Page 89 of Bookworm

"Conditioned response," I said. "You stealmy food all the time, and Bo looked like he hadn't seen dessert in a million years. Those eyes of his were begging for a taste."

Scarlett's smile was wicked. "Yeah, he wanted a taste of something."

I elbowed her side.

"You like him," she said.

I scoffed, but it was true.

No use denying the facts. I was crushing on Bo Stryker—even though I knew we were just pretending.Maybe there wasa book on how not to fall for your fake boyfriend?

CHAPTER 15

I couldn't find a book to help me with my current problem. Apparentlyauthors, and people in general, didn't write or thinkabout "how not to fall in love." And there definitely weren't anyhow-to books on fake boyfriends.

It was only the second time the library let me down.

The first was years ago when I looked up "how to make your mom love you."

Turned out people didn't write books on that subject either.

A strange melancholy tried to swamp me, but I forcefully pushed it to the back of my mind. Huh. That was weird. I hardlyever thought about my mother anymore.

Pulling my shoulders back, I inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of old books, and then smiled.

The library was truly my favorite place in the world.

Nothing would bring me down today.

People always assumed libraries were quiet.And yeah, they were sometimes.But if you ever had a chance to work in one, you got to meet the most interesting people.Today, therewasmore traffic than usual. I wasn't sure what was going on, but there was clearly something in the air.

"It's been like this all day," Casey said.

"Looks like a lot of new faces," I commented.

"Yeah," Natalia said, "we could've definitely used your help earlier, Lottie."

"I know." I gave her an apologetic glance. "I told Mrs. Lee I'd alternate days, sometimes going first to the flower shop then library and vice versa. But I'm here now."

She grinned as someone took one of our A Night Out with Austenflyers. "At least, we're getting the word out."

"I've had to refill my tray twice," Casey confirmed.

"That's awesome," I said. "Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going."

A woman wearing big round sunglasses, a brown trench coat, and a silk scarf approached the library counter as I settled in. She had a determined stride.

"I'm looking for the latest release by Liv Lamoreaux," she said so low I almost couldn’t hear.

"Foolish Love?" I said.

She shushed me then whispered, "Yes, that one."

"We have it. It's wonderful, but so are all of Lamoreaux's books."

She looked around like someone might hear us.

"I think it's her best—and spiciest—yet," I added.

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