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she didnā€™t agree right away. Who do you think you are, man?

But the million-dollar question wasā€¦ Had he lost his damn mind? He hadnā€™t asked a woman out in years, and he alone knew the reason why.

So why her?

CHAPTER 2

Stellaā€”July 2015

S

tella gave her book another quick shake before slipping it in her purse, then hoisted her bag on her shoulder. ā€œBy the way, Iā€™m Stella.ā€

ā€œIā€™m David. Nice to meet you, Stella.ā€ 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 Carpenterā€™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. ā€œAh, 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.ā€

She didnā€™t even think before she offered, ā€œWe can go in now, since weā€™re here.ā€

ā€œAre you sure?ā€

ā€œYup.ā€ Inside the little gift shop, she said, ā€œIā€™ll check out the postcards. Take your time.ā€ She skimmed through a few cards with quotes until she read, ā€œThe person who deserves most pity is a lonesome one on a rainy day who doesnā€™t know how to read.ā€ 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 6ā€™4ā€. His black, curly hair was closely cropped, and the stubble of a five oā€™clock shadow covered his chin, even though it was only noon. There was something familiar about him, but she knew theyā€™d never met. Must be one of those ā€˜Iā€™ve seen you beforeā€™ faces.

His black polo shirt showed well-toned arms and hinted at an athletic body, and the way his jeans hugged his hipsā€¦ Stop ogling, Stella!

ā€œStella,ā€ he beckoned her over to a display of glass vases and matching bowls. ā€œDo you think I should get the blue or the green?ā€

ā€œWithout knowing anything about your sister, itā€™s difficult for me to choose. Whatā€™s her taste in tableware?ā€

David looked sheepish. ā€œIā€™m a guy and donā€™t pay attention. As long as a glass is clean, Iā€™m good.ā€ Luca wouldā€™ve said the same, Stella thought of her brother.

ā€œWhatā€™s her furniture like?ā€

He scratched his chin, then said, ā€œLots of black and white.ā€

ā€œThen Iā€™d go with clear glass. Your sister can dress it up with colorful flowers and fresh fruit or candy in the bowl.ā€

ā€œGreat! Give me a few more minutes to pay and get it wrapped.ā€

She walked back to the postcards but glanced to him. It was hard to believe that sheā€™d accepted a total strangerā€™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 couldnā€™t decide what to wear. Images of her handsome lunch companion kept popping up in her headā€”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 Americaā€™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 theyā€™d known each other for a long time. To any passerby, they might have looked like old friends catching up. But it didnā€™t explain why some people stopped and stared. A few even took photos, which she thought was very rude, but he didnā€™t seem bothered. Sometimes he even smiled at them, but mostly he focused on her.

When they parted ways, he said, ā€œThank you for a wonderful time, Stella.ā€

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 shouldā€™ve mustered the courage to ask for his phone number. She had felt a connection she couldnā€™t describe.

But it was too late; sheā€™d never see him again.

CHAPTER 3

Stellaā€”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

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