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The Purgatory Library was a little quirky. It was in an old train station, since no one took trains to Purgatory anymore, or planes or even roads most of the time, and the original library building had burned down fifty years ago. Apparently the move was meant to be temporary but the funds had been redirected and the new library never built, and so in the former train station it remained. No one had bothered updating the checkout system since at least the nineties so they still used book checkout cards and stamps, and while users could look up the book catalogue on one of the three old candy colored Mac computers in the computer room - formerly the newspaper stand - there was still an actual card catalogue.
Waverly loved it. Okay, the digital system back in the big city where she used to work was easier to keep track of and they’d had access to popular books a lot quicker, but the Purgatory Library had charm. She loved the tiled floors and the stained glass in the doors and the sun pouring in from the skylight. She loved that the old first class lounge was now her break room with its lush velvet seats, even if it did smell like mothballs no matter how many times she and Jeremy cleaned it. Instead of working from behind a big desk in the front she sat in the former ticket taking booth with a solid wood partition in the window that she could close if she needed privacy for some reason or another.
Like right now.
She sighed as she dabbed at the stain on her sweater. Babies were cute but holy crap were they messy, and it turned out that spit-up mushed peas were hard to get out of wool. The baby's mother had been so apologetic and looked so frazzled that Waverly couldn’t be even a little upset at her, but she was still not particularly happy with the destruction of her favorite sweater.
There was a sharp rap on the window so loud Waverly almost fell off her stool. “Hey, I know you’re in there!”
“One second!“ She looked around desperately for her jacket, thinking she could swap it out for the stained sweater.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it before, I’m not letting you eat up my whole break again.” The rapping turned into pounding. “Hurry up the hell up, I know you have my -“
Waverly opened the window with a snap. “Can I help you?”
The rude woman’s jaw dropped. She was tall enough that even leaned against the booth, Waverly still had to look up to meet her eyes - big brown eyes, nice eyes even while they were opened wide with astonishment. Her hair was a bright orange-red with a round-brimmed hat sitting on top and she was wearing a green and gray uniform. She was probably the most attractive person Waverly had met since moving back to town, unfortunately, and in spite of herself, Waverly softened a little.
And then the pretty woman immediately ruined it by saying, “So sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
That got Waverly’s blood boiling all over again. “You thought I was Jeremy? You were going to talk like that to Jeremy?!?!”
Because Jeremy was the head librarian and the only other person who worked afternoon shifts, so there was no on else that Nicole could've thought she was yelling at. And Waverly had only known her new boss for a couple weeks but she was already certain that anybody who would speak to sweet, kind, socially awkward but in an adorable sort of way Jeremy Chetri like that was an absolute demon. This woman being generally curt and rude was one thing; specifically targeting Jeremy was an entirely different, unforgivable thing.
If possible, the woman’s eyes widened further. “No, I didn’t mean -“
“Name.”
“What?”
“For your order. Last name. Please," she added through gritted teeth.
“Haught. Nicole Haught.”
“One moment, Miss Haught.”
She ducked under the desk, quickly running her fingers over the stacks of books rubber banded together until she found the one with the card that said Haught on it. She stood back up, pulled the rubber band off of Nicole’s order and started stamping the return date on the checkout cards wordlessly.
“I really didn’t mean - oh, um,” Nicole said, grimacing, “sorry, but did you know you have a stain on your sweater?”
Waverly pushed the books across the counter and put on a polite smile, brittle at the edges. “They’re due back on the twenty-first. Have a good afternoon.”
The redhead nodded. “Right. Um, good to meet you. And I’m really sorry about -“
Waverly snapped the partition closed.
*
Four hours later, she dropped into her favorite velvet chair in break room with a loud groan.
Jeremy looked over at her from his own chair and made a sympathetic face. “Long day?”
“My favorite sweater is ruined,” Waverly said with a pout. “Plus I got my first bad customer. Total jerkwad.”
“Yeah, we’ve got a couple of those; the citizens of Purgatory aren’t always charming. Or literate. But the worst of them don’t usually show up in the library very often, if that helps.”
“It’s fine, really, I’ve had way worse patrons in the big city. Things were just going so well before she showed up.”
“And they’ll keep going well. C’mon, don’t let one jackass get you down.”
“Thanks, Jere.”
“So who was the jerkwad?”
“And do you want me to curse them?”
Waverly jumped in her seat when Brigitte, the librarian who usually took the night shifts, stuck her head over Waverly’s shoulder. “No, no, that’s okay. Thank you, though.”
