grabbed my purse from under the desk. “I have a new book I’m dying to get home and start. Speaking of, how’s the new work in progress coming?”
“Look at you, trying to sound all authory,” he teased.
“Is authory a word?” I laughed.
“Artistic license. It’s a beautiful thing, I can make up any word I want to, and as long as it makes sense to my readers, I’m golden.”
I set the alarm while Simon waited for me at the door, then he followed me out of the library and again waited while I locked up.
“You don’t have to wait around, Simon. I appreciate it when it’s dark but it’s summer.”
“Freaks and criminals don’t just lurk at night, Hadley.”
Jeez, how many times had I heard that from my dad, uncles, brother, and male cousins? Enough to carry pepper spray and a stun gun in my purse. We started toward my car.
“I might find that offensive if I hadn’t grown up with a bunch of overprotective apes around me. So, I’m choosing to believe you’re being gentlemanly and not apeish.”
“Is apeish a word?”
“Nope. But as long as you understand what I mean, I can make shit up, too.”
“Right.” He chuckled and stopped at my car. “See you next month.”
“Yeah, see you.”
Simon waited until I was in my car before he got into his.
I was out of the parking lot and down the street when I realized I left my cell on the desk. I contemplated leaving it behind. But if Addy tried to call and I didn’t answer she’d drive to my house. Normally I’d welcome this but I hadn’t lied to Simon. I had a new book waiting for me at home and I couldn’t wait to start it. I also had some work to do around my money-pit of a house.
Everyone thought I was crazy when I purchased my condo, and there had been a few times since I’d started renovating it I worried I’d made a mistake. But I was determined to finish it. That meant every night I did a few hours’ worth of work. The downstairs bathroom was almost done and it looked fabulous.
I drove around the block to get back to the library, which took for-freaking-ever with all the traffic. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the lot, scanned it to make sure it was empty, then hurried back into the building to get my cell.
With my phone in hand, I locked back up, walked to my car, opened the door, and my stomach flipped. Then all the hair on the back of my neck stood on end and tingled. My gaze left the copy of Sex is a Funny Word on my seat and I looked around the parking lot again.
Then I decided I was being one of those stupid women who hung out in an isolated area when there was obviously a crazy person around. So even though I didn’t want to, I picked up the book, tossed it in my back seat, got in, locked my doors, and reversed out of my parking spot faster than I needed to.
I was no less irate when I got home. I was more infuriated when I opened the book, and in the same slanted, perfect handwriting I read, “Teaching children about sexual intercourse is a sin. You’re going to hell.”
With a heavy sigh, I set the book on my kitchen table. The board of trustees for the library was already hemming and hawing over some of the books we had in circulation. They looked at the American Library Association’s list of challenged books as a list that meant banned. This was something I’d fought against and would continue to fight.
Censorship was a slippery slope.
One I wouldn’t support.
Now I had four books that at some point had been on the ALA’s list. Four books that the board would not replace. Which meant I would purchase copies and donate them to the library. Wasn’t the first time I had to do that and it wouldn’t be the last.
What I didn’t do was start my new book. I didn’t work on my bathroom. Instead, I stewed. Not just about the asshole trashing books, or the creepy fact someone had been in the parking lot watching me and broke into my car.
No. My mind went to Brady.
Always back to Brady—and his beautiful, albeit sad, eyes.
It was good Jasper Walker had raised me. Even better, I had three uncles who helped make me the woman I was. I was used to hardheaded