Page 37 of Bookworm
I looked down at my own wrinkled shirt that I’d changed into after the coffee spill and sighed. It wasn’t my fault that my clothes got all wrinkled on the flight, was it? As far as I could tell, there wasn’t an ironing board in this apartment. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to go buy one for a short, intermediate stay. Maybe I could borrow one from Dad.
One thing was for sure, though.Jasminehad an ironing board. Hell, she probably had a whole laundry room. One of those beautiful, stark white ones that they featured on HGTV with chic subway tile and wicker baskets that organize the different detergents and shit.
Hell, I bet she even used fabric softener on every load.
Whereas I wasn’t even sure what to do with that damn stuff. Did you mix it into the detergent? Rinse with it after?
I let out a frustrated growl to which Jules responded with a quietmeow.
I flopped onto the couch and reached up to scratch Jules’s chin. The meow morphed into a happy purr. “Maybe I should google her?” I asked Jules. “Learn all about the enemy.”
How many Jasmines could have graduated from the law department the same year Adam did? Not too many, probably. I bet I could find her within ten minutes.
Reaching out, I brushed my palm down Jules’s back, scratching between her shoulder blades just the way she loves.
Prrrrrrr…
“It’s not stalking. It’s just a Google search.”
I wasn’t sure what hers and Adam’s story was, but one thing was clear: They had history.
“Besides,” I added. “It’s not like Adam has called or texted me.”
Jules gave me a slow blink, then yawned, flashing me her feral teeth in the process. “I know, Iknowhe has class all day, but a text takes literally two seconds.”
He wasn’t the one who ran like a coward, I could practically hear Jules retort.
With a sigh, I bent forward to rest my elbows on my knees. “You’re right. I am a coward.”
Stepping forward, Jules touched her cold nose gently to mine, then bumped her forehead against my face.
I rubbed my eyes and nuzzled her again. “I’m a coward and now I’m due back at the library, but I can’t bring myself to go in case I run into Adam.”
Adam taught class today until four p.m. So maybe if I went now, I could get some of my restoration work done there and slip out before he was done with his classes.
Yes. Yes, that's what I needed to do. It would give me enough time to let the vinegar powder absorb here at the apartment. And by the time I finished at the library, those books would need their own time to dry and set.
“Good chat, Jules.” I kissed her on the nose to which she recoiled as though offended by my show of affection.
Twenty minutes later, I was creeping into the library, hiding behind a baseball cap and massively large sunglasses.
Not the most clever disguise, admittedly, but in a pinch, it had to do.
I bet ifJasminewas sneaking around somewhere, she’d be clad in one of those silk scarves that 1950s starlets used to wear to keep their hair in place. Like Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn. And big, Gucci sunglasses. Not the cheap knock off aviators I found in ChinaTown several years ago.
The librarian gave me a weird look as I flashed the ID Adam had given me on my first day at her and slid inside.
As I made my way down the lines of tables and quiet students studying, I noticed more and more eyes on me.
My disguise wasn’tthatweird, was it? Especially not in a collegiate atmosphere? A baseball hat and sunglasses? Half the students in here were wearing baseball hats or slouchy beanies.
I looked over my shoulder where a guy was sitting with a green hoodie featuring the animated cartoon of the unofficial mascot of Dartmouth, Keggy the Keg.
And he was staring right at me.
Or rather, staring at my ass.
Shamelessly.
