Page 54 of The Librarians
She deserves it, this cool unresponsiveness. He still isn’t looking at her but at a point somewhere beyond her—the polka-dotted walls of this cute but unremarkable suburban cupcakery.
“If it’s any consolation, I regretted my decision almost immediately. I was in Miami for a month, checking the marinas every day to see whether a new hundred-foot sailing catamaran had come in. I checked all the marinas in Fort Lauderdale too.”
He takes a sip of his black coffee. “We docked in Charleston, South Carolina, instead. The new guests we were taking on were from Charleston and the guests already onboard decided that they preferred to visit Charleston over Miami.”
Something she would have known had she not torn up his number.
He puts down the coffee cup. It makes a softthudthat nevertheless makes the hair on her forearms stand up. “I guess some things are not meant to be,” he says calmly.
She’d come to that same conclusion years ago, hadn’t she? Then why does she feel so bleak?
It was that stupid surge of warm, buoyant hope. That moment when all the shards of all the dreams, disturbed from their somber vaults, rose and swirled into a perfect, spectacular vision—before falling victim to gravity again to lie quiescent and powerless.
“I bought a jigsaw puzzle for us,” she murmurs, a futile appeal. “I still have it.”
He stands up. “I’m sorry. I really must go now. It was nice to see you.”
She rises to her feet and scrapes together enough pleasantries to see him off. And then she sinks back down. Next to his barely sipped coffee, the cupcake he bought sits naked, untouched. She picks it up and eats the whole damn thing.
“If I never see you again, have a wonderful life,” she says to the man who should have remained a perfect memory.
“Spill the tea!” exhorts Ryan, his voice full of anticipation.
It’s been almost an hour since Jonathan texted him about Conrad running into Hazel at Peng’s Noodles. The wait was dispiriting, but now Jonathan is buzzing because Ryan has bypassed texts and called him directly.
He takes out a carton of eggs from his city-mandated reusable grocery bag and gives what he hopes is a punchy version of events.
“You know what makes this interesting?” Ryan demands gleefully.
“What?” Jonathan obliges.
And belatedly realizes that he’s been walking around the kitchen holding that carton of eggs instead of putting it in the fridge.
“Not that Conrad’s been carrying a great big torch for your colleague all these years, but that he lied about it with the not-dating-Asians crap. Now I’m dying of curiosity.”
It would be nice if Ryan would spare a bit of that curiosity for Jonathan but Jonathan can’t complain. Even he is invested in Hazel and Conrad now.
“But is that all you know?” continues Ryan. “Did she not give you a report on their little one-on-one?”
“No. Them walking off into the sunset was the last I saw of her.”
Not that he expects details from Hazel even otherwise, but Ryan doesn’t need to know that.
“Well, let’s talk to her. Bring her over for dinner.”
“Wh—” Dinner? Jonathan forgets how to breathe. “You mean tonight?”
“Why not? I’ve got some good Bolognese sauce in the freezer. I’ll make some salad and we’ll be set. And if your colleague doesn’t eat meat or gluten, let me know; I’ll order something for her.”
“But wait. Wait.” Somehow Jonathan is still able to think despite his wildly drumming heart. “How do you know the two of them aren’t together right now, being really busy—if you know what I mean?”
“Oh, I know what you mean, and I’m sure they would love to be really busy with each other, but they can’t because he has a flight to catch—and right before I saw your message I texted him and asked if he got to the airport on time and he said yes.”
Now Jonathan’s heart rate is through the roof. If Hazel says yes, then he gets to hang out with Ryan tonight. “Let me get in touch with her and see what she says.”
“Okay. Let me know.”
Ryan hangs up. Jonathan takes several deep breaths. Good Lord, he’sstillholding on to the carton of eggs.
