Page 29 of Ronen
“Ohhhh! He has handcuffs!”
Ignoring her, and the image that conjured up, I plastered a tight smile on my face as I handed the books I had just checked out to my patron. “Those will be due back in three weeks. Have a nice day.”
My eyes scanned over the library, noting where people were located throughout the building. The afternoon was always busier, with story time in the children’s room, and various clubsgathered in the rooms we set aside for meetings. Adults tended to stop in on their lunch breaks or when they got off work, as did teens after school, many to use the computers for research where it was quiet.
“I’m here, I’m here,” Lindsey, one of my part-time employees, rushed in from the back, smoothing her straight red hair. “Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner.”
“No worries,” I told her, shooting her a small smile. “I know it was short notice, and you needed to find someone to watch the kids. Thanks for coming in, I appreciate it.”
She waved my thanks away. “I’m happy to help. Is the sheriff going to be okay? Those steps scare me to death, I swear. I do not understand why more people don’t park in the back, especially in winter. Mrs. Everett nearly gives me a heart attack every time she goes up and down them.”
“You and me both,” I confided. “I think she does it on purpose, honestly. My dad texted me and said Sheriff Caldwell is going to be okay, but I still need to see for myself. Especially since it happened on our property. There’s paperwork that needs to be filled out; I need to make sure all our I’s are dotted and T’s crossed.”
“Your dad?” Lindsey wrinkled her brow in confusion. “How does he know?”
Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “How does he ever know? You know he and Becks are like two twelve-year-old girls when it comes to town gossip. They know everything about everything.”
It wasn’t all a lie; my dad was super fucking nosy and did always know what was going on. “Becks doesn’t know how to be properly retired, and still thinks he has to keep an eye on this town, and Dad is just as bad.”
“I see them at The Sweet Spot a lot. And, insurance is a pain,” she commiserated, signing into the computer system. “I don’t envy you. I’ll continue to be a lowly part-timer with no real responsibility, thanks.”
“Facts,” I agreed, running a hand through my hair.
She narrowed her eyes at me, then tilted her head. “You look frazzled. And tired. And what’s with the skin showing? Ronen Sinclair, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with so many buttons undone.”
She flicked a hand at my throat and then my forearms, where my sleeves were still rolled back and had been all day. “I would have never guessed you had so much ink,” her voice sounded shocked but also in awe. “Is that Charlie’s work?”
A gave her a shocked look. “Do you think I would allow anyone else to touch my skin?”
She laughed, “I’d be more scared of what Charlie would do to you if you did. You should relax like this more often. It’s a good look on you.”
Ignoring her comment, I made sure she was settled, told her that Caleb and Jayden, two of our high school employees, were on schedule for later to help out, and thanked her once more before I headed into my office to grab my coat.
“Ro, you need to go see him!”Emily materialized through the closed door of my office.
Shrugging into my jacket, I zipped it up. “What do you think I’m doing? Dammit, I need his address. Where are the three stooges? I haven’t seen them since they tried to murder Mason.”
Booting up my office computer, I ignored her when she sat on my desk, practically on top of my keyboard.
“Oh, stop being dramatic! No one tried to murder anyone! We aren’t those types of ghosts. We’re like…”She thought for a minute,“We’re like Casper. Nice and friendly.”
At my loud snort, she wisely changed the subject.
“I just can’t believe you and Mason are fated,”she sighed dreamily, her dark hair swooshing around her face, as she rested her chin on her hand.“It’s like a movie or something.”
“A horror movie,” I commented dryly, as I looked up Mason’s account and wrote down his address, noting it was on the very edge of town, off the highway, but not that far from my family’s property. “Where out of control ghosts murder innocent people.”
Emily swatted at my shoulder, though since she wasn’t solid, it didn’t feel like much of anything. Which reminded me I needed to question the others, when they were brave enough to show their faces, on how they had managed to push Mason.
“Stop it! It’s like the most romantic of romantic movies. Star crossed lovers meant to be together.”
“The man is the most infuriating person I’ve met in…well, ever.”
“Ronen, I have told you for years that you need to stop being so…so…”she waved a hand up and down my body, shrugging and not finishing her sentence.
“You know what would be great?” I said, folding the paper with Mason’s address on it and stuffing it in my coat pocket. “If everyone could stop giving me their opinions of my character and or personality. I am how I am, and I don’t need your approval. If you don’t like me, why are you still here? Go haunt someone else.”
“Rude! No need to get all snippy! You’re so grumpy!”Emily frowned at me.“And you know you are like my best friend. I love you, Ro. I could never leave you. Or the library.”
