Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Chapter Two
KINDRED
“On a scale of one to ten, how terrible would it be if I shut down the local library?" I ask Candy. She’s really new to town, but she and I hit it off quickly.
Right after she figured out that I was engaged to her baby daddy, my boss. The mayor of New Hope. In my defense, it had been his idea to make up that story. He was praying it would get his mother off his back so she’d stop throwing women at him to date.
"Why would you do that?" Candy turns to glance out the window toward the library I'm speaking of.
I serve as Mayor Hollis' right hand in this town. Actually, I might be both hands; I run Town Hall, where my office is. There isn't a ton to do around here. The town can almost run itself. That's why part of my time is also spent as Hollis's assistant. That has hella perks. I could retire off my Christmas bonus this year, but I won't. I get all the tea and gossip right here. I'm not giving that up. That perk is almost better than the money…almost.
"I was looking over the budget." Except the budget is wide open, lush with money to spend, and not only because we make a killing off tourists. No, our mayor is loaded and often cuts his own checks when it comes to paying for things the town may need, not wanting to stay within any budget. He even renovated the home he lives in so that the taxpayers wouldn’t have to use any town funds.
"You guys have budget issues?" Candy's nose scrunches. She isn't making that comment out of rudeness. Not Candy, she's as sweet as her name. But life hasn't always been easy on her, and she's fought for everything she has. Candy also knows her fiancé, whose wedding we're all scrambling to plan, is loaded.
Also, if Candy sued that fertility clinic that impregnated her eggs with Hollis's sperm, she'd probably be a millionaire herself. But that's a story that has already been told.
"No, not budget issues, but everyone uses e-readers nowadays. We should be saving the trees." I mean I can’t very well come out and tell her the real reason I want to shut it down. I’m barely willing to admit it to myself.
“I kind of feel like a small town like New Hope would want to preserve something like a physical library with real books.” She has me there. New Hope does have a certain charm to it, and the library is a part of it.
“You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“Oh, wait. More is happening here.” Candy sits up straighter, raising her chin. “Yes, the library must go.” She drags her finger across her neck, letting me know she's down for murdering the library, which is not a very Candy thing to do.
“It’s fine.” I let out a sigh.
I guess I’ll have to think of another way to put an end to Sheriff Hudson’s new obsession with the library. It’s annoying, but he does take me more for a physical book person than an e-reader. Christmas is around the corner. I could push the e-reader onto him as a gift, but then he'd likely think the gift was a trick of some kind.
But that’s the thing. I don’t believe he’s going for the books there at all. There’s only one other reason he would be visiting it so much, and that’s if he had a thing for Shelly. I bet they read books together all cuddled up. It’s disgusting.
It’s always the quiet, nerdy ones you have to look out for. Maybe I should just burn the place down. That sounds simpler than getting the town to agree to shut it down.
Whatever the reason is, I plan on putting a stop to it. Not because I’m jealous or anything but for other reasons. They both have jobs to do. Shelly should be tending to the books, and the sheriff should be keeping the streets of New Hope safe.
“We should go on a mission.”
Candy stares at me wide-eyed as though she’s scared of what I’m about to suggest. Okay, I might have gotten us into a bit of trouble before, but it worked out in the end.
I plan on finding out exactly what the sheriff is doing in that library all the time. Maybe a look around when no one is there will give me some answers.
“What do I have to do?” She’s such a girl’s girl, which I absolutely love about her. Down to help out, even though she knows it might not be completely on the up and up.
“Don’t worry, it’s not like I’d ask you to commit a crime or anything.”
She raises an eyebrow at me.
“Okay, it could end up being a little crimey.”