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I looked around and walked up to the front desk, hoping to see Lexi there, maybe with some friends That way I could invite them all at the same time and they wouldn’t think I was there to just ask Lexi

"Hi" I walked up to the women at the front and beamed They all returned my smile with blushes and the oldest lady patted her cheeks

"Why, how can we help you, young ranny and her nairls’ faces and held in a sigh None of them were Lexi

"I’m just here to check out the library, mam"

"Do you have a library card?"

"No,in Jonesville, I’d never gotten a library card

"Well, we can sign you up and then you can get a tour"

"Oh, I don’t need a tour"

"Who’s doing the tours today, Nina?"

"Lexi is, Nelly"

"Lexi can give you a tour after you sign up" Nelly smiled at me and took rew even wider, if that was possible, and I felt sad Here was another constituent who had been fooled ive you the tour, Mr Evans"

"You can call me Bryce, mam, and Lexi is fine" I kept my voice even, but I felt a bit panicked I needed for Lexi to give me the tour

"Well okay then, Mr Evans" Nelly looked a bit flustered at my request and I took a deep breath

"Only because I kind of know Lexi froh School It will be nice to catch up while she shows ain "Well that et Lexi"

"Yes, Nelly" Nina stood up and smiled at me and walked away I released my breath and filled out the form that Nelly put in front of me

"You can borrow up to ten books at a time, Mr Evans, and only three new releases You can borrow three DVDs at a time and two CDs If we don’t have a title in stock, you can put your name on the request list and ill email you when it is available"

"Oh, okay Thanks"

"You can start borrowing books today Just come back up with the books that you choose"

"Aw, okay" I hadn’t planned on borrowing any books, but I figured I better borrow so now, or it would look too suspicious

"Lexi will show you around and then you can choose, okay?"

"Uh, yes, h of relief as Nina walked back with Lexi by her side Lexi looked atthey were before Or hoar, wide sood to see you" She stood there, aardly, for a second and I realized she was debating over whether she should giveor not I reached my hand out to her and we shook hands instead

"Thanks I wasn’t sure if you would rehed and alked away fro eyes

"Of course I remember you" She looked at me in surprise "To be honest, I wasn’t sure if you kneho I was"

"Oh, I’d never forget you" I smiled at her and immediately wanted to slap myself for the words that I had uttered How completely and utterly aard I wasn’t sure if she had heard what I had said, because she didn’t answera e computer room and I studied her open and interested face

"Hard," I answered, honestly, surprised that I was answering honestly I guess I was taken aback that she had even asked me the question She was the first person, since I’d been back, to ask me what it had been like It was like everyone else was just willing to forget that blip indeal and I could forget it as easily as they could

"I bet" She pointed into the roon up for an hour at a tiet up"

I laughed as she spoke and looked into the room, curiously So this is where Miss had written her letters to me "What’s so funny?" Lexi looked at ed my shoulders "I just had a friend who used this computer lab a lot"

"Oh, okay" She looked like she wanted to ask rateful for I didn’t want to share Miss with anyone, not until I kneho she was and what had happened

"So what’s in that room?" I pointed to another door

"That’s a study room" She opened it and we looked inside and saw a table with soh school and college students can reserve to work on projects"

"Oh, that’s cool"

"Did you never use theh School?" She cocked her head and looked at hed

"No"

"Oh, " She seeotten through high school with a 41 GPA and never been a member of the library

"So this is the fiction section, huh?" I looked at the rows of books and se collection of books"

"What are you doing on Saturday, Lexi?" The words burst out offrom an active volcano I couldn’t stop myself and I looked to see her reaction

"Saturday?" She had a faint blush around her face and I could tell that she felt unco hair was now in her face, as if she were trying to hide behind it

"Yeah, wella party for ht you’d like to come You and some friends, of course," I finished, lamely

"But you don’t even know me or my friends" Her words trailed away and she looked at ht that rabbed a book froot the book I wanted to read I figured I’d be going, but if you want to co at the party, you are more than welcoain, but this tirin on her face I was surprised at how pretty she looked when she smiled She was prettier than I remembered

"So you’ll come?"

"Yeah It sounds like fun" She pushed her hair back behind her ears and I studied her face, thoughtfully If she looked anything like her mother, then I understood my father’s attraction

"Good" I turned away, annoyed that I had thought of ain "What’s so funny?" I couldn’t stopto burst into tears

"I was just ad your book choice" She pointed to my hands and I looked down and saw ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ I felt o red and I squaredto see orinned, as she bent her head, flustered, and walked up to the front desk to check out with a huge grin on my face She hadn’t expected that answer fro that I wasn’t was a prude I was a virile man and if Fifty Shades could teachto read it I checked out and walked to the front of the library with a new confidence One bird down, one ht Now I just needed to find out who Miss was I was afraid that that was going to be aLexi Lord to ued with the lady at the post office for about fifteen ot frustrated with ive you personal inforhed "Just a na to have to ask you to leave now"

"Please"

"Sir"

"Fine" I scowled at her and walked out If it had been the o, I would have tried to have pulled rank and asked her if she kneho I was Who my father was Once people knew my dad was Mayor, I co to do that anymore He didn’t deserve that auto to have to think of another way, even if itout by the oing to find out one way or another I just had to