Page 12 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast
Their business, Bits and Bobs, didn’t have the funds to pay for a full restoration, but I did or rather the university did. “I already offered to pay you fair market value.” I didn’t add that I did it after I realized what I did was not just shitty, but reminiscent of something my father would do.
Harper scoffed. “Like Dad would’ve taken anything. He said that was our punishment for not being thorough.” She tapped her bottom lip for a second before quietly asking, “Do you mind me asking what makes it so special?”
I cleared my throat and took a moment to sip my drink before deciding what to share. Dean the asshole wasn’t as reticent. “The book, a first edition, Laurent Toussaint’s book of poetry, or one like it, belonged to his grandmother.”
I raised an eyebrow at him and sighed. Despite my irritation at Dean’s intrusion, there wasn’t any harm in telling them the story behind the book or the reasons why I had searched for this volume most of my adult life.
Dean responded before I could. “When she was younger, she accidentally tore the binding and took it to his grandfather to fix it. A friend of hers had recommended him since he had experience in book repair. She was afraid that if she went to the local shop in town, her parents would find out.”
He knew the details as well as I did. It was my grandfather’s favorite story to tell.
Dean threw me a wink before he continued. “His Grandfather André said it was love at first sight for the both of them. Grandmother Rose had explained the history of the book to him and how it passed from one generation to the next through the eldest daughter when she got married. The book was already quite old, and at that time, this version had few copies left in existence. Both of his grandparents believed the family’s claim that this particular volume connected soulmates to each other.”
“How romantic,” Ashlyn murmured.
Stella gripped her sister’s hand and whispered, “True love.”
Everyone’s eyes moved to me.
I cleared my throat, uncomfortable with their display of emotion. I debated what else to say. While I didn’t believe the book had any magical properties, I knew what it meant to my grandfather, the person who’d instilled a love of history and literature in me. “My grandmother got sick early in their marriage. While she was in the hospital, she brought the book with her, believing it would bring her luck.”
“Did it?” Harper asked.
I shook my head. “She died soon after. When my grandfather went to retrieve her things from the hospital, the book was missing. He made it his life’s mission to find that book or another original like it.”
“And when he died, you continued looking for it?” Ashlyn asked.
I nodded. I grabbed at my glass and chugged my drink to ease the tightness in my throat. This was ridiculous. My grandfather had been dead for years.
“What’s the deal with the university having any rights to the book? Isn’t it yours?” Lincoln’s brow creased in confusion.
I grumbled under my breath at the battle I’d already fought to keep something that should have been rightfully mine. Instead, I stupidly mixed business with pleasure. “I was there for work.”
Harper nodded. “Bits and Bobs often lets the university know if we’ve found any first editions at estate sales. Then we give the university the chance to buy it from us before putting it up for sale.”
I scrubbed a hand at the base of my neck. If I could go back in time and change that day, I would. “I had already planned to stop there to look for a present for Dean. When I heard they needed a staff member to go check out the books, I offered to go.” Once I’d convinced the university to let me keep the book, I moved it to my summer estate in upstate New York.
“Shit! That sucks,” he replied.
I grimaced. “Not if all goes as planned.” My lips turned up into a satisfied smile.
“How much did you promise them?” Dean asked with a sigh. He knew what my family was worth and how often money was used to grease the wheels.
“A million,” I bit out.
“What the fuck?” Harper shrieked. “Dude!”
“Nivens is a prick, but a smart one.” Even though I could afford it, I hated that Nivens had his claws in me. “I got what I wanted.”
***
IGROANED AS MY PHONErang, shoving aside the essays I corrected over the past hour in my campus office. The number flashing registered as Nivens’s secretary. It wasn’t her fault the guy was an asshole. “Hey, Bev.”
“Jaxon, how are you?” Her voice rang clear on the phone.
I grunted.
“I know the feeling.” I could sense her smile through the phone. She didn’t seem to enjoy working for Nivens, but was too much of a professional to admit that out loud. “Dr. Nivens would like to meet with you.”
