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She hoped Janey and Caleb really wanted the jobs. She couldn’t pay a lot or give them benefits, so they had to love working with books. Like Rarity did. Typically, she’d been recruiting from the English department, but Janey was a teaching graduate student. She taught for one professor, one class, and needed more to do. She’d explained in the interview that she liked keeping busy, but parties and college dorm activities didn’t fill her well anymore. She’d spent four years in a sorority, but now that she lived off campus, she wanted something more substantial to do. Something that would earn her money as well as teachher new skills.
Rarity wasn’t sure this would fill Janey’s well, but she was willing to give her a chance.
Caleb was a more traditional hire. He was also a graduate student, but his professor didn’t want him teaching; he wanted help with grading the papers and the admin work. So Caleb was excited to be able to work with the book clubs for kids. And he’d also suggested an adult sci-fi club once he’dproven himself.
Rarity shelved the last book and walked through the aisles, wondering what she was missing. She paused at the romance section. It shared shelves with what she called beach reads, and as she scanned through the offerings, she realized she had a lot of contemporary romance but not much in historical or fantasy. Unless she had those shelved inthe wrong area.
“Hello? Rarity? Are you in here?” Janey’s voice called from thecashier’s desk.
“I’m here. I was just seeing where we were short in what we offer. And then you arrived. Do you have a few hours to work?” Rarity talked as she walked through the bookshelves to the back of the store.
“That’s why I’m here. I got off class early and thought you might need some help with the store, since the party was tonight.” Janey smiled as Rarity came around a bookshelf. “Although you seem prettyquiet in here.”
“There’s lots to do when it’s quiet. I think you can help me with something.” Rarity took Janey over to the romance section. “I think this needs to be beefed up. Who are some of your favorite authors? Are they here? Am I missing any popular trope or subgenre that we should be stocking?”
Janey’s eyes got wide. “That’s a lotof questions.”
“Well, you hang out here. You’re on the clock from now until five when we close up shop, and then you can come with me to my house while I get ready for the party.” Rarity glanced at Janey’s jeans and college tank. “Did you bring anything to wear?”
Janey’s smile widened. “I found the perfect dress a few weeks ago and bought it on a whim. Now I’m glad I did. It’s in my car.”
“Okay, then you can drive me and Killer home and get ready at my place.” Rarity paused. “If that’s all right? I don’t want to be pushy.”
Janey took a notebook out of her backpack. “You’re my boss. You’re supposed to be pushy.”
“Yeah, but this is a party, not work.” Rarity watched as Janey answered her phone.
“Hello? Come on, please stop this. It’s annoying.” She hung up the phone.
“Everything okay?” Rarity didn’t want to pry. “If you have to be somewhere else rather than the party, it’s fine. This is just a going-away party. You can meet Darby when she comes back.”
“Oh, no. I want to come to the party. I’ve just been getting some random calls. I know someone’s there, but they don’t say anything. It’s creepy. It doesn’t matter if I pick up or not. In fact, it’s worse if I ignore them. They just keep calling until I forget and pick up the call. Once I do, they don’t call back for a few days.” She glanced at the phone, then tucked it into her tote. “I’m thinking about getting a new number. One that’s not listed with the campus. But I’ve had this for years. Campus security thinks it’s just prank calls. Maybe a frat joke. But it’s not just during theschool terms.”
“That’s scary. How long has it been going on?” Rarity didn’t like the soundof this at all.
“Just since last December. Just before term let out.” Janey dug out a pen. “Don’t worry about it. I’m handling it. I think I’m going to get a new number, though. I’ll let you know assoon as I do.”
“Sounds good.” Rarity wondered if Drew Anderson could help Janey. Since she lived in Flagstaff, technically, it was out of his jurisdiction, but maybe he had some ideas. She’d introduce him to Janey tonight and see if he could give her some suggestions.
Janey pulled a stool closer to the bookshelves. “I’d love to see where you live. And I have to change somewhere. So it’s either the bathroom here or your house. You pick.”
“Let me know when you have an ordering list. I’ll show you how to put it in the software.” Rarity left Janey alone to work as she went back to work on the schedule. Book people were always the best. She thought Janey was going tofit in nicely.
Chapter 3
By the time they got to Rarity’s house, changed, and got Killer set up, they were already late for the party. She’d convinced Janey to leave her car at Rarity’s since the parking would be limited at Darby’s. “We’d probably have to park just as far away in the other direction.” Rarity’s phone rang while they were walking over to Darby’s. She glanced at the display before answering. “Archer, we’re a few minutes away still.”
“Sorry, did I get our wires crossed? Was I supposed to pick you up?” His voice sounded warm and caring, and Rarity smiled as she listened.
“No, we’re justrunning late.”
“Okay, then...” He paused. “Wait, you’re not bringing Killer, are you? The party’s already going, and he’s not going to like all the people. I’ll run him back to the house whenyou get here.”
“No, I’m not bringing Killer. He’s safe at home. I turned onHarry Potterfor him to watch while we’re gone.” She smiled at Janey, who had been trying not to listen, but Killer’s movie preferences had her grinning. “Janey’s with me. One of the new bookstore hires. We decided to walkover together.”
“Oh, okay. Hey, Drew’s waving me over. Come find me whenyou get here.”
She tucked the phone away. “It’s nice having people concerned about your whereabouts, but sometimes, it’s a little too clingy. That was Archer, my boyfriend, wondering where I was.”
