Page 26 of Monster Among the Roses (Fairy Tale Quartet 1)

Relief and a flood of understanding poured through me. In one brief fraction of time, I felt both foolish for being so irrationally jealous and yet so pleased he wasn’t actually dating Isobel I almost laughed. Then the moment passed and a cold sweat shrouded me as I realized what this meant. I wouldn’t have been so upset to learn she had a boyfriend if I hadn’t been interested in the position myself.

And that thought scared me. I knew I’d always been interested in her—in that way—but my reaction had been so extreme.

She was supposed to be a job, just a job. Falling for her could only cause problems. I needed to keep my feelings in check. I needed to stop thinking of her like that, or looking at her like that, or—

“The brother,” Ezra Nash repeated on a grin. “That sounds so ominous, but yeah, I’m…the brother.”

“The annoying brother,” Isobel snickered, which prompted Ezra to reach over without even looking her way and pinch her in the side.

She shrieked and slapped his hand, causing him to grin wider at me.

I stared between the siblings in awe, intrigued by their comfortable, teasing relationship and once again struck by how glad I was to learn they were only brother and sister.

Completely revising my opinion of him, I decided I liked him after all. I liked him a lot. He could make Isobel smile and laugh, and he wasn’t dating her, so he was aces in my book.

“When did Dad hire a carpenter?” he asked, making me gulp because the glint in his eyes showed suspicion, as if he already knew why Henry Nash had truly brought me into his home.

“Two weeks ago,” Isobel answered, sticking her thumbnail between her teeth as she studied a section of wall near us. “And he’s our new general, overall handyman, not just a carpenter.”

A little pocket of warmth grew inside me at her words. She knew I was by no means a carpenter in any sense of the word, but she still let her brother believe I could actually make these shelves with no trouble. The urge to touch her—just a simple touch, maybe on the arm, to show my gratitude—mounted.

Ah, shit. Yep, I was definitely into her, as into her as a guy could get. This was bad. This was so bad.

Fortunately, she pointed to the wall, tearing my attention from my doomed fate. “How close to the window are you going to make the shelves?”

I glanced over, taking in the space before answering, “As close as you want me to get.”

She beamed, not a full smile, but something warm and pleased enough to slice through me with greediness, wanting more of it, craving her pleasure like a plant thirsty for water and sunshine.

“Not too close,” she said. “I don’t want to block out any more light than necessary. It’s already dark enough in here as it is.”

“Actually…” I lifted a finger, glad she’d mentioned the lighting. “I was thinking we could maybe lighten the walls and add some drop-down lamps or something to help with that.”

Isobel glanced around the room, her eyes wide as she considered my idea. After a moment, she nodded. “Yeah,” she said slowly. “Yes, I think that will work well.”

Again, I glowed from the inside, soaking in her good mood.

“Sounds like you two are going to overhaul the entire room,” Ezra put in.

“Well, it needs it,” Isobel told him.

I nodded. “Libraries should be bright, wonderful spaces since they hold so many bright, wonderful worlds and adventures.”

After a startled blink, Isobel sent me a soft smile. “Exactly.”

And yep, I blossomed under her radiant stare. My chest expanded with air, making me feel like a helium balloon, and I swear I would’ve floated right off the floor if my feet hadn’t been tethering me down.

“Hmm,” her brother murmured, glancing speculatively between the two of us. “Well, I best get to my meeting with Dad.” He clasped his hands together and took a step in reverse as if he felt like three of us were too many for the moment and he was the odd man out.

Isobel swung to him, flushing as if she’d been caught doing something wrong. “Is your coworker still giving you trouble?”

Ezra shuddered, and an expression of absolute disgust cloaked his face. “You mean the wicked witch?” His tone turning snide and stiff, he rolled his eyes insolently. “That woman lives to make my life a living hell. I swear she tries to nix every goddamn thing I suggest. I have to fight tooth and nail to get anything. It’s completely ridiculous. And uncalled for.”

Isobel sent me a cringe as if she regretted asking before saying to her brother, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“And yet yes is so mild an answer for the indigestion that woman gives me.” His face started to turn red as if merely mentioning her made his blood pressure rise unnaturally.

“Maybe you should talk to Dad about it,” Isobel suggested. “I bet he’ll have some good suggestions on how to deal with her.”

---