Love Across The Bookshelves ✨ Cozy Romance Story For Sleep

[00:00:10] Good evening and welcome to Sleep Wave. I'm your host, Carissa, and I am so happy to have you here. Tonight, we are going to drift off with a dreamy, sleepy story. This is our weekly free episode. If you've been enjoying the show, please consider becoming a subscriber. It's truly the best way to enjoy the show. Details below your podcast player.

[00:00:32] You may know that I narrate books when I'm not recording the podcast for you, and cozy romances are among my favorite stories to tell. I love the happy ever afters, the charming locations, the excitement of new love.

[00:00:48] I think these stories are so popular because all of these things have a way of gently taking our focus off whatever may be going on in our own lives, and they allow us to sink into the flow of someone else's story. Tonight, we'll spend a little time on Cape Cod, where we meet two book lovers. Dan and Simone bond across the shelves in the town library.

[00:01:12] Then, slowly, Simone starts to realize this could be the beginning of her own romance story. Before we begin our only ad break, which helps make this show possible. To listen ad-free, follow the link in the show notes. If you're looking for a feeling of peace, safety, and groundedness as you move towards sleep tonight, then look no further than my channel,

[00:01:40] Stephen Dalton sleep stories, where I write and narrate stories specifically designed to give you the sleep of your dreams. I have written many stories, including ones about magical bookshops and libraries, lighthouses and trains, and even some funny ones like my boring stories.

[00:02:04] Discover why millions have chosen to listen to my voice to get a better night's sleep. Search for Stephen Dalton sleep stories on your favorite podcast player, and it will be my great privilege to be the voice that you listen to as you go to sleep.

[00:02:24] So, my friend, Stephen Dalton here. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to go to sleep laughing or at least smiling? Well, I'm here to tell you about my new channel. It's called Humorously Dull History for Sleep.

[00:02:47] In each episode, I bring you through the history of a particular topic, like the history of houses, or the spoon, or dogs. And I tell you the history in, I hope, a humorous way. Find Humorously Dull History for Sleep wherever you get your podcasts. There's something quietly remarkable about the stories people carry with them.

[00:03:13] The moments that changed everything, the situations nobody could have planned for. What was that like is a podcast built entirely around those moments. Each episode, a guest sits down and recounts a real experience. An unusual job, an unexpected encounter, a life turned briefly sideways. True stories, told by the people who lived them, verified so even the most extraordinary ones you can trust.

[00:03:42] Episodes like, Elena was friends with Mickey and Scott was an undercover FBI agent, give you a gentle window into lives lived very differently from your own. So if you find yourself drawn to real human stories, the kind that make you wonder what you would have done, I'd invite you to spend some time with What Was That Like? Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening right now.

[00:04:12] Take a deep breath, get cozy, and off to Cape Cod we go. Harbor Willow was one of the prettiest towns on Cape Cod. The heart of the town was Main Street, a bustling avenue with brightly colored hanging shop signs that creaked softly in the breeze.

[00:04:42] Harbor Willow was the kind of town people flocked to in the summer. But it also had a steady community year-round that loved the small-town charm. On Main Street, there were plenty of antique stores filled with rare treasures, and people came from far and wide in the hope of finding something precious.

[00:05:05] No one ever visited without stopping by at the infamous diner, Maggie's, which served the best coffee and pie on the East Coast. The bakery was next door, sending the smell of warm bread onto the sidewalk every morning. At the end of the street, you'd find the old-fashioned hardware store with creaky wooden floors and bins of nails.

[00:05:35] Simone Sears had lived in Harbor Willow her whole life, and she worked at the library. She loved her job, loved everything about it, from the smell of the books to the big, comfy sofas where she liked to curl up on her lunch break to read a few pages. Simone lived in a pretty house on the outskirts of Harbor Willow with a sunny backyard.

