Page 19 of Librarian for the Jock
Chapter Nineteen
PAIGE
It was a warm, sunny afternoon, and I was out running errands with the kids. Brandon needed new shoes for PE; his feet were growing so fast that it seemed like he grew a whole size overnight! Meanwhile, Jenny had been begging to stop by the ice cream shop for almost two weeks, so I figured we could make a day of it. We had just finished up at the shoe store, and I felt pretty accomplished, managing to juggle both their demands without too much fuss.
As we headed down Main Street, Brandon and Jenny were walking a few steps ahead, chattering away about some new video game they were obsessed with. I was half-listening, half-lost in thought, when suddenly, Jenny stopped dead in her tracks.
“Mommy! Look!” she exclaimed, pointing excitedly across the street.
I followed her gaze and felt my stomach do a little flip. There, standing in front of the hardware store, was Chet. He was holding a bag of what looked like gardening supplies and chatting with Mr. Parker. He hadn’t noticed us yet, but the kids were already making a beeline straight toward him.
“Guys, wait—” I started to say, but it was too late. They were already across the street, calling his name.
“Chet! Hey, Chet!” Brandon shouted, waving his arms like he was flagging down a taxi.
I hurried after them, feeling a mix of excitement and mild panic. I hadn’t seen Chet since that whole incident at the library, and while I had been replaying our conversations in my head ever since, I wasn’t exactly prepared for a casual run-in, especially not with the kids in tow.
Chet turned at the sound of his name, and when he saw us, his face lit up with a smile. “Hey, you guys!” he called out, his voice warm and welcoming.
Jenny reached him first, practically bouncing on her toes. “What are you buying, Chet? Can we help?”
“Just picking up some supplies for the garden, and of course, you can help!” he said, holding up the bag. “What about you?”
“We’re getting ice cream!” she announced proudly.
Brandon, not to be outdone, chimed in, “Yeah, and I got cool new red shoes for PE. Wanna see?”
“Sure, let’s take a look,” Chet said, crouching down as Brandon eagerly pulled the box out of the shopping bag.
As I finally caught up to them, slightly out of breath and feeling a little flustered, I managed a smile. “Hi, Chet. Didn’t expect to run into you today.”
“Paige,” he said, standing up and giving me that easy smile that always made my heart skip a beat. “It’s good to see you.”
Suddenly, without warning, Brandon grabbed Chet’s gardening bag, and Jenny pushed me into Chet’s arms. I gasped and looked up into his handsome face, heart pounding and my breath taken from me again. What in the world were my kids doing? Yet, I couldn’t take my eyes off him, soaking in his kind and loving smile. Loving smile—did I really just think that? I started to blush and looked away.
Before I could say anything, Jenny suddenly blurted out, “Daddy, let’s get ice cream!”
“I want ice cream too, Dad! Let’s go!” Brandon added.
I carefully peeked behind Chet and saw Rigs headed straight for us. I quickly wrapped my arms around Chet’s waist and looked up at him. I smiled and said, “I would love some ice cream too, my love.”
Oh my goodness, did I really just say that out loud?! It came out so easily and naturally. I couldn’t fumble with my words now—Rigs was still within earshot.
Chet looked a little surprised at first but was grinning widely, enjoying every moment of what was happening. He had figured out Rigs was near before I did and played along very quickly. I felt his arms tighten around me.
Still looking at me, he said, “Will ice cream make my queen happy?”
I felt like I had lost my voice and my legs were barely supporting my weight, but I managed to squeak out a barely perceptible “yes” while I gratefully leaned against him.
“Well, we better go get some ice cream then.”
He leaned down and gave me the softest, gentlest kiss, and I smiled up at him, our eyes locked.
Jenny started giggling and clapping. Only then did I remember we weren’t alone. I looked down at Jenny, then over at Brandon, and both my children couldn’t stop smiling.
Before I knew it, the kids were dragging us toward the ice cream shop. I followed, feeling a strange mix of awkwardness and excitement.
We reached the shop and all squeezed into a booth, the kids on one side, forcing me to sit next to Chet on the other.
