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Bella,” she mumbled.
    “Huh.”
    Chrissy didn’t intend to elaborate. Instead she allowed Ryan a moment to envision sweet Bella in conversation with mysterious biker dude.
    Meanwhile, Jane served up a king-sized shake and a jumbo straw. “Extra thick.”
    “Thanks,” Chrissy said.
    “Sure,” Jane said, her attention on Ryan, except Ryan refused to engage. Flirting wasn’t his style. Another admirable quality as far as Chrissy was concerned. Jane, however, sighed and returned to the counter.
    “Guess you run into that a lot,” Chrissy said. “Women have a thing about a man of authority,” she continued when Ryan didn’t respond. “Not me, but lots of other women. Take Angel for instance—”
    “Back to Savage,” Ryan said.
    “Right.” It wasn’t fair bringing up his secret flame when she refused to discuss her own burning ghost. “Just do me a favor and run a background search on Savage. Or a scan or whatever you do when you need to know if someone is dangerous,” she added, while stealing a second and third fry.
    “I thought you weren’t hungry,” he said while she munched.
    “I’m not. But hello. Fries?”
    “Whatever.”
    “So will you do it? Snoop, I mean.”
    “Mentally documenting your concern,” he said.
    Which meant he’d snoop. Chrissy smiled and stole one of his pickles just as he jabbed his spoon into her chocolate shake. Yup. Ryan was a good guy. Too bad his kind was a rarity.

Chapter Six

    Once upon a Friday…

    Bella was in the stacks organizing the juvenile non-fiction shelves when she happened to glance out the window and noticed Carson’s sleek silver car zipping into the parking lot.
    Was it too much to hope that he was here to seek out a book and not her?
    Every nerve in her already tense body snap, crackled, and popped. If he harassed her, she just might blow.
    Yesterday’s drama had continued into the night. She’d spent an uncomfortable evening ignoring Carson’s text messages and enduring her dad’s sullen silence. Retiring early, she’d wrestled with writer’s block for two hours, intermittently catching up with the Inseparables via their new cyber video hangout. They’d bounced between various topics but kept returning to Bella’s developing saga. She’d gone to bed only to be tormented by troubling dreams. One involving a weary postal worker. Another starring a haunted biker. She woke up thinking, he needs me . Only she wasn’t clear if that meant her dad or Savage.
    As the morning progressed and her hazy thoughts cleared, she realized she was oddly conflicted as to who needed her attention more. Loyalty and love demanded she attend her dad’s broken spirit. She couldn’t name what drove her to soothe the soul of a veritable stranger. Even as she’d carried out her normal duties at the library, Bella had obsessed on the biker and their deal. Tonight she’d be joining Savage, working off her dad’s debt and wrestling with her libido. What if he swung a hammer shirtless? What if she stared? What if he noticed? She’d been on pins and needles all day wondering if they’d spend the evening bickering or not speaking at all.
    Concentration shot and people skills compromised, she’d escaped the circulation desk in search of privacy and calm. The last thing she wanted or needed was a tense showdown with her ex. One thing was certain. Carson didn’t need her. And, even though he professed otherwise, he didn’t love her. How could he when he constantly questioned her choices? More than ever she was convinced his amorous pursuit wasn’t rooted in true love, but based on closing a deal he’d spent months cultivating.
    “Hello, beautiful.”
    Chest tight, Bella resisted the urge to thunk her forehead to the spines of the American history collection. Whereas Carson criticized her views and goals, he was forever complementing her physical attributes. At first she’d been flattered. Unlike Emma and Georgie, she’d never been a guy magnet. But as time wore