[00:06:01] Up the road, her parents had a similar house, and just a few doors down, Simone's grandparents lived in a classic New England colonial. It was great to live so close to all the people she loved, and she spent a lot of time sharing dinners with her family and helping her grandparents with their groceries. But she always enjoyed returning to her own cozy home.

[00:06:30] The house was small and perfectly formed. If you were strolling by, you might not notice its presence as the house peeked out between the larger buildings. The walls were pale, softened by the salt air and sun, and trimmed in white.

[00:06:54] There was a narrow porch wrapped around one corner, just wide enough for a rocking chair and a small table. Out the window, you could just about see the blue of the ocean, just a sliver of it. And that always had a calming effect on Simone. She felt truly grateful to live near the sea.

[00:07:23] Outside of work, Simone was never bored. She had plenty of interests. She loved pottering about in her garden, where she'd planted rows and rows of flowers, all chosen because they thrived in the coastal climate of the Cape. She volunteered for beach cleanups and coastal conservation projects.

[00:07:48] She loved discovering new recipes and liked to cook in large quantities. Often, she brought in chewy peanut butter cookies to work for her boss, Mrs. Wells. Simone had many friends, all of different ages. There was Caleb Shore, the charter fishing captain, who always took her out on his boat.

[00:08:15] And Theo Briggs, the bike repair shop owner. Then there was Lila Crow, who ran the local bakery. She was Simone's best friend. They'd known each other since grade school. They spent many a day gossiping during long beach walks.

[00:08:38] There was so much to do and see around Harbor Willow, and Simone was busy and happy. But much to her parents' and grandparents' disappointment, she hadn't found love. Simone didn't listen to them when they asked her when she'd find a boyfriend. It just wasn't a concern.

[00:09:03] Days passed with work, walks, and evenings with friends. Life was good in so many small, perfect ways. Coffee in the morning, a good book, laughter with someone unexpected in the library during her shift. There wasn't space or time for love in her life. It was just Simone in the library and old Mrs. Wells.

[00:09:33] Mrs. Wells had been there forever. She knew everyone and everything there was to know about the town. But now she was getting older and less able to help with stocking shelves and moving books. She tended to chat with the library patrons at her desk with her coffee. There was more and more going on at the library every day.

[00:10:01] This was mostly due to Simone. She planned story time for preschoolers and book clubs across genres, from romance to horror. It was Simone who'd set up after-school study hours and community lectures on interesting subjects like whale watching.

[00:10:25] The library had even won a prestigious award from the Massachusetts Librarians Association for all the work Simone had put in to position the library at the heart of the community. All of this meant Simone was incredibly busy, and Mrs. Wells decided to hire a new librarian.

[00:10:49] The job advert had been out for months, but hardly anyone had applied. Simone was starting to lose hope in the whole thing. Maybe we'll just manage the two of us for a bit longer, she sighed. Then, one day, things changed. Simone woke up and had her coffee out on the porch.

[00:11:17] The gravel path crunched underfoot as she walked out and greeted her neighbors. Something was in the air already that day. She felt like something was going to happen, though she didn't know what that was. She walked past the bakery, picked up a cinnamon bun and a coffee, and headed to work.

[00:11:44] Enjoying the short stroll, she waved to the people she saw along the way, saying hello to everyone. Simone. Inside the library, she made sure the books were in their place and the new arrivals were labeled. She tidied up the shelves so everything was just so ready for the day to begin.

[00:12:13] The light began to flow into the library. The place was ready to open, and Simone treated herself to another steaming cup of coffee. She drank it next to the window, listening to the birds sing. Mrs. Wells was late. It didn't matter to Simone. Simone. She enjoyed having some time to herself.

[00:12:41] And then there was a knock on the door. Who could it be? No one in Harbor Willow visited the library first thing in the morning. It was the kind of town where slow rising was encouraged. Simone walked up to the door. There, she encountered a tall man with glasses, holding a rucksack and looking a little nervous.

