun. Entertaining myself, that’s what I’m doing. I’ve been bored for a while. I get like this when I’m bored.
“Fine,” he says, pursing his lips and raising his brows in a challenge. “What’s a book ban?
“Never heard of her.”
A quick, short burst of laughter leaves him, but he bites it back hard. “You haven’t answered.”
“It’s when people buy banned books.” Jeremiah’s mouth quakes at the sides from the effort not to laugh and his eyes dance. Like really dance. Like shadows and happiness and humor flicker and light up his whole face. “Am I right?” He shakes his head gravely. “No? Are you sure? Am I at least close?”
“Not even a little bit,” he says.
“Fine, I’ll bite. What’s a book ban then?”
He relents, electric blue glittering in a way I’m not sure is achievable for most people. “It’s when a responsible member of society makes a deliberate decision to curtail their book-buying habit out of consideration for their budget.”
“Oh,” I say, dropping my gaze to the stack in his arms. “Looks like it’s going well.”
“Well, that’s the thing.Ididn’t buy these. Vanessa bought them for me. I, er, I mean,technically, I did buy a few books for her too, but…”
“Sounds like a flagrant foul to me.”
“Hmm, the book ban rules are a little unclear on what constitutes a flagrant foul.”
“Purposefully unclear?”
“Now you’re getting it.”
“Looks like I’m not as unbookish as you thought, huh?”
“You’re plenty unbookish, Ben Stirling,” he says. “Believe me.”
Hearing him say my full name affects me the same way hearing him call me Captain does. A tiny flutter erupts under my sternum and isn’t sure where to go. Fortunately, Amy pulls up in her SUV and saves me from having to spend more time with that.
“Jelly!” cries Luca as soon as Amy opens the passenger door for him. He launches himself out of the vehicle and throws himself at Jeremiah.
