Shelf Awareness: Green Valley Library Book #4 Read online

  “Well, since I was awake, I guess it was more of a fantasy than a dream.”

  “Fuck, that’s even better. Please tell me you got off to the fantasy.”

  “Oh yes, I did.”

  “So, I’m as good as the fantasy, huh?”

  “Almost.”

  “What do you mean almost?”

  “In the fantasy, you had on these skin-tight breeches. You know, like they used to wear back in the day.”

  “I’m pretty sure I could get a pair.”

  “With all your cosplay connections, I bet you could.”

  Rolling over on the table, Zeke propped his head on his hand. “Do I have to have the breeches to get a second round?”

  Laughing, I replied, “No, I think we can forego those.” When he started to bend his head to kiss me, I brought my hand to his cheek to stop him. “While I’m up for many rounds with you, I would prefer we move to a different location.”

  He grinned. “But didn’t you find fucking within the stacks mind-blowing?”

  “I did—both in and out of my fantasies.”

  Zeke’s hand snaked up my ribcage to squeeze my breast. “Then what is the problem?”

  “You see, my ass is tingling and not in a good way.” I shifted my hips on the table and groaned. “Damn, I hate to admit it, but I think I’m getting too old for this.”

  “You’re never too old for a table fuck.”

  “Is that what you call this?”

  Zeke nodded. “While I’m sure your descriptive ability would call it something else, I tend to keep it simple.”

  “I see.”

  “Not for nothing, but I’m pretty sure we have many more years of table fucking left in us.”

  “I hope you’re right. I don’t want to feel sexually old before my time. It would be too cruel, considering I’m about to hit my prime.”

  “Would you like to go back to my place for round two?”

  “Yes. I would like that very much.”

  After I rose up to a sitting position, I hopped off the table. I really needed to do a little clean-up before I got dressed, but I wasn’t going to risk walking across the library naked to do it. Once Zeke and I were dressed, we cleaned up the paperwork we had messed up during our tryst.

  I turned on the security system and then locked the door. Zeke and I began our stroll down the quiet streets with darkened storefronts. “It’s a lot different at night, isn’t it?” Zeke remarked.

  “It is. There’s so much hustle and bustle during the day.” I grinned at him. “As much hustle and bustle as there can be in a small town.”

  “I like it.”

  “You do?”

  Zeke nodded. “What’s there not to like?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. It just seems like it would be quite a difference from Seattle. It certainly is from Atlanta.”

  “Sure, it has its differences. Like obviously in Seattle we could walk into any one of the hundreds of Starbucks and get a coffee right now.” He grinned at me. “Or better yet we could stop in a bar to have a nightcap before heading back to do the deed.”

  “We do have Jeannie’s for that.”

  “That’s right. I keep forgetting about that place. I went a few times when I first got here.”

  “I bet you got hit on a lot.”

  “Not really.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Compared to most of the bars I’ve been to, it seemed to have a more family friendly feel.”

  Now that I thought about it, he was right. “You probably should have gone to that biker bar on the edge of town—The Wooden Plank.”

  “I did go there, but it was more for detective purposes than getting hit on. Of course, it goes without saying I didn’t find out anything about my father, not to mention I was far too nerdy to induce any of the hard-core women to hit on me.”

  “I would have thought they would have seen you as a potential sugar daddy in your dress shirt and slacks,” I teased.

  Zeke laughed. “You know, I would’ve thought the same thing, which makes it even more disappointing.”

  “If you were on an information seeking mission and flashing around that picture of your dad, you probably scared them off. They probably thought you were undercover or something.”

  “Could be.”

  “Did you try the Dragon Bar?”

  “Hell no.”

  I snorted. “Why not? It is the Iron Wraiths bar.”

  “There is no way in hell I’m going in there. I happen to like having all my teeth and not getting my ass kicked.”

  “Yeah, it’s probably not a good idea. I do like your face just the way it is.”

  “Thank you.”

