Page 7 of TBR: Dead But Well Read

We had a single rat, and he was an absolute gentleman who didn’t tear up books or leave droppings around the library.

Bertha huffed in annoyance. “I know what I saw! It was a massive rat!”

“Are you ready for this?” I whispered near Wasabi’s ear, even though I could have spoken in a normal tone since he was the only one who could hear me.

Taking Wasabi’s blink as confirmation, I summoned every ounce of energy I’d gathered and slowly lifted him in my palms. For living humans, picking up an item the size of a rat was a piece of cake. But things were totally different when you were a ghost.

I caught the tip of my tongue between my teeth as I concentrated hard, not wanting to drop my little friend. Inch by inch, I raised him in the air until he was eye level with me. I was standing a few feet behind the director’s back, so I knew she wouldn’t see what was happening.

The moment Bertha turned to face the director, I carefully began moving back and forth, swooping Wasabi up and down as though he were flying or riding an invisible, slow-motion roller coaster.

“Eek!” Bertha’s eyes bulged as she caught sight of Wasabi dipping this way and that. “The rat! It’s right there!”

The moment her eyes darted to the director’s face, I threw myself and Wasabi behind the counter. Lowering him to the ground, I smiled as he touched his nose to my hand, then scampered through the hidden hole behind the printer.

With Wasabi safe, I stood and leaned on the counter, eager to take in the unfolding drama.

“Where?” the director yelped, the fabric of her clothes whirling around her as she turned in circles. “I don’t see anything!”

“It was right there! Flying around behind your head!” Bertha shrieked, waving at the air behind the manager. “The rat couldn’t have gotten far!”

Bertha whipped her head this way and that, searching for the flying rodent. Her wide-eyed expression of determination, combined with the chaotic twisting of her neck, gave Bertha an unhinged sort of vibe. And judging by the deep creases in the director’s forehead, I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“Bertha, are you feeling okay?” Tight lines appeared around her eyes and mouth as she watched Bertha’s erratic searching.

Spinning around to face her boss, Bertha shoved at the hair that had escaped from her bun that was twisted tighter than a pair of hipster jeans. “Yes, of course! Why would you ask?”

But even as she spoke, Bertha’s eyes continued to dart toward the ceiling, still searching for Wasabi.

“Because you just told me you saw a flying rat…”

“Itwasflying!” Bertha exclaimed, little bits of spit flying from her mouth. “I know! We’ll go check the security cameras. Then you’ll see!”

Breathing hard, she stomped toward the cramped office the librarians shared. The director followed slowly behind Bertha, rubbing at her forehead as though already feeling the beginnings of a migraine.

I didn’t bother to join them since I already knew what they would find. Nada. Only an amateur would forget to turn off the security camera before pulling a ghostly prank. Duh.

The last thing I needed was for the rumor to spread that the library was haunted. If that happened, the library would become a hot spot for ghost hunters who would spend all hours of the day and night asking me yes or no questions. Just thinking about it had a shiver skating down my spine.

My thoughts drifted to the hunk from the evening before. See? He was a perfect example of why it was best no one knew I was hanging around.

I’d lost a good chunk of reading time last night because I hadn’t been able to get him out of my thoughts, and I wanted to kick myself for acknowledging him at all. Let’s be real, a man would lead to a whole host of distractions that I didn’t want to deal with.

Sure, I was dead and completely alone, but death had given me the freedom to read for hours. I had zero responsibilities or worries. What more could a girl need or want?

Heck! It was a good thing Wasabi was able to care for himself, because he would’ve joined me in death if I was in charge of keeping him alive. And I certainly didn’t need a man if I couldn’t even handle the responsibility of a pet.

I sighed, trying to ignore the tiny voice in my head that dared to disagree. That was the part of me that devoured every romance book I could get my ghostly hands on, and desperately wished I’d thrown myself in his arms and kissed his lips as though it was the last kiss I’d ever receive.

And it probably had been my last chance at a kiss since he was the only person I’d met in my afterlife who could physically touch me.

In life, my dating experiences had been nothing like the steaminess I’d discovered inside the pages of romance books. Making out on dates had been rather lackluster, and my sex life had been dead long before I died.

So why had I let my last chance at riding the midnight train to pound town walk out the door? I rubbed my face and groaned. For all I knew, he might’ve been unwilling to do a ghost.

Although, he certainly hadn’t seemed turned off by the fact I was among theliving challenged.

“Pull it together, Axe,” I murmured, propping my chin up against my palm. “You have a good thing going here, and you don’t want to do something that will screw it up. Dudes are drama.”

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