Page 8

The store was… not dark , exactly. That was the wrong word for it. But there were definitely no bright lights here – any illumination came from the front windows, and from the vast array of lamps placed on any available surface.

Tall lamps, short lamps, skinny lamps, round lamps.

Lamps that cast multicolored patterns through stained glass.

Lamps that glowed softly behind embroidered designs.

Lamps that were perched so precariously that Chloe thought the only way they could possibly avoid toppling over and being smashed on the ground was through pure magic.

Beyond that, there were pictures on the walls – not just paintings, but collages, etchings, charcoal sketches, and other things she wasn’t quite sure she could identify – and beautiful old pieces of furniture, with curling wooden feet and arms and plush velvet cushions, tucked away in every conceivable corner.

Some sort of delicious herbal scent wafted gently through the air, just enough to tease the senses without being overpowering, while below that was the smoky hint of a distant fireplace, with its promise of warm toes and hypnotically flickering flames.

But all of that, of course, was playing second fiddle to all the books.

Books!

Really, there were… quite a lot of books. Some looked modern, with brightly colored covers, while others looked very, very old, bound in leather and sealed with coppery clasps. Suddenly, the idea of finding an answer to Ethan’s mysterious question in this place didn’t seem quite so far-fetched.

Chloe couldn’t even tell just how large the store was, as the warren of shelves and comfy chairs looked like it could quite possibly stretch on into eternity. Honestly, she wouldn’t have been surprised if a minotaur had suddenly popped out from its depths!

The effect was warm and comforting, and Chloe – who didn’t really consider herself a book lover in the usual sense, having spent far too many late nights poring over veterinary texts while trying to force her eyelids to stay open – had to admit that even she would love nothing more than to curl up in front of the fire in one of the enormous armchairs with a mug of hot cocoa, and spend the afternoon idly flicking through some ancient tome.

Really, there was no other word for the place but cozy . The whole store felt like it had been designed to make anyone who entered it feel like they were bobbing about on warm waves of contentment.

Chloe thought that it was probably a good thing that she loved her job so much, otherwise she might be tempted to pivot into becoming a bookseller…

or at least someone who spent their days lounging around in adorable little bookstores – which, she had to admit, was something that it might be difficult to make a living out of.

She glanced over at Ethan to see if he was having a similar reaction. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t seem to be overwhelmed with happiness – but he was at least looking around with a hint of interest. It was a start, she supposed.

“Ah! Hello there!” said a sudden voice from somewhere in amongst the books, and Chloe almost jumped out of her skin. “Sorry – I didn’t mean to startle you! I’ll be with you in just a moment!”

There were some thumping noises behind the shelves, and Chloe exchanged a glance with Ethan, who raised one perfect eyebrow.

Then, out from amongst the stacks, came wandering a big, black, fluffy cat, who stared at her with enormous yellow eyes.

“Oh!” Chloe gasped in delight – she was, after all, an animal lover, and this cat had to be one of the most magnificent specimens she’d ever seen, enormous, sturdy, and extremely fluffy. “Was that you thumping around just now?”

Chloe crouched down, holding out her hand so the cat – if it so chose – could sniff her fingers. She’d washed any hint of Bella’s saliva off her hands, of course, but the cat could probably still smell dog on their clothes, so she couldn’t have blamed him if he was a little wary.

But no – the cat was clearly supremely confident in himself, and he trotted up without a hint of shyness or fear, sniffing greedily at Chloe’s proffered hand before just as quickly turning away, fluffy tail held high in what was a very clear sign of disdain.

Chloe couldn’t help but laugh. “Now that’s a cat with character!”

“Oh! I hope Monty hasn’t been bothering you?”

Chloe looked up, standing quickly. In the aisle ahead of her, which she was sure had been empty just a moment ago, stood a woman with long blonde hair done up in an elaborate braid, a blue shawl thrown around her shoulders.

She was blinking at them, biting her lip as the fluffy cat began twining itself around her ankles, its booming purr audible even to Chloe.

“Not in the slightest,” Chloe told the woman with a smile. “Well, not me anyway.”

She glanced at Ethan, but he too was watching the cat with a faint smile on his face – the first smile she’d seen on him since they’d met.

All right, so he may not be very polite, but at least it seems he likes animals? That’s definitely a plus….

