Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
“Shall I sit next to you and share my heat?” he asked.
“Please.” She scooted over to make room for him.
Phineas wasn’t a huge man, but his presence surrounded her. His athletic body radiated the perfect level of warmth. Tiffanie basked in their closeness as she studied the menu. Sensing his eyes on her, she turned slightly to meet his gaze. “You must think I’m a mess.”
He shook his head. “That is absolutely the last thing on my mind. Have you finished the first book yet?”
She nodded, blushing a bit. “Last night. I can’t wait to read your second recommendation as well.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Would you like me to set up your account to access books online after we eat?”
“Sure. What are you hungry for? I’m going to have a hamburger and fries.”
“I’m starving. That country-fried steak sounds good. I might try that.”
“Ivan loves that dish here. Best in the county, he says.” Tiffanie found herself squashing the urge to lean against his strength.
“Then you’ve helped me decide,” he said as the server returned with their drinks.
When they were alone, Phineas shared a funny story about a young man at the library’s story hour, making them both chuckle. “Kids tell me so much. If you want to unearth any of the gossip in town, come to the library for the toddlers’ meet-up. Those kids rat out their parents and neighbors every time.”
“You enjoy your job,” she said.
“I do. When I started at the university, I wanted to be a teacher. My focus has always been on literacy and reading.”
“So, your degree is in education?”
“Library science.”
“What prompted the change?” she asked, truly interested.
“My advisor forced me to decide between elementary or secondary. I chose everyone. What about you? You’re an interior decorator?”
“I used to have my own business.” Tiffanie debated whether or not to share her illness. She hated when people looked at her as a disease rather than seeing her. She didn’t want to see Phineas decide he didn’t want to waste time on a sick girl. Please let him see her instead of her challenges. “I had the opportunity to combine my talents with Essie at Ferguson’s Folly and decided all the pressure wasn’t worth it.”
“That makes perfect sense. Balancing life and work is important. I’ll admit I didn’t do an outstanding job at that for a while. Now I make sure I give one hundred percent at the library when I’m there and that I have great people on my team for when I’m not there.”
“Are there many library emergencies?” she asked, wishing to know more about his life. As an interior decorator, she had never expected how high stress some jobs could become. Maybe that was the same at a public library?
“Not often, but people do strange things. Even illegal things at times.”
Tiffanie didn’t need to ask questions to understand. Anytime you dealt with the public, problems could happen. Before she could say anything in response, the waitress delivered their food.
“Wow. This smells amazing,” Tiffanie said, leaning forward to inhale the grilled burger aroma. This was so much better than Ivan’s cooking. They hadn’t eaten out in forever to save money and energy. She snagged a fry and munched happily.
“No ketchup?” Phineas asked.
“I’m usually a fry purist,” she said, shaking her head. She lifted another fry and hesitated. His gravy looked amazing, though. What would a fry taste like dipped in that creamy sauce?
“Go ahead.”
“What?”
“Try it.”
“You know what I was thinking?” she asked.
“Fries dipped in gravy are amazing. Have you ever had poutine?” he asked, taking her hand and guiding the fried treat over to his plate. “You’ll find the combination delicious.”
“But you haven’t even had a bite yet.”
“Go for it. I’m waiting to see if you like it.”
Impulsively, she grabbed another fry from her plate and handed it to him. “Only if you’ll try one with me.”
Phineas accepted her offering with a smile. “On the count of three. One. Two. Three.”
Tiffanie didn’t hesitate. She dunked her fry into the thick white gravy on his plate and popped the coated treat into her mouth. “Oh my God. That’s amazing.”
He chewed with obvious appreciation. “That might be the best gravy I’ve ever tasted on a fry. On anything. Have more. I can’t eat this entire plate.”
She couldn’t resist enjoying her new favorite food again. A moan of delight slid from her lips as she wiggled with happiness on the seat. “Sorry. But that’s amazing. Here, have some more of my fries,” she offered, scooping up a pile and setting them on the side of his plate.
“Thank you, Little girl. We’ll share. I don’t have a cold or illness I can give you. I’m healthy.”
His statement wasn’t strange—normal to say to someone you’re sharing food with. For Tiffanie, the reminder of the battle she fought brought reality thundering down on her. The weight of all the medical tests and treatments crashed down on her. Overwhelmed, she couldn’t get out of the booth to make an excuse to escape. Bowing her head, she hid her reaction.