Page 40 of The Luminosity of Loriana Harper

A small sigh. “Yes, very true. And nice he worked so fast with the computers. That’ll be great for the kids on Monday.”

“Also true.” She drew a breath. “Marnie, do you know who bought the computers?”

The younger woman sputtered. Then started coughing.

“Are you okay? Are you choking?”

“Water,” she managed to croak. “Swallowed some. Wrong pipe.” She continued coughing. “Glad you’re okay.”Cough. “Need to go.”Cough. “Bye.”Cough.

The line disconnected.

Well shit.

She’d had her suspicions, but now she was one hundred percent certain Marnie knew who the anonymous donor was.Could it be her?She knew so little about her employee. Just that she’d moved to Mission City almost four years ago, and had come into the library practically her first day in town. Loriana’d lost two volunteers the week before—two young women who’d left for university out of town. She took one look at the terrified newcomer who was astoundingly knowledgeable about literature for someone so young and had offered her a volunteer position.

It soon became clear Marnie wasn’t satisfied with a few hours a week. Loriana felt guilty scheduling the woman for more, but then the younger woman would show up earlier and earlier for her shifts and leave later and later. Pretty soon, Loriana acknowledged Marnie wanted to spend all her time in the library. When a junior librarian quit to attend teacher’s college, offering the job to Marnie was a no-brainer. By then, in those mere few months, the woman’d become indispensable.

The past four years had flown by. Marnie Jones, however, remained an enigma. Cajoling, pleading, and sometimes ordering, did little to pull the woman out of her shell. And although she was clearly an introvert, Loriana sensed far more going on. Her skittishness around strangers was something the younger woman strove to hide. To conquer, even. And she’d started to interact with some people.

Tristan at the Starbucks might even be considered Marnie’s friend, as was Seth Jacobs, a constable with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. She seemed to cope around Corporal Colton Pritchard—although that relationship was on shakier ground. Finally, she’d been almost friendly with constable Malachy Corcoran before he’d moved with his lovely wife Abby and their son Matthew to Montréal.

Marnie’s reaction to Mitch was measured.

Loriana cursed having missed the initial meeting. Of all the times to take a lunch break… Still, Marnie had a level of comfort with Mitch. Truly, the man engendered loyalty. He brought a sense of calm.

He’s got your number.

Yeah, he kind of did. He’d petted her cat, asked her probing open-ended questions, and been completely relaxed in her space.

Except when you asked him about his past.

Yes, that’d been quite a reaction. Whatever happened in California, it’d likely driven him back to Canada. And, interestingly, he hadn’t reconnected with his high school or university friends. Instead he’d moved to a smaller town, farther from the city, and quietly established a business. Hell, if he hadn’t been hired to upgrade their computers, he’d likely have skirted her notice entirely. Of course, she didn’t knoweveryonewho lived in town. But she did her level best to get to know as many as possible.

All that being said, if she’d encountered him at one of the pharmacies, grocery stores, or gas stations, she’d have noticed him. Not just because of his height and skin color—although both made him stand out. No, he possessed something almost ethereal.

You’re being ridiculous.

Yeah, she really was.

Scooting under the covers, she gazed at the novel on her nightstand and considered. Ten o’clock had come and gone. Despite the hour, she was still wired. Sure, her time at the parade’d been fun. But the time after had been electrifying.

That kiss.

Yeah, that kiss.

She flipped off the lights then punched her pillow.

Her feline companion leapt onto the bed. He settled on the empty pillow next to hers.

For just an instant, she flashed to Todd.

Then she did what she always did when she thought of her fiancé—she shut down that line of thought and forced herself to clear her mind.

Sleep, however, was a long time coming.

Chapter ten

Theinsistentringingofhis phone pulled Mitch out of a very pleasant dream. Loriana, him, and a nice bottle of chardonnay. On a picnic in a meadow with wildflowers. She was lying resplendent on the blanket, and he was feeding her grapes.

---