Bethel's Meadow Read Online Free Page A

don’t need to resort to shit like this to get into a woman’s pants.” I was trying to build him up a little and maybe convince him to shelve that damned book.
    “That’s easy for you to say,” he said. “I’ve seen this time and again when I’m in your presence.” He walked to the end of the aisle, peeked around the shelves, and sighed. “If only that smile just now had been for me.” He whistled again and shook his head. “Damn, that is one sexy librarian. They don’t get that way for me, bubba.” He walked back and poked me in the chest. “It’s you . Yeah, I get women, but not of the caliber you snare. You’re eye candy to women, Smith. Don’t smirk like that—you really are. You date eight to tens. Me? I only get five to sevens. I’m going to master these field-tested methods to upgrade the quality of woman I get. I’m tired of eating your crumbs, Smith.”
    “Wally,” I said, brushing past him, “you and I haven’t been to a hardcore nightclub or bar together in at least three years—just the occasional happy hour. Don’t blame me for your dating woes. Besides, I don’t exactly fetch the cream of the crop when it comes to hotties.”
    Sidebottom followed me to the electronic checkout stand.
    “That’s bullshit, what you just told me,” he said. “All you have to do is smile at a girl—and boom —you’re done. She’s eating out of the palm of your hand and buying all of your bullshit. You have special, God-given powers. The rest of us have to do things to compensate for our lack of looks and the signature killer smile that guys like you have.”
    “Yeah? Well, my special powers aren’t keeping me from having a killer headache right now.” I quickly passed my library card and book through the scanner. As I waited for the receipt to print, Sidebottom offered a suggestion.
    “The surefire cure for a headache is a round or two of beers,” he said, “which will all be on me if you meet me tonight for drinks.”
    “You don’t understand,” I said as the receipt printed. “This is the headache from hell. I never get sick like this.”
    “It’s only stress,” he said. Dr. Sidebottom was in. “Your girlfriend Cathleen is enough—”
    “Caitlin,” I said. “Her name is Caitlin.”
    “Yeah, whatever.”
    I took the receipt and headed for the exit. Sidebottom kept following me while yapping about my personal life.
    “I know you love her and everything, bubba. But dammit, Smith, the woman treats you like absolute shit.”
    “She’s an orphan, Wally.” Whenever anyone lectured me about the way Caitlin treated me, I always blamed it on her childhood.
    As I passed through the anti-shoplifting detectors the alarm went off.
    “ Dammit ,” I cried in pain. I grabbed my forehead with my hand, as if my head were a bell I could somehow silence.
    “Sir, please come over here and I will scan that properly for you.” It was the redheaded librarian again. I walked to the counter and handed her the book.
    “Oh, Atlas Shrugged ,” she said as she passed the book through the scanner behind the counter. “I keep meaning to read that one. You’ll have to tell me if it’s any good or not.” She smiled as she handed the book back to me. “I just finished reading Slaughterhouse Five . I’m trying to read all the classics, now that I work here in the library.”
    “You don’t look like the typical librarian,” I said. I wanted to kick myself for saying something so stupid. But then she smiled sunshine right into my heart, the kind of smile that makes you feel like you are the best thing to happen all day to the person giving it.
    “Thank you!” She was really happy now. Her smile was so genuinely warm that I didn’t want to ever leave. I could have just stood there all day looking at that face without thinking about anything else.
    “I think you’re really cute,” she said.
    I felt my stomach drop the way it always does when I become infatuated with a woman. I wanted to thank