by Lucy True
Not that Burgundy wanted Charlotte to be wrong. She wanted her friend to be right. Or at least not to have any sort of disagreement with her. They could disagree, of course, but preferably when Burgundy wasn’t feeling quite so frustrated with the world.
Before she could ponder things further, Marian approached them, weaving around the tables of couples. The way she looked at them told Burgundy she was also surprised. This wasn’t a normal thing, even in their abnormal town.
“Did I miss something?” Marian asked, sinking into a chair between Burgundy and Sylvia. “Did Valentine’s Day come early? Everyone is making the most ridiculous kissy faces.”
“Kissy faces” was a good description, Burgundy decided. It was true that there was an abnormal amount of hand-holding, eye-gazing and, yes, kissy face. She glanced at Sylvia, who shrugged at her.
The waitress chose that moment to approach and take their orders, which was fine with Burgundy. Her stomach growled as if to tell the waitress to hurry up. As soon as the woman walked away, Burgundy said, “Well, I guess we really ought to talk about the real reason why we’re here today.”
“Evil-Lyn.” Marian grimaced. She was only twenty and hanging on to her adolescent mindset. Her life still revolved around her high school clique and being the coolest girl in it. Sometimes, that meant a little healthy rebellion. Burgundy found that Marian never minded being told what to do when she or Sylvia gave her tasks, but the claws always came out when Lynn was involved. No one complained about Lynn as much as Marian.
“Have you let Mr. Knight know she’s bossing you around?” Burgundy asked.
“Yes, but he said I needed to tell Aunt Sylvia, and Sylvia...” Marian gave her aunt a pointed glance.
“I told her we’d have to take it to you,” the aunt concluded.
“Me?” Burgundy pressed her hands to her chest. “You know, it kills me that Mr. Knight is putting the responsibility for addressing this matter in my lap. Technically, you’re senior to me, Sylvia.”
Sylvia tilted her head to one side, her lips still pushed out in that slight pucker. “True,” she agreed, “but you and I are on par with each other, role-wise, and since Lynn tends to work directly under you, I don’t want to step on your toes.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that you have that kind of respect for me. I suppose Mr. Knight is trying to empower me as a supervisor or something horrendous like that. Well, we agree that whatever happens at the library impacts all of us. Am I right?” Burgundy asked.
The nymphs nodded in response.
“So that means we should figure out this problem together. Let me tell you, I went to Mr. Knight, and he was no use.”
The snort Sylvia let out made Burgundy jump. “You actually expected him to address staff matters?” The woman’s voice cracked with laughter and Burgundy glared at her.
“Well, yeah. He’s our boss. It’s his responsibility to help maintain a harmonious relationship between his employees.”
“Actually, the town is our employer,” Sylvia pointed out. “And it’s up to me and you to fix this. Trust me when I say I wish that wasn’t the case. Lynn gets on my nerves every day and I think if I sat her down for a talking-to, I’d probably get fired. You’re her direct supervisor, so I’m afraid you get the pleasure of trying to resolve this.”
Burgundy leaned back while the waitress set their food on the table. She welcomed the brief respite from their conversation, which didn’t seem to be going anywhere. While they ate their lunches, she tried to think of what her next steps should be. There was too much happening all at once. If she could fix one problem – just one – it would make it so much easier to address everything else.
“Okay,” she said when she had finished her patty melt. She picked up a French fry and swirled it in the dollop of ketchup on her plate. “I’ll talk to her alone, because if two of us do it, she might feel like we’re ganging up on her. Does that sound fair?”
Both Sylvia and Marian nodded.
“Do you both have a list of things you want me to address with her?”
“Oh, do I ever.” Marian stabbed at her chef’s salad so forcefully, one of the small tomatoes rolled off the plate, onto the table. She picked it up and popped it in her mouth.
“Would you email it to me? I’ll find a way to talk about everything I possibly can.” Burgundy looked at Sylvia. “Any advice or suggestions on how to handle Lynn?”
That was the whole reason she’d asked her co-workers to meet her. Burgundy wasn’t about to leave without a better idea of how to talk to Lynn. She waited while Sylvia swirled her spoon in her coffee cup. As impatient as she was to figure out a resolution and get things done, she knew not to push the nymph. Their kind were notoriously sensitive about being told to move faster.
“I think you could show her the job description she signed when she was hired,” Sylvia finally suggested. “Remind her that she does not have authority to delegate.”
“Yeah, and tell her leadership doesn’t mean acting like a jerk,” Marian interjected.
Her aunt held up a hand. “What she means is, leaders don’t necessarily tell people what to do. They make polite requests, like you do, and set a good example for the rest of the staff.”
Burgundy nodded, making another mental checklist. “Talk to her one-on-one, address everyone’s concerns without making it feel like we’re all against her, remind her of her duties. I think all of it makes perfect sense. Anything else?”
“Not off the top of my head, but I’ll email you if anything comes to mind.”
“Great. Marian, would you mind covering the upstairs desk tomorrow morning? I want to get this done and over with as soon as possible.” The truth was, Burgundy didn’t want to do it at all. Despite her seniority, Sylvia was pushing the responsibility off on her. Considering how long the nymph had worked at the library, Burgundy thought she ought to be the person handling staff matters.
Then again, she was the person who went to Mr. Knight and he told her to deal with the situation. That was her reward for complaining to her boss.
Sylvia gave her an encouraging smile. “I know it’s not something you want to do,” she said, “but I think it will be good for you. Consider it a... an opportunity for professional growth.”
