But the million-dollar question was… Had he lost his damn mind? He hadn’t asked a woman out in years, and he alone knew the reason why.
So why her?
CHAPTER 2
Stella—July 2015
S
tella gave her book another quick shake before slipping it in her purse, then hoisted her bag on her shoulder. “By the way, I’m Stella.”
“I’m David. Nice to meet you, Stella.” He bowed and tipped an invisible hat.
Stella bit the inside of her cheek to suppress a grin. Is this guy for real?
They fell in step and walked past Carpenter’s Hall, crossed Chestnut Street, and entered a sunny courtyard planted with trees and perennials.
He pointed to a low building with a long glass front. “Ah, now I know where we are. Last time I came in from the other end of the yard. I have to come back later to buy a birthday gift for my sister.”
She didn’t even think before she offered, “We can go in now, since we’re here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yup.” Inside the little gift shop, she said, “I’ll check out the postcards. Take your time.” She skimmed through a few cards with quotes until she read, “The person who deserves most pity is a lonesome one on a rainy day who doesn’t know how to read.” Stella was tempted to buy it and use as a bookmark, but decided against it.
Being a library curator, she agreed one hundred percent with the popular Ben Franklin saying. How empty would the world be without books?
Letting David poke around by himself gave her the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at him.
He was a little taller than her brother, maybe 6’4”. His black, curly hair was closely cropped, and the stubble of a five o’clock shadow covered his chin, even though it was only noon. There was something familiar about him, but she knew they’d never met. Must be one of those ‘I’ve seen you before’ faces.
His black polo shirt showed well-toned arms and hinted at an athletic body, and the way his jeans hugged his hips… Stop ogling, Stella!
“Stella,” he beckoned her over to a display of glass vases and matching bowls. “Do you think I should get the blue or the green?”
“Without knowing anything about your sister, it’s difficult for me to choose. What’s her taste in tableware?”
David looked sheepish. “I’m a guy and don’t pay attention. As long as a glass is clean, I’m good.” Luca would’ve said the same, Stella thought of her brother.
“What’s her furniture like?”
He scratched his chin, then said, “Lots of black and white.”
“Then I’d go with clear glass. Your sister can dress it up with colorful flowers and fresh fruit or candy in the bowl.”
“Great! Give me a few more minutes to pay and get it wrapped.”
She walked back to the postcards but glanced to him. It was hard to believe that she’d accepted a total stranger’s invitation to lunch. Yes, he startled her in the park. But his voice was so melodious, and as soon as her heart rate came down, she wanted to hear more of it. And the twinkle in his dark brown eyes told her he was only teasing her.
Her best friend, Naomi, often accused her of being too trusting, but Stella disagreed. She believed in the good in people and listened to her gut feeling.
Another thing Naomi often told her was to take off her thinking cap and to have a little fun. Which is exactly what she just did!
Hours later, Stella stood dithering in front of her closet. Naomi bought them tickets to the touring Broadway production of The Phantom of The Opera as a birthday gift, and Stella couldn’t decide what to wear. Images of her handsome lunch companion kept popping up in her head—as they had all afternoon, together with snippets of their conversation.
He had asked lots questions about her, and she told him about growing up in Philadelphia, then about living in Boston while attending college and grad school, and about moving back only a few months ago for her dream job as curator at the Library Company of Philadelphia. She was almost embarrassed at how much she rattled on about working at America’s first successful lending library and oldest cultural institution.
What did she find out about him? He said he was from Chicago and traveled a lot for work. But whenever she asked for more details, he managed to reroute the conversation back to her.
She narrowed down her dress choices to three, then decided on her new emerald green maxi-dress. At the last minute, she added a lightweight sweater in case the air-conditioning was set to arctic temperatures.
After getting dressed, she went to the kitchen and munched on a few crackers with cheese, since she and Naomi were going out to eat later.
While she ate, her thoughts circled back to David again. Stella was surprised how at ease she was with him, as if they’d known each other for a long time. To any passerby, they might have looked like old friends catching up. But it didn’t explain why some people stopped and stared. A few even took photos, which she thought was very rude, but he didn’t seem bothered. Sometimes he even smiled at them, but mostly he focused on her.
When they parted ways, he said, “Thank you for a wonderful time, Stella.”
There was no hugging, no cheek kissing, no handshaking. A smile, a nod, and a wave was all.
Washing down the last crumbs of a cracker with a sip of water, she regretted one thing. She should’ve mustered the courage to ask for his phone number. She had felt a connection she couldn’t describe.
But it was too late; she’d never see him again.
CHAPTER 3
Stella—July 2015
S
tella and Naomi still sat in their seats at the Kimmel Center. The performance was over, the curtains remained closed, and the audience was leaving the theater. All lights in the auditorium were
