Free Simply the Best by Wendi Zwaduk

Chapter One
     

    “Take a break, they said. A long weekend will do your ass good.” Sam sighed and gripped the handle on the main door of the library. He didn’t want a break. Didn’t want to think about the shit in his life. He wanted to be working. Or at least not dealing with his non-existent love life issues while on mandatory vacation. Stupid rules.
    He strolled up to the main doors of the library and scanned the fliers taped to the glass before he went inside. His friend Quint suggested he take up reading during his vacation and even suggested a couple of series he should try out. Sam shrugged. It wasn’t as if he had better things to be doing.
    The chilly air in the main foyer of the library smacked him in the face. Talk about a rush on a hot as hell day. He scrubbed a hand over his head. He needed to shave the stubble again. Yet another thing he wanted to change. His damn receding hairline. At thirty-three, he was too young to be going bald. Some women liked the smooth look. Most he’d come in contact with weren’t impressed. Guys tended to appreciate the hairless look, but usually they weren’t interested in that part of his body.
    He scanned the signs for the periodicals section. The last time he’d been to the library he was still in school. A lot changed in fifteen years. More computers, people caught up in their own little universes on MP3 players and smart phones. He liked technology, but the world got lost in the gigabytes and forgot how to be social.
    Sam picked up the latest copy of the Gates Mills Examiner and sat at one of the few empty tables. He knew what went on in town. Being a police officer, he saw the shit people did. That crap irked the hell out of him. Guys beating their girlfriends and wives. Drunks running people off the road. The assholes out there hurting animals on a whim. The world went to hell around him so fast.
    He flipped the pages to the comics. At least the humor would help his mood. He glanced up at the people wandering around the library. People watching had always been one of his favorite ways to pass the time. The bank of computers was full of people checking their social statuses and listening to music. Nothing of too much interest to him.
    A blonde pushing a cart caught his attention. He only saw the back of her, but the view he got knocked him for a loop. Heart shaped ass, pale blonde hair grazing the middle of her back and the longest legs. She stopped at the main desk and spoke to one of the male workers, then added more books to the cart. When she turned, the breath wrenched from Sam’s chest. Green eyes and a smile guaranteed to melt his heart.
    The woman rolled her eyes at the guy behind the counter and shook her head. Before he could make another move, she stomped away from him.
    Good for her. Sam flattened the paper on the table. He’d keep an eye on her. Something about the man at the information desk rankled him. He glanced down at the paper every so often, but didn’t read a word on the page. She captivated him.
    A thought occurred to him. Why the hell was he watching her when he could be talking to her? He refolded the newspaper and stood and returned it to the proper shelf. Courage wasn’t his issue; still he shored himself up in case she told him to get lost.
    “Excuse me? I’m looking for a book.” Shit. On what? “Serial killers.” Great way to win over a woman.
    She smiled and inched the cart out of the way. “Those are over here in this aisle.” She waved her hand and led him to the proper area of the library. “Do you have any particular person in mind?”
    “You,” he blurted. Christ. Talk about fucking smooth. “I mean…”
    “You’re direct.”
    “It happens.”
    “I’ve heard a lot of come-ons here. But that one was a first.” She held out her hand. “I’m Emma. Any guy who is trying so hard not to sound silly and still ask me out deserves a chance. I go on break in fifteen minutes. Want to come