putting his life in danger by living with him.
I would start by getting to know the librarian. She had been kind to me when I was brand new in town. She’d had nothing to gain from helping me. She’d just done it out of the kindness of her heart. That was not a concept I’d grown up with. In my father’s world, people only acted when they would benefit from the action.
I found a homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe online. I tried it out. Every so often, I got distracted thinking about the way Tyler had kissed me.
At the store, I gathered all the ingredients I’d need to bake from scratch. When I’d started, Tyler didn’t even have the basics like sugar, flour, or vanilla. I couldn’t judge him too harshly though, because I’d never stocked a pantry either. I’d heard other people talk about vanilla extract, and almond flavoring in the treats they baked, but I’d never done it first hand. Our chef had always handled that.
Now I understood why it was a popular hobby. There was something soothing about measuring and mixing and pouring. When I was scooping the dough onto the cookie sheet, I wasn’t thinking about Christopher or Carl, and how much they both wanted me dead.
The first batch was a disaster. I used too much baking powder, and they were bitter. The second batch was better, but they weren’t fully blended. In the videos, the cooks always used high-powered mixer on a stand, but Tyler didn’t have anything like that. There was only a small hand mixer buried deep in one of his cabinets.
The third batch was much more promising. That filled the kitchen with a pleasing aroma, mixing chocolate with brown sugar and vanilla.
I taste-tested each step, and finally I had a batch good enough to take to the librarian. After they were cool, I wrapped them in cellophane and tied them with a piece of ribbon I’d gotten in the gift wrapping section of the grocery store.
Then I headed over to the library. I didn’t want to apply for a card. The fewer places I put my name, the better. But I could at least chat with Abigail, who’d been so kind to me. Abigail had nothing to offer me now, but I still wanted to talk to her. Forging that kind of connection was a first step in moving as far away from my family as possible.
As I pulled the library door open, I realized I hadn’t bothered to check to see if she was working. But I was in luck. She was behind the counter again today. She smiled when she saw me. “Hello,” she called out.
I smiled back. I went straight to the desk and placed the cookies on the countertop. Aware that I was in a library even though I wasn’t there to read, I kept my voice low. “I wanted to thank you for the job recommendation last week. The sheriff hired me. So I’ve been doing some baking and I brought you these cookies.”
My cheeks flushed as I mentioned the sheriff. My mind took me right back to the previous night when he’d taken me to bed. Hopefully she wouldn’t notice.
Her smile widened. She immediately went for the ribbon, tugging on it until it came off. She inhaled. “Oh wow. These smell amazing. Has my brother had one yet? Chocolate chip cookies are his favorite too.”
“Your brother?” I asked. I hadn’t met anyone else recently.
“The sheriff is my brother,” she said. A crease appeared on her forehead. “I just assumed you’d have given him some first.”
I stood there with my mouth open. Had Tyler mentioned he had a sister? I had no recollection of it at all. Another surge of heat rushed to my cheeks as I realized that in the hours that Tyler had been home last night, we had spent more time together in bed than we had out of it. “I’m really embarrassed to say that I didn’t realize that.”
She grinned and took a bite of the cookie, apparently not worried that there was a sign that said ‘no eating or drinking’ on the desk only inches from her. She grabbed a napkin from a drawer and wiped her mouth. “I’m glad you didn’t know. People are always doing stuff for Tyler because he’s the sheriff, and they want to get in his good graces, including doing stuff for me too.” She shrugged. “I’m not sure why. I love my brother, but it’s not