Page 34

Celebrating Ten Years of Exceptional Service

A grin lit Paige’s face, and she snapped her gaze to the small animal. “Your name is Dewey Decimael?”

The teapot clattered onto the tray as smoke poured from Dewey’s nostrils. “It’s pronounced Decimall. I’m French.”

“Oh, sorry. It’s just…funny.”

“I fail to see how,” he grumbled as he hefted the tray and delivered it to a coffee table.

“Dewey Decimael. You’re a librarian. Get it.” Paige snorted a laugh as she sank back into her chair.

“I told you, it’s Decimall, not decimal.” He poured tea into each cup before he lifted his and retreated to the chaise, and then he perched on it with his tiny legs dangling over the side. “And I wouldn’t talk if I was you…Paige Turner.”

“Touché,” Paige said, retrieving her teacup after dropping in two cubes of sugar. “I really should have gotten the job on my name alone.”

She snorted another laugh at her own joke.

Dewey eyed her before he launched from the chaise and flew over to snatch a cookie from the plate. He returned to his chaise and perched on the edge.

“I understand your mother was also a librarian.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Paige said with a mouthful of snickerdoodle. She swallowed it and washed it down with a sip of tea. “Yes. My mother was Reed Moore. She was a librarian before you worked here.”

Dewey choked on his sip of tea, his cup rattling back into the saucer. “Your mother was named Reed Moore? And you’re named Paige Turner? And you commented on my name?”

Paige chuckled as she sipped her tea. “We’re quite a pair, I guess.” She stared into the amber liquid for a moment as the events of earlier today raced through her mind. “The sad thing is, I didn’t even know she was my mother until Ronnie told me this morning.”

“Oh?” Dewey asked, lowering his teacup.

“She abandoned me in Grayburgh shortly after my birth. I never knew her. Never knew anything about her.”

“How did Ronnie know?”

Paige waved her wrist in the air. “She recognized my bracelet. My mother left it with me when she abandoned me.”

Dewey set his teacup on the table and flew toward Paige. “Do you mind?”

He waved a paw to her wrist.

“Not at all,” Paige said, setting her saucer down on the tray and offering him her wrist.

Dewey delicately hooked the bracelet with a claw, leaning closer to peer at it.

“A dragon charm. Interesting.” He flicked through the others before he let the bracelet drop back onto her skin.

He returned to his seat, grabbed his teacup, and took a sip. “You know, I could try to help you find some information about your mother.” He waved a paw in front of him. “If you’d like.”

“Oh, of course! I’ve wondered all my life. Today is the first time I’ve ever learned anything. I had hoped you were here when she was, but sadly, that was not the case.”

“No, but I have gotten quite good at genealogy. I’m certain I can find some information for you, at least about your family in general.”

“Really? Genealogy? You’re full of surprises, Dewey.”

Dewey took another bite of cookie as he nodded. “Yes, I’ve had extensive practice. I spent a lot of time searching through my family’s history.”

“Did you find anything interesting?”

“Not particularly.” He lowered his gaze to his teacup and stared into it. “I had hoped to find another instance of dwarfism within my ancestors. Sadly, I didn’t.”