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to drop in your glass.”
    I grinned, holding out my hand so everyone could look at my neatly shaped and polished but short fingernails. “Good luck getting anything off,” I said.
    We all laughed. Or at least three of us did. Frank managed a weak smile, at least.
    â€œMaybe I should try getting some slivers from Pluckie,” Carolyn said, looking down toward the patio surface.
    At her name, my little dog woke and sat up alertly, looking at me as if waiting for a command—or, more likely, a treat.
    â€œGood girl,” I said, patting her head. I’d ordered a bowl of water for her from our server, and he soon brought it, even before the drinks for the rest of us. I also had some treats along but didn’t intend to give them to Pluckie immediately.
    When our drinks were finally served, those at my table clinked glasses, even Frank. I’d only taken a couple of sips when Gemma rose and came over to clink glasses too. How appropriate, I thought, for all of us, considering the name of this bar.
    But Gemma had joined us with an additional motive. “Can I talk to you for a second, Rory?”
    I rose and excused myself, handing Pluckie’s leash over to Justin and bending to give my dog a treat so I could escape for what I was sure would exceed a second—or even sixty of them.
    â€œWhat’s up?” I asked Gemma.
    She grinned. “Stuart has been checking out the Destiny Library and is going to give me a tour tomorrow. Lou also intends to be there. He knows the librarian in charge and wants to introduce me. Would you like to come too?”
    â€œI’d love to if I can,” I said. “What time?”
    â€œLou said around 11 : 00 a.m. Is that okay with you?”
    I pondered for a moment. Only Jeri would be at the shop assisting me tomorrow, and she’d be there in the morning before heading to her family’s gift shop to work. But I trusted her to do fine on her own.
    â€œSure,” I said.
    â€œGood. We can talk about it more tonight at the B&B, but I wanted to have a sense for who’d be there.” We were both still holding our wine glasses, which we clinked again, and I took a sip of the deliciously tart red cabernet as I resumed my seat.
    Justin’s look asked me what the discussion had been about, but it wasn’t appropriate to explain in front of Frank. That was okay. I knew Justin would walk Gemma and me back to the B&B tonight, while Frank’s accommodations at the Black Cat Inn would take him in a different direction when we reached Fate Street.
    For now, I just smiled at Justin, trying to convey silent assurance that we’d talk later.
    His return smile was darned sexy.
    Maybe it was a good thing that Gemma would be with me on that walk and staying at the same facility.
    Or maybe it wasn’t such a good thing, I thought, as Justin returned Pluckie’s leash to me, still watching my face—and prolonging his touch to my hand before he let go.

five
    The Destiny Library was gorgeous inside and out, I thought the next day as I entered it for the first time. I’d passed it before while visiting the Destiny civic center without going in, but now I could examine it from many angles.
    It was behind the police station, on Golden Road. Its architecture, unsurprisingly, matched the rest of the town—California Gold Rush eclectic. It was built of stone, four stories high, with curves and vaulted windows and a look that shouted of its wonderful history.
    Maybe. It was so well preserved inside, without looking remodeled like the theater did, that I wondered whether it had been built more recently than most of the local structures but styled to match them.
    No matter. I was a pet store professional, not a librarian, but found the place amazing. Judging by Gemma’s awed stare as she pivoted to look around, she did too.
    The front door opened into a large, high-ceilinged room with filled bookshelves lining all the walls. Even