[00:13:10] Hello, she said. He stuck out his hand. I'm Dan O'Malley, he said. I'm due to start work here today. Oh, really? Simone said, arms crossed, trying to hide her curiosity. Yes, I'm so sorry. Did you not know? Mrs. Wells hired me. Well, you'd better come in, Simone said.

[00:13:40] She felt herself blushing. This Danoeli was extremely handsome, and there was a real sweetness to him. Soon, Mrs. Wells turned up. Hello, dear, she said to Simone. Everything okay? I have a bone to pick with you, Simone said with a smile. Who is this Danoeli?

[00:14:10] Mrs. Wells smiled. Well, she said. Dan came out of the blue, and he's very well qualified. I was going to tell you, but I really wanted to see what your first impressions were of him, without knowing that he was coming to join us. What do you mean? I just thought you'd be a good match in a few different ways. Mrs. Wells grinned.

[00:14:40] Simone felt herself going bright red, and she hoped that Dan, who was getting himself set up in the library computer system across the room, couldn't hear them. He was far too polite to indicate he'd heard, even if he had, and he sat there typing away. Simone sighed. He was annoyingly good-looking.

[00:15:07] He seems lovely, Mrs. Wells said. I thought he'd be perfect for you. Simone shook her head. She was absolutely fine as it was. She didn't need anyone at all. She had her lovely little house, and her job that she adored.

[00:15:32] Her life was full, and there wasn't room for anyone else in it, let alone another librarian. There was no telling if he'd be good at the job. Maybe he'd fold over the pages. Simone shuddered at the thought. Simone was all ready to show Dan exactly how to run the library.

[00:15:59] She wasn't his boss, but she'd been working at the library a long time. That first day, she was ready to get him up to speed, quite sure that he wouldn't be up to her standards. But she was pleasantly surprised.

[00:16:18] Dan moved around the library with ease, like it was a place he knew well, and it reminded her of when she'd first arrived in the library. He was a stickler for preserving peace in the adult section. And he was very quiet himself, managing to type without making a peep, which Simone thought was a skill in itself.

[00:16:49] Dan shook his head in annoyance as a book was returned with the pages folded down. Simone agreed. This was very rude, and she approved of it, when Dan politely asked the returner not to do it again. One woman came in, looking quite upset and seeking a very specific, rare book.

[00:17:18] Dan was so kind, helping her for ages find exactly what she needed, as if he had all the time in the world. He didn't rush her at all. Simone and Mrs. Wells watched. He's good, isn't he? said Mrs. Wells. He's just doing his job, Simone said.

[00:17:45] Well, he reminds me of you when you started, Mrs. Wells said with a smile. He's nothing like me when I started. Simone shook her head. She wasn't sure why she was being defensive. Mrs. Wells nodded, as if to say, we'll see.

[00:18:10] The weeks passed, and Simone noted that Dan always remembered her coffee order, and bought one for her in the morning. He didn't even ask, just presented it to her with a small smile. You don't need to do that, she said to him. I was getting one for myself, he said. I might as well get one for you.

[00:18:40] More time passed, and Simone realized that if Dan wasn't on the road to work with her, she felt an emotion that she wasn't quite sure she recognized. Slowly, she realized she missed him when he wasn't there. She learned more about Dan's past. He had grown up in a small town on the Cape.

[00:19:09] His mom was a teacher, his dad a carpenter. He'd moved to Boston in his twenties, and he'd worked as a manuscript restorer, cataloging fragile pages, repairing bindings, and helping students dig up old histories.

[00:19:29] Before he moved to Harper Willow, he'd spent years working in a big library in Boston, surrounded by precious old books. When he finally came to the small town, it wasn't for excitement.

[00:19:50] It was for a slower pace, the sense of community, and the simple comfort of books and friendly neighbors. Just like her, he was always trying to preserve broken spines and make sure no adults were talking to disrupt storytime. Dan kept bringing in coffee for Simone.

[00:20:20] I think he likes you, Mrs. Wells called across to Simone from her desk. Don't be silly, Simone said, and she went and hid behind the bookshelves so she wouldn't have to discuss it any further. The thing was, Dan had begun as her colleague, someone to take the pressure off.

