“Welcome!” a red-haired woman at the desk said. She wore a large gray sweater and leggings, and there was a computer sitting in front of her. “Let me know if you need any help!”
“Thanks, Maisie; we will,” Brooks said. Was she the new…snack… he had mentioned? Well, she didn’t seem lifeless or unhappy, so that was a plus.
We walked around a bit. Some of the books looked very old, but I didn’t touch any of those for fear of breaking something expensive.
Brooks went off to look at sci-fi stuff while I browsed the classics. I had many books I hadn’t read for book clubs I’d never attended, but I still liked to look at the shelves and think about it.
“That’s one of my favorites,” a voice said from behind me, making me jump.
He was a tall man, with black, graying hair and intense dark eyes, intimidating enough to make me take an instinctual step backward toward the shelf.
His face was so neutral it was almost worse than if he looked angry.
“I haven’t read it,” I managed. Though I’d never encountered a vampire before, I wouldn’t let myself feel intimidated.
“It’s very compelling.”
“I agree,” a voice from my other side said. It was Maisie, who was standing there with a smile. “Barnaby showed me that one.” She nodded at the one I’d been admiring.
“I only recommend you the best.” There was a warmth in his voice that didn’t seem to match him at all.
When Maisie smiled at him, I noticed the briefest bit of fang sticking out. Was she a vampire too?
“You like them?” she asked, poking one with her finger.
“Oh, yes, they’re nice,” I said.
“Right? So cool.”
I would never think of having fangs ascool,but to each their own, I supposed.
“Barnaby,” Brooks greeted as he approached with a large tome in his hands.
“Brooks, nice to see you. I haven’t been around the farm in a while.”
“I noticed. No need for cow’s blood anymore, I see.”
Barnaby looked at Maisie lovingly. “Not anymore.” He looked at me. “Is this your new partner?”
I felt my face heat, and Brooks choked, coughing heavily before composing himself. Maisie laughed behind her hand.
“No,” I affirmed. “I’m the organic auditor.”
“I see,” Barnaby said. “Well, I hope that goes smoothly for them. We wouldn’t want any problems.”
That felt slightly like a threat, but I shrugged it off, especially when Maisie bumped him and told him to stop being rude.
“Are you ready?” I asked Brooks, who still looked somewhat taken aback.
“Yeah. I got this space odyssey that looks cool.” I looked at the book. It wasn’t something I would normally pick, but it had a nice cover.
We went to the counter, and Maisie rang us up. “Don’t be a stranger,” she said. “I would love to know what you think of the book.” She tapped the cover of the one I ended up choosing.
“For sure.” I didn’t know if I would have a second to even look at it before I left, but I might come back here before I did. Maisie seemed nice, and so did Barnaby, if a little strange.
We left and continued our walk. There was some construction work going on for what looked like a new shop. It didn’t look to be much yet, but I caught glimpses of shelves and green walls.
Next to it was Rick’s Hardware, and I could see a man walking around with horns and a long snout inside. I assumed he was a minotaur, but I had never met one in person, so I couldn’t be sure.
