anyone who wants it free entertainment, a free education. It opens minds, it changes lives, it heals, it inspires. If the threat of that being taken away isn’t worth fighting for then I don’t know what is. And as long as I’m working here, I will fight them on every book they try to remove.”
Ellen stared at me a beat. Then her wrinkled face broke into a smile and she nodded.
“The world needs more Hadley Walkers in it. You fight, child, and I’ll stand next to you.”
Overcome with emotion, I cleared my throat then said, “Thank you, Ellen.”
“Now, go get me those books you bought so I can catalog them, then you go home. It’s my turn to stay for the Knitting Club meeting.”
Thank goodness for that.
Besides not wanting to dream about making whatever their latest project was, I had a floor to finish and only three days to do it before my new furniture arrived.
“You’re the best.”
I went back to my office, closed my computer down, grabbed my purse double-checking I had my cell, grabbed the books, and headed out for the night.
It was late when the knock came—past the time it was socially acceptable to knock on someone’s door. But with a battalion of relatives who didn’t adhere to normal standards, it could be anyone from an uncle, a cousin, or a sibling.
I stopped banging a board into place and looked around the living room. I’d gotten a lot done, but then I should’ve because I’d been at it for hours. So many of them, my knees hurt and my back ached.
But the pain was well worth it because the new flooring looked awesome.
I made my way to the door, unlocked it, and when I opened it, my breath arrested for a beat. Then my breaths came in shallow pants.
Brady.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I took in the deep creases in his forehead.
“You didn’t ask who was at the door.”
“What?”
“Door, babe,” Brady snapped, and I jolted when he pushed himself into my house.
It took a few beats for me to come unstuck. I closed the door and turned, not comprehending what Brady was doing there and at the same time becoming increasingly annoyed that it had been a week since I’d seen him. Plus, I was irritated that I was in a ratty pair of shorts, my hair was piled on top of my head, and I had on an over-sized, paint-stained tee. In other words, I looked like shit.
Not the appearance a woman wanted to present to the man who’d shot her down. It went double if it was the man you were madly in love with.
I’d hoped the next time Brady saw me I’d be tricked-out and he’d take one look at me and know he’d royally fucked up.
But there he was in my living room nearing on midnight and I was dressed like a homeless person and probably smelled like one, too.
Annoying.
Then I remembered Brady and I were no longer friends. He’d closed that door, which begged the question of why he was at my house. Fear crept in. He worked for my dad and uncles and I was not kept apprised as to the jobs Triple Canopy took, but I knew enough to understand not all of the jobs they took were safe.
“Why are you here? Is everyone okay?”
His chin dipped and his gaze took me in before it settled on my face. He grunted, “Yeah, everyone’s fine.” I lost his eyes because he was looking around the room. “You’re almost done.”
What the hell was going on?
“Looks good, babe.”
Babe? Okay, seriously, what the hell was happening?
“Why are you here?” I tried one more time.
“We need to talk.”
Since our last conversation had ended with my heart broken I wasn’t feeling particularly altruistic about giving him another opportunity to pour salt in the gaping wound that had yet to scab over.
And after seven days of doing nothing but mourning the loss of a man that was never mine to love, I was beginning to think the pain would always be raw.
“At midnight?”
“Yeah, at midnight,” he confirmed.
I hadn’t realized just how right he’d been when he told me that my hurt would turn into anger until that very moment. Seeing Brady standing in my living room days after he’d walked out on me made raw pain turn to raw anger.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“That’s okay. All I need for you to do is listen.”
“I see, you think you can come in and—”
“The first time I