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It's the next-to-last day of our short story. I hope you have been enjoying it. If you've missed any of the previous days, you can find them here: Day 1, Day 2, or Day 3.  Rainy days made Stacy want to just curl up and read somewhere. Preferably with a warm cup of coffee. But, instead, the day had been full of chaotic story times, lost books, and a few preschool breakdowns. She was about to the point where she wanted to join them. It was finally closing time, but no sign of the weather letting up. She’d just have to pull the hood up on her jacket and make a run for it. If only she hadn’t had to park so far away! But the employees tried to leave closer spots for the library patrons, so she was stuck in the back corner tonight. She paused on the back doorstep, breathing in the damp air, listening to the pounding on the pavement. A wonderful night to snuggle under a blanket with a book. First, she had to get home. Deep breath. She was going to be soaked, but she would dry. Just run for it, Stacy. “Stacy!” Kevin hollered right as she put a foot into the deluge. She quickly drew it back under the overhang and turned to see him dashing through the backdoor, a bag slung haphazardly over his shoulder, his coat flapping, and a giant umbrella in hand. “Hi.” She pointed to his accessories. “I think you came better prepared than I did today. I knew it would rain, but had no idea it would come down like this.” “I took a chance.” One corner of his mouth drew up into a grin and the corners of his eyes crinkled. Cute. Did she really just think that? Where had the thought come from? “I thought maybe …” He opened the umbrella, “… you’d let me walk you to your car.” She gazed up at him for a minute before nodding. “Thank you, Kevin.” They slowly stepped into the rain, the umbrella saving them from the worst of the wet. And her feet were no longer in a hurry. There was something electric in the damp night air as they huddled close together under their covering. “I finished that book,” Kevin interrupted the storm. It had been several weeks and she’d wondered a few times if he’d bothered reading it or not. “Did you find what you needed?” “I thought at first you wanted me to be like Laurie.” Kevin chuckled. “But then I found the real hero in the end.” Stacy nodded. “Laurie’s great and he teaches Jo a lot of lessons, but Professor Bhaer is the one for her. One of my favorites.” “Stacy …” Kevin stopped them a few feet from her car. “For weeks now—months even—I’ve been wanting to ask you to go have coffee. But I haven’t had the courage. Then, I saw how Bhaer bumbled his way through it, and Jo thought that was all right …” “I was just thinking earlier I’d love to have coffee on a night like tonight.” Stacy reached up and placed her hands on Kevin’s, just as Jo did Professor Bhaer’s in the book. “Still want to?” Hmmm. Sounds promising to me. One more day for you to find out how the story ends. Think it will be soggy or sweet? Come back tomorrow to find out.
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