“Have you been in here alone?” Janet asks.
Right there is the problem. She doesn’t trust me because of who my father is. Or was. But seriously, what sort of crime does she think I might commit at the library? Perhaps I shoved a book into my purse and plan to run off with it.
“No, I’ve been in here with her,” Doris says, standing behind Janet.
Janet turns to Doris, her hands on her hips. “You weren’t just now.”
Doris smiles. “Just a quick trip to the bathroom. I’m back now.” Doris winks at me, and I bite my lip to hide my smile.
While I want to tell Janet off, I don’t. My need to have a place to escape overrides my need to put her in her place.
The woman clearly isn’t going to let up. “Why are you here early?” she asks, standing over me.
I put down the pen I’m holding and look up at her. While I can’t directly tell her off, I can certainly make her look bad in front of Doris.
“I’m sorry. It’s just I haven’t been able to sleep since my dad was killed. I can’t believe he’s gone.” I glance away and sniffle.
Doris is by my side in an instant, rubbing my shoulders. “You poor thing. I can’t imagine. And what your mother must be going through, too.”
My mother has been in her bedroom since my dad died and skipped out on attending his funeral. For one moment, I thought about asking her for advice on how to get out of my marriage to Nelson. But she stayed with my dad all these years, and I can’t say I saw any affection between them. Did she ever love him? Was she trapped like I am? It’s a conversation I’m not ready to have.
“She’s struggling,” I tell Doris.
Janet hangs her coat on a rack near the door. “Enough chitchat. We have a delivery today, and I need you two to get them entered into the system and out on the shelves.” She walks to the door. “Try to have that done before you leave, please.” Then she walks out of the office.
This isn’t the type of work I volunteered for, but as long as it keeps me busy, I’ll do it. And if I can spend an entire Saturday here, even better. Nelson is sometimes home on the weekends. In the past, we simply stayed out of each other’s way, but after the other night, I’m not so sure he’s going to uphold his end of the bargain.
“Well, it sounds like we have a full day ahead. Do you mind helping me with the delivery?” Doris asks. She is well aware of what I volunteered to do here.
“Of course not.”
She smiles as Janet pops her head into the office. “Delaney, your husband is here. Please deal with it quietly.”
By “deal with it,” she means get him out of here.
I step out and try to view Nelson objectively. He’s an intimidating man to anyone he meets. He’s six four and all muscle. Tattoos peek out of his suit jacket, hinting at the sleeves he has underneath. Once upon a time, I found him physically attractive. It was the only way I got through the marriage and our so-called honeymoon. But as those dark eyes pierce me when I step into his view, I’m reminded why I don’t want to be around him now.
“Nelson, what are you doing here?” I ask.
He glares at me. “Why did you leave the house early?”
I frown. “I came here to volunteer like I usually do on Saturdays.”
He steps closer, and I wince. His lip curls up. Dammit, he knows I’m scared of him.
“You didn’t answer my question. Why did you leave earlier than normal? Did you meet someone?”
The man doesn’t want me, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have me, either. I’m property to him. “No, I came straight here. I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I would make use of my time here.”
He grips my shoulder hard.
“Nelson, stop. You’re hurting me.”
He grips harder. “Prove to me that you came straight here.”
I nod, and he lets go. Doris walks out of the office. As much as I don’t want to advertise my marital problems, Nelson isn’t giving me a choice.
“Doris, can you check the time I punched in the door code?”