“Oh, is that what this is?” Burgundy stabbed her last remaining fry into the ketchup. She knew she still had plenty of growing to do, but this wasn’t exactly the way she wanted to do it. Part of her could already imagine Lynn walking away indignantly and going to Mr. Knight to lodge her own complaint about how nobody appreciated her or her work. Then how would Mr. Knight respond? Knowing him, he’d just tell Lynn to figure out why Burgundy had to sit her down for a discussion in the first place.
She let out a breath. It really wouldn’t come around to bite her on the butt, she told herself. There were worse things than giving her subordinate a stern talking-to about workplace behavior.
The lunch crowd had filtered out by then and when she glanced up, she saw mostly older people, one to a table, drinking their coffee. This was how the diner should be on a Tuesday afternoon. Not filled with people she’d never seen side by side before. Even Saturday movie nights weren’t like that. The folks in town all knew one another, sure, but remained divided into distinct little groups.
“Still trying to figure out the couples thing?” Sylvia asked.
“Yeah.” Burgundy’s answer sounded quiet, even distant, to her own ears.
“Do you want to know something creepy?” Marian chirped. “The other day, Walter Falter came onto me. Can you believe that? I used to shove that nerd into his own locker back when we were in school.”
Burgundy turned to look at the younger of the two nymphs. “Walter Falter? The computer tech?”
“Yeah. I don’t know what possessed him. Like, how could he forget the time I punched him in the face just for existing?” It didn’t exactly paint a flattering picture of Marian, but Burgundy knew living in a small town didn’t exempt kids from being jerks to each o
ther. She hoped Marian was at least past that stage and wouldn’t do something like that again, even to Walter.
Walter wasn’t creepy, exactly. But he was a tall, lanky, bespectacled geek who never spoke a word. He had a terrible habit of suddenly appearing behind a person, without making a sound. Burgundy remembered when he had moved there to live with his grandmother. So many people in town remained a mystery and Walter was one of them.
Not that Burgundy cared. As long as everyone kept out of everyone else’s business and nothing strange happened in town, that was all that mattered.
That was also why a boy – supernatural or not – coming on to the girl who’d once bullied him in high school, was one heck of a red flag. It was the thought that stuck with her as she left the diner. What she saw on the streets, however, wasn’t any better.
In the short hour she’d had lunch with Sylvia and Marian, the couples had multiplied significantly. Even worse was the fact that some of them seemed to be attempting to “multiply” right there in public, like they couldn’t keep their hands off one another.
As she turned to walk toward her car, something – no, someone – crashed into her, knocking her to the pavement. Burgundy reached out to break her fall and ended up sitting on the sidewalk, looking at the person who’d crashed into her. “Jake Calhoun?” she said.
He pushed himself up and, even though he had a wild look in his eyes, extended his hand. The way his broad chest heaved under his red plaid shirt, Burgundy knew something was horribly wrong. She accepted his hand and he yanked her to her feet, his grip nearly crushing her fingers. No doubt his work in construction enhanced the strength that came naturally with being a wolf shifter.
“Sorry, Burg,” he said breathlessly, “but she’s after me. I have to get out of here.”
And just like that, he let go of her hand and took off running again. Burgundy turned and called out, “Who’s after you?”
She didn’t receive an answer from Jake, though. He had already rounded the corner. It was the brunette woman she saw running down the street next who startled her into realization. “Delia Hargrove?”
“Where’d he go?” The woman sounded a little out of breath, but the grim set of her mouth told her she was determined to find Jake. “I love him. I’ll die without him!”
Burgundy glanced around Main Street and pointed at the hardware store. “I think he went in there.”
Delia didn’t even bother to question or thank her. She sprinted across the street without looking. A car’s brakes squealed and someone laid on their horn, but Delia didn’t seem to notice. She kept on going as Burgundy stared after her.
There was no denying something strange was happening in Rock Grove. But what, if anything, was Burgundy supposed to do about it?
Chapter Eight
Burgundy wondered if she would ever get the chance to properly mourn her break-up. It all seemed so long ago now: The text message and Charlotte calling bullshit on it, not to mention the last time she’d seen Jenna. It almost felt surreal, like they’d never been together in the first place.
She wondered if this kind of mind fog was part of getting dumped. Like, maybe her mind was trying to shut it out and forget it ever happened. If so, Burgundy could deal with that. Besides, right now she had a more immediate problem to deal with. She had to give Lynn that well-deserved talk. After telling both Sylvia and Marian it would happen today, she’d obligated herself to see it through.
Even though she’d resolved to have the talk and spent the morning pumping herself up for it, she unlocked the library door with jittery hands. She had a half-hour before anyone else arrived. Going through the routine of opening the library was easy. Keeping her tension at bay was much harder. She almost welcomed the idea of break-up grief again, or even the irrational anger that had followed it.
After the surprises of the past few days, she wasn’t sure which way was up. She just knew once she talked to Lynn, she was going to enjoy a peaceful night at home. Maybe things would simmer down by Friday and the weirdness would somehow evaporate.
Soon, it was time to open the doors to the other employees and the public. Sylvia patted her arm as she walked by, a reassuring gesture that didn’t quite mitigate the curl of fear in Burgundy’s belly. Marian followed with a thumbs-up and a wink before taking her place at the circulation desk. Finally, Lynn walked in and tucked her purse in the empty top drawer of the filing cabinet.
“Lynn.” