Between the Stacks

Chapter 13

That evening I changed into jeans and a nice t-shirt. It was as opposite as possible from my failed glittery espionage attempt that I had tried earlier. Part of me wanted to prove that I could, in fact, get dressed without looking like a disco ball.

The community center was different than when I'd gone on the weekend. The horde of kids was gone, replaced by adults going to the gym or taking various classes; I could see signs pointing to a knitting class and one for dog massage, which I desperately wanted to attend.

The dogs would have to wait. I slipped by the sliding glass doors into the attached Riverside branch and quickly found what I was looking for. Wesley stood by a door near the back wall, welcoming participants individually as they came in.

He looked up and saw me.

My stomach flipped. I wasn't quite sure why. But when we made eye contact, my body had a physical reaction, and I couldn't quite pin down the reason.

"What are you doing here?" he asked when I was close enough. He was hovering in the doorway, blocking me from entering. Peering past him I could see the small room was full. Japanese characters were printed on the whiteboard.

"I saw you taught this class," I said. "I was basically invited."

"Are you a vampire? You can come inside because you were invited?"

I internally winced, knowing I had had the same thought.

He didn't notice my distress and continued. "We're all booked up. You have to reserve a space."

Ah. I had missed that. "Look. I'll cut to the chase. Where's Kermit? You stole him."

His whole demeanor instantly changed. He went from a professional librarian to the cocky devil-may-care attitude I had seen so often from him. "Oh, did I?"

"Yes," I hissed, leaning in. "And he's important to me. I know it seems silly. It's a stuffed frog. But I can't have you steal him."

A smirk still played at the corner of his lips, but I could see doubt starting to creep into his face. "Why is it important?"

"Does it matter?" I snapped. From inside the classroom I could see people turning around and looking at me. I'd spoken too loudly. "Teach your class. I'll wait."

"Fine," he said. He turned towards the class and spoke something in Japanese. "I told them you're a jilted ex who's come back to beg for my love."

I put on my nicest voice and shouted past Wesley into the room. "It's not true!"

He grinned. "I was kidding. I told them we were running a minute late."

This man. He would be the death of me.

He stepped into the room. "I do need to get going. Please don't set anything on fire in the next hour."

I waved him away. "I almost burned down one library, maybe I can go for two."

I couldn't believe I was joking about the near-disaster. I wouldn't let him make me feel bad about it.

"If you're going to burn down the place, start with my office. Then I won't have to work." He smiled. "Goodbye, Emma." He closed the door in my face.

Well. That was certainly a dismissal.

The second I was alone, I knew I wouldn't sit and twiddle my thumbs for the next hour. I would be a woman of action. It had been Wesley himself who had inspired me. If you're going to burn down the place, start with my office. Not that I was about to dose the place with gasoline. Instead, I figured that must be where he was keeping Kermit.