“Well, I have a strict budget, Aries, but what pricing are you thinking for some of these? One price or each priced individually?”
“I’m not the book expert, you are, so you’d have the upper hand. Just take down what you want and we can talk about it after you’re finished. By the looks of things, you’ll be here a while.”
“It looks that way, doesn’t it? Whatever I find, I’ll try to bargain with you over the price, but trust me, I’ll be fair and honest if I find a treasure.”
He loved her enthusiasm, the way she regarded the books as though they were coveted lovers to be cherished. As she began pulling some off the shelves and flipping through them, he grabbed a couple of brand new boxes that were leaning against a wall, and put them together for her with packer’s tape.
“Those tote bags of yours won’t haul enough of these away, baby, budget or not. Here are some boxes for ya that I can load onto my truck when you’re all done. I’ll be right back. I’m going to the kitchen to get us some drinks. It’s stuffy in here, too, but I’ve opened some windows. You want some water or iced tea? Not many choices – I threw a lot of the old groceries and such he had in the pantry away.”
“Oh, uh, water is fine,” she said absentmindedly, caught up in her own world. He was all right with that. He enjoyed just seeing her happy. “Thank you, Aries.”
“You’re welcome. Oh! Just in case, there’s a bathroom outside this door to the right, three doors down.”
“Thank you!” She nodded and placed one book back on the shelf, then pulled out another.
He made his way out the door and into the kitchen. In the distance, he could hear Aiden laughing his ass off as he watched YouTube on his iPad. Several men were approaching the house – the moving crew. One of the cameras in the kitchen captured them all filing out of several white vans. After getting the water and a spare pack of Doritos from Aiden’s backpack, he opened the door for them.
“Hey, guys. You can go on upstairs and take all the furniture out of the three spare bedrooms. Leave the master alone today because I’m still going through that one. I have everything in the boxes. They just need to be sealed up.”
“That sounds good! Thanks!” a tall skinny one said, his face beet red and dusty blond hair parted down the middle. The men entered and followed his instructions, all clad in attire that reminded him of painter jumpsuits. He returned to the library to find Lauren sitting cross-legged on the floor. She was flipping slowly through what looked like a rather old book, the pages worn and yellow.
“What do you have there?” He handed the water to her. She looked up, her eyes glossy.
“Aries, this is one of the original copies of “The Hobbit,” by JRR Tolkien. This is worth a lot of money! I could never afford this!” She made a faux sad face, then smiled as she cradled it close to her chest.
“It’ll cost you one date.”
She arched a brow. “You’re talking about the fruit, right?”
He chuckled.
“That’s funny. You know damn well what I mean.” He stared at her lips, then let his gaze fall briefly to her breasts.
“You’ll let me have this book if I go out with you?”
“Yeah.”
“But you don’t know how much this is worth.”
“Doesn’t matter. To me, going on a date with you is worth more.”
“I’ll think about it.” She set the book to the side, then reached for another that she had in a pile by her feet.
I’ll think about it? He replayed her words in his mind a few times. She was a hard nut to crack. He’d spoken to her in depth several times, yet still didn’t know much about this lady. What he did know, he liked. What he didn’t know drew him to her all the more. He loved the mystery that surrounded her.
“Lauren, you’re something else.”
“What makes you say that?” she asked, her nose planted firmly in the latest book that struck her fancy.
“You want something badly. That book about some hobbit. I saw how googly-eyed you were for it. I want something, too. We can make a deal. But you’re so against going out with me, you have to actually think about my offer.”