The Mighty Quinns: Mac

“I’m a fast reader,” Mac assured her.

“It’s a date, then. Saturday night.”

Mac wanted to stay longer, to find an excuse to grab her hand or steal a kiss. But he had officially secured a date with Emma and, considering her unpredictable nature, he thought it best to leave while he was ahead. “I’m going to go now, before I find a way to screw this up. I’ll see you Saturday night.”

“Where?” she asked.

“Great question. Any thoughts?”

“I’ll pick you up at the hangar and we’ll decide then.”

She smiled and Mac felt his blood warm a few degrees. “Good idea.”

“Enjoy the book, Mac,” she murmured.

“See you Saturday, Emma,” he said.

As he walked back upstairs to the circulation desk, Mac smiled to himself. He’d managed to play that perfectly, yet he hadn’t a clue how it had all happened. When he’d set out to find her, he hadn’t been sure she’d agree to a date.

With the exception of their love of books, they had absolutely nothing in common. She was a homebody, content in a small town, living a small life. Her only adventures came from books. She’d put down roots and was a respected member of the community. Emma had history that included friends and family.

Mac had no roots, no family, no past. He’d spent his adult life drifting from place to place, taking work when he needed it. Everything he owned fit into his plane. His freedom was all he’d ever required in life. He had nothing to offer a woman like Emma.

So why was he so determined to charm her, Mac wondered. Did he see her as a challenge? Or did he want to experience just a tiny bit of the life he’d never had? Or was she just so amazing that he couldn’t help himself?

“It’s just a date. You’re not climbing Everest.”

It was only dinner, and yet somehow Mac felt that it was the start of so much more.

2 (#ulink_fc1eb582-e29e-5af0-a76f-93e54dbafaf8)

THE NORMALLY QUIET library came alive after school when students strolled through the front door and took their customary spots at the reading tables. The students who wanted to study usually chose to stay at the school library. But Emma had a loyal group of outsiders, kids who either weren’t comfortable at school or had been kicked out of the school library for bad behavior. The former she welcomed, the latter, she considered a challenge to be won over.

“Where are the books about T. rex?”

Emma smiled at Joey Hammersmith. “See that big green dino over there? Right underneath him.”

“Thanks!”

Joey ran off and her gaze fell on a young girl who’d been part of the after-school crowd for the past few months. She appeared to be about eleven or twelve and always sat at the same table, in the same chair. Emma caught her eye and smiled, but the girl quickly looked back down at her books.

“What time is your date tomorrow night?”

Trisha leaned over the counter and pulled out the lollipop container, grabbing a root beer-flavored sucker for herself. She held out the container to Emma. “Join me?”

“I’m on a diet,” Emma said. “I bought a new dress for the date and I—”

“Oh, is it a dress kind of date?” Trisha inquired. “I just assumed it would be a jeans date.”

Emma frowned. “Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know. Just from the way you described him. He seemed more like a casual kind of guy.”

“He didn’t really specify,” Emma said. “Crap, now I’m going to have to go buy a new pair of jeans. And stop eating completely for the next twenty-four hours.”

“Why don’t you just call him and ask?”

The idea of phoning him caused a flood of nerves. There was something about Luke MacKenzie that turned her into a stammering schoolgirl. And now that she’d decided he was going to be “the one,” she couldn’t think about him without picturing the guy naked and lying in her bed.

“Maybe I should just go with a casual skirt and sweater,” Emma decided. “It will be appropriate for either kind of date. And I won’t have to diet at all.” She grabbed the lollipop container and fished out a raspberry pop. “Did you stop by just to make me nervous?”

“Of course not,” Trisha said. She studied her shrewdly. “So do you think you’re going to do it tonight?”

Emma groaned. “I don’t believe he’s a sleep-with-a-woman-on-the-first-date kind of guy. He seems very passionate, but he might also be a closet gentleman.”

“Just be careful, Em.”

“I bought condoms.”

“That’s not the kind of careful I was talking about. This is a small town full of gossips, and you know how people feel about you. If you start romping about with some stranger, people are going to talk. Especially those ladies on the library board.”

“Don’t worry about me. Besides, it’s not as if we’re going to have a relationship or anything,” Emma said. “Can I do anything for you?”

“I need Keats. Every book of his poetry that you have on the shelf.”

“You know where that section is,” she said. Trisha was about to leave when Emma called her name and motioned her closer. “See that girl over there? With the blond hair and the red sweater?”

Trisha glanced in the direction of Emma’s gaze and nodded. “Lily. Lily Harper. She’s a foster child with Dave and Denise Prentiss. I’ve heard they’re planning to adopt her.”

“She’s here every day after school. And she always sits alone. Doesn’t she have any friends?”

Trisha shook her head. “I don’t think so. She’s bounced around a lot from what I’ve heard.”

“What happened to her parents?”

“I’m not sure. She’s not from around here, and she doesn’t talk about herself.”

“She seems so sad. And she never checks anything out. She pulls books from the shelves and reads them here, but never takes anything home.”

Emma felt a sort of kinship with the little girl. She understood how it felt to be an outsider. After the brace and the acne, her friends had started to distance themselves from her and she’d been alone. Books had become her best friends and she’d lived through the characters she loved. They had wonderful friends who shared amazing adventures.

“Are we still going to the flea market tomorrow?” Trisha asked.

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“I thought you might want the time at home before your big date.”

“I’d just spend the time obsessing over it. I need distractions.”