Emotion tightens my chest and I hug the book to myself, needing to tell them thank you, even though I know they’re not really here.
Not like me and Prudence, anyway.
“Thank you for finding me,” I say anyway, quietly, knowing that I won’t have to speak loudly for them to hear if they are listening.“Thank you for helping me.”
Prudence sniffles.“You’re welcome, of course.”
I open my mouth to tell her I wasn’t talking to her, but why bother?She is helping me, after all.
And, despite my better judgment, the grumpy little black cat has really grown on me.
“Come on,” I tell her.“Let’s look through this for a bit, and then we’ll clean up and meet Tara for dinner.We can bring it with us and see what she thinks.”
“Now that?Thatis a good idea,” Prudence says approvingly.
I beam at her and transfer the book to one arm, scooping her up in the other.
“Together, we can do anything,” I declare, heading for my comfortable couch.“From opening the best bookstore this town has ever seen to getting rid of all the bad ghosts.”
“And maybe even strengthening our core muscles to keep from falling over,” Prudence adds.
I laugh, and she hops out of my grip and onto the couch, then curls up on my shoulder as I sit down.
“You know what, Prudence?I’ll take it.We’re going to call it progress.”
Then I go quiet, pulling the book open on my lap again and getting into what I do best: librarian research mode.
15
Aiden
The Salt Circle is at the perfect level of busy without being too jam-packed, and as a part-owner, I should be really happy about that.
On one level, I am, definitely.
The crowd, however, means that it’s hard for me to keep track of who is coming through the door.I like to greet everyone, make sure everyone is having a good time, the food is good, the beer is better—this is my business, and I am damn proud of it and more than happy to be Mr.Personality when I’m here.
Usually.
Tonight?Tonight, I’m distracted.
Every time I hear the door open, my heart rate picks up.
I am excited to see Sylvie.
Jack, who’s mostly mingling with me—though this is not the part of our business where he shines—keeps arching an eyebrow at me.
“What?”I finally ask him, even though I know I shouldn’t.
“You keep looking at the door,” he says, a smirk on his smug face.“It’s like you’re waiting to see someone.”
“I’m just curious how the site I helped her with is working.”I shrug.“What can I say?I’m invested in her.”I pause.“Her business.You know how I get when I have an idea.”
“Uh-huh.”He narrows his eyes at me.“You’re invested in her business.”
“Yeah.”I rub the back of my neck.“I recommended Cara to her.You know, the graphic designer?You know how that is.”
“Right.”He stretches the word out too long.
