Page 49 of Ancient Promises
Chapter Twenty
“I’m a little nervous,” Eivross said as he and Diem parked in the school lot on Thursday morning. They’d spent the last three days making love and getting to know each other, plus unloading the contents of the ruined storage unit into the apartment, which now looked like it belonged on an episode of that hoarding show with all the boxes filled with books stacked up several feet in the air.
“Don’t be,” she said confidently. “He’s going to love the idea and he’ll also love having a full-time librarian.”
She pressed her ID badge against the touch pad, and the door unlocked with a loud click. A sliding window was next to another set of doors, and Diem explained that visitors had to check in with the office staff before being allowed inside. At the second set of doors, she unlocked it with her badge and he held it open for her, then followed her inside.
The main office had a counter that separated a small waiting area from the working space containing three desks. A few chairs were set against the wall opposite the counter, next to the sliding window. He liked that the building was secure and the pack kids would be safe inside.
“Isak?” she called.
“Just a sec,” a male said.
Eivross looked around the office. “There’s no office staff?”
“There usually is, but our secretary is home resting now that she’s pregnant,” Diem said. “He posted the job online, but being that we’re exile and hybrid friendly, it might not get filled.”
“A job’s a job, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Yes and no,” a male said as he walked into the office. “Hi, I’m Dean Frost, but you can call me Isak.” He shook Eivross’s hand and greeted Diem. “A human might take the job, but no way a purebred would unless they happened to also be exiled. I kind of doubt the job will get filled. I think I’m going to be principal and secretary this school year.”
“Maybe someone new will come to town and they’ll be dying to be a school secretary,” Diem said.
“Well, you never know. Now, what can I do for you two?”
Isak led them into his office. He sat behind a large desk, and Eivross and Diem sat on chairs opposite him.
“Eivross is my mate,” Diem said. “He’s a dragon and part of the Cider Falls pack.”
“I did hear the pack gossip that you’d found your mate. Welcome to town.”
She smiled at Eivross, and he cleared his throat. “I’d like to ask if I could be the school librarian.” He handed over a resume, which Diem had helped him create that morning. “You’ll see from my history that I don’t have a degree, but I did apply to the library sciences online program at Forest Hills College.”
Isak looked over the resume and put it down. “Well, honestly this is amazing. I’ve been hoping for a school librarian for a long time. Since we’re a pack school, we aren’t as bound to the regulations as the public human schools, so I do have the discretion to hire someone whether they have a degree or not.”
Diem stood and said, “I’m going to leave you two to the discussion. I’ll be in the library whenever you’re done.” She blew him a kiss and hurried from the office. He immediately wanted to follow, but he forced his dragon to focus on the principal.
“I’m very passionate about books. They’re my dragon’s treasure, but more than that, I love sharing books with others. I used to spend my free time in our nest’s library when I was younger. The elder dragons let me return books to their proper place and help people find books, and I also spent many years helping young dragons discover a love of books. I may not have the technical know-how of running a school library, but I can check books out with a computer, put them back on the shelves, and help kids find books.
“I did some research over the last few days, and a library assistant does all those things plus has a working knowledge of library procedures, which I do. I can work full or part time, whatever the school’s need is.”
Eivross blew out a breath when he’d finished speaking.
“That’s amazing,” Isak said. He picked up his phone and pressed on the screen a few times, then turned it around and handed it over to Eivross. “What you just said is basically the job post. Do you have a high school diploma or a GED?”
“Yes, I have a diploma from our nest school.”
“We’ll need to run a background check on you, a federal-level one because you’ll be working with kids.”
“That’s fine.”
“Then I’d like to offer you the job, pending the background check, which should only take a couple days. Now let’s talk salary.”
The two spent the next half hour discussing salary and benefits. Eivross used one of the office computers to fill out the background check online. Isak shook his hand.
“Welcome aboard, Eivross. I’ll give you a call when the background check comes back. In the meantime, you can come work in the library as a volunteer with Diem. Your salary will start when you’re official.”
Eivross’s mind spun as he thought about working in a library and helping kids find books to read. He couldn’t wait to greet the first class of kids and share his love of reading with them.