Page 16 of The Enemy Plot

“Is she okay?” I ask as she walks toward me.

A smile touches her lips. “She’s fine. I explained everything she needs to know, and right now, she’s going to take a shower. I’d advise you to keep her home today so she can get acquainted with the pads and everything. She’s also experiencing cramps, so I’d give her some pain killers.”

Myheart thuds. “Okay. Is that normal? Should I take her to the doctor?”

She nods. “You can take her if it gets worse, but menstrual cramps are normal.”

“Um, what do I have to buy?” I clear my throat. “You know . . .”

The smile forming on her lips tells me she’s enjoying my discomfort way too much. “You mean pads?”

Suppressing a sigh, I nod. “What kind does she need?”

“Well, I brought her the ones I use, but you should get her different brands and sizes so she can test them out and decide what she prefers.”

Gosh. How complicated is this ordeal?

I rub the back of my neck. “Right. Um, thank you for helping out. I wasn’t sure how to handle it.”

“It’s fine. You did the right thing, coming to me. Getting your period for the first time can be scary.”

I exhale deeply as I walk her to the front door. “Well, I owe you one.”

The words are sour on my tongue. The one thing I hate more than asking for help? Owing someone a favor.

8

Monster Slayer

Alice

I’m running the bookstore alone today. Hayley is at an away game with the Raptors, and Emma has a dentist appointment. I don’t mind, though. I have Mr. Darcy to keep me company and—wait, what the heck was that?

A black shape just sprinted in my peripheral vision, and I’m praying to every god that it’s not what I think it is. My eyes narrow on the shape, and my worst fear comes true. There is a spider in my bookstore. A very big, unwelcomespider.

The monstrous thing scurries toward the shelf, and a shriek escapes me. If it disappears underneath, it’ll contaminate the shelf, and I won’t be able to touch any of those books. Ever.

Merde. It’s headed toward the Historical Romance section.

What do I do?

I creep over to Mr. Darcy’s corner and pick him up, dropping him a solid ten feet away from the spider.

“Kill it!” I order, but Darcy just looks at me, then at the spider, not understanding what I want with it. “Please,” I beg.

Darcy stares at the spider, stalks toward it, and slightly extends his front paw to touch it, which makes it skitter in the opposite direction. Straight toward me. “Don’t play with it!” I scream, and Darcy runs off.

Tears start flowing as I sprint to the front of the store and shut the door behind me. I can’t go back in now. The spider is right there, between the two display tables. The new sign Deacon put up in front of his bar catches my eye, and a light bulb flickers on in my head. He does owe me a favor.

I rapidly ring his doorbell about a thousand times. This is life or death.

“Geez. What on earth?” he growls, opening the door. “Oh, it’s you. What happened? Did you run out of books?” He tries to fold his arms over his chest, but I don’t give him the chance. Instead, I grab him by the collar of his shirt.

“I’m cashing in my favor. There’s a spider in the store, and I need you to kill it.

He arches an eyebrow, freeing himself from my grip. “Are you serious?”

I channel my inner Emma and drill him with the best death stare I can manage. It seems to do the trick.