Page 11 of Tiffanie

“Exactly. Princess is a much nicer nickname. I think I could live with that. Can we start over?”

A hint of his former smile curved his lips. “Of course. Hi, Tiffanie. Thank you for meeting me for lunch.”

“I’m glad to see you.”

“Let’s get inside out of the heat,” he suggested. Phineas stepped back and placed a palm lightly on her spine to guide her up onto the sidewalk. After months of putting her love life on the back burner, that human warmth felt amazing.

When his touch disappeared immediately, she knew he was concerned about coming on too strong. Tiffanie stopped on the sidewalk, aware that the restaurant’s patrons could see them through the large plate-glass windows. She laid a hand on his forearm, enjoying the strength under her fingertips.

“May I hold onto your arm?”

The brilliance of his smile returned in full force, making her heart skip a beat. Phineas’s charm was dangerous. He leaned in to brush his mouth softly across hers. “Tiffanie, I would love for you to touch me.” Phineas lifted her hand and rested her fingers on his arm. “Shall we go find out what the special is today?”

She nodded happily. Everything was okay. She hadn’t ruined the encounter. He’d kissed her. Tiffanie wanted to dance a jig or spin in a circle with happiness. She settled on leaning against his powerful frame as they walked to the front door.

Phineas ushered her through with a flourish. A waitress waited for them with plastic-coated menus that hadn’t changed in years. Tiffanie slid into the red vinyl seats of the booth and shivered automatically as the blasting air conditioner blew over her skin.

“Shall I sit next to you and share my heat?” he asked.

“Please.” She scooted over to make room for him.

Phineas wasn’t a huge man, but his presence surrounded her. His athletic body radiated the perfect level of warmth. Tiffanie basked in their closeness as she studied the menu. Sensing his eyes on her, she turned slightly to meet his gaze. “You must think I’m a mess.”

He shook his head. “That is absolutely the last thing on my mind. Have you finished the first book yet?”

She nodded, blushing a bit. “Last night. I can’t wait to read your second recommendation as well.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Would you like me to set up your account to access books online after we eat?”

“Sure. What are you hungry for? I’m going to have a hamburger and fries.”

“I’m starving. That country-fried steak sounds good. I might try that.”

“Ivan loves that dish here. Best in the county, he says.” Tiffanie found herself squashing the urge to lean against his strength.

“Then you’ve helped me decide,” he said as the server returned with their drinks.

When they were alone, Phineas shared a funny story about a young man at the library’s story hour, making them both chuckle. “Kids tell me so much. If you want to unearth any of the gossip in town, come to the library for the toddlers’ meet-up. Those kids rat out their parents and neighbors every time.”

“You enjoy your job,” she said.

“I do. When I started at the university, I wanted to be a teacher. My focus has always been on literacy and reading.”

“So, your degree is in education?”

“Library science.”

“What prompted the change?” she asked, truly interested.

“My advisor forced me to decide between elementary or secondary. I chose everyone. What about you? You’re an interior decorator?”

“I used to have my own business.” Tiffanie debated whether or not to share her illness. She hated when people looked at her as a disease rather than seeing her. She didn’t want to see Phineas decide he didn’t want to waste time on a sick girl. Please let him see her instead of her challenges. “I had the opportunity to combine my talents with Essie at Ferguson’s Folly and decided all the pressure wasn’t worth it.”

“That makes perfect sense. Balancing life and work is important. I’ll admit I didn’t do an outstanding job at that for a while. Now I make sure I give one hundred percent at the library when I’m there and that I have great people on my team for when I’m not there.”

“Are there many library emergencies?” she asked, wishing to know more about his life. As an interior decorator, she had never expected how high stress some jobs could become. Maybe that was the same at a public library?

“Not often, but people do strange things. Even illegal things at times.”