"Oh, I found you!" A voice behind her said quietly. Jennifer glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the man standing there.
She tucked the books she still needed to shelf under her arm as she turned to him, still smiling, "Afternoon, Mr. Crocker! How can I help you?"
Duke grinned at her, making the slightest blush creep into her cheeks, "'Mr. Crocker'? I thought we were at least on a first name basis, Jennifer."
That slight blush turned into a full blown one at that, as she stammered, "Right. Sorry, Duke, how can I help you?"
His smile turned sly, as he buried his hands in his pockets and tilted head slightly, "Well, I was wondering if you could recommend any books for Zoe and me to read together? Or even something for her to read on her own? I know she'll take to it much more if her favorite librarian said she'd like it than if I tell her."
Jennifer giggled before gesturing for him to follow her towards some of the kids books. She set the books under arms onto a near by book caddy as she scanned the shelves.
She talked to him as she pulled some books out, "Well, a favorite of most little girls has been Junie B. Jones, maybe some Nancy Drew, or there's The Box Car Children which is basically a family version of Nancy? But if we're looking for something a bit more contemporary, there's Sammy Keyes. Though Sammy's a bit old for seven year old, but if you read it with her, I'm sure it'll be fine. But I'm sure there's only some much mystery that one person can take, so maybe something fun…Oh! The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids! Zoe'll like them; just fanciful enough to be engaging but still trying to keep it within the realm of possibility. It's a fun series and it passes the Bechdel test, which is always something to look for in your children's fiction…'course there's also–"
"Jennifer?"
Jennifer looked at him and couldn't help but giggle; as she'd been talking, she'd started to hand him the books she'd pulled out until there was a rather impressive stack in his hands. He smiled at her, "How about two for her to read on her own, and one for us to read together? Just to give my arms a break."
She laughed nervously and took some of the books back, "Sorry. I get kind of excited when people ask me about books."
He shook his head, "Don't be sorry; These are all great ideas, and I'll remember them next time she's looking, but I wanted to surprise her with something when she got home today."
Jennifer blushed back and nodded, "In that case, then how about a Junie B. Jones and a Bailey School Kids for her and…well, I'm more partial to Sammy Keyes just because it's a little easier to conceptualize her since she's much more modern than Nancy, so maybe a Sammy Keyes for you two to read together?"
"If that's what you recommend," He smiled, as she handed him the books.
She tucked her hair behind her ear nervously as she asked, "Is there anything else I can help you with today?"
"Yes, actually." He said, tucking the decidedly smaller stack of books under his arm and smiling at her, "I was wondering if you'd be available for dinner tonight? I'm trying a new recipe and I'm not too confident in my abilities, but I'd love the help."
She looked at him in surprise, her blush reigniting as she stared at him, her voice seeming to have abandoned her.
Duke shifted nervously, "Or, um, or not, I didn't mean to–"
"I'd like that." She said, her voice quiet.
Duke beamed at her, "Yeah?"
She smiled back, "Yeah."
He let out a sigh of relief, "Great! Um, does six work for you?"
She nodded, still smiling at him before saying, "Let me get my cell phone and we can exchange numbers so I'll know where I'm going."
"Yeah! Yeah that'd be…" He let the thought end there and kept smiling at her as he walked with her back to her desk, their hands brushing against each other as they walked.