[00:20:47] But she was very taken with his individual quirks. She loved the way he came to work with his notebook, jotting down observations about the world. He had the adorable tendency to quote lines of poetry at her, and she was impressed by how much he'd memorized.

[00:21:13] Like Simone, he was a big reader, reading his favorite books over and over again. When Simone talked, even about something quite dull, she found he watched her intently, making her feel fully heard. Simone found herself thinking about these things, but she pushed them away.

[00:21:43] She didn't need anyone at all, least of all a colleague. She was perfectly fine as she was. One night, the library was all closed, but the team had planned to stay late. They needed to reshelve a big batch of new books that had arrived.

[00:22:11] It was a task that Simone enjoyed a lot, and Dan seemed very keen to. I was wondering, too. I was wondering, what did you do? Mrs. Wells started putting on her coat, ready to head off home. Are you not going to stay with us? Simone asked. Oh, no. Mrs. Wells said. You and Dan will be just fine without me. I'm too old to be standing up for so long.

[00:22:40] You know that. She left the two of them with what Simone thought was a knowing parting glance. They just got to work in companionable silence when the rain began. It fell softly against the window, tracing little paths down the glass. She looked out as the bright hanging signs on Main Street became blurred through the glass.

[00:23:10] Trees and fences lost their edges, softened by the drizzle. She picked up one book and shelved it, then another. She was aware of Dan, but his presence was soothing as she heard him add one book to the shelf, then another.

[00:23:36] Slowly, she let her fingers brush along the spines of the books, before popping each one back into its rightful place. The scent of old paper grounded her in the moment. Her hands moved automatically, nudging books into alignment.

[00:24:04] She took in the soft thought of each book sliding into its correct place and enjoyed the gentle noise. She paused at a shelf, noticing the subtle color variations and the way the fading light caught the gold lettering.

[00:24:29] She straightened a stack with deliberate care. She leaned back for a moment, letting the stillness settle around her and breathed in the calm.

[00:24:55] Letting the day's tension slide away, embracing the repetitive tasks, Simone felt her shoulders loosen as her thoughts drifted with the steady, gentle fall of rain. Her thoughts slowed. Time seemed to stretch. They were nearly done.

[00:25:22] Dan and Simone didn't speak at all. Neither of them wanted to, as they wanted to preserve the relaxing environment and the state of flow they'd entered, completely absorbed in their task. The work was done, and Simone moved to the other side of the library.

[00:25:51] She knew what she was going to do as her final task of the day. Something just for her. She reached for her favorite book, Jane Eyre. She took this book out often. Of course, she could buy her own copy, but there were two copies at the library, and she liked to alternate between them. They were familiar.

[00:26:22] Simone liked that often other people in the town checked out the books, and so she could run her finger down the front pages and look at all the dates, imagining the people she knew reading the book at home. She felt a sense of relief as she picked up a copy, and then she noticed the other copy was on loan. She wondered who had it.

[00:26:52] She realized that in all her time working at the library, she couldn't remember both copies of Jane Eyre being on loan at the same time. How intriguing. She saw Dan, and he was there with the book. He had it under his arm, checked out.

[00:27:21] She held her copy up to show him. He smiled at her. It's my favorite. He said with a shrug. Simone felt herself melt a little. She couldn't stop herself from smiling at him. And she thought to herself, What are you doing, Simone? He's your colleague. Simone looked at Dan standing there with a smile.

[00:27:49] But she just stood there, smiling and smiling. And then Dan turned away from her and looked outside. It's still a little rainy, he said. I don't suppose you'd like to go for a hot cocoa before we head home?

[00:28:11] Simone thought of a delicious mug of cocoa and looked at Dan standing there with a dog-eared copy of Jane Eyre. She couldn't think of anything she wanted to do more. That sounds like a good idea, she said, trying not to show her excitement.

