Why books are sometimes better than people:
- They are always there when you need them.
- They smell good.
- They never judge you.
- They aren’t moody.
- They won’t misunderstand you.
- They will never intentionally leave you.
- They don’t cheat on their wives.
- They aren’t allergic to dogs.
- They don’t crush your heart, step on it, and leave you broken and sad.
- They aren’t Cedric.
Our scheduled customer arrived promptly at three p.m., but it was not the person Miss Josie expected. “Cedric?”
I looked up in surprise. Cedric the Betrayer was in our shop?
I let out a long, low growl. I’d gotten better at this whole growling business. I hoped it might even sound threatening someday.
Cedric sneezed, pulling a handkerchief from the pocket of his tweed jacket. He had on new glasses, and he watched me warily. “Is the creature going to attack me again?”
Miss Josie rolled her eyes. “Not unless you provoke him. What do you want, Cedric? Mr. Vernon is about to arrive, and I’m busy.”
“I’m here for business, not pleasure,” he said. “Mr. Vernon’s flight was delayed, so he asked me to come in his place. Is that a problem?”
“Of course not,” said Miss Josie, her mouth a tight, straight line. “I have the items ready. I’ll get them out of the vault for you. Follow me.”
He scowled. “I know where the vault is, Josephine, or did you forget?”
“I never forget anything.” She pressed her fingertip to the sensor, and the vault opened with a soft swooshing noise and a burst of cool air. Miss Josie donned white cotton gloves and offered a pair to Cedric.
“Please,” he said, with a dismissive shake of his head. “I carry my own.”
The temperature in the vault needed to stay at 60 to 66 degrees to keep the books safe and the humidity had to remain constant, too. The vault had specially designed lights because direct sunlight could damage the books as well. Although the books were locked up to protect them from possible thieves, they were also locked up to protect them from outside elements. Improper handling by humans often damaged books, but things like mold, rodents, insects, and temperature changes were far more dangerous.
It’s incredible how much I learned by living in a bookshop for a few weeks. I could almost teach a class.
Note to self: I am a bookish wonder.
Miss Josie went into the vault. She picked up three books and brought them out, placing them on a high table. The books, wrapped in thin paper, looked quite old.
Cedric, who’d been waiting rather impatiently for her, pulled on his gloves with an irritated tug of his fingers. He studied the books carefully, turning the pages, inspecting the spines, and checking the publication dates.
“These are exactly what Mr. Vernon has been looking for,” he said. “I’ll take all three.”
“All three?”
“Yes. These books are in excellent condition, and Mr. Vernon is discriminating. He’s been searching for the right pieces to add to his collection. These will suit him perfectly.”
“Well, all right,” said Miss Josie. Judging by how flustered she’d become, I had to assume this surprised her.
Cedric touched her gloved hand with his. “I didn’t come here to upset you. This visit is purely business. Even if it kills me inside, I can act professionally.”
“Why would it kill you?” asked Miss Josie. She didn’t look at his face, but she also didn’t pull her hand away. Uh-oh. Not a good sign.
Cedric moved closer, his body only a hair’s breadth away from hers. “Because I’m still madly, crazily, hopelessly in love with you, Josie. I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help how I feel.”
For a second, it looked like Miss Josie couldn’t breathe. She exhaled in a gasp and moved away from Cedric. “But you love your wife, too.”
“I do, but it doesn’t make me love you less.” He gave her a sad half-smile, and, for a moment, I understood why Miss Josie found him attractive. In many ways, they suited each other. But he was an adulterer, and he’d hurt Miss Josie badly. I had significant issues with both of those things.
I’d thought he was a Mr. Wickham, but maybe he was more of a John Willoughby. I’d been putting him in Pride and Prejudice when he belonged in Sense and Sensibility.
“Why are you telling me this, Cedric?”
He took off his gloves and cupped her face in his hands. “When I saw you with the guy who owns all the coffee shops, it made me insanely jealous. I’ve never felt anything like it. I’d been upset about Mr. Bartleby leaving you the shop, and about the books he’d promised me, and some other things as well, but I should have known better. You’re the only thing that ever mattered, and I lost you to the First Impressions billionaire because of my stupidity.”
Miss Josie frowned and pushed Cedric’s hands away from her face. “You mean Nate?”
He nodded. “Nate Murray. The founder of First Impressions. The brains behind the whole operation. He’s famous, and I handed you to him on a silver platter.”
“Wait. Are you saying Nate, my neighbor, the man who doesn’t own a single T-shirt without a hole in it, is rich?”
Cedric seemed confused. “I assumed you knew. He’s obscenely wealthy. And when I found out you’d slept with him I nearly lost my mind.”
She blinked in surprise. “Who said I slept with him?”
Cedric frowned. “I overheard you talking about it this morning.”
She stepped away from him. “I have no idea what you mean, but it’s none of your concern,” she said. “You’re married. You seem to keep forgetting that little fact.”
“What if I weren’t married anymore?”
She froze. “What are you saying?”
He ran a finger along the edge of the table, not making eye contact with her. “It’s a hypothetical question.”
Miss Josie narrowed her eyes at him. “Those don’t require an answer.”
“Josie…” he said, his voice raw with emotion.
Thankfully, she didn’t fall for it. “I appreciate you acting on Mr. Vernon’s behalf. Let me pack these up for you,” she said, all business once again.
He followed her to the cash register. “I miss you, Josie. Please think about it.”
She carefully placed the books into a bag and rang up his bill. “There is nothing to think about, Cedric, because there is nothing between us.”
He handed her a credit card. “You still have feelings for me. I know it.”
She gave him a weary look. “You broke my heart, Cedric, and you’re a married man. Act like one.”
“But I can’t live without you.”
She slammed the cash register closed and handed him the receipt. “You’re going to have to. Thank you. Have a nice day.”