Page 8 of Trusting Trey
September 22
13 Years Prior
I leaned in the window and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for the ride,Baba. I’ll see you next weekend?”
“Of course, Alcina. Are you sure you don’t need a ride home?” he asked and I pulled my head back out the window.
“I’ll walk; home isn’t too far. If it’s close to dinner, I’ll stop in for a sandwich. I love you.” I waved and he waved back, driving off as I pulled the door open to the Duluth Public Library.
Yesterday I had a great dinner and did my laundry while I sat by the fireplace and read. I went to church with them this morning and after a quick lunch, we dropped my laundry off at home before he brought me to the library. I needed to pick up my check and while I was there, I would look for some of the books other bloggers have recommended for my blog.
I waved at my friend Loukas, who was checking out a patron’s book when I walked in. I slipped behind the counter and waited for her to finish, then hugged her. “Hi, Loukas. How are things going?”
She shrugged in response to my question. “Did you hear they are going to start closing the library on Sundays now?”
My brows went up in surprise. “Why?”
“Budget cuts. I feel bad for all these students,” she said nodding her head to the busy area on the left.
I sighed. “It’s always about the money, isn’t it?”
“Speaking of, I have your check. I’m glad you stopped in.” Loukas ruffled through a file folder and pulled out an envelope, handing it to me.
“Thanks, Loukas.” I tapped the envelope on my hand. “Babais a member of the library board, I’ll talk to him and see if he has any ideas on how to keep the library open, even if only for a few hours on Sundays,” I promised and she patted my back. I could tell she knew I meant well, but there was no hope in that ever happening.
I wandered to a table and sat down, pulling out my laptop. I had the list of books to read on my computer, but I should print it off. While I waited for it to load my home page, I looked around the room. You could spot the students a mile away. They either had their heads buried in boring textbooks or were making out behind the bookshelves.
There were little kids running around while giggling as their mom tried to catch them and a few individuals sitting in the comfy chairs reading a new release. My eyes did an immediate halt and backtracked to the table next to mine. No one readFahrenheit 451anymore, no one. Yet, as sure as my eyes were seeing, I was staring at the cover.
“Well, there’s a book you don’t see every day.” I laughed softly and the cover lowered far enough for me to see the face behind it. He was all eyes, blue like the color of Lake Superior when the sun was all the way up in the sky. They were also frowning. “I’ve never seen eyes frown before.”
“And I’ve never met anyone quite as interesting as you in a library,” he answered and I saw his eyes start to smile.
“Give a man a few lines of verse and he thinks he's the Lord of all Creation,” I quoted from the book he held in his hand.
“Ahhh, but we can get by fine without books.” He closed his and laid it on his lap. “Most women your age aren’t fans of Ray Bradbury.”
I closed the lid of my laptop and laid an elbow on it. “Most people in general aren’t fans of Ray Bradbury anymore. It’s refreshing to see some of the classics coming back to life again in this age of fluff.”
“Fluff?” he asked.
“Yeah, fluff. That’s what I call books that everybody reads, but don’t leave any lasting impact on the reader. Don’t get me wrong; I love to read fluff, but if we stop reading the classics then the world will just become all fluffy.” I rubbed my temple and told myself to shut up.
He smiled and leaned back in his chair, his hand resting on the table. “I agree with everything you just said. It’s getting harder and harder to find the amazing books through all the fluff. I’ve turned to the classics just to give myself a break from searching.”
“I could help with that. I’ve read some magnificent books lately. I started a book blog and get copious recommendations from readers and other bloggers all over the country,” I said excitedly and he leaned forward, his eyes roaming the length of my body.
“Like I said, the most interesting woman I’ve ever met in a library.” He stuck his hand out and I shook it. His hands were soft, but his grip was firm. “Trey Helton.”
I looked down at our hands and then back to him, “Nice to meet you Trey, I’m Allison.” I stopped short of giving him my last name for safety reasons. I figured there was no sense setting myself up for a stalker until I knew him better. Well, now I’m going to know him better, am I? I shook my head and smiled. “I’m actually a part-time librarian here.”
He looked surprised. “Really? I wouldn’t have you pegged as a librarian.”
I opened my laptop and looked at him from the corner of my eye. “What would you have me pegged as?”
“Anything but,” he admitted and I grinned. It wasn’t the first time I’ve heard it. ‘You must be a model’ was one I heard at least twice a week. The truth is, I got lucky in the gene pool. Being a full-blooded Greek came with a beautiful complexion and mahogany hair that falls to my shoulders. Where I didn’t get to wade in the gene pool was in the height end. I’m barely four and a half feet tall. It’s not an easy life, but at least when I fall it doesn’t hurt as much.
I held my arms out so he could get a good look at my jeans and button up blouse. “Well, behold the vision of tomorrow’s librarians.”