“Alright. But let me know if you change your mind. I am excellent at curses. Ask my fiancé - if you can find him.”
Brigitte wandered off, humming to herself, and Jeremy shook his head. "Or how about you come over for a movie night with me and Robin? You can invite your sister, we'll watch something funny and super gay and order Chinese from the only good takeout place in town, it'll be great."
Waverly perked up. Uncle Curtis and Aunt Gus had moved them to the big city when she and Wynonna were in high school, and Wynonna had only moved back to Purgatory because Waverly had wanted to. And Wynonna wasn't great at making friends but she and Jeremy had gotten along the few times they met, and Robin was awesome, so Waverly had been hoping that she could find a way to get the four of them to hang out together for a while. Having that opportunity handed to her on a silver platter more than made up for her uncomfortable encounter. "Sounds perfect. I'm in."
*
By the time the weekend rolled around, Waverly had put the Nicole Haught incident behind her. One bad patron wouldn’t ruin the best first month of the best job she'd ever had.
Of course, that was when the jerkwad showed up again.
Nicole was hovering at the front desk and her eyes lit up when Waverly walked by. She waved awkwardly then pointed to the stack of books her other arm was holding. "I'm returning."
Waverly pointed about a foot left of the former ticket booth and said, "Good. There's the return slot. Have a nice day."
Then she turned on her heel and headed back towards the stacks.
A few seconds later, she heard footsteps behind her before Nicole caught up with her. "Could you maybe help me? We're having trouble identifying this invasive plant that's giving people rashes, and I couldn't find it online because Google's search engine is crap now and I thought might be able to suggest a few books on botany."
Waverly abruptly changed directions, marching down an aisle and scanning the nearest shelf quickly before pulling out a book that was so heavy she nearly dropped it before she readjusted her grip and shoved it into Nicole's chest. "Here."
"Oh, crap," Nicole said as she also nearly dropped the book before wrapping both arms around it. "'Every Single Plant in the World: From Abies to Zygopetalum Orchid.' Um, wow, thorough, but do you have anything that might be a little quicker to search through? Like a book on poisonous plants or something?"
"No." Waverly walked away.
Nicole caught up again; damn her long legs. “I think we got off on the wrong foot.”
“Can't imagine why you'd think that. I just love getting yelled at for no reason, really brightens up my day."
“Yeah, I deserved that,” Nicole said with a shy smile. “I thought I could explain myself, maybe give you a better apology, if you’ve got a minute.”
“I don’t. I have a group of kids waiting over there for me to read to them.”
“Oh.” Nicole looked over to the reading mat and waved at the kids sitting there. “Hey, guys!”
“Hi, Ranger Nicole!” the kids chorused back.
“My department does a lot of kids programs,” Nicole explained, “and I'm usually the one to go to speak at elementary schools and stuff. Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about some joint programs -“
“Uh-huh, sure, but right now I have to read, so …”
“So I can sit here and wait,” Nicole said, walking over to a chair just outside of the reading mat. “I don’t think the kids will mind. You guys okay with me staying for reading time?”
“Yeah!” the kids shouted.
Waverly glared at Nicole, who wilted a little. “Fine,” she bit out before turning to the kids with the brightest smile she could manage under the circumstances. “Who wants to hear me read a story about a Rainbow Fish?”
"That's my favorite fish," Nicole said. When Waverly just gave her another glare, she sighed. "Right. I'll just go sit over there and read my book. Maybe I'll get through the A's by the time you're done."
"Doubtful."
"Well, a girl's gotta try."
She smiled at Waverly and for a second, Waverly smiled back. It was hard not to. Nicole had a really pretty smile and a cute dimple on her left cheek.
Then she remembered herself and turned away, back to the kids and the reading mat. Nicole was rude and snippy, and had meant to be rude and snippy to sweet Jeremy, who had put up with Wynonna talking through all three episodes of Overcompensating they'd watched for their impromptu movie night. Waverly wasn't supposed to think her dimple was cute.
And if that wasn't enough reason to ignore Nicole's cute dimple, she was given another one when, just as Rainbow Fish was giving away one of his scales to the little blue fish, she was interrupted by a thud and then someone shouting, “Wait, what!”
She looked up to see Nicole practically jump out of her chair, trying to grab her things up with one hand while the other kept her phone glued to her face. The kids looked back at her with wide eyes and pinched, worried expressions on their little faces.
