Booking the Crook by Laurie Cass

Author:Laurie Cass
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2019-07-01T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

• • •

“Earth to Minnie. Hello, Minnie.”

“What? Oh. Hey, Josh. How are you doing?” It was Tuesday morning, I’d just dropped Kristen off at the airport, and I was standing in front of the coffeepot watching the dark liquid dribble down.

“It would be better if I had some of that stuff.” He leaned around me and, in one deft movement, pulled the pot aside and shoved his mug underneath the flow. Four seconds later, he reversed the move, saying, “You’re a coffee freak. Don’t you do it this way when you’re in a hurry?”

“Tried it the other day. It didn’t go well.” Which was an understatement. Coffee had gone everywhere—all over the burner, the counter, and the floor. Even coffee grounds had somehow gotten into the mix. “I’m a bit gun-shy to try it again so soon.”

“What were you daydreaming about just now?” he asked. “You looked a million miles away.”

“Oh, this and that,” I said vaguely. “You know how I get.” What I’d been thinking about was Bax Tousely’s bank tirade. After Mara had finished telling the story, I’d gently asked her why, once she’d learned that Rowan had been murdered, she hadn’t told the police. “I didn’t want to get anyone into trouble,” she’d said. “I mean, he was just venting, right? After his loan had been turned down. People do that all the time and nothing happens.”

I’d wanted to point out that something had, in fact, happened this time, but I’d smiled instead. Later that day, when I’d called Ash, he’d been very interested indeed and said he’d look into it. Whether or not he’d let me know what he found out was the big question.

Holly came into the break room and asked, “Have you done it yet?”

“Done what?”

“Not you. Him.” Holly pointed at Josh, who was leaning against the counter, sipping his coffee. “Time is ticking away. If he doesn’t act soon, all will be lost.”

I was the one who was lost. I’d once had my finger on the pulse of library gossip, but now that I was out on the bookmobile a third of the time, it was hard to keep up. “What are you talking about?”

“Valentine’s Day,” she said, huffing. “He needs to start making plans if he wants to impress his new girlfriend.”

“She’s not my—”

Holly didn’t let him keep talking. “Maybe not officially, but tell me this. Don’t you want her to be your girlfriend? Don’t you think she could be The One? Do you really think you will ever find anyone that suits you better than Mia Lacombe?”

“Well . . .” Josh looked at the floor, and dark red stained his ruddy cheeks.

On the inside, I was cheering wildly. Mia was Leese’s half sister and was adorable in every way. Sure, she had a few problems, but didn’t we all? A solid and nonvolatile relationship could easily be the best thing for her. And Josh could certainly use some social companionship that wasn’t on the other end of a computer.

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