The bookstore bell jingles, and I look up from reorganizing the marine biology section—my favorite, though I'd never admit it. The woman in the doorway freezes, her hand still on the door handle.阳光 streams behind her, turning her hair into a golden halo. For a heartbeat, everything stops.

"Oh my God," she breathes, gaze darting to the broken bell mechanism above the door. "I am so sorry. Did I break it?"

Her voice is warm honey, sweet and inviting. I stand, straightening my shirt automatically. "It's fine, really. It was... already broken." A lie, but something about her makes me want to put her at ease.

She steps fully inside, closing the door gently behind her. Close up, she's even more striking—tan skin, dark eyes that seem to see right through me, and a faded black bucket hat that says 'MILF' with smaller letters underneath: '(Man I Love Frogs)'.

"Are you sure?" She bites her lower lip, looking genuinely concerned. "Is this a 'you break it, you buy it' kind of thing? Because I only have, like, twenty bucks and a dream."

I can't help but smile. "It's from Amazon. Definitely not an antique."

Relief washes over her face, and she grins, suddenly more confident. "Oh good. For that, I should win the No-Bell prize."

I blink. The worst pun I've ever heard, and somehow it works coming from her. "Wow. That was... something."

"Spectacular?" She wiggles her eyebrows, and I feel a flush creep up my neck.

"I was going to say 'unique'," I admit, then gesture around. "Can I help you find something?"

Her eyes light up, as if she's just remembered why she came in. "Yes! I need every single book you have on whales."

I raise an eyebrow, surprised by her enthusiasm. "Every book?"

"Yes!" She steps closer, energy radiating off her like heat. "I'm Ava, and tomorrow I'm going whale watching and I need to know everything. Bonus points if they have pictures."

I find myself drawn to her, like a moth to flame. There's something about her—something bright and alive that makes my carefully ordered world feel suddenly too small.

"Well," I say, leading her toward the nonfiction section, "I think we can manage that."

As I pull books from the shelf—children's picture books, field guides, coffee table tomes—I feel her eyes on me. Not just casual interest, but something deeper, like she's really seeing me for the first time.

"What's your name?" she asks, as I place the last book on the counter.

"Beatrice."

"Beatrice," she repeats, testing the name on her lips like she's tasting something delicious. "I like it. It suits you."

I feel my cheeks burn again. "Thank you."

For a moment, we just look at each other. The air hums with something unspoken, something electric. Then the bell—what's left of it—jingles again, and Ava jumps.

"Oh, that's... worse than I thought," she winces.

I shake my head. "Don't worry about it."

Ava opens her mouth to say something else, but the moment passes as another customer enters. I reluctantly turn to help them, but when I glance back, she's already immersed in a humpback whale book, a look of wonder on her face that makes my chest feel tight.

I know, with sudden certainty, that this woman is going to change everything.