Page 40 of Trick or Stalk

Something loosens inside my chest.

Maybe Stella was right. Not about her witchy intuition. I refuse to give her that much satisfaction. But about this place.

Maybe I belong here.

Margaret gestures toward the counter. “Come on. We’ll get the boring stuff out of the way first.”

The boring stuff includes tax forms, emergency contact information, direct deposit, and about six places that require my signature.

Penny curls beneath my chair while Margaret walks me through each of the forms.

How sad is it that my emergency contact is Stella instead of my mother?

I sign the last form and push it toward Margaret.

“When can you start?” she asks.

“Whenever you need me.”

“How about Monday?”

“Perfect.”

“That gives me a few days to get everything organized.”

She gathers the paperwork into a neat stack. “And you said you’re taking some time away from school?”

“For now. I was working on my master’s in English.”

“Was?”

“Am,” I correct. “Technically. I took a leave of absence when Grandma got sick.”

Margaret's expression softens. “And eventually?”

“Finish it. Then hopefully a Ph.D.”

“You want to teach?”

“College.”

Her smile grows. “So you’re going to spend your days surrounded by books until you can spend your days talking about them.”

I smile. “Pretty much.”

“Not a bad way to spend your time, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Agreed.”

She pushes away from the desk. “Come on. Let me show you around.”

I grab Penny’s leash and follow.

The front of the bookstore is larger than it looks from outside. Tall wooden shelves create narrow aisles throughout the space. Rolling ladders are attached to several of them, and mismatched chairs are tucked into corners beneath antique lamps.

A children’s section sits near the front. Mystery and thrillers farther back. Romance takes up an entire wall in the center.

I stop, staring at all the titles.