  We breezed through the front door of the Donnor Lodge. As we started for the stairs, a woman’s voice stopped us.

  “Zeke?”

  I whirled around to see a tall, waifish woman sitting on the couch. At the sight of us, she slowly rose to her feet—her brows furrowed in confusion.

  “Alyssa? What are you doing here?” Zeke questioned.

  “I thought we needed to talk face to face.”

  With my gaze bouncing between the two of them, I asked, “Zeke, who is this?”

  Before Zeke could respond, Alyssa replied, “I’m his girlfriend.”

  Holy shit. “I’m sorry. Did you just say girlfriend?” Foolishly, I held out hope maybe she meant she was a girl, and she was his friend, not his girlfriend.

  “Yes, I did.” Alyssa swept her hands to her hips. “Who are you?”

  Well, let’s see. Since I’d just had sex with a committed man, I think that made me a cheating whore. The cheated on had become the cheater. Or was I the cheatee? Regardless of the phrasing, it was bad. I was bad.

  “Stupid.” Staring at Alyssa, I shook my head. “I’m really stupid.”

  After shooting Zeke one last horrified look, I turned and stormed out the door. “Finley, wait!” Zeke shouted as I pounded down the stairs. When I heard his steps on the porch, I broke into a run. The only good thing that had come out of my time with Xavier was I’d become somewhat of a distance runner. While I hadn’t done much of it since coming to Green Valley, I hadn’t completely lost the touch.

  Pushing with all the strength I had, I put as much distance as I could between me and the lying, deceitful Mr. Masters.

  Chapter Nineteen

  There’s a scene in the campy, cult-classic movie Mommy Dearest where after being pushed to the edge, Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford begins a hurricane of rage gardening. The completely over-the-top scene of hacking roses ends with Joan screaming for an axe and chopping down a small tree. Standing in the moonlight with a pair of electric hedge clippers in my hands, I couldn’t help feeling like I was channeling my inner Joan Crawford.

  After jogging home from the lodge. I was far too worked up to go to sleep, least of all to go inside the house. And, since I was wheezing and panting to catch my breath after running so far, I was afraid the noise might wake one of the girls who in turn might think I was having a heart attack. While pacing the front porch, one of the overgrown branches jabbed my arm. That’s when I had the Mommie Dearest flashback and decided to grab the clippers out of the shed out back.

  I channeled all my hurt, frustration, and anger at Zeke into attacking the shrubs. I was halfway through the second bush when a voice behind me caused me to jump. “Finley Anne? What in God’s creation are you doing?”

  “Trimming the bushes.”

  “Yes, I can see that. However, are you aware it’s one in the morning?”

  “Did you or did you not say you needed these pruned?”

  “I did, but—”

  “Considering how I just got gouged by one, they really are a hazard that can’t be overlooked anymore.”

  “While that might be true, I don’t think it’s necessary to do it during the middle of the night.”

  “I promised you I would prune these, and I need to keep my word. I’m sick and tired of people giving their wo
rd, and it not meaning a damn thing. I mean, what kind of world are we living in when no one keeps their word? It would be me leading you on.”

  “Finnie, put the clippers down.”

  “But I’m not finished.”

  “Put the clippers down and get on the porch this instant.” GramBea stomped one of her fuzzy Isotoner house shoes for emphasis.

  Grumbling, I tossed the clippers to the ground before wading through the branches littering the path. After trudging up the steps, I joined GramBea on the porch. Of course, she wasn’t alone. Dot and Estelle stood behind her with concerned expressions on their faces.

  “Look, I’m sorry I woke you guys up. You can go back to bed now.”

  GramBea shook her head full of pink curlers. “Not until you tell us what could have possibly provoked this aggressive gardening.”

  Picking a twig out of my hair, I replied, “Can’t it wait until morning?”

  “I think now is best.” She motioned to one of the rocking chairs. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

  “Need a drink?” Estelle asked.

  “Yes, please.”

