7
First thing the next morning, Ethan went to Brewbirds and ordered a drink for himself and a cappuccino for Lily. He drove the short distance to the resort, got Lily’s room number, and went up to her room. He set it outside her door and knocked loudly before heading to the stairs. Once he was out of sight, he listened to make sure she got her drink. Her gasp had him smiling to himself before he continued down the stairs.
There was no time for chitchat. He was on a mission.
Ethan drove to the Country Store and parked out front before immediately walking over to the book section. He skimmed the different books, looking for one by Lily Ryan, but came up with nothing. With the way Lily had been cagey about his question of her books, he expected to find hers there.
He frowned and skimmed the romance books again, but didn’t find any with her name.
“Are you looking for anything in particular?”
Ethan turned to find Felicity, one of the Country Store owners, standing in front of him. “Hey, Felicity. Kind of? Do you know if you have any books by Lily Ryan?”
She frowned. “The name doesn’t ring a bell, but let me look in the computer and see if I can pull anything up.”
He followed her over to the front counter where she typed into her system, a look of concentration across her face. She shook her head. “I’m not finding anything. Is there a specific title you’re looking for? I can try to search by that to see if maybe there’s a similar author name.”
He tapped his fingers on the counter. “No. I don’t know any of the book titles. I’ll have to do some digging and come back later.”
She smiled and leaned across the counter. “You know, Mia might be able to help with that. I don’t know anyone who knows romance books quite like her.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to her. Thanks, Felicity.”
“No problem. See you later.”
He waved and stepped out of the store before pulling himself into his truck. It was still morning, so Mia was likely free, but he would need to hurry before he was needed back at the resort.
Within minutes, he was pulling into the library parking lot. Mia’s car and one other were the only cars parked out front. Ethan walked into the library and looked around. Mia wasn’t at her desk, but she popped out from behind a shelf.
“Uh oh,” she said. “You aren’t here to pull another stunt, right?”
Ethan chuckled. The last time he had been in the library, it was to get Mia to admit her feelings for Jackson. Ethan and his brothers had cornered Mia and came up with a plan to make Jackson jealous. The plan had worked, and Jackson and Mia were now married.
“Not this time. You’re married now, so mission accomplished.”
She laughed. “So, how can I help you?”
“I’m actually looking for a book by a romance author, and I was hoping you could help me.”
A small smile lifted her lips, along with one eyebrow. “I see.”
Ethan smiled back. “I’m dipping my toes in the romance world. Sue me.”
Mia giggled. “Okay. Who’s the author?”
“This is where it gets complicated. I went over to the Country Store to buy the book, but Felicity had never heard of her and couldn’t find any books by her in the system.”
Mia walked over to the desk at the front of the library and moved the mouse on her computer to wake it up. “Interesting. Let’s see what I can do.”
“Her name is Lily Ryan.”
Mia shook her head. “I haven’t heard that name either.” She typed on her computer and then looked at it with a frown on her face. “I don’t see anything either. Are you sure that’s her name?”
He nodded. “I’m sure.”
She leaned against the counter. “Who is she?”
“A guest.”
