Conversation at the bookstore

The drive took slightly longer than expected thanks to traffic, but soon Charlie parked near an august three-story brick building. The various shops, offices, and apartments of downtown were fused buildings in long, continuous strips, but the bright red exterior of the corner made the store pop out from the rest. Modestly scripted in the windows, surrounded by all sorts of popular book titles, were the words "Pen Square Café and Library."

Adrienne stepped out first, getting to the sidewalk while Charlie waited for a passing car to go by. She glanced back at him, wary eyes keeping measure of his demeanor. Anxiety clawed at her, warning that this was all some plot or prank; that he only cared as far as getting what he really wanted. If she sensed some ulterior motive or found any concrete evidence, she could stay in the shop and tell him to make tracks. She felt... safe enough, in Pen Square.

Finding a gap in traffic, Charlie hopped out and returned to Adrienne's side, looking up at the cozy-looking bookstore. "It says library, but you called it a bookstore?"

"They do both book check-outs and purchases," Adrienne replied softly. Charlie nodded and gave an affirmative hum, allowing the timid young lady to lead him inside.

Now that they were surrounded by thick walls of bookshelves, the outside world sounded muted and far away. Even with the front door wide open, the grumbling cars outside failed to penetrate into the core of the business. Adrienne gave an acknowledging nod to the girl behind the counter, who brightened politely on seeing people enter the store. She swept a tight spiral of brown hair behind her ear, eyes flicking between the two others.

"Hey, Adrienne! You're not on schedule today, are you? I thought you had a doctor's appointment." The girl's tone curled curiously at the end, her gaze alluding to some assumptions made about Adrienne's company.

While Adrienne's cheeks turned a bit pink, her tone didn't brighten to match the girl's. "Hello, Clara. I did have my appointment, but it's done already." Clara smirked, clearly skeptical. Charlie offered a polite handshake to the girl, who accepted crisply.

"Nice to meet you, Clara. I'm Charlie. Adrienne and I bumped into each other at the doctor's office, so I can vouch for her if there's any concerns?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," Clara reassured him. "Adrienne always asks off way in advance, so it's never any trouble to give her the time she needs." Adrienne cleared her throat, giving a fretful 'you talk too much' glance in Clara's direction. "Anyway, you let me know if there's a book you're looking for. Café seating's on the right, there." She gave the two of them a customer service smile that put a period on their conversation. Charlie nodded to her, following behind Adrienne toward the café.

Akin to the many Starbucks that crept into every crack and crevice of the world, the private café in the bookstore had glass showcase tables and shelves of fresh baked pastries and cool drinks, as well as a large, written-by-hand chalkboard menu with the day's specials. The barista waved to Adrienne and smiled.

"Hey, you. You want the usual?"

Adrienne smiled politely and nodded. The barista pointed at Charlie, tilting his chin up to peer through his glasses. "What about you, big guy, can I get you anything?" Charlie politely declined, taking a seat across from Adrienne once she picked a table. She'd chosen the one furthest in the corner, to minimize any chance of being overheard.

"This place is nice," Charlie started. "The employees are genuinely friendly."

"Yeah... I've worked here for several months now, so everyone is pretty familiar with me." No point in hiding it with Clara just blurting it out like that. She was sweet, but her mouth ran faster than her mind could keep up. She clearly had the wrong idea about Adrienne's "guest," though.

Charlie nodded, holding off any heavy questions until the barista delivered Adrienne's drink to her: a frothy chai latte with extra cloves. She warmed her fingers with the cup, eyelids fluttering as a comforted smile soothed her weary face. Brian, as his nametag revealed, gave Adrienne a soft pat on the shoulder before heading back behind the counter. She flinched a little as if startled, but didn't recoil from his touch. She also watched him leave after he turned away, not focusing her attention back on Charlie until Brian was well out of earshot.