Page 51 of The Librarian and the Rock Star

“I do try. I’ll text you later. Thanks.”

I wrote the email in three minutes flat, sending it out before Professor Fletcher could have a chance to complain to anyone. Everyone made excuses for the artists we had here sometimes. One filmmaker gave a presentation that practically showed hardcore porn, but since it’s the arts in Canada, nobody dared censor him by suggesting that perhaps it was a bit much.

Sipping my cold tea, I tried to calm myself down. It wasn’t Jack’s fault, he was just being himself. But he needed to learn that I have boundaries and places for things in my life. Although I was mostly ready for a bit of a shakeup, it couldn’t involve my work. Ever.

29. Another Diner Dinner

I met up with Jack at another little diner that he found that was only a block away from his hotel, yet was remarkably similar to Dottie’s.

“Is this okay?” he asked. “I have a real craving for breakfast for dinner.”

“Sure,” I said. “I could always go for soup and salad.”

The diner was fairly quiet, probably since it was a bit past the usual dinner time, even given Toronto’s usual late start to supper.

Once we placed our order, Jack reached across the table and took my hands in his. “Listen, I’m really sorry about interrupting you today, and disrupting things. I know that I’m impulsive, and I know I sometimes act before I really think things through. Your work should definitely come before the whims of some silly singer boy.”

I give his hands a little shake. “I wouldn’t quite say it like that. Personally, I don’t put anyone’s job above anyone else’s job.”

He looked at me quizzically. “Really?”

“Absolutely.”

“You don’t think that a heart surgeon has a more important job than the dude who pumps gas?”

“I would say that fewer people could do that job, sure. But for a surgeon to get to work, they need gas in the car. They need people to build and fix the roads so that they can get to work. They need the hospital coordinators to organize the patients’ appointments and book the operating room. They need the nurses to prepare the patient, and the cleaning staff to make sure everything is sterile. The barista who makes the coffee that wakes the surgeon up enough to operate.”

Jack stared down at my hands for a minute, then gave them a little squeeze. “I really love the way you look at the world.”

“It’s the interconnectedness of society. We need all sorts of different people to play their part.”

“And how important do you see entertainment?”

“It’s extremely important,” I said honestly. “People can’t always express their feelings, and need someone to coax them along. They also need to experience stories to expand their minds. Books, music, movies – they are all extra lifetimes that we live as we discover our own.”

“Wow. Okay, good,” he said, relieved. “I really will try to be more careful, though.” Then he chuckled, half to himself. “You said you needed a life shakeup, well here I am.” I burst into laughter, completely breaking the tension.

“I know this might be a bad time to beg for a favor,” he said carefully, “But I need to ask. Will you come to Montreal with me tomorrow?” I’m not sure what expression I made, but he quickly added, “My flight leaves at noon, I think. I know you have work, but when was last time you took a personal day?”

I nodded, thinking. Although I took one last week, I did have a lot of vacation days left.

“Obviously I want to be with you, because I like being with you,” he continued. He flashed that smile that seemed to turn me into a breathless little girl. “But I have a big interview tomorrow afternoon, and I’m so much better when you’re with me.”

There was no way I could say no to that. But the last lingering bits of my sensible brain screamed at me. “Can I think on it overnight?”

“Sure.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad to even hear you say, ‘maybe’. And that you’re with me tonight.” His dark eyes were making my guts spin like those lottery number ball machines.

“Um,” I bit my lip, but forced myself to ask, “Would you like to stay over again?” Oh god, I hope I didn’t sound needy.

“Actually, I’m already checked into the hotel. I had work stuff to do there today. Want to come to stay with me?”

I nodded, grinning.

30. Another Hotel Room

Jack was at the same hotel as last week, in nearly the same room as before, but two floors higher. He seemed so delighted that I was staying, and not just because this night in a hotel together would likely be a little more intimate than the first time.

I went to brush my hair and use his mouthwash, then came back to see him crawling into bed, naked. The amber lights were low, but I could plainly see the lines of his wide shoulders, those strong arms, the flash of his dark eyes as I walked toward him. Something deep within me snapped as I realized how much I wanted him, and how impossibly sexual he made me feel.

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