Page 5 of Claimed By the Bookstore Alpha
A little girl with pigtails raised her hand. "Is the dragon scared?"
Clark considered the question. "You know what? I think he is a little scared. It's hard to share something you love with peopleyou don't know very well. What if they don't like it? What if they laugh?"
Several small heads nodded, and I found myself nodding too before catching myself.
"But do you know what the dragon discovers?" Clark's encouraging smile had me waiting for his answer. "Sometimes the very best thing about loving something is getting to share it with people who might love it too."
The story continued, and I should have left. I had books to unpack and orders to process. I had a ton of legitimate reasons to be anywhere but lurking in the library doorway watching Clark work magic in a room full of children.
But I stayed.
He appeared to be in his element. When he read the part about the dragon's treasure hoard, he gestured to show how big it was. When the village children first approached the dragon's cave, he made his voice small. And when the dragon finally shared his first story, Clark's whole face lit up with joy that my heart did little flippy flops. Flippy flops? Where did that come from?
The kids hung on his every word. A boy who couldn't have been more than five was completely absorbed with an open mouth and wide eyes. Two girls whispered to each other during an exciting part, their eyes never leaving Clark's face. Even the parents scattered around the edges of the group seemed charmed.
Clark connected to his audience and an ability to bring stories to life and make them matter to people.
The reading ended with enthusiastic applause, and Clark fielded questions with the patience of someone who loved talking to children. Yes, he really wrote the book himself. No, he didn't have a pet dragon, but wouldn't that be cool? Yes, he was working on another dragon story.
"Will you come back and read it to us?" a boy asked.
"I'd love to," he replied. "Ms. Janine and I will figure out when would be a good time.”
As the crowd dispersed, I was still standing in the doorway like a creeper. I turned to leave before Clark noticed me, but Janine Rutherford, the head librarian, spotted me first.
"Flynn! How nice to see you here." Her voice carried just far enough that Clark looked up, his eyes finding mine across the room.
Heat crept over my cheeks. "I was just... passing by."
"Wasn't that wonderful?" Janine beamed. "Clark is such a natural with the children. We're so lucky to have him participating in our summer reading program."
I made a noncommittal sound as Clark made his way over to us through the lingering crowd of kids and parents.
"Flynn, right?" His warm smile did something to my insides. "Nice to see you again."
"Clark." I nodded, trying to ignore the way his hair was slightly mussed from his animated reading or how his cheeks were still flushed with enthusiasm. My wolf was wide awake and telling me how he liked Clark.
"You know," Janine looked between us with a calculating expression that made me nervous, "I was just telling Martin the other day that we need more local businesses involved in our literacy initiatives. A bookstore and children's author partnership would be perfect."
The suggestion hung in the air like a challenge. Clark's expression remained politely interested, but I caught the flicker of hope in his eyes.
Martin's words echoed in my head. "A little life wouldn't kill you."
"I..." I started. The rational part of my brain listed all the reasons this was a terrible idea. Children in my storemeant noise, the possibility of damaged books and disrupted customers. I’d have to open my carefully controlled space to the kind of unpredictability I'd spent years avoiding.
But I kept thinking of Clark answering that little kid’s question about the dragon being scared. “Sometimes the very best thing about loving something is getting to share it with people who might love it too.”
"I might be interested in hosting a reading.” Who said that? Was it me? “A small one."
Clark's face lit up as if I'd offered him the moon. "Really? That would be amazing."
"Small," I repeated. "Maybe ten kids maximum."
"Ten is perfect.” Clark grinned. "We could do it on a Saturday afternoon? I promise I'll help set up and clean up afterward."
Janine was practically vibrating with excitement. "This is wonderful! I can coordinate with some of our regular families. Flynn, this is exactly what your store needs."
I wasn't sure about that, but it was too late to back out now. We made tentative plans for the following Saturday, and I escaped before Janine could volunteer me for anything else.
