She never expected to hear those words out of his mouth.
“You’re welcome,” she said.
The rest of the day went by uneventful. Customers came to drop off books or collect reserved books. Laura grew accustomed to all the processes and found her job easier with every passing second. At closing time she stood with the head librarian as she locked the doors.
“See you tomorrow,” Laura told the woman and walked to the supermarket. Laura had come up with an idea. She’d cook Dean dinner. She thought he worked too hard and for once she wanted to give him something that hadn’t come out of a box. When making his drink she’d found all the packages for the ready meals.
She grabbed some peppers, chillies, onions and garlic from the fresh food section. Fresh herbs were growing in his garden and she’d seen coriander among the herbs. Next she went to the spice aisle. She placed cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper in the basket. Minced beef was followed by canned tomatoes and kidney beans. With her shopping completed, she paid for her goods and left the store.
She saw Peter standing against the railing outside the store.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” he replied and threw away the cigarette he was smoking.
“You know those can kill you,” she said.
“Probably. I don’t smoke all the time. I wanted to ask you something,” he told her.
“I’m all ears,” she replied, then checked the time and waited for him to talk.
“I’m failing history,” he lied. “That’s why I’m at the library. Mr. Green said he’d give me this summer to catch up and I’ll take a test when college reopens.”
“That explains why you’re at the library. What part are you failing?” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She’d taken history as a step back in time. The past and learning about history always intrigued her.
“Everything. I’m not doing well at all,” he admitted.
Laura stared up at sky. “Do you want me to help you? While you’re at the library I can give you the best kind of books to help teach you and get you up to speed.” she suggested. She didn’t look forward to helping him, but she couldn’t ignore a cry for help, even if the cry for help came in the form of Peter Miller.
“That would be great,” he said with a smile. “I could kiss you.”
Laura took a step back. “Let's keep the skin-to-skin contact at a minimum.”
Peter nodded and she saw the disappointment on his face. She did not want to go there.
“Can I drive you home?” he asked.
“Nope. I’m not going home, but thank you for the offer. I’ll see you at the library tomorrow.”
“Aren’t you working at the diner anymore?” he asked.
Laura shook her head, waved good-bye and began the walk to Dean’s house. The night air was warm, fresh and delightful. Forty minutes later she knocked on his door.
Dean answered dressed in jeans and nothing else. Laura paused. His large, half naked body exposed for her to see. Considering he was a writer, he looked like he pushed weights for a living. She wouldn’t even get her hand around those arms.
“Laura, what are you doing here?” he asked.
“I brought some ingredients and while you work, I’m going to cook dinner. Don’t you worry, I’ve already told my parents that I’m going to be late and they said not to worry.” She lifted her bag of goodies.
“Why not?” Dean agreed and opened the door wider.
She stepped over the threshold and ignored the tingle low in her stomach when her arm brushed against his. She wore a small, plain white blouse and black skirt that fell past the knee -- the proper protocol for working at the library.
“You look like a stern teacher,” he mocked.
“They're my work clothes for the library job. What do you think?” she asked. She placed the bag on the floor and gave a twirl. The skirt cut in at the waist and smoothed over the curve of her hips. All of her was on display. She felt fat and too exposed for her liking. She thought her ass looked like two melons were rolling around under it. She personally preferred baggy clothes with plenty of space to hide her body.
“You look stunning,” he whispered.