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Ready for Day 2 of my annual short story? If you missed Day 1, you can catch up here. If you're ready to find out what happens next between Kevin and Stacy, read on.  “Is Kevin still here?” Stacy stopped by the front desk after checking the history section—his favorite spot. But there was no sign of the quiet man who had stopped by earlier and never finished telling her what he needed. She’d been so distracted with the emergency spill Felicia had alerted her to and then to finishing up her book repair project. Kevin hadn’t crossed her mind again until she was helping a little girl find a biography in the children’s section. Which made her think about the man who could help find one in the adults’. And guilt niggled at her belly. Kevin was one of the sweetest guys on staff. Much nicer than old Mr. Peabody, who had been working here basically since the library opened. Kevin was more like a big teddy bear and often reminded her of Professor Bhaer in Little Women. She secretly hoped to find her own Professor Bhaer someday—or a Gilbert Blythe would be nice too. Her dream man often was a cross between the two. “I haven’t seen him leave.” Cecily clicked a few buttons on the computer in front of her before looking Stacy’s way. “Did you check the history section?” “I did.” Stacy pursed her lips. “Maybe I just missed him.” Meandering back through the rows of shelves, she peeked around the corner at the aisle with autobiographies and political commentaries. No Kevin. Not in the biographies or large tomes of historical events, either. Maybe he snuck past Cecily? She wasn’t exactly focused up there at the desk. The library grew quiet in this last half hour before closing time. The lights were still on, but without the sunshine streaming in the windows, the interior felt more like mood lighting. This was the time of day Stacy expected to see book characters come to life. She wandered back toward the children’s section, cutting through the romance aisle. Might as well grab something to take home and read later that evening while she was here. She glanced toward where her favorite author’s books sat and froze. Kevin. He stood, a paperback in hand, a wrinkle marring his forehead as his finger followed the words on the page. What on earth could be so hard to understand in a romance novel? She slid over and peeked at the title. She’d read it the month before and couldn’t recall anything strange between the pages. “Something wrong?” She lifted the book from his hands. “Gah!” He jumped back a foot. “Sorry. I thought you heard me come up.” “No. I—” His eyes darted back and forth between the book in her hands, her, and anywhere else he could look. “Just, um …” “This one was good. Were you not enjoying it?” “I wasn’t actually reading it for pleasure.” He dashed a hand through his brown hair, then down his short beard. She blinked. “You weren’t?” “No.” He glanced away. “I was doing some … research.” Stacy tried to wrap her head around that concept. Research in the romance department? What do you think so far? Think this is going to change things? Come back tomorrow to find out.
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