Page 20 of Degrading Her

A server presented a bottle of wine to Sawyer. He sniffed and tasted the sample. Then the server went to pour me a glass, and I put a hand out to stop him.

“No, thank you,” I said.

Sawyer dismissed the server.

“Too much last night?” he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, then shifted the subject from me: “I’m surprised. You have time for something like this. It seems like too much leisure for someone as busy as you.”

“This is work.”

His voice was suddenly flat; his eyes burning into me. Did he mean that we were discussing work, or that it was hard for him to talk to me like this? I crossed my arms and tried my hardest not to be intimidated by him.

I settled into my seat like I was extremely confident when I was anything but. “Okay. So tell me, Mr. Feldman?—”

“Sawyer,” he corrected.

“Mr. Feldman,” I insisted. “As the new owner, what do you plan to do with the New Host Library?”

“I have a few options,” he said, “but right now, I’m fond of transforming it into a business center.”

“So a computer place, minus the books?”

“No.”

My palms sweated at the possibilities. Maybe he meant it would have computers, copy machines, fax machines, anything a person might need professionally? That wouldn’t be so bad. Would it?

“It’ll stay non-profit, right? For the community?” I asked.

He laughed, and my insides flamed. Why was that funny?

“Entirely for-profit,” he said. “It’s a good way for the Feldman Farm to find new clients to network with. Much of our business comes from outside of Crown Creek. This way, we have the opportunity to create more connections.”

My jaw dropped. Was he serious?

“I doubt a farm-to-table restaurant needs a business space,” I said.

“We do more than raise calves, Fiona,” he said. “I could show you sometime.”

There was something menacing about his words rightthen that unnerved me. Maybe it was the way he used my name, like he was toying with me. Ready to put me into an animal pen and watch me crawl. Chills ran down my spine.

“You can’t do that to the library,” I said. “It’s one of the last public spaces we have. Especially in Pierce.”

“Pierce will survive,” he said, waving a dismissive hand.

I sucked in a long breath, trying to level myself. He had no sympathy for the library, then. But he was my boss and my sister’s brother-in-law. Andthatwas an advantage. I had to figure out where I could leverage our connections to get what I wanted.

“Amuse me,” he said. “Tell me why I shouldn’t destroy it?”

Because the library was one of the only places anyone could get access to things that they might not have at home. A printer. A computer. The internet. Books—nearly any book you wanted. You could even go to the library to charge your phone if you wanted. Or stay inside with the air conditioning without any expectations of spending money. It was one of the few places that I got to take my late little sister. Maisie wanted to play outside, and most of the time, my late little sister, Elaine, did too. But when it came to our library day? Elainelovedseeing the staff, picking through the books with me, even attending the programs—because she knew that every trip was different. And I was going to do everything I could to foster that sense of community.

But that sounded so stupid now. I had to appear professional.

“I’ve been volunteering there since I was a teenager and working there for the last four years.” I didn’t mention the fact that I had started as a part-timer and had slowly worked my way up to a full-time position. “I’ve seen countless people come in and out of that library. To take it awaywould be like ripping out the city’s heart from the people who need it most.”

“Is that it?”

A tingling sensation ran through my chest. “Yes?”

---