“Oh, that’s good!” the woman chirped, leaning down to pick up the cat in her arms. “How about you go back to your shelf for the moment, Monty,” she said to him as she gave him a belly rub, her fingers disappearing into his dense black fur.

“I just need to give these people a hand. Unless the three of you are happy browsing for now?”

Behind her, Chloe sensed Ethan stiffening, even as she frowned. Three of us? It’s just me and Ethan here, isn’t it? Though I guess there could be someone else hidden away in this labyrinth.

That must have been what the woman meant, Chloe decided. What else could it have been?

“By the way,” the woman said brightly, “I’m Margot, the owner.

Or one of them, anyway. And this –” she held up the fluffy cat, as if they might not have noticed him “– is Monty… though I guess I said that already. He shouldn’t bother you – he’ll probably just go back to sleep now that he’s inspected you. ”

Laughing, Margot lifted Monty onto a shelf that Chloe could now see had a cat basket with several cushions that were almost as large as Monty himself inside of it. He settled himself amongst them, his golden eyes half-closing in contentment.

“But sorry, you didn’t get the chance to say – is there anything specific I can direct you toward?” Margot asked, turning back to them.

“Oh…” Chloe started, before realizing that Ethan was really the only person who could answer that question. “My – uh – my –”

Her answer trailed off before she could really give it.

She’d started to say my friend , but Ethan wasn’t exactly that.

In fact, he might even take offense at her saying it.

But what else was she supposed to say? My guy here who I only just met when I roped him into saving a dog’s life due to a case of mistaken identity and now we’re here in this bookshop together? For some reason?

“I was hoping to find books or documents about the history of Girdwood Springs,” Ethan broke in, saving her whatever humiliation she was about to bring down on herself. “Things from perhaps… the last one hundred and fifty years or so, if you’d happen to have anything like that.”

Margot – who had to be the friendliest bookshop owner Chloe had ever encountered – seemed to visibly brighten at Ethan’s words, a glow of excitement in her eyes.

“Oh, yes! We have a lot of books and records about the history of the town, going back a lot further than that! It gets a little spotty past a certain point, but we certainly have a lot of information about the founding of the town, right through to Mason Girdwood gifting the land and forest surrounding it to the people of the town in his will. I can definitely show you where to find all of that.”

“That would be very helpful and appreciated,” Ethan said, though he still sounded a little… stiff, Chloe thought.

Could it be that he’s just… socially awkward?

“I’ll have something that’ll help you out – definitely!

Most definitely!” Margot was practically beaming with enthusiasm.

“There’s nothing I love more than helping people with their research – the pursuit of knowledge is really rather noble, don’t you think?

” She blinked, cocking her head a little, her green eyes still sparkling.

“If you don’t mind me asking, is this something to help your friend there? ”

Chloe frowned. To help… me?

Again, she felt hesitant at being described as Ethan’s friend , but that was mainly because – for whatever reason – she felt a little stab of pain in her heart at the idea of Ethan having to explain they were in no way friends, and in fact, they didn’t even really know each other at all.

She could just imagine how he’d do it, too, with his voice dripping with frosty politeness as he disabused Margot of the notion that they could be friends.

“Oh, no, it’s nothing to do with me,” Chloe said quickly, before Ethan could get a word out. “I just wanted to show him where the bookshop was. We’re not friends. We just met, in fact. I don’t even know what he’s looking for.”

There! Got in before him.

Next to her, she could feel Ethan going from seeming rather stiff to practically bristling, but maybe he was just annoyed that she’d stolen his line.

Margot blinked again, a look of slight confusion crossing her face. “Oh… okay. That’s kind of you to bring someone you don’t know well here to where they can find some help! But, uh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean you, I meant him .”

Margot gestured a little at somewhere in Ethan’s general direction, and again Chloe found herself confused.

Ethan? Or… is there really another customer standing behind us, and I just didn’t notice them come in?

Chloe glanced behind her, peering around Ethan’s tall, broad frame.

Nope, nobody there.

There was nothing but bookshelves and the door they’d come in by behind them.

“Oh!” Margot’s shocked gasp had Chloe whirling back to face her again, only to find her with a slightly horrified look on her face, her fingers covering her open mouth. “Or maybe you didn’t know you were being haunted?”

Chloe’s eyes widened, her own mouth dropping open.

Haunted?!