Withered Pages

Chapter 2-1

Thankfully, the rain had finally let up and Ivy was able to ride her bike to work the next day. There was still a chill in the air, but she was grateful for the exercise. Being outside always gave her energy and helped clear her mind.

She was busy most of the day working on an expense report, but when she left her office, she noticed Harper was back. He was hunched over the computer screen with notebooks scattered around him. A copy of Hamlet was opened next to him.

Hamlet“Are we struggling today?” she asked as she walked up behind him.

“That noticeable?” he remarked, sighing and looking up at her. “I know Shakespeare is supposed to be this amazing writer, but I’m just not feeling it. I mean, this story is bonkers! All this royal treachery, and then there"s a ghost? I don"t get it.”

“Shakespeare isn’t for everyone,” she agreed. “But he was definitely a talented man who paved the way for many of the brilliant authors we have today. Would you like for me to help you?”

“Not unless you want to proofread my five-page report,” he sighed once more.

“I don’t mind,” she offered. “I have a minor in Literature.”

“Really?” He looked excited. “That would be so awesome.”

“Sure, just email it to me.” She gave him her address. “So, you’re in 7th grade, right? And you"re already doing research papers on Shakespeare?”

“I’m in AP classes and my English teacher is a Shakespeare fanatic,” he explained.

“Ah, gotcha.” She smiled.

“I don’t know why this class is getting to me.” He began formulating an email to her. “I can breeze right through classes, but not this one.”

“You can’t be too technical when it comes to Literature,” she offered.

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking up at her.

“Novels, poetry, plays…they’re all art,” she explained with a shrug. “They can be subjective. What you felt reading about the death of Hamlet’s father might not be what I felt about it. That’s why some people love, oh let’s say, The Lord of the Rings and some don’t.”

The Lord of the Rings“Yeah.” He nodded and then sent her the paper. “But only a crazy person wouldn’t love The Lord of the Rings!”

The Lord of the Rings“Right you are! Give me a couple of days and I’ll get back to you,” she told him. “For now, take a break. Sometimes you just need to step away from it.”

“Did you know that two of Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into Klingon?” Harper smiled at her and then started picking up his things.

“Really?” she laughed. “I did not know that.”

“Yep, Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing can be enjoyed by Trekkies,” he laughed and then found his way to the Young Adult section again.

HamletMuch Ado About NothingSoon after, his brother came to pick him up. It surprised Ivy that he actually came into the library. Darren and Carrie watched as Roman gave Ivy a small wave and then left.

“I think he’s sweet on you,” Carried commented, watching Roman leave. “If he weren’t so broken, I’d so go for it. He’s hot as hell.”

“Broken?” She gawked. “Really, Carrie?”

“There is so much you don’t know,” she said.

“I don’t want to know.” She plugged her ears and walked into her office.

Not that she was interested in Roman in any way, but she didn’t think it was fair to judge him and Harper based on their past. What if Carrie knew about her past? Would they still be friends?

Ivy left the library that evening and headed to the local grocery store. She made a quick stop by her house to get her truck. She only needed a few things, but it was more than the little bike basket could handle and the temperature had dropped a few degrees from that morning.

The bike had never failed her at the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, but it wasn’t a grocery getter and she needed dog food. If she came back without dog food again, Apollo would disown her; she knew it.

Ivy grabbed a cart and headed down the first aisle to her right. She was not one to peruse the grocery store. She actually hated shopping in any form unless it was for books or things for her house. She always had a list, and she would check things off in record time to get back home.

The thing about having plans was that they never worked out like they were supposed to. She ended up running into her pastor, her hairdresser (who told her about her aunt’s friend’s cousin’s dog that got hit by a car), and the school librarian, Mr. Archer.

“We have to get you in the school again!” Mr. Archer said to her as they talked in the baking aisle. “The children just enjoy when you read to them.”

“I do as well.” She smiled, her face straining.

It’s not that she didn’t like Mr. Archer. He was a nice man, but Ivy could tell he sort of liked her. He had, in so many words, asked her out. Granted, it was to the church luncheon, but Ivy had still had to find a way to let him down gently. He wasn’t her type at all.

“Just let me know and we’ll get it set up, Mr. Archer.” She smiled again.

“Now, Ivy, I’ve told you before, just call me Blake.” He smiled back at her. “You know, I was wondering…”

Oh no, here it comes, she thought.

