Page 22 of The Luminosity of Loriana Harper

What the hell is going on?

“I’ll come.”

Loriana needed a moment. “You’ll join us? Really?”

Marnie cringed, likely because of Loriana’s overexuberance. An agreement to go for dinner shouldn’t be a big deal. But it was. And they both knew it.

Before her boss could utter another word, Marnie grabbed her coat and slipped out the door while Loriana hung hers on the coat rack. Glancing outside, she spotted Marnie and Mitch.

Marnie’s hands were stuffed in her pockets and she hunched, but she met Mitch’s gaze. And held it. She nodded once, cocked her head, said something, and then nodded again.

To be a fly on that wall.

Well, too cold for flies, thank God.

After another moment, Marnie nodded and Mitch headed into the library. Just before Marnie left, though, she looked up, meeting Loriana’s gaze through the library window.

Busted.

Not that she’d done anything wrong. She’d just been observing the door to see if any patrons were coming in.

Bull crap.

She’d been making sure her employee was okay.

Right.

Yeah, fair enough. She’d been voyeuristically observing. She was damn curious about what the two had discussed, but it was none of her business. Heading into the library, she planned to do a full sweep. If she happened to run into Mitch while he was working, and he happened to mention his conversation with Marnie, that wasn’t crossing the line.

Sure.

Chapter six

Byfouro’clockMitchwas quite proud of himself. And exhausted. The manual labor had been minimal, but getting seven computer stations up and running was quite a feat. Oh, and he’d had lunch with the sexy librarian who apparently was clueless. Even when she held his hand, it’d been platonic.

You could’ve said something.

Youshouldhave said something.

About last night? Too many land mines. About today and whether their lunch was an actual date? Nope. Too chickenshit. He’d accepted her warmth and comfort and sternly told himself they werenoton a date and she wasnotholding his hand out of some romantic gesture.

He wanted her. He really wanted her. And not just physically—although that factored into it—he wanted to know her better. He wanted to know what made her tick. What made her happy. He’d already figured out some of what made her sad. Poverty. Drug addicts. But those were universal things.

He still had no idea what’d triggered her last night. And did he want to excavate those depths? Was he prepared for what might come out? And if she demanded reciprocity, would he come clean about what happened in California?

You’re getting ahead of yourself.

And then there was Marnie.

She’d confronted him in front of the library, again demanding reassurances he hadn’t told anyone about her donation. He hadn’t. And perhaps confront and demand were the wrong words. She’d been upset, believing somehow he’d betrayed her confidence. Of course he never would. Not his place. If there was one thing he knew in this world, it was his place.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Marnie’s voice carried clear across to the computer he was finishing up on. Most of the time the woman was a mouse, but every once in a while, she showed some spirit. Too bad those times were few and far between.

And he was eavesdropping again. But that didn’t stop him.

“It’s no big deal. So Johanna’s sick. We can manage.” Loriana’s calm and assured tone.

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