  While I expected her to dip back into the house to procure my alcohol, she instead pulled a flask out of the pocket of her robe. “Nice,” I murmured as I took it from her.

  “It was one of the last gifts Millie gave me.”

  I unscrewed the lid. “She had great taste.”

  “She knew me well,” Estelle mused.

  After a hearty swig and a disapproving glance from Dot, I handed the flask back to Estelle. I then plopped down defiantly into the rocking chair.

  “What happened, Finnie?” GramBea asked.

  With the alcohol burning a trail down my throat, I choked out, “Zeke has a girlfriend.”

  GramBea blinked at me. “Come again?”

  “She said Zeke has a girlfriend,” Dot repeated.

  Throwing up her hands, GramBea replied, “I’m aware of what she said.”

  “Then why did you ask her?”

  “Because I thought I couldn’t possibly be hearing it right.” GramBea jerked her chin at me. “Go on, Finnie.”

  “Her name is Alyssa.”

  “How is it you came to know he had a girlfriend?” Estelle questioned.

  “She showed up at the lodge.”

  Wincing, Estelle replied, “Shit.”

  “Tell me about it,” I grumbled.

  “Wait, why were you at the lodge?” GramBea asked.

  “I, uh, was walking Zeke home.”

  While GramBea harrumphed, Estelle chuckled. “Seriously, Finley. You’re a grown-ass woman. You can admit to your grandmother and to us that you were at the lodge with Zeke to have sex.”

  Dot gasped in horror as her hand flew to her neck to clutch her absent pearls while GramBea refused to look at me. Rolling my eyes, I replied, “Fine. We had gone back to his place to have sex.”

  Ignoring Dot’s horror, Estelle asked, “And I assume Zeke’s girlfriend kept you from the deed?”

  Before I could temper my response, I replied, “No, we’d already had sex at the library.”

  Now it was GramBea’s turn to clutch her pearls, but in her case, she grabbed her chest. “Finley Anne, I cannot believe you would tell us this, least of all do it.”

  “I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “I mean, I’m sorry I mentioned it. I’m not sorry for doing it.”

  Estelle patted my arm. “Good for you. With the exercises, I hope everything was smooth sailing.”

  I couldn’t fight the goofy grin that spread on my lips. “It was.”

  GramBea’s gaze bobbed between us. “Sexual exercises?”

  Wiping the smile off my face, I replied, “Maybe.”

  She pinched her eyes shut in horror. “I cannot believe we are discussing my granddaughter’s sex life on my front porch for God and all the world to hear.”

  “Please. You wouldn’t be comfortable with it if we were locked in the pantry whispering,” Estelle countered.

  I rubbed my presently swelling eyes. “Can we please be done with this conversation while I have one shred of pride left?”

  “Did you talk to Zeke about it?”

  “No. She ran away before I could explain.”

  I jerked my hands away from my face to see Zeke standing at the edge of the porch. In a flash, the girls stepped forward to create a human barrier between Zeke and me. “Good evening, Mrs. Simmons. I’m sorry to be coming by so late, but I really need to speak to Finley.”

  “I believe you need to go home to your girlfriend, young man,” GramBea snipped.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Simmons, but I don’t have a girlfriend.”

  Scrambling to my feet, I jabbed a finger at him over GramBea’s shoulder. “Don’t you dare lie. You and I both know I saw her, and she said she was your girlfriend.”

  “Alyssa is on the way back to the airport.”

  “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

  “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” Zeke jerked a hand through his hair. “Would you please let me talk to you alone?”

  I shook my head. “I have nothing to say to you.”

  “If you would just hear me out—”

  “You knew what I’ve been through, yet you still lied.”

  “But I didn’t. Would you just listen to me?”

  Before I could once again denounce him, GramBea turned around. “You need to hear him out, Finnie.”

  My eyes bulged. “Seriously?”

  “Yes.”

  When I glanced past her to the other girls, they nodded. “Fine.”

  After the girls went inside, I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes at Zeke. “All right. I’m listening.”