Blake, with his overly animated facial expressions and too strong cologne, was going to ask her out again. It wasn’t going to be to the church luncheon either. She had to find a way out of this conversation—and fast. She could fake a call, or maybe faint. Or she could just woman up and tell him she wasn’t interested.

“Ms. Newton!” she heard a familiar voice from down the aisle.

She turned to see her guardian angel. Harper came rushing toward her, his big hulking brother trailing behind him. The young boy nearly gave her a hug, but then thought better of it. Harper had never been very affectionate. She didn’t think it was because he didn’t want to be. He just had trouble knowing how to be.

how“Well, hello there, Harper.” Ivy kept her hands to herself, tempted to pat the boy’s shoulder.

If Harper didn’t want to touch her, she wasn’t going to touch him. Harper would figure out if he wanted a hug or a handshake, and she’d be glad to extend him either one.

“Hi, Ms. Newton!” he said again. “Hi, Mr. Archer. Look here, Roman, two librarians in one place.”

“I hope it doesn’t create a riff in the space-time continuum.” He smirked, his green eyes bright with amusement.

Was he joking? Did this big, stoic guy know how to joke? Ivy gave him a look, one eyebrow raised and a grin.

“How are you doing, Roman?” Blake asked, reaching to shake his hand and Roman finally took it after a long awkward moment. “It’s been a while. It’s funny, Roman and I graduated together, live in the same small town, and yet hardly see each other.”

Blake laughed as if he had just told the funniest joke. Ivy gave him a smile out of sympathy, but Roman just sort of glared. Ivy was pretty sure that was his resting face. There was no telling what was going on behind those green eyes.

“Well, I really better be going.” Ivy grabbed her cart handles, ready to go.

“Oh, but Ivy,” Blake began.

Really, Blake? In front of these guys?

“Mike and Emma’s wedding is next weekend and…”

“Oh, yeah, heard about that,” she told him as she continually backed up. “Too bad I can’t go. See you all later.”

She took off down the aisle, leaving them in her dust. She was certain she had seen Roman trying his best to restrain a smile. Ivy grabbed the rest of her items from the list and made an unscheduled stop down the wine section. She grabbed a bottle of Riesling and headed for the register. Thanking her lucky stars she didn’t see anyone at check out, she hurried to her truck.

Ivy was putting her bags into the truck when Roman came up behind her. “I’ll get that for you.”

He grabbed the dog food before she could say anything and put it in the bed of the truck. She was tempted to ask him if he was going to follow her home and get it out, too, but she refrained. Ivy had been lifting dog food for as long as she’d had Apollo and had been doing just fine. She decided to keep that to herself as well because she was sure he was just trying to be nice.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Ms. Newton, have you looked at my paper?” Harper asked her, leaning out of the car window next to her.

Ivy had been so preoccupied getting into her car that she hadn’t realized who was next to her.

“I have,” she told him. “I’ll be finished with it this evening and send it back to you.”

“Great,” he told her. “Your hair looks pretty like that. Bye!”

The young boy climbed back into the car and rolled up the window.

“Bye, Harper,” she laughed.

“I think that’s our cue to leave...before someone else attempts to asks you out,” Roman said, hiding a grin, and nodding to her. “Ms. Newton.”

Ivy stood there, unsure of what to say. So, he had noticed that Blake was trying to ask her out. She felt her face flush, but she wasn’t sure as to why.

Ivy spent the next few days trying to avoid Blake at all costs. He would call her at work, send her emails, or just show up. She had hoped that her avoiding the topic of going to the wedding and completely brushing him off would be a clue, but she was wrong. Carrie and Darren were no help at all. They thought it was endearing.

“I mean, he’s not a bad-looking guy,” Carrie told her as she scrolled through Blake’s f*******: page. “Those are in short supply around here.”

“Yeah, well, good looking or not, I just don’t have any connection with him,” Ivy told her. “I need to let him down easy, but I don’t know how.”

“Just say you’re not interested,” Darren suggested. “Simple and to the point.”

“I know, you’re right.” Ivy was busy dusting their circulation desk. “I just...don’t want to cause tension between us. We do a lot of programs together for the kids.”

“Blake seems like a reasonable guy.” Darren grabbed the cleaning cloth. “And we have a cleaning lady for that. Go be a librarian.”

Ivy sighed and headed back to her office with Carrie’s voice following her, “I think you should give him a chance!”

Ivy had zero plans of dating anyone. When she’d moved here, it wasn’t to settle down and have a few kids. Her career was her marriage, and the patrons were her children. She wanted to see this place grow.