he’d never once felt tempted to cross the line. But there was something about Audrey that was like a hook in his brain, and he couldn’t shake it free.
“Mostly nonfiction,” she said. “But I’m open to any topic. True crime, history, travel memoirs, self-help, essay collections.”
“It’s admirable that you find time for recreational reading while you’re studying. I know a lot of students find it difficult, given how much they have to read for class.” It had certainly been that way for Ronan. He’d always been the kid with his nose in a book—something he’d been mocked for as a teenager. “Are you taking a full course load?”
“Umm…”
He allowed his gaze to slide back over to her in time to see her brows knitting above her nose.
“No, I’m not taking a full load,” she replied. “I’m not actually working toward a degree.”
That surprised Ronan. Sure, he’d noticed that she was older than the average student in his undergrad classes. He’d put her at mid-twenties, maybe a little older. There was a quiet maturity about her that set her apart.
“Oh? Is it workforce development, then?”
“For my jobs as a barista and hawker of spiritual wares? Uh, no.” She laughed, but it sounded forced. “I don’t really need too much development for those kinds of jobs.”
She wasn’t studying toward a degree or taking classes to enhance her employment opportunities. “Why are you taking my class?”
“For pleasure…of learning, I mean.” She nodded as if reassuring herself. “I like to learn about different things. It’s why I read and listen to podcasts and take night classes. Not all learning needs to be working toward something, right?”
They’d paused at the front of the bookstore, which looked like something he’d expect to find in the Shire. The low doorframe and tiny windows stacked with books had a distinct “hobbit hole” feel to them, and Ronan was sure he’d find some treasures inside.
“You’re right,” he said. “But it’s not often I encounter a student in my classes purely for the love of learning. You’re a rare breed.”
She looked up at him like she wasn’t quite sure what to make of his assessment—whether it was a compliment or not. “Rare. That’s a new one.”
They walked into the store, and it was as gloriously dusty and crammed as he’d hoped. Ronan had a thing for secondhand bookstores, probably because his grandmother was an avid reader and they’d spent many school vacations hunting out teetering piles of long-forgotten tomes and first editions of the Agatha Christie novels she loved so much.
Since he’d fled England with only a suitcase to his name, the bookshelf in his furnished campus accommodation was unacceptably bare. Besides, small towns might not be the most exciting places to live, but he’d come across some of his best finds in out-of-the-way places like Kissing Creek.
Audrey trailed her fingertip along a shelf of thick leather-bound vintage encyclopedias, her eyes flicking and assessing every volume she passed. The store was dim, since books filled every inch of the place, including being piled up high in front of the windows. There was a man near the door, sitting behind his desk with his head tipped forward, glasses perched precariously on the end of his nose.
Audrey held her finger up to her lips. “Mr. Hart likes to have a snooze in the middle of the day. He’s almost ninety, but he refuses to let anyone take over the shop.”
“Is this town straight out of a rom-com?” Ronan shook his head. “Don’t tell me—somewhere there’s a princess undercover as a regular girl.”
“It certainly isn’t me; I’ll tell you that.” Audrey snorted. “And are you intimately acquainted with rom-coms?”
“Not intimately, no. But I lived in a shared house with two other TAs at one point, and one of them watched those things on repeat. Christmas was unbearable.”
“Oh, but they’re so fun.” Audrey clapped her hands together. “Secret babies and time-traveling royalty and small towns where everyone’s always getting snowed in. And cute animals!”
“I don’t think I’m the target audience, somehow.” Ronan found himself moving farther into the store, the aisles narrowing so much that his shoulders bumped the shelves on both sides. He turned to his side to shuffle through a particularly small section. “This shop is a fire hazard.”
“I know.” Audrey sighed, a smile blossoming on her full lips. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“It really is.”
They were standing closer than Ronan would have liked. Actually, that was a complete lie. They were standing close enough that Ronan liked it very much, because Audrey’s hand