Once, surprisingly, he picked up a copy ofPersuasion.
Obviously, I didn’t bat an eye. Not to his face, at least.
“You mark my words,” Ethel says, leaning across the circulation desk like she’s preparing to share state secrets. “A man that handsome and mysterious? There’s always a body count involved.”
Bernice nods solemnly. “At minimum.”
I cough into my hand to hide another laugh.
The bell over the front door jingles before I can respond, saving me from having to explain why I’m clearly entertained by their dramatics.
A blast of icy wind swirls into the library.
“Storm’s rolling in early,” Mr. Hargrove mutters as he stomps snow from his boots. “Roads are already getting slick.”
I glance toward the windows. He’s right. Thick gray clouds have swallowed most of the mountain range already.
Great.
Exactly what I need when I still have to drive clear out to Miller Ranch to drop off donated large-print books before heading home.
An hour later, I’m seriously reconsidering all my life choices.
The storm came in fast.
One minute, it was flurries. The next, snow lashes across my windshield so hard the wipers can barely keep up. The road curves sharply along the mountainside, visibility dropping lower by the second.
“Come on,” I mutter, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “Come on, London. You can do this.”
I hate driving in snow.
Which is deeply unfortunate considering I voluntarily moved to a mountain town where winter lasts approximately eleven months of the year.
My phone buzzes through the Bluetooth speakers.
CALEB.
I immediately tense.
For one stupid, panicked second, I almost think it’s my ex.
But, it’s Caleb from the hardware store returning my voicemail about the flickering light in the employee bathroom.
I exhale shakily and decline the call, trying to focus on the road.
The sound of my tire blowing cracks through the storm.
“Oh my God!”
The steering wheel jerks violently. My little SUV fishtails toward the shoulder, snow spraying everywhere before the vehicle finally lurches to a stop at an angle dangerously close to the ditch.
For a moment, all I can hear is my own breathing.
Then the wind slams against the car hard enough to rock it.
“Nope. Nope, nope, nope.”
My fingers shake as I grab my phone.