“Did you see that? Rigs walked by without even one glance at you! Guess the idea of you being a family guy isn’t even on his radar,” Brandon said.
Chet laughed out loud. “No doubt that’s true. The public thinks they know me, but really they have no clue. They don’t know that I love the library, especially children’s books, or that I’ve always wanted to be a husband and a father and have an amazing family. I’ve just never had the opportunity to be with the right woman.”
Jenny was quietly grinning goofily at me, and I felt so embarrassed. I didn’t know what to think, say, or do, so I just sat there quietly like an idiot.
Finally, Jenny spoke up. “I think you two make the perfect couple!”
My eyes almost popped out of my head! Out of all the things to say! I did my best to act nonchalant. “Jenny, Chet is a well-respected man with many gorgeous young women to choose from. This is all just an act so Chet won’t be bothered by paparazzi and so he can feel a little more normal while here.”
Chet surprised me by quickly turning to me, all seriousness in his voice. “Paige, I have never met a woman as beautiful, smart, strong, and kind as you. Why wouldn’t I want to be with someone as amazing as you?”
My mind went completely blank. I was pretty sure my mouth was hanging open in disbelief. I was shocked that a man finally saw the woman I wanted him to see, the woman I actually was, and seemed to appreciate it, maybe even love it. I turned away and saw both my kids grinning at me like clowns.
Sensing my complete inability to use words and respond, which was quite unlike me, Chet came to my rescue. “So, anyone up for some ice cream? What’s good here? My treat.”
Everyone was happy with their selections. Brandon went all out with a huge banana split, which was thrilling for him because I’d never have let him get that. Jenny got two scoops of cotton candy ice cream in a waffle cone, with sprinkles. Chet was apparently a chocolate fan, so for him, it was three scoops of double fudge chocolate chip ice cream, drizzled with chocolate syrup and chocolate sprinkles in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone. I had my favorite—French vanilla macadamia nut ice cream on top of a brownie, drizzled with caramel. Happiness all around.
As we started eating, Jenny suddenly got that mischievous look in her eye again—the one that always meant she was about to suggest something fun. Sure enough, she grinned and said, “Hey, let’s play ‘Would You Rather!’”
Brandon’s eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! That’s a great idea!”
Chet chuckled, wiping a bit of chocolate ice cream off his chin. “Alright, I’m in. Who’s going first?”
Jenny, of course, took the lead. “Okay, Chet, would you rather fight a hundred duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck?”
Chet burst out laughing, nearly dropping his cone. “Wow, coming in hot with the tough questions! Let me think… I guess I’d rather take on the hundred duck-sized horses. At least then I’d have a fighting chance. I could outrun them… I hope.”
Brandon snickered. “But imagine all those tiny horses nibbling at your ankles. You’d be toast!”
Chet pretended to shudder. “Okay, now you’re making me reconsider my choice. A horse-sized duck might just be too terrifying though. Imagine that beak!”
Jenny giggled, waving her spoon. “You could try to tame it! Ride it into battle!”
We were all giggling at the ridiculousness of it, and I couldn’t help but join in. “Alright, Jenny, your turn. Would you rather have to eat only broccoli-flavored ice cream for the rest of your life, or never eat ice cream again?”
Jenny scrunched up her face in mock horror. “Ugh, broccoli ice cream? Gross! But I couldn’t live without ice cream, and I do like broccoli as a vegetable. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, so I guess I’d have to go with the broccoli flavor.”
Chet pretended to gag. “Brave choice, Jenny. You’re tougher than I am—I think I’d just give up ice cream altogether.”
We all laughed again, the sound filling the little shop and drawing a few amused glances from other customers. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so light, so free of worries. It felt like the whole world had faded away, and it was suddenly just the four of us, laughing over silly questions and melting ice cream.
Brandon took his turn next. “Okay, Mom, would you rather have spaghetti for hair or marshmallows for fingers?”
I nearly spit out my ice cream, laughing at the absurdity of it. “Oh no, I can’t decide! I guess spaghetti for hair? At least I could eat it if I got hungry!”
