At the desk closest to the door, the one marked Information, I saw a young woman in her midtwenties. Her dark hair was pulled back in a perky ponytail, and her navy-blue pencil skirt, light-blue cardigan, and white blouse made her look like she was playing the part of a librarian in a period piece from the forties. Her smile told me she was a lot more fun than Julian.
I grinned back at her, and she beckoned me over to her desk. If I went for women, I’d have been salivating at the chance to hook up with her as soon as her shift was done or even earlier. Wouldn’t Julian love it if I whisked her off to a dark storeroom instead of leaving the building like he’d ordered me to. I resisted the urge to look back to see if he was watching me, but the heat on the back of my neck told me his gaze was already trying to burn right through me.
“That’s a squirrel monkey, isn’t it?” she asked when I approached.
“Yes, it is.” I turned to my little man. “Tony, say hi to the nice lady.”
He jumped down onto her counter and held out his hand for a shake. She accepted, then reached under the counter. I wondered what she was doing, but seconds later, she offered him a peanut. He grabbed it excitedly and chattered what I interpreted as a thank you before perching on my shoulder again.
She reached out to pet him. “He’s really cute.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me monkeys aren’t allowed in here?”
The librarian—Gwen, according to her name tag—rolled her eyes. “Not as long as you don’t tell Julian I’ve got snacks at my desk.”
“Deal.”
She tilted her head toward Tony. “You really will have to come back without him, though.”
I sighed. “Julian informed me I was never to enter the building again.”
She laughed. “Of course he did. He’s really not that bad, but he feels very protective of this place. His father worked here until he passed away last year.”
“That’s too bad.” Now I wanted to comfort the persnickety man as well as make him come undone.
“We’re under the threat of being closed down, so… he’s extra fussy right now.”
“Closed down?”
She gestured around the room. “As you can see, we don’t have a lot of patrons, and the storage of documents is quite expensive along with staffing needs, and… You probably don’t want to hear any of this.”
Actually, it was perfect, not the library closing—that wasn’t something Remington or I would permit—but the excuse it gave me for a bit of bribery.
“I might be able to do something about that.”
“About our funding?” Her eyes narrowed, and she studied me critically.
“I have… connections, but first, I need to get past Julian so I can complete my assignment.”
“Assignment? Are you in school?” She looked me up and down as if finding that hard to believe.
I smiled. “Something like that.”
“No, you’re not.”
“You don’t need to know the details. Just tell me what I can do to get on Julian’s good side. What does he like? What could I bring him that would change his mind about me?”
She hesitated for a moment. She was clearly smart enough to realize I was dangerous. I was utterly lethal, but I wasn’t a threat to her or Julian—well, maybe to his virtue.
Her expression shifted from wary to thoughtful. She chewed on her lip for a moment before the words “Down by Lilac Creek” burst from her lips in a whisper yell.
This time I did glance at Julian. He was scowling. When our eyes met, he pointed toward the door. I held up a finger to indicate I would leave in a moment, and Gwen motioned at him as if waving off his concern.
“Is that a book?” I asked.
“Yes. He’s been looking for a first edition for years, but it’s impossible to find. The only one he’s ever located is in a museum in Baton Rouge.”
If necessary, I was sure I could lift it from there. “Any other suggestions? I’d rather know about something that’s possible.”
“Of course, I just… I mean, that’s his holy grail, but honestly, he loves beignets—like he goes crazy for them—but he rarely indulges himself.”
If he were with me, he’d learn to indulge himself all the time. I’d teach him how to become a fucking hedonist. I’d cover him in beignets and old books and anything else he wanted.
Wow. Where the hell had that thought come from?
“Flowers,” Gwen said. “He loves flowers.”
Oh Jesus. This guy was going to be the death of me.
“Don’t laugh. He’s really sweet under all that prickliness.”
I wasn’t laughing—well, maybe a little—but I wasn’t mocking him. He was about to get the biggest most awesome bouquet he’d ever seen.
“I am in your debt, ma’am.” I bowed low enough that Tony fussed at me as he scrambled to keep his balance.