"Can I come with you to work?" James asked.

"Why?" I grabbed my jacket from the closet and slipped it on.

"What else am I supposed to do all day? I can use a computer there to try to find a way to make money for a plane ticket back."

I sighed. "Have you really not called mum or dad?"

"I don't want their help," he said, rolling his eyes. "They're gonna be pissed."

I knew he was right. My parents already doubted everything James did. This wouldn't exactly help. "Alright, you can come. Get ready quick."

We made it to the library with just a few minutes to spare. I showed James to the computers before heading into the back office. Jamie greeted me as I walked past.

He set down the stack of paperwork he was looking through. "I think you're on the front desk today. Atticus called and said he's gonna be late."

"Okay. Thanks." I sat down at the front desk and logged onto the database.

-~-

Around noon I watched Spencer enter the library. An involuntary smile formed on my lips. He mimicked it when he saw me. He came straight to the desk.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi."

"It's Wednesday."

I laughed and nodded. "Yes, it is. My break is in 5 minutes."

"Perfect."

"Hey, Gracie?" I looked over Spencer's shoulder to see James with a book in his hand. "Can I just rent this under your account since I don't have one?"

"Uh, sure." Spencer stepped to the side so I could take the book. He gave James a curious look. James just stuck out his hand.

"Hi, I'm James."

"Spencer," he replied, shaking his hand. James took the book back with a smile.

"This is the Spencer you were telling me about?"

"James!" I said quickly, glaring at him.

He laughed before walking away. I could feel myself blushing. I rolled my eyes and went into the back room. I grabbed my purse and Jamie took my place.

"Ready to go?" I asked. Spencer nodded and we left together.

"So," he said once we'd started walking. "You've been telling him about me?" He smiled timidly.

I laughed to relieve the embarrassment I was feeling. "A little. When I told him I had lunch plans he was asking a lot of questions about you."

"I'm assuming James is your brother?"

"Yeah, he is." I smiled to myself. "He's staying with me for a bit."

"That's nice."

Spencer picked where we were going. When we got to the cafe, he held the door open for me. He asked for a table for two and we were led to a table by the window.

"I'm glad you have some time off from work," I said, looking at the menu. When I glanced up at Spencer he was already looking at me with a soft expression.

"I am too. It's really hard to make plans with my job."

"What do you do when you rush out of here, anyway?"

"I wish that I could tell you." His face fell and he looked like he was stopping himself from sighing. He avoided eye contact nervously.

"Why can't you?"

"It's complicated."

Before I could try to push him for more answers, our waitress came to take our order. I really wanted to know more about Spencer, but he seemed really conflicted when I asked about his work. I figured it would be best to not mention it anymore. At least not today. I didn't want to ruin our date. I just wanted to enjoy our time together.