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I’ll head back home. Thanks anyway.”
    “Want me to make a reservation for Saturday night at the exclusive restaurant on the coast I told you about?” she pushed as she sidled up next to him while he was opening her car door. He helped her into the car and closed the door, eager to stall for some time before responding to her latest inquiry.
    He positively did not want to go out with this woman again, but he couldn’t gather the courage to admit it to her. Instead, when he slid into his seat behind the wheel he said simply, “I don’t think so, but thanks all the same.”
    She leaned across the front seat and stroked his face roughly with her hands. “How about a little good night kiss or two?” Her words were slurred and her eyes glazed.
    He gave her a quick peck on the forehead which resulted in the young woman’s lower lip jutting out in a noticeable and unbecoming pout. Jeff hoped she sensed his reluctance. Thankfully, she didn’t pursue kissing him any further.
    As he pulled to the curb in front of her house, Susan stumbled out of the car before he could even stop the engine. Her heels echoed on the walkway as she jogged up to her porch. Once there, she waved clumsily at him before letting herself into her front door. When she was out of sight, he breathed a deep sigh of relief. That was bad—really, really awful .

 
    Chapter 5

     
    The weather was sunny and mild late Friday afternoon as Robin walked to the town square for the volunteer fire department and ambulance service’s annual Chili Cook-Off. The fire chief had asked her to be an official taster for the contest again this year. As she rounded the corner to enter the square, she caught sight of Jeff Clarke. He spotted her at the same time and wandered over to where she was standing.
    “Hey, Robin. How’s it going?”
    “Hi, Jeff. I’m good. How about you?”
    “I’m great. Better now that you’re here.” He lowered his voice and looked around before saying, “I was wrangled into being an official taster for the cook-off today by the guy at the hardware store.”
    “Me, too,” Robin said. “I get asked to do it every year since I’m a city employee and all.”
    “At least it’s for a good cause.”
    “In a small town they have lots of these fundraisers to help out with the expenses for running the basic infra-structure.”
    “I guess that’s true. You said you’re a city employee. What type of work do you do?”
    “I’m the librarian at the public library here in Bonita Creek. I handle all of the operations of the library, collection development, fundraising, reference, outreach, literacy activities for children and adults, coordinating volunteers and everything in between. I’m the ‘go to’ person for whatever needs to be done at and for the library.”
    Dread and anxiety raced through his gut. Un-be-lieve-able. This is unbelievable. Jeff’s thoughts ran rampant. This woman was the professional whose career he’d been sent to dissect and possibly destroy. While his mission was not directed at Robin Bennett personally, the end result could likely be her dismissal as the town’s librarian.
    Jeff swallowed hard through the knot in his throat. “Do you like your work?”
    “I do. I’ve wanted to be a librarian since I won the Library Assistant of the Year Award from Mrs. O’Connell in the fifth grade. Books have been some of my greatest friends since I was young. Now I have the opportunity to share my love of books and my passion about literacy with other Bonita Creek residents, from toddlers up to octogenarians.”
    She paused to take a sip from the bottle of water she carried. “Right now the exterior of our library building is being renovated, so the city closed the library for two weeks and gave me an unpaid spring break. Wasn’t that generous?” she laughed lightly.
    Fearful he might divulge some detail about himself or his occupation, Jeff quickly inserted a lame comment about the weather in Bonita Creek in an