[00:28:35] She wasn't surprised that Dan was the perfect gentleman as they walked over to the diner. And he produced a big umbrella that he held over her head. They walked down Main Street. It was getting dark, but the windows were glowing and Simone went into the diner.

[00:29:00] And it was a relief to get into the warm and cozy room out of the rain. There was Molly, who came up to them with a set of menus. Oh, hello you two, she said with a knowing kind of smile. Simone was flummoxed. Did everyone think she and Dan O'Malley were going to be an item?

[00:29:31] Somehow, something had changed that night, and she didn't feel outraged at all by the prospect. They ordered two cups of cocoa with cream and marshmallows. I'm excited to read this again, Dan said, holding up his book. It's one of my favorites. Well, mine too, Simone said.

[00:29:58] I take it out of the library all the time. I love the character of Jane, Dan said. She's brave, and she has a good heart. She won't let anyone take advantage of her. And the two of them ended up discussing Jane Eyre for quite some time, sipping on their cocoa.

[00:30:23] You've got a little something, Dan said, and he was blushing. What? Simone asked. Just there. He said, and he gestured to her cheek. May I? She nodded.

[00:30:48] Time seemed to fly for Simone as the rain poured down, and she chatted away to this unusual man who had appeared in her life. Then, Molly came over and told the two of them she was closing up for the night. Dan insisted on walking Simone home, and together they wandered up Simone's gravel path.

[00:31:18] At the top of the path, Dan gave Simone a small kiss on her cheek, and then he walked away. Simone stood there for a moment on her porch. She watched as he left, wondering if he'd look back. And sure enough, he did. Dan O'Malley was quite a serious man.

[00:31:48] And it was one of the things she liked about him. But in that moment, he let out a huge smile. She smiled and waved. She was so excited that she'd see him tomorrow.

[00:32:07] She gave a little silent thanks in her head to Mrs. Wells, who seemed to have set up the whole thing, locked inside her cozy house, and began getting ready for bed. Rain still fell, and she could hear it pattering down gently above her.

[00:32:33] She sank into her favorite armchair, just at the window. Simone prepared a warm mug of chamomile tea, the steam curling upward and brushing her face. She slipped her feet into woolen socks, and pulled a faded, knitted blanket around her shoulders.

[00:33:03] Then, she opened her journal. She wrote about the evening she'd spent with Dan, a few sentences of memories so that she wouldn't forget. The lamp on the side table cast a golden pool of light, softening the edges of the room, while the faint scent of lavender from a nearby candle drifted.

[00:33:33] She opened her well-worn book, letting the words carry her to distant places. But occasionally, her eyes wandered to the rain. Each drop seemed to slow time, giving her mind space to unclench, and became easy and smooth.

[00:34:02] Before closing the book, she scribbled a few final thoughts in her journal. Feeling the pen glide smoothly across the paper, she set everything aside, brushed her hair, and slipped into her pajamas. Climbing under the covers, she listened to the steady rhythm of rain.

[00:34:31] Each patter, her eyelids grew heavy, and with a contented sigh, she let her thoughts drift to Dan, as she let the conversation play back in her mind. She didn't focus too much on what they'd talked about.

[00:34:53] She just let certain words and phrases sit there, and then move away until they were gone. Maybe love had shown up for Simone. It wasn't dramatic or sudden. Just natural, like a familiar face in a crowd.

[00:35:22] She thought of that sense of familiarity and coziness. It was like her oldest pair of faded jeans that fit just right. Hand-knit socks, and the first sip of a warm coffee.

[00:35:44] With each breath, she felt the tension in her shoulders and neck loosen. Melting away, she focused on the rise and fall of her chest, the steady rhythm of her heartbeat, and the gentle warmth of the blanket against her skin.

[00:36:11] She imagined a soft wave of light moving from the top of her head down to her toes, washing away the day's worry. Each exhale carried away a little more tension, and each inhale filled her with calm, quiet energy.

[00:36:41] Let the storm outside lull her into a delicious sleep.