Winter Solstice in St. Nacho's (St. Nacho's #5) - Z.A. Maxfield Page 0,83
had a new hire fall through.
“You picked a great time to ask. We do have an opening right now.” Leon’s smile was almost a smirk—as if he knew something I didn’t. “It happens like that sometimes. Serendipity.”
I swallowed hard. “I’d like to apply.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” And just like that, the odds of me finding a library job in St. Nacho’s got better. Leon and I talked for hours at the library, and later through lunch at a local Chinese place, which floored me. Our conversation wasn’t strictly about work either. Leon told me how he’d visited St. Nacho’s when he and his wife were still in school, how they decided to make the move here after they graduated. I told him about my education, my family, my life in Galt, and a bit about Thuong.
“No way. That must have been terrifying. You always carry naloxone?” Leon’s wide brown eyes blinked twice. He made a note on the yellow pad he’d been doodling on. “Does your branch have enough incidents that you feel the need to maintain naloxone on your person at work?”
“Nah, that’s just… me. I wear a belt bag, and I keep some pretty weird things in it. First aid kit, fashion tape, safety pins, hard candies, eyewash. You never know what you’ll need.”
“And apparently naloxone.”
“Not a bad idea, it turns out.” I talked a little more about the different emergencies I’d seen, from everyday paper cuts and copier pinch injuries, to major medical events where we’d had to call EMS. “Ever since I was an RA, I’ve wanted to be prepared for anything.”
“I see.”
“You know what? I believe people should be able to come in and find books and answers to research questions, but also… a community that cares. Does that make sense? My boss thinks I go overboard because I buy bottled water when there’s a high heat advisory and I don’t second guess patrons unless they’re actively doing something forbidden or destructive. For me, the library is a secular sanctuary.”
“Refuge.” He nodded slowly. “Nice way of looking at it.”
“That probably comes from my comic-store upbringing. We had this sign, ‘Not all heroes wear tights and a cape.’”
Leon’s eyes twinkled. “My wife gave me a t-shirt that says that.”
Later, when I left the most epic job interview I’d ever been on, Leon held out his hand. “I look forward to reading your CV. I’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you so much. I really enjoyed our time.” I waved like an idiot as I left the building. Outside, the wind picked up debris and scudded it across the pavement. Leaves and blossoms swirled around my feet as if they were trying to hold me in place.
It wasn’t too late to start the drive home, but I didn’t want to leave. Instead, I extended my stay at the SeaView for a second night. Since I wasn’t scheduled to work until late on Thursday, I didn’t have to call Suzanne.
The first thing I did was shower. The interview had been exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. I lay down to read for a bit but ended up falling into a deep, relaxing sleep.
I woke around five with such enthusiasm, I called Katie to tell her I’d had a freak job interview in Santo Ignacio.
“What?” Her shock was legit, I guessed. “You didn’t even tell me you were thinking about this.”
“I wasn’t ready to mention it yet. It’s all still on the drawing board.”
“You want to follow Thuong?”
“No. I’ve actually been thinking about this since before he came into my life. Things were changing inside me. Thuong may have been a catalyst, but he’s not the driving force.”
“I don’t understand why you’d leave Galt,” she said. “Your family is here. You have seniority at work. You own a house, for God’s sake. If you leave all that to chase after a guy, you’re out of your mind.”
“Well, first off, yeah. I probably am out of my mind for thinking I could share this without you freaking out about it,” I said with more heat than necessary. “It’s not about Thuong. He’s only there to make some kind of reparation. Who knows where he’ll wind up?”
“But you really like him. What if you move there and he decides he likes Portland? Do you move to Portland?”
Would I? “I don’t think so.”
“Oh my God. This is crazy, Luke.”
“Why? This is a special place. I felt the pull of Santo Ignacio from the first. Why shouldn’t I follow my heart?”