Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Jilly scowled and put the book down.
Why did people keep insisting on interrupting her?
Staring at the woman standing across the book trolley from her, she frowned. “What?”
“Is that any way to speak to me?” the woman screeched.
Several people in the library turned around to look at them.
Oh shit.
Oh crap.
“Margaret. I didn’t see you there!” She smiled big at the other woman.
“You didn’t see me because you were busy reading the book you are supposed to be shelving!” Margaret replied, pointing a bony finger at her. “I came to find you because you’ve been gone for half an hour!”
“Have I? I was just checking the book over. I thought the pages looked crinkled.” Besides, it wasn’t like she’d gotten a lunch break. She’d had to eat while keeping an eye on the front desk, because Margaret had gone for a long lunch with her sister. The same sister who just happened to be a New Orleans City Councillor.
Smelled fishy, right? That her sister had gotten the head librarian role?
Or maybe Jilly just had a case of sour grapes since she’d also applied for the job.
And failed.
Margaret’s eyes narrowed. Her lined face jiggled as she moved her head from side to side. “I blame myself, Jillian.”
Uh-oh.
No conversation ever went well when it started with Margaret blaming herself.
“You do?” Jilly asked. Why did she have to start reading the latest book by CJ Bennett?
Idiot.
“Yes. I’ve given you too much unsupervised time. I thought you could handle it when clearly you’re out of your depth.”
Like. Hell.
The last thing she needed was more supervised time. Margaret was fine leaving her and the other library team members alone when there was something else she wanted to do.
Like go for a long lunch. Or head out early so she didn’t miss bingo.
However, when she was around, she always found something to criticize.
Jillian, stop day dreaming.
Jillian, smile more. Stand straighter. Shelve faster. Be quieter.
No one else ever seemed to get into trouble with Margaret like Jilly did. For some reason, she liked to pick on her.
It could be because you’re reading instead of shelving.
Or maybe because you applied for the same job she did.
But the last thing she wanted was Margaret constantly peering over her shoulder.
How could she sneak peeks at all of the books she wanted to read if Margaret was with her all the time?
All right. That sounded bad, as though she never got any work done. She did. Unfortunately, Margaret gave her all the boring jobs. And all these books . . . they were amazing. She could travel to different worlds. Become someone else.
Someone different than Jilly, the predictable librarian.
Jilly, the dutiful daughter.
Jilly, the pushover.
Unfortunately, those few hours a week that she got to be Nyx weren’t enough to turn her into someone more interesting.
There was no way she was ever going to have two men wanting to fuck her senseless as Blaire did.
Lucky duck.
“Sure, Margaret. More supervised time. Sounds awesome.”
“Jillian! I’ve told you many times that it’s not appropriate to call me Margaret. It’s Mrs. Anderson to you. And you’re going to have to stay late to make up time for all your daydreaming.”
“Certainly, Mrs. Anderson.” She gave her a sickly smile even as she made a mental note to have Mrs. Yards make a voodoo doll in Margaret’s image.
It was probably the only time she’d ever experience a prick.
Jilly giggled at the thought.
“Reggie, are you gonna be lonely living here on your own?”
Regent was aware that the whole room grew silent at Ace’s question.
Thea sent the young boy a chiding look. “Ace!”
“Ace, you’re not supposed to ask things like that,” Keir told his younger brother.
“How come?” Ace asked before taking a bite of bread. Butter covered his cheeks as he chewed. “Ijustwantedtoknow.”
“Ace, don’t chew with your mouth full!” Thea told him. Then she flushed. “I mean, don’t speak with your mouth full.”
Carrick leaned into her, talking quietly. The redness in Thea’s cheeks faded as she relaxed. Jardin then kissed her other cheek whispering something that had red flooding her cheeks again.
“I don’t know why I can’t talk with my mouth full,” Ace complained.
“Because it’s gross,” Keir replied. “We can see what you’re chewing.”
“So? You saw it before it went into my mouth. What makes it so different once it’s in there?”
“Mastication,” Maxim said dryly.
“Huh?”
Keir and Ace looked at him strangely.
“Spit,” Maxim said.
“I’m not allowed to spit at the table,” Ace told him with a sad sigh. “Or anywhere, really. Thea has a rule. She thinks spitting is gross.”
“Maxim isn’t talking about spitting,” Keir said. “He’s talking about the spit in your mouth.”
This sort of family meal would have horrified his father. Whenever Laurent Malone had eaten with the family, it had been a cold, formal affair. Where everyone had been too scared to talk, let alone with their mouth full. Or to reach over and grab a dinner roll from their brother’s plate as Ace was doing.