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Dear Fitz,
Suddenly, I feel like I’m in middle school again. There’s a woman I really like. I’d like to ask her out, but I’m not sure she likes me the same way. What should I do?
Signed,
Unsure
Dear Unsure,
Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Make the opportunity to speak with her privately and ask her out for something casual—a coffee, maybe. That’s when you might have the chance to find out how she really feels.
For more tips, check out the links below for experts’ thoughts on asking for dates.
Your Friend,
Fitz
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THAT AFTERNOON, I WAS at the circulation desk when we had a call come in. “Whitby Library, Ann speaking,” I said.
I heard an educated drawl and straightened up a little. Tanya James was on the line. “Hi, Ann. This is Tanya James. I was wondering if you or someone else could give me a hand tomorrow with some books for the Friends sale.”
“Of course we can help you out,” I said automatically. I knew Wilson would automatically sign off for somebody to help out Tanya. “What time works best for you?”
“I’ll have a few errands to run in the late morning, but I could meet you at my house around 12:30? Would that work?” She gave me the address, even though I knew exactly which house it was. There were only so many mansions in town, after all.
“That’s perfect,” I said smoothly. “See you then.”
The rest of my day was a series of interruptions like that. I helped an older gentleman learn how to find his emails on his cell phone, helped a patron troubleshoot one of our more-finicky computers, and made a few book recommendations for a mom who was trying to get back to reading now that her kids were a little older.
In between, I hesitantly worked on Ask Fitz while Fitz lay complacently beside me on the circulation desk, not a care in his furry head. I was positive Fitz’s answer to most of the questions posed would be a purring, “Relax! Go find a sunbeam and sprawl out in it.”
Wilson had understated the response to Ask Fitz. I was stunned and rather overwhelmed to discover not only had the post had lots of views on social media, it had lots of responses. The questions did range, as Wilson mentioned, from the minor to the major. And it looked as if the post had been shared many, many times. I wasn’t sure quite what qualified as ‘going viral,’ but Ask Fitz seemed to be on the cusp.
I glanced up from cataloging and saw Burton walking up to the desk. “Read any good books lately?” he asked with a grin.
“Good ones and bad ones.” I snorted.
“Uh-oh. What should I avoid? Got a tip for me?”
I said, “Skip Ulysses if you like your novels straightforward. I mean, I love William Faulkner and his stream of consciousness. But Joyce takes it to a whole new level.”
Burton chuckled. “Got it. I’ll make a mental note of that,” he said, tapping his large forehead. “Although I don’t think I was in danger of picking up James Joyce for any light reading.”
I said, “Are you looking for a book recommendation? I can pull out some stuff I think you’d enjoy.”
He shook his head. “Still trying to wade through a World War II novel I checked out, but thanks. I was just coming in to see how things were going here. The library seems to be at the center of these murders, unfortunately.”
I snorted. “Better not let Wilson hear you say that. He’s on a campaign to keep the library’s reputation spotless.”
Burton said, “And I totally understand that. I was just wondering if you had any information for me. I know a lot of people close to Carmen come in here a lot. Carmen was in here a lot, after all, as a trustee.”
I said slowly, “Well, I’ve spoken with both Blake and Elliot. Both of them seem very upset about Carmen’s death and convinced the other guy had something to do with it.”
Burton nodded, “Especially Blake, I bet.”
“Exactly.”
“Since you seem to have some background with Blake, what do you make of him?” asked Burton.
I blew out a breath. “Well, I wouldn’t say I had much background with him. I went to school with him and he helps out in the library from time to time with maintenance issues. With an old library, there are plenty of maintenance problems, as you’d probably guess. He’s the kind of guy who’s able to do anything. And if he can’t do it, he can figure out how to.”
Burton said, “Aside from his capabilities?”
I said, “I think he has a temper. I remember in school he’d get frustrated sometimes with classes and would kind of blow up.” I paused. “You know, it’s not really fair of me to judge somebody for something that happened when he was a teenager. I wasn’t the same person then that I am now either.”
“How about now, then?” asked Burton. “Have you seen any signs of temper still?”
“Blake seems really affable to me. He’s eager to please; he has a good work ethic. He’s cheerful. The only thing I’d say that I’ve noticed is the way he was really jealous over Carmen.”
Burton nodded. “Carmen seems to have been quite an instigator. Do you think she liked the drama she created?”
I said dryly, “I have the feeling she might have. This is going to sound bad, but Carmen was all about Carmen. She probably loved having guys fight over her.”
“Was that what was happening?” asked Burton.
I quickly said, “I didn’t see anything like that. All I know is what I’ve heard from Blake and from Elliot. I know the two of them were squabbling over her. And I know the only time I’ve really seen a display of temper from Blake in recent memory was over Carmen. He’s pretty convinced Elliot had something to do with Carmen’s death. He probably told you the same thing.”
Burton chuckled. “Yes. Numerous times. Fairly stridently. He can’t seem to understand why I can’t just drive over to the college and arrest Elliot.”
“Lack of evidence.”
“Exactly. An argument between Carmen and Elliot isn’t exactly enough for me to lock Elliot up. There were no witnesses at the restaurant to say Elliot made threats against Carmen’s life. He was merely upset, as most people would be.”
I said quietly, “By the way, I heard something else. Were you aware Carmen and the mayor were having an affair?”
Burton nodded. “A neighbor mentioned it to me. Apparently though, not many people know about it. Although you seem to.” He raised his eyebrows. “I guess the library really is an information hub.”
Burton glanced around and continued in a carefully casual voice, “Say, is Luna around?”
I wasn’t sure if I should keep pretending I didn’t know Burton was interested in Luna or call him on it. So I said, “I think she’s on her break, but she should be out soon. Want me to send her over your way?”
Burton hemmed and hawed for a moment and then looked helplessly at me. “You don’t think Luna had anything to do with Carmen, do you?”