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“You don’t think maybe you’re getting a little… obsessed?” Gigi suggests delicately.
I stop, mid keystroke. I’m sitting in my office, having turned over the running of the library to Gigi and Trudy while I go over Scarlett’s presentation to the council again. And again.
And again.
Fortunately, the whole thing was captured on video, as all the council meetings are, and made available on the council’s YouTube channel. But it’s been over a week now since the council meeting, and I feel like time is running out.
I pull off my headphones. “Sorry, Gigi. Are things going okay out there?”
“We’re managing without you,” she says drily. “I’m just wondering if you’re going to drive yourself crazy over this thing.” She waves a hand at my computer.
I guess I have been kind of single-minded. It’s pretty much all I’ve talked about with Gigi and all I’ve thought about.
I’ve got Scarlett’s husband’s name, their address in California, and the date they got married. He’s the founder and CEO of a PropTech software company (oh, the irony that Scarlett married one of the computer nerds she mocked so mercilessly in high school!), but both it and the company that acquired it are privately held, so it’s difficult to find information about how much it was sold for.
Scarlett might be worth anywhere from a few thousand to a few million, so it’s hard to know how much she’s actually able to invest in her day spa.
“You don’t think maybe you’re just a little triggered on account of it being Scarlett Rice who’s behind it?” Gigi suggests.
“Well, of course I’m triggered. She’s trying to take the library’s best shot!”
Gigi looks down her nose at me. Not easy for a woman who’s five foot three, but she can do it. “I’m old, Blaze, not stupid. This is personal between you and Scarlett on account of the way she treated you in high school.”
“I’m over that,” I assure her. “I’m just trying to give the library the best possible advantage.”
Gigi is unconvinced. “Not to play armchair psychologist, Blaze, but it seems like you’re trying to prove something to someone, and it’s coming at a cost.”
I frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, you’re a smart young woman who’s got a lot of pressure on her to keep a public institution running, and it’s admirable that you are doing your best. On the other hand, I hate to see you waste your youth sitting in front of a computer screen. Trust me, you’ll miss it when you don’t have it anymore.”
“I assume you mean my youth, not the screen?” She makes a face at my poor attempt at humor. “Gigi, it’s fine. It’s my job.”
“Your job, not your life.” She crosses her arms and gives me a look that reminds me a little of my mother in one of her rare serious moments. “It’s Saturday evening. When was the last time you went on a date?”
My cocktail a few days ago with the Chief flashes to mind, but that wasn’t a date. Even if he did end up paying. And even if he implied there could be a next time.
“Gosh, I don’t know.” I sound a little impatient. “It’s not like there’s that many opportunities around here.”
Gigi makes a humphing noise. “Fine. Don’t listen to me and my life experience. Anyway, it’s almost four. My husband is on his way to get me. Trudy is going to lock up. Don’t stay too late. I’ll see you on Monday.”
I glance at the clock. I hadn’t realized how late it was getting. “I’ll just give it another few minutes. Thanks. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”
Gigi gives me a little wave and walks away.
I don’t really know how else to respond to her psychoanalysis. I mean, yes, Scarlett and her pack may have left some scars, but everyone has those from high school, don’t they?
But the library is my thing. It’s my baby. And I’m not giving up on it.
And, if I’m completely honest with myself, I want to impress the Chief. I want him to look at me with awe and admiration, speechless in the face of my superhero librarian sleuthing skills. I may not be able to compete with the Scarletts and the Crystals of the world in looks, but I’m smart, damn it, and I’m good at my job.
I put my headphones back on and turn back to my screen where Scarlett is freeze-framed against the backdrop of her slide presentation. On it, is a stock photo of a group of smiling women in white lab coats standing in a beautifully lit spa.
At least, I assume it’s a stock photo.
I squint at the screen. I wish the tech people at town hall had thought to include the presentation slides separately. They’re hard to see clearly in the video, but I zoom in, trying to get a better look at a splash of pink on one of the lab coats that catches my eye.
It looks like a logo.
