Page 79

Chapter 22

Toni watched the few students who’d stuck around for the summer session hustle through the commons of Stone Haven University. Some, up the hill toward the gym and dorms. Others, into the student center or the library across from her. To think Alessandra would be starting her new job here in a few weeks . . . Toni couldn’t be prouder of her. That girl set a goal and made it happen. PhD before thirty? Done. And both Kenton and Lawrence had remarked on her Cheld abilities—some of the strongest they’d ever seen.

And yet . . . a little part of her she didn’t much like reminded her that while Alessandra had excelled at, well, everything, Toni herself came up short time and time again. She’d let her parents down. Chosen an asshole boyfriend who didn’t even have the common courtesy to hide his liaison behind a damn closed door, and now this.

By the grace of God, she had somehow gotten through the long, long day by herself in the shop. She’d told Alessandra everything, of course, but she’d declined her friend’s invitation to go out after work. She’d set out alone on foot instead, little expecting she would find herself at Stone Haven University in the dark, sitting on a bench and watching the library’s revolving door for an hour. But here she was . . .

Toni didn’t know if she felt shittier about not going to college, not having a career goal, or being broken up with by a guy she wasn’t even technically dating. One she’d somehow managed to fall in love with in record-breaking time, a fact that had been confirmed the minute she realized he was leaving.

Because only love, or its loss, could possibly produce this wrenching, heart-stabbing pain that had her on the verge of tears one minute and irrational anger the next.

I loved him before I was even supposed to.

She knew the traitorous thought was true. Likely the reason she’d hung on to Tyler for so long. Guilt. A powerful, awful, soul-sucking emotion that had clawed its way into her life after the crash and lived there, a squatting bastard she’d neither invited nor wanted around.

It won’t accomplish much. Other than to eat you up inside.

Wasn’t that the truth. If only he’d listened to her. If only he’d decided to trust his sister and brother, to let go of the leadership role she suspected he’d never wanted.

If only a lot of things. She certainly wouldn’t accomplish much sitting here all night. But when she stood, Toni found herself walking toward the library rather than away from it. She liked to read as much as the next girl . . . it was something she and Alessandra had in common, but she didn’t even have an account here. She had no reason to go inside.

Except that she was curious.

It was busier than she would have expected. She’d been inside before, years ago, as part of the official tour. Her parents had been with her then.

“May I help you?”

Toni had wandered up to the help desk.

“No, I just . . . I just wondered if you might point me in the right direction.”

And which would that be exactly? Self-help? Careers for the clueless?

“Sure, what are you looking for?”

Toni stared at the spectacles that hung from a chain around her neck. Required attire for a librarian?

“Uh, the business section please.”

Was that too broad a term? Apparently not. The woman pointed to a set of elevators behind them. “Third floor.”

Thanking her, Toni headed to the elevators and made her way to the third floor, wondering the entire time what the heck she was doing.

Heading straight to the business section, Toni scanned book after book. Foundations of Business, Business Law: Text and Cases . . . nope.

She followed the stacks to the end of the bookshelf and then turned the corner, searching for the rest of the business section.

“Looking for something?”

Holy sweet Jesus, was she getting old or what? The kid who’d asked her that looked like he was all of fifteen, but judging by his attire and comfort level here in the library, he was very likely a student.

“Just looking for a book,” she said. “Thanks anyway—”

“Which book? I’m a business student. Maybe I can help you.”

Oh no, he was flirting.

“Just, maybe something about starting a business. I don’t know. There’s probably a ton of stuff online. I’ll just—”