Page 16 of Bear In A Bookstore
Author E. J. Breene Home Invasion Nightmare!
The paper felt like the thin, cheap paper a tabloid would use.
He ran his thumb over the image. It was her all right. His heart picked up, his bear growling low and getting agitated. The strange scent was all over the clipping. What the fuck was going on?
Something tapped at his brain . . . and then it came to him. E.J. Breene was the author behind the blockbuster movie He Never Saw Her.
“Holy shit.” Kora was the famous author?
“You about done in here, Des?”
“Yeah.” He slipped the paper in his jeans’ pocket. “Coming.”
His brain was trying to wrap around this new information. Home invasion? No wonder she was skittish. Jesus, he needed to internet search this as soon as he got back in his truck.
“I’ll let you lock it up,” Millum said. “And double check that you do. This is our third call in two days for false alarms.”
They walked out, and Desi pulled the door shut behind them, then checked the lock.
“That’s odd.”
“Maybe it’s not a coincidence, but without anything concrete to go on, it’s just that. False alarms.”
“Roger that.” His reply was half-hearted. He couldn’t concentrate on anything besides the clipping. How the hell had it gotten inside Allie’s bakery? “Thanks, Officers.”
Back in his truck, he whipped out his cellphone and opened the browser. Just about to type in Kora’s name, he paused. Was he being intrusive by searching her? It felt intrusive, invasive. Clearly, she was here under a different name for a reason. If he remembered correctly, from what little he did know about her, she rarely made public appearances. The media had made a fuss that she denied interviews and publicity spots to promote the movie, preferring to leave it to the actors.
She didn’t like being in the public eye. No wonder she’d freaked when the treasure hunters called her out today. He ran a finger over the side of his phone. Prying into her past made him feel gross, like he was invading her privacy. Obviously, the trauma she’d been through had been out there for the world to see in print and online.
Fuck.
He put his phone away. No, he wasn’t going to snoop into her story. She’d tell him if she wanted to. They were barely acquaintances, hardly friends and he didn’t have a right to go snooping around. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t look out for her.
Starting with watching over her bookstore tonight while the town slept.
Hunkering into his seat, he crossed his hands over his middle. Something wasn’t right. Those alarms weren’t false, and it was no freak coincidence that a clipping just happened to turn up inside the bakery.
Screw that. He might not have the answers, but he was going to keep an eye on things until he figured it out.
Chapter Six
Therewasalotof commotion on her block this morning.
Kora swept the mat outside the bookstore door and noticed a blonde woman with two babies strapped to her chest down the street by the bakery. She hefted a large bag over one shoulder and grabbed another with her free hand. It was early and the poor woman looked exhausted. She tapped on the door of the Sticky Sweet Bakery, stood back and glared at the door, then tapped again. The bag fell from her shoulder, nearly pulling her over.
Kora ditched the broom and rushed over to help.
Three businesses separated her bookstore from the bakery, and though she’d smelled the delicious scents wafting down the street every day, she had yet to do business here. Or anywhere really. Exploring her new town was on her list, but she never had the motivation to do it.
“Can I help you at all?” She approached the woman slowly, not wanting to startle her. “My name is Kora. I own the bookstore. We’re sort of neighbors.”
The blonde smiled and it appeared to take some effort. She handed over a bag.
“Right. My husband Dax mentioned doing some work on your store.”
One of the babies began to wail. “I’m Allie and I’m very tired, so thank you for your help. I don’t know why the code isn’t working.”
“It’s no problem. Can I hold the other bag for you too?”
