Page 22 of Hottie on Her Shelf
Plus, the library had A/C.
Los Angeles’ heat was a nice change, but also no joke for this Mainer. If he wasn’t at the beach or a Dodgers game, Fitz made sure to keep all other activities indoors for his four years there.
“Prove it.” Smiling smugly, Hallie crossed her arms.
Fitz tried to ignore how it drew her shirt taut against her breasts. Being annoyed by her idiotic request made it almost doable. “You think I saved my pay stubs? From twelve years ago?”
“No. If you really worked in a library, you should be intimately acquainted with the Dewey Decimal System.” She stood. Went on tiptoe to bracket his eyes with her hands like blinders on race horses. “No peeking. What category is 796?”
“Sports.” This, he could do. Like the lyrics to summer camp songs he hadn’t sung in decades, he’d never forget all the numbers he’d spent so many hours shelving under. Fitz raised an eyebrow. “Trying to throw me a softball? Figure that’s the only classification a man would know?”
“Then what about 320?”
Shit. It was either economics, or—Fitz snapped and finger-gunned at her. “Political science.”
Hallie dropped her hands. And her attitude. “I apologize.”
“Forget it.” Fitz never minded proving himself to people. He preferred it, actually, after so many instances of being accepted and handed things without proving himself, just because he was a Montgomery.
Plus, her pop quiz had been fun. How was it that every time they started arguing, it ended up being fun?
She moved her gaze in a slow circle, encompassing the tidy shelves, the windows just below the ceiling that flooded the room with light, and the comfortable blue and green chairs all over. “Then why haven’t I ever seen you in here?”
It was hilarious how adorably sad Hallie sounded. Like he’d hurt her feelings by ignoring her cute pet. But the place wasn’t a dog in a checked bandanna—it was a building, one which Fitz simply didn’t need.
“Technology,” he said succinctly. “I use the library only for ebooks, though. That way I can read on my phone between meetings and not live with the constant fear of breaking the spine. Way more convenient.”
“Glad to hear you utilize at least some of our services.” Hallie sounded 50 percent mollified, at best. Yeah, this place was definitely her pride and joy.
He could see why. It looked miles different from the brown and beige boredom jail of his youth. The children’s area was colorful and just messy enough to be inviting. Random books were left on the end tables next to every reading chair to lure in readers. And he was pleasantly surprised by the coffee bar on the far wall.
“Hey, if you want to see me more often, I could come on in and check out a physical book every once in a while. Give you a chance to ogle all this…” Fitz waved a hand up and down his body just to see what sort of reaction it’d provoke out of her. Hopefully, it was shocking enough to distract her out of being so guarded against him.
“You’re…you…” she spluttered. Her eyes rounded and her hands fisted.
She was so much fun to poke at. “Yes, I’m kidding.”
The spluttering cut off abruptly. After a long sigh, Hallie rubbed at her temples. “Looks like I owe you another apology.”
It was his entry point to getting her to drop the whole mortal enemies shtick. “I’d say it looks like you need to stop hating me for no reason whatsoever.”
“Oh, I’ve got my reasons.”
“Seriously?” The woman was freaking stubborn. Fitz yanked out a chair, flipped it around, and straddled it backward. “I don’t drown kittens for fun, for Christ’s sake. There’s no rule that says you have to hate me to buckle down and try your damnedest to beat me.”
Now that he was on her level? She flipped over the legal pad full of handwritten notes that he couldn’t read upside down anyway.
Uh, he wasn’t a trained spy. And he wasn’t a sleazy jerk. But he was getting more annoyed by the minute.
Hands primly intertwined, Hallie said, “Hate is too strong a word. That would be saved for the monsters who dog-ear pages.”
“I’m in the clear with my ebooks, but for the sake of the rest of the citizens of Swan Cove, I hope you’re pulling my leg.”
“Mostly.” A hint of a smile ghosted across her lips. “But animosity is motivating.”
“Wow. You’re saying that if you let yourself like me, you wouldn’t stand a chance of winning?” That was an avenue he’d never considered as a campaign strategy.
“No, not exactly. Being at odds with you just gives me a leg up against someone who already has a considerable leg up.”
