“I see you’ve already met Madeline,” Abby said as she approached.
“I was just telling them the fearless librarian was hard at work,” Madeline said.
“Yep.” Abby flexed her biceps. “And I think I avoided any reshelving injuries.” She winked. “One hazard of the job.”
“Ricki,” Blythe said. “Get some video of the librarian in her natural habitat.”
Abby waved her hand at Ricki and shook her head. “No. I can’t record here.”
“Duh,” Blythe said. “Of course, my bad.” Blythe opened her arms. “We drove all this way, don’t we get a hug?”
“Sorry, I’m…” She was going to say rattled. Instead, she stepped into Blythe’s arms. Her heart was racing. This shouldn’t be a big deal, but the more she tried to calm herself, the more nervous she became.
Once Blythe released her, Abby turned to Ricki, who stood a few feet away. “Do I get a hug from you?”
Ricki smiled and stepped toward Abby. When she wrapped Abby in a tight embrace, she whispered in Abby’s ear, “It’s okay. It’s just us. Relax.”
Abby’s gaze shot to Blythe and Madeline, but they were laughing about something and paying no attention. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.”
“You want to make an impression. It’s natural.” Ricki let go of Abby but kept her hand on Abby’s arm. “We’re thrilled to be here. To see your world.”
“It’s not much.”
“Stop.” Ricki waggled her finger at Abby. “It’s your world, so it’s a lot. Don’t let anyone, including yourself, make you think any different.”
“What are you two yammering about?” Blythe asked.
“I was about to ask Abby for a grand tour of this gorgeous library,” Ricki said.
“Definitely.” Blythe smiled. “Bedazzle us.”
Abby chuckled. “I’m not sure I’ve got bedazzlement in me.”
“Yes, you do,”Madeline and Ricki said at the same time.
Madeline grinned and linked her arm through Ricki’s. “I think we’re going to get along famously.”
The tour had taken longer than Abby had expected because of Ricki’s curiosity and Madeline’s incessant questions to Blythe about content creation. It had been fun, though, and it soothed Abby’s anxiety, so her steps were more buoyant as they exited the library.
“We’ll see you tomorrow night,” Abby said to Madeline.
“You still haven’t told them where we’re going?” Madeline asked.
“Nope.” Abby winked.
“And we’re not happy about it,” Blythe said.
“Speak for yourself,” Ricki said. “I always love a surprise.”
“Oh, it’ll be a surprise, all right,” Madeline said as she approached her car. “It was great meeting you both.”
After saying their goodbyes to Madeline, the trio continued walking across the parking lot where Ricki had parked next to Abby’s car.
“I’ll ride with Abby,” Blythe said. “So I can fill her in on all the events of the day.”
Ricki stared at Blythe. Was Abby imagining tension?
“Cyn and Dapper,” Blythe said.
