Dancing with a Stranger

Chapter Three

I go through the motions of getting on the subway as I make my way to work with my mind still on this morning's events. Normally I love to people-watch; to see how they interact with each other, from the serious businessman who pretends as though his work is literally what makes the world go 'round, to the mother trying to keep her small kids occupied on their daily commute to daycare, to the university students passed out from exhaustion who somehow always manage to wake in time for their stop, to the fashionistas who believe they are better than everyone, yet they sit on the same, crowded smelly subway as the rest of us.

But today my mind is elsewhere. As I think of the things Braden was doing to me this morning, I feel my face flush as my body heats. Damn him! I have a really busy day ahead and I can not afford to be distracted.

I love my job. As an avid reader from childhood, a job in a library seemed right up my alley. Surrounded by books all day long is like a dream come true. It is not easy to find this kind of work these days, especially in a big city like Toronto. Online retailers and apps have resulted in less and less people wanting to come and browse books in a physical location. Not to mention the increase of available resources and online texts that have made periodicals and encyclopedias practically non-existent. While I see the value in these things and I use them as well, there is nothing like the smell of books, the feeling of a well-worn book in your hand, and the sheer awe of being surrounded by the brilliance of so many great minds throughout the millennia.

I was fortunate to find this privately-owned library. Housed in a charming century home in a historic part of the city, it is everything I could have dreamed of. I had seen an ad at my local bookstore in Ottawa and immediately reached out. One phone interview later and I practically had the job. I was quickly promoted to head librarian, which is not saying much because there are only two of us.

I walk into the building and head straight for the staff room in the back to unpack my things. As per usual, I am the first one here, so I go through my routine of getting things ready for the day.

"Lost in your daydreams, Lacey?"

Startled, I jump, as a deep voice brings me back to reality. I hear the voice chuckle and I turn around to find Ian, my manager, looking at me with a grin on his face.

"Sorry, boss," I stammer, "Just had an...interesting morning."

"I'd bet," he says, his tone suggesting he knows more than he is letting on. "Well don't let your interesting morning distract you from the group of tenth graders that we have coming in later."

"Don't worry, I won't," I reassure him. Ian has been amazing to work for. Not quite understanding how a library works, his job is mainly to ensure the operation of the place and bring in potential investors and endowments. He relies on me a lot for the actual librarian-type of work that happens here. "I've arranged for Sarah to give them a tour of the library. Afterwards, I'll do the session on how to conduct a literature search."

Ian smiles at me again. "Perfect! I can always count on you. I'll be at the back if you need me."

"Sounds good, Ian," I call out as he makes his way towards his office.

I turn back around and my thoughts instantly go back to Braden. Tiffany says he has been asking weird questions about my preferences lately and she is convinced he will propose soon. I am not so sure, but I definitely do not stop my mind from wandering into those thoughts every now and then.

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The day ends up being much busier than usual. There has been a surprising resurgence of popularity in privately-owned libraries. People like feeling as though they have exclusive access, which I guess is what our membership gives them. As the school year is ending, there are also quite a few students looking for first-hand resources for final projects and papers. We also tend to get a few people who want to just see what we are about or admire the architecture in the building.