once more to return to her work, vowing to put this ridiculous obsession out of her head. An hour later her hopes were dashed when Frankie bustled back to the children’s section, her eyes as wide as if she’d just caught somebody trying to deface a book.
“He’s here again!”
She looked up from the books she was shelving. “Who’s here?”
“Hottie Dad and his cute little girl! Elise Chandler’s poor daughter. They just walked in.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s a hard man to miss,” Frankie said.
Celeste’s heartbeat kicked up several notches and her stomach seemed tangled with nerves. She told herself that was ridiculous. He wasn’t there to see her anyway. Maybe he wouldn’t even come back to the children’s section.
“I wonder what they’re doing here,” Frankie said, her dark eyes huge.
It wasn’t to see her, Celeste reminded herself sternly. She was a dowdy, shy librarian, and he couldn’t possibly have any interest in her beyond her status as his daughter’s favorite author.
“Here’s a wild guess,” she said, her tone dry. “Maybe they’re looking for books.”
Frankie made a face. “He doesn’t have a library card, does he?”
“Probably not,” she acknowledged. “They’re only here for a few weeks, then they’ll be returning to California.”
The thought was more depressing than it should have been.
“Well, ask him if he wants a temporary one while he’s here.”
Why did she have to ask him anything? She wanted to hide here in the children’s section and not even have to face him. But a moment later Olivia limped in, Sparkle the stuffed reindeer in her hand along with the new book.
“Hi, Ms. Nichols! Hi!”
Celeste smiled at both of them. “Hello. It’s lovely to see you today. Happy birthday!” She suddenly remembered.
“Thank you,” Olivia said. “I begged and begged my dad to bring me to the library today.”
“Did you?”
She held up Sparkle. “I had to tell you how much I liked the new book, just as much as the first one. Sparkle is so funny. I’ve read it about ten times already.”
“Wow. That’s terrific. Thanks for letting me know.”
“And my dad read it to me twice and he laughed both times. He hardly ever laughs.”
“Not true,” he protested. “Okay, it’s true that I laughed at the book. It’s hilarious. But it’s not true that I hardly ever laugh. I don’t know where you came up with that. I laugh all the time. I’m a freaking hyena.”
Celeste laughed out loud, which earned her a surprised look from Frankie.
“You’re so lucky that you had the chance to read the new book,” Frankie informed her. “Half the children in town would willingly forgo all their presents under the tree if they could lay their hands on the next Sparkle book.”
Even though she was grossly exaggerating, the library director had the perfect tone with Olivia—friendly and polite, but not overly solicitous. She had a feeling Flynn would hate the latter.
“It’s really, really good,” Olivia said solemnly. “I still like the first one best, but the second one is almost my favorite.”
Frankie smiled, but before she could answer, one of the other library volunteers came over with a question about checking out DVDs, and she reluctantly excused herself to deal with the crisis.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Celeste asked after her friend walked away. “Would you like a temporary card so you can check out materials? I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem, considering I know where to find you.”
“No. Actually, we have another reason for being here.”
If she wasn’t mistaken, Flynn looked a little uncomfortable, which made her even more curious.
“Oh? What is it?”
He didn’t answer and Olivia didn’t say anything, either. Finally Flynn nudged her. “Go ahead.”
“It’s my birthday,” the girl began.
“I know. I think it’s great that you decided the library is the perfect place to celebrate a birthday. I completely agree!”
Olivia giggled a little. “No, we’re not celebrating my birthday here. I told my dad the only thing I want for my birthday is to have pizza.”
“Ooh, pizza. My favorite,” she said, though she was still mystified about why they might be at the library and why Flynn still looked uncomfortable. “Are you looking for a book on how to make pizza?”
The girl shook her head. “We’re going to the pizza restaurant down the street.”
“I can highly recommend it. It’s one of my favorite places.”
Olivia gave her a shy look. “That’s good. Because I want to have pizza with you on my birthday.”
She blinked, taken by surprise. “With...me?”
“Yes. That would be the best birthday ever. My favorite thing to eat and my new friend and the lady who writes such good Sparkle books.” She beamed as if the matter was settled.
“Don’t feel obligated,” Flynn said quickly. “If you already have plans, we completely understand. Isn’t that right, Olivia?”
“Yes,” the girl said.
Dinner. With Olivia and Flynn. She thought of a hundred reasons why she should say no. How could she possibly eat with these nervous butterflies racing around in her stomach? And she probably wouldn’t be able to think of anything to say and would look even more stupid than she felt.
All those reasons paled into insignificance. Olivia wanted to have pizza with her for her birthday, and Celeste couldn’t let her own social awkwardness stand in the way of making that particular wish come true.
“I would be honored to come help you celebrate your birthday. Thank you for inviting me.”
Olivia’s smile was sweetly thrilled. “She said yes, Dad!”
The sight of this tough-looking man gazing down at his daughter with such love just about broke Celeste’s heart. “So I heard. That’s great.” He turned to her. “What time are you finished with work?”
“Five-thirty.”
“Would seven work for pizza? We can pick you up.”
“I can meet you at the restaurant.”
“We
