in July. When a mother told her how much she loved Maurice Sendak, Harper even recommended other books she should check out.
But the very second she could, Harper extracted herself from the children’s corner and went over to the front desk, where Daniel was still talking with Marcy.
“No, I don’t doubt that,” Daniel was saying, laughing at something Marcy had said.
Marcy, for her part, wore her usual blank expression, giving Harper no indication of what they could’ve possibly been talking about.
“Hi,” Harper said, and her voice sounded oddly high-pitched to her own ears, so she rushed to correct it. “Hi. Um, were you looking for a book?”
Daniel had been leaning forward, his arms resting on the desk, but he turned so he could face Harper, leaving one elbow on the counter. His smile widened when he saw her, and she noticed the fading cuts on his cheek.
When Penn had been that awful bird-monster on Bernie’s Island, Daniel had rushed in with a pitchfork to defend both Harper and her younger sister. But Penn had lashed out, scratching him across the cheek with her claws.
That memory both tightened her heart and warmed it. The horror of the monsters still frightened her, but knowing that Daniel had put himself in harm’s way to protect her … it was hard not to feel something for him.
“What book were you reading them?” Daniel asked, pointing to where she’d been for story time. “Because that looked like a lot of fun.”
“Where the Wild Things Are. I can get it for you, if you want.” Harper moved like she meant to, and Daniel reached out, gently putting his arm on hers to stop her.
“Nah, that’s okay,” he said, letting his hand fall back to his side. “I think I’ve read it before. It is a good one, though.”
“Yeah, it is,” Harper agreed.
“I have to come clean with you,” Daniel said gravely.
She swallowed hard. “Oh?”
“I didn’t come in for a book,” he admitted, and one corner of his mouth turned up slightly.
Harper glanced over at Marcy, who was standing on the other side of the desk, unabashedly watching the two of them talk. Harper raised her eyebrows, trying to give her friend a knowing look, and Marcy sighed.
“I guess I have some books to put away or something,” Marcy muttered, and started pushing the cart out from behind the desk. “Because it’s not like I don’t have all day to put away twenty books. I need to do it right now.”
Once Marcy was out of earshot, Harper turned her attention back to Daniel.
“What is it that brought you here, then?” Harper asked, hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt. Daniel had a way of making her completely flustered.
“I wanted to see why you’ve been avoiding me.” Daniel was smiling when he said it, but he couldn’t hide the hurt in his hazel eyes.
“I haven’t been—” Harper began to protest, but he waved her off.
“You’ve been ignoring my calls, and you haven’t been down to the docks to bring your dad his lunch,” Daniel said. “The poor man is probably starving.”
Brian worked down at the docks near where Daniel lived on his boat. Her father was notorious about forgetting his lunch, and Harper saw Daniel a lot when she brought it to him.
“My dad didn’t work that much this week,” Harper said. “He is today, but I honestly can’t tell you if he remembered his lunch or not. I forgot to check.”
“Oh,” Daniel said. “Well, that makes sense. But that doesn’t explain you ignoring my calls.”
“I…” She stared down at the floor, unable to meet his gaze. “Daniel, you know what the situation is. Things are so strange right now, and I really don’t have time for anything.”
“I wasn’t suggesting we run away together,” Daniel said. “I know how crazy things are. That’s why I was calling. I wanted to see how you were doing.”
“Oh.” Harper licked her lips and tried to think of something to say. “Well. Things are…”
“Why don’t we go talk about it?” Daniel asked. “Let’s go across the street to Pearl’s and grab some lunch. I’ll even let you pay for me.”
“I can’t just leave.” Harper gestured to the library, which was now almost empty aside from one mother and her child looking through the kids’ books. “I’m working.”
“I can cover for you,” Marcy said, poking her head out from behind a nearby bookshelf. “If you want to go have lunch, I’ve got it.”
Harper sighed. “Thanks, Marcy.”
Of course Marcy had to go