Chet grinned, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “And you’d always have an excuse to carry around a jar of marinara sauce.”
Jenny clapped her hands, delighted with the mental image. “Mommy, you’d have to keep your hair away from Chet, or he might start eating it!”
I turned and looked at Chet, pretending to be terrified. He pretended to go for my hair and gobble it up. We all burst into laughter.
Jenny couldn’t help but answer this question too, “I’d choose marshmallow fingers! I’d never stop eating my fingernails. I love marshmallows!”
Brandon nodded sagely. “You’d end up with little nubs for fingers.”
Chet grinned, clearly enjoying the chaos. “Plus, you’d be super popular at campfires. ‘Hey, who wants s’mores? Just bring Jenny along!’”
We all dissolved into laughter again, and I felt a warm glow in my chest. It wasn’t just the ice cream or the game—it was the way Chet was fitting so easily into this moment, into our lives. The kids adored him, and I could see why. He was fun, easygoing, and he treated them with a kind of respect that not all adults did.
“My turn. Gotta think of a hard one for Brandon. Would you rather have two long, front teeth like a beaver or no teeth at all?”
“Mom, that’s not a fair question!”
Chet looked confused, so Brandon explained, “Before braces, my front two teeth stuck out a lot, and some mean kids teased me and called me bucky tooth beaver. Mom also knows I LOVE steak, and there is no way I could eat it with no teeth.”
My eyes widened, and I felt horrible for choosing that question. “Oh, Brandon, I didn’t know kids called you that! I knew your teeth bothered you, but I always thought you looked adorable.”
“It’s okay, Mom. I love my teeth now, and I’d have to choose steak over bad memories because all steaks make great memories for me!” he said, smiling, showing off his handsome smile.
The mood shifted for a brief moment, but Brandon brought back the positive mood again. I loved that kid.
As the game continued, the questions got sillier and the laughter louder. At one point, Chet turned to me with that playful glint in his eye. “Alright, Paige, your turn. Would you rather be forced to sing instead of talk or dance everywhere you go?”
I tried to keep a straight face as I pretended to think it over, tapping my chin. “Oh, definitely dancing everywhere. It would keep me in great shape, and I could make any situation ten times more dramatic with a little twirl.”
Jenny jumped in, “Yes, Mommy! You could twirl down the grocery aisles, spin through the post office, pirouette to the mailbox!”
Then Brandon added, “And if someone asks you for directions, you could just dance out the route.”
Chet nodded seriously but with a grin. “You know, Paige, I think you might be onto something. The dancing librarian. You’d be the most memorable person in town.”
I gave him a mock curtsy, trying to suppress my laughter. “Thank you, thank you. I do aim to entertain.”
Chet clapped and laughed, and for a moment, I was struck by how easy it was to be myself around him. There was no need to put up walls or pretend to be anything other than who I was.
By the time we finished our ice cream, my sides hurt from laughing so much. We’d gone through dozens of ridiculous “Would You Rather” scenarios, each one funnier than the last. As we got up to leave, the kids were still giggling and replaying their favorite moments.
Chet walked us to the door, and as we stepped outside into the sunshine, I felt a sense of contentment that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Today had been unexpected, unplanned, but somehow, it was exactly what I needed.
Chet looked at me, his smile soft and genuine, and I realized that something more had shifted between us today. I couldn’t help but feel a little flutter in my chest. “Thanks for the ice cream and for playing along,” I said, genuinely meaning it. “The kids had a blast, and so did I.”
“Anytime,” he replied, his voice full of sincerity. “I always have a great time with you and your kids. You’ve got great kids, Paige.”
Maybe it was the way he joined in the game without hesitation or the way he made the kids laugh so effortlessly, but there was a warmth there that wasn’t quite as clear before. Whatever it was, I was glad we’d run into him today. As soon as we said our goodbyes, I found myself already thinking about the next time I would see him.
I glanced back at Chet as we walked away, and he was still standing there with that same smile. I realized that today was more than just fun—I was starting to see what it might be like to have Chet in our lives permanently, not just as a friend, but as something more. The thought made me smile.