Chapter Fourteen
Saturday, Ava woke up and smiled. The anticipation of seeing Sean later that day made the entire day brighter.
She got ready for work and ate a piece of toast with her coffee before making her way to the library.
After unlocking the door, she stepped in and froze when she felt the presence of another human. She looked around the huge room seeing the shadows and light that seemed like they could come alive at any moment.
“Hello? Is somebody there?” she asked. No one said anything, but she thought she heard something like fabric against one of the shelves.
She stayed by the door just in case she had to run. She thought about calling the police but would be embarrassed if it was nothing. All she really had to go on was a feeling. “Is anyone there?”
She stepped outside when she heard a car pull up and a large man got out. Fear coursed through her until she recognized him. It was a man she’d gotten to know because he sometimes came with the girls, and he’d always been a nice guy.
Relief made the tension drain so quickly she felt dizzy and tightened her grip on the door. The fact she wasn’t alone made the fear she’d felt a moment before recede. The fact it was this huge guy made her feel even better. “Dirk. Come on in. How are you this morning?”
“Good morning,” he said.
“What can I do for you?” she asked as she walked in and turned on the lights. She looked around but couldn’t see anything. The library wasn’t enormous. It was just one story, but it was a good size for the town she lived in. If someone wanted to hide, they could very easily because there were so many shelves filled with books.
“Sean has me looking after you.”
She stopped abruptly and looked at him. “What? Why?”
Dirk shrugged. “He got an itch, he said.”
Ava’s brows pinched together. “What?”
Dirk grinned and shrugged. “It’s a guy thing. He said to call him if you want to complain, but it won’t do any good.”
“Don’t you have somewhere else you’d want to be?”
“Nope. I was looking forward to being here. There was a book I’ve been meaning to read, and no one will bother me here.”
“Well, how about we get that for you.” She stepped around the counter and jerked to a stop. She and Phyllis liked things neat. It was the one thing they had in common, but the area in front of her was anything but tidy. It looked like a tornado had come through.
“What’s wrong?” Dirk asked.
“It’s… I’m not sure. The area back here is never messy.”
Dirk walked around and looked. “Has someone been in here?”
“No.” She had to calm down. “I’m sure Phyllis forgot to straighten things before she left.”
“Oh, got it.”
“Let’s find that book.”
She got him situated at a table that was close to the check-out desk with the thriller he had wanted.
She straightened up behind and then walked around inside. She felt brave knowing Dirk was feet away from her, but she still took the sharp letter opener with her.
Nothing else was out of place. She checked the back door and saw it was closed and still locked.
She sighed. She was starting to get paranoid, and it had to stop.
The morning flew by because it was busier than usual. She was thrilled to be able to close and lock the doors after everyone but Dirk left.
“Are you ready to head out?” he asked.