  “Yes, it’s true Alyssa was my girlfriend. We dated for six months before I decided to come out here. She wanted more commitment from me, but she wasn’t willing to wait until I returned from here. Before I left, she gave me an ultimatum that if I left her to come here, we were breaking up. Since I did come out here, I assumed things were over between us.”

  “Then why did she come out here?”

  “Apparently, she’s missed me the past two months. Since I haven’t returned her calls, she decided she needed a grand gesture to get my attention.”

  “Looks like her plan worked since she totally got some attention.”

  “I agree, and I told her the same thing. Not to mention, I didn’t want to hear her apology.”

  “You didn’t?” I asked.

  “How could I love someone who didn’t love me enough to give me the time I needed to meet my birth family? Relationships are about give and take, but she only seemed to want to take.”

  “You don’t . . .” I swallowed hard. “You don’t love her anymore?”

  “No. I don’t.”

  “And you’re not getting back together?”

  “Hell no.”

  When the realization of the truth washed over me, I groaned. “Oh, my God, I just made the biggest fool out of myself.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “Yes, I did. I totally misread the entire situation, and then acted like we were committed or something.”

  Zeke’s lips quirked. “Well, we’d just had sex. I think knowing someone in the Biblical sense counts for something.”

  With a laugh, I replied, “I suppose so.”

  “So, it’s all good.”

  Cocking my head at Zeke, I asked, “Almost. I do have one other question.”

  “I’m somewhat afraid to ask.”

  “Not that it should really matter, but why didn’t you tell me about her? I mean, as much I told you about Grant, I would have assumed you would have shared something.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it was because it was too fresh.” He gave me a pointed look. “Maybe it was because with what you had just gone through, I was afraid how it might affect us.”

  “Oh,” I murmured.

  “In hindsight, I wish I had told you about her. The last thing in the world I would ever want to
do is hurt you.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “And as far as how you acted, I totally get why you reacted the way you did. If the shoe were on the other foot, I have no idea how I would have reacted if some dude showed up for you.”

  “Considering what happened with my ex-husband, the chance of that is pretty slim. At the same time, I appreciate you being understanding.”

  “So, are we good now?”

  I smiled. “Yes, we are.”

  “Now I have a question for you.”

  “Okay, what?”

  “Can I ask why you have a bunch of leaves and twigs on you?”

  Mortification warmed my cheeks. “I was doing a little rage gardening.”

  Zeke chuckled. “Channeling your anger for a greater good is noble.”

  “Thanks. Of course, my late-night antics woke the girls up, which in turn led me to unload on them.”

  “Yeah, I was wondering why you were all out here on the porch.” With a sheepish look, he added, “I mean, I was pretty certain it had something to do with me.”

  “Yep. That’s why.”

  “I’ll have to apologize to them for causing them to lose sleep.”

  I smiled. “That would be very gentlemanly of you.”

  “Since I’m not totally in tune with all things regarding Southern hospitality, what else could I do to make it up to them?”

  Oh God, this man was something else. “Maybe get a cake from Donner Bakery and bring it by.”

  “I can do that.”

  “I’ll make sure to explain everything to them as well.”

  “Thank you.” Zeke closed the gap between us. “Would it be totally presumptuous of me to ask if you would like to accompany me back to the lodge?”

  His suggestion lit a wildfire between my legs. After our library quickie, I was extremely anxious to have Zeke take his time with me. Specifically, I was interested in his mouth, fingers, and dick. However, one glance over my shoulder changed my mind. GramBea’s and Dot’s faces were pressed against the picture window.

  Since I didn’t want to send either of them into cardiac arrest with my wanton behavior, I shook my head. “While your offer is terribly tempting, could I take a rain check for tomorrow night?” I jerked my head behind me and rolled my eyes.

  After Zeke followed my gaze, he chuckled. “That would be fine. We can really do things right with a candlelight dinner first, maybe a little wine, some dancing.”