Waverly tried to get them back on track "Hey, everybody, don’t mind Ranger Haught. Look, Rainbow Fish is learning the importance of sharing and -“
“Oh, no, she doesn’t! You tell Bunny that I’m coming back right now and that if she’s touched one of those samples I’m gonna put my foot up her -“
“MISS HAUGHT!”
Nicole froze, her coat half-on and her hat held in mid-air, before turning to the children. “Lonnie, I gotta go but I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, okay? Don’t let her touch anything.”
Then she smiled big and cheesy at the kids. “Sorry about that! Ranger Haught needs to go and deal with a … well, anyway, I gotta go but I can’t wait to see some of you at our hike next week!”
“Say goodbye to Ranger Nicole,” Waverly told the kids, her voice chipper but her eyes were fixed on Nicole, giving the redhead her most menacing glare.
“Bye, Ranger Nicole!”
“Bye, kids. Bye, Miss Earp. Sorry I'm ... sorry that ... just, sorry again.”
Then she took off, half-on coat trailing behind her. The botany book was abandoned on the floor near the chair, opened up to Venus flytrap.
Worst patron ever, including the ones in the big city.
Her dimple wasn't even that cute.
*
Morning shifts were Waverly's favorite. There was always a small rush when the library first opened, people stopping by before work or school, but then it got quiet. Peaceful. She'd help a few elderly women find their book club books and parents find something new for their kids, but otherwise it was a tranquil time.
Or it had been, before Waverly noticed Nicole sitting in one of the study carrels.
She waited for Nicole to come up to her again, try to explain her continued awful behavior, but this time the ranger seemed intent on whatever she was studying. Waverly decided to leave her to it. She could be professional, at least as long as Nicole stayed far, far away from her.
And then she saw it.
A coffee cup.
An uncovered coffee cup in the library, sitting right next to a library book.
She didn’t think about, was halfway to the carrels before she even registered she was moving. "Miss Haught!" she snapped as soon as she was nearby, ready to read her the riot act.
Unfortunately, Nicole was turning a page when Waverly said her name, and her hand jerked at the sound. The book jerked with it and the corner knocked into the coffee cup and it rocked once, twice, three times before starting to tip over.
“Damn it!” Nicole swore, grabbing the coffee cup, but it was too late. Brown liquid had splashed out and engulfed the book entirely, and was running around the carrel desk and dripping down onto the carpet.
Waverly stared at the damaged book as its pages wrinkled and curled up, pathetic and defeated, the coffee pooling where the pages met at the spine, and she felt cold with rage. “Get. Out.”
“Waverly, I -“
“Out, get out!” She grabbed up the book before pointing at imperious finger towards the door. "You are BANNED!"
She didn't even know if she could ban someone from the library, but she was angry enough she didn't care. Jeremy would probably agree with her once he saw what had happened anyway.
Nicole looked at her with big kicked puppy eyes before shuffling away, eyes fixed on the floor as she pushed her way through the library front door.
Jeremy found Waverly in her ticket booth a little while later, sadly dabbing at the pages with a cotton ball. "Woah. What the hell happened?"
“You remember the jerk who yelled at me last week then interrupted the kids reading time?”
"Uh-huh. She did this?"
Waverly nodded. "Brought a big cup of coffee and spilled the whole thing over a study carrel. I just finished cleaning it up and now I'm trying to see if I can do anything for this book. Probably won't ever be able to put it back on the shelf, though."
“Damn. She’s really got it out for you.”
“And somehow she keeps acting like it’s a bit misunderstanding,” Waverly huffed.
“Why is it you every time? How could I never have met her before?”
“I think you probably have, actually. It’s Ranger Haught.”
Jeremy's eyebrows shot all the way up to his hairline. “Your asshole customer was Nicole? No way! She’s, like, the nicest person in this town besides Robin - well, and you, now.”
“Her? Seriously?”
“Absolutely,” Jeremy insisted. “She was one of the first people to welcome me to town and even after Robin quit the rangers we still hang out a lot, she’s even had us over for dinner a bunch of times. She was the only one who stood up for me with Bunny. I mean, Brigitte did, but she just kinda did weird rituals with like feathers and worms and stuff. Nicole was the one who kept telling her off.”
“Huh.” Waverly felt some of her rage taper off; then she looked down at the ruined book and it flared back up again. “Look, I’m really glad she was nice to you, but she’s been awful to me. And look at what she did!”
“Come on, she’s not the first person to ruin a book by sneaking food in here, and we get books damaged all the time. I know you’ve seen worse than this in the big city.”
“Of course, but it’s the disrespect. She wasn’t even trying to hide her coffee, she was just blatantly drinking it for anyone to see, just like how she yelled at me and didn't care about the kids and - Jeremy, are you listening to me?”
“Yep, disrespect, I got it,” Jeremy murmured as he bent down, peering at the book through narrowed eyes. “Um, Waves?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you sure that she destroyed a library book?"
Waverly frowned, utterly confused. “What do you mean? I mean, just look at it!”
“I dunno, it looks kinda new? And there’s no plastic on the outside.” Jeremy gingerly lifted up the cover and looked at the edges of the pages. “There’s no property stamp either, and no card in the back."
Waverly's stomach dropped. "It's not a library book?"
"Doesn't look like it. And uncovered cups are still a no-no, but how mad can we get at her for messing up her own book?"
"That I stole," Waverly realized. "Fudge nuggets."
"Stealing is a little harsh, and I'm sure after everything she gets that it's a misunderstanding. Just give it back to her next time she comes in."
She winced. "I may have banned her."
"Huh. Then I better give her a call."
He patted Waverly on the shoulder before heading for the break room. Waverly stared down at the ruined book. Maybe she had misjudged the jerkwad after all.
*
Nicole showed up just before closing. Waverly had let Brigitte have the night off so she could wait for the ranger and she offered her an uncomfortable smile as she slid the ruined book across the counter to her. "So."
"So," Nicole said, smiling just as uncomfortably.
“This isn’t a library book.”
“No, it’s, uh. It’s mine.”
“So I stole your book. And yelled at you about it.”
Nicole's smile got a bit more sure of itself. “Yeah, but I did bring coffee in the library, so I probably deserved it.”
“Maybe a little.”
“And I yelled at you that first day. I’m really, really sorry about that.”
“Thanks. I still don’t get it, though. You don’t seem like the jerkwad customer type, and Jeremy says you’re great, so … why?”
Nicole sighed. “You know about Bunny Loblaw? The head librarian before you got here?”
“Sure, of course. She was here for over twenty years, got a commission from the mayor, then got fired for being homopho - oh.”
“Yep," Nicole confirmed with an awkward, one-shouldered shrug. "Came in with my ex once a couple years back and she started making comments every time I came in. Got worse and worse, and then she started doing other stuff, like not being able to find my order or saying it was in the back and making me wait through my whole lunch break. Almost got me fired before I explained what was happening to my boss Nedley. Anyway, I pretty much memorized the schedule around here so I could avoid Bunny and only deal with Jeremy or that creepy night librarian -“
“Hey, Brigitte is nice!”
“She sings the return dates to me.”
“That’s whimsical.”
Nicole snorted. “Not in the Nightmare on Elm Street way she does it. Plus one night, when I was leaving, she just stood in the parking lot in the shadows, watching me. And I could swear she was wearing a wedding dress and I’d just seen her like two minutes earlier and she definitely wasn’t in a wedding dress then.”
“Okay, she’s a little eccentric,” Waverly allowed. “But I think that just adds to the library’s charm.”
“You’re sweet,” Nicole said, her eyes warm, and Waverly found herself fighting back a blush. “Anyway, I was having a rough week trying to figure out what this invasive plant is and Bunny’s been using her position on the city council to make things harder for me, so the last thing I wanted to deal with was more Bunny. But I couldn’t get over here any other time, and I’d been so busy lately I hadn’t talked to Jeremy or Robin in a few weeks, so I didn’t know she'd been fired, so I thought that it was her behind the partition.”
"It sounded like she deserved it," Waverly said. "Jeremy told me about how she used to talk to him. And that you defended him. I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions."
"Hey, I don't blame you. I really didn't make the best first impression." Nicole leaned in close and looked Waverly up and down. "Let me make a better one? Maybe over dinner."
Waverly giggled. "Really? You're turning this into an opportunity to hit on me?"
"If I haven't completely screwed up my chances, yes. Yes, I am."
And Waverly took one look at that dimple and said, "Okay."
Nicole lit up like the sun. "Great. When's your day off?"
"Or you could try tonight - y'know, while I still have a good opinion of you. I get off at eight."
"I can wait," Nicole said, backing towards the nearest empty seat. "And I won't touch anything, I promise."
"Good," Waverly said, and she was only half joking. "And maybe we can look up your invasive plant together later."
"Looking forward to it."
It turned out to be wild parsnip. The discovery made Nicole smile, and Waverly got to see the dimple again.
Best patron ever.