Lancelot (The Theriot Family 3)

I huffed. “That man is not eccentric. He’s dangerous.”

She tilted her head as if thinking, then nodded. “I agree with that assessment. He’s certainly not your average library patron.”

“Is there even any such thing anymore?”

“Sometimes I swear you’re an eighty-year-old man trapped in the potentially very sexy body of a twenty-five-year-old.”

“I am not here to appease anyone’s idea of what—”

Gwen held up her hand, obviously not in the mood for one of my rants on societal expectations. “I know, but you’re attractive, and you’re young. You keep yourself locked away in here, working overtime, then taking stuff home. You should be living your life. There’s absolutely no reason for you to go home alone to a cold, empty bed.”

I shook my head. “I’m not interested in dating right now.”

“The way you looked at Mr. Alluring makes me think differently.”

“I didn’t say I never felt… I just don’t… I don’t like all you have to go through to find someone, and they’re never what you expect.”

“I don’t envy anyone trying to live up to your standards, Julian.”

I frowned at her. “I’m not that bad. I just want someone who will respect me.”

“As well as your dedication to the library. You want someone who will value the archives as much as you do and listen to old, dry tales of—”

“Gwendolyn!”

“Fine, I’ll stop.”

“Do you really think…”

“No. I don’t think you’re boring. I think you come across that way to some people, but I think that’s how you want people to perceive you because you’re afraid of getting out there.”

I didn’t want to agree with her. “I’m not afraid. Books are just easier than people.”

“That is true, but sometimes people can be rewarding. I have no doubt an evening with that man would be well worth the trouble.”

Would it, though? Part of me said yes, and another part of me said I should run as far and as fast as I could so I would never see him again. “You still haven’t told me what you talked about with him.”

“Nothing important.”

“What did you say that made him look so happy?”

“I told him if he came back after closing, I’d let him in, and he could ransack the entire place.”

“Gwendolyn, I swear.”

“We were just flirting. Don’t worry about it.”

Her refusal to say more had me restless and unable to focus for the rest of the day.

3

Lancelot

A few blocks away from the library and the very intriguing Julian, I turned into an alley that led to the back parking lot of a florist my family did business with. I decided to try flowers first since Julian had hang-ups about food in the library.

I parked and hurried inside. When Ronnie, the owner, saw me coming into the store, he gave me an uneasy smile. “I’m just here for flowers. You can relax.”

“Of course, sir. What type of arrangement do you need?”

Gwen hadn’t said what type of flowers Julian liked, just that he liked them. “Something colorful with some wildflowers.”

“Of course, sir. Is there a particular occasion?”

“I’m hoping to convince someone they want to… work with me.”

He eyed me strangely. He obviously knew I usually told people what to do, and they did it. Wisely, he didn’t question me further. I had no intention of explaining myself. My situation with Julian was unique, and it was all Remington’s fault.

He’s the one who negotiated this absurd exchange of information and the one who’d apparently already been asked to leave the library after getting on Julian’s bad side. What I didn’t understand was why I couldn’t just break in there at night and take whatever we needed. Why did I have to deal with Julian at all? Not that pushing his buttons wasn’t fun.

Seduction was still an option. I did enjoy a challenge. Maybe after he saw the flowers he’d be more amenable to other suggestions. I didn’t know my way around the archive. Surely I’d need him to come with me and show me where things were. Remy had mentioned some study cubicles. I could put those to good use.

Ronnie gave my order to his wife, Selena. I knew she did incredible work, but this time she had really outdone herself. The bouquet she brought me was filled with peonies, snapdragons, daisies, and orchids. The colors were vibrant, and the bouquet would be stunning sitting on Julian’s desk in the otherwise cold and impersonal space.

I headed back to the library, glad it wasn’t far away. Trying to keep Tony from overturning the wobbly vase as it sat on my passenger seat was more work than I’d bargained for.

When we arrived, I informed Tony he needed to stay in the car and behave. I reminded him he hadn’t listened to me the last time I’d left, and I expected better from him today.

He chattered away, scowling and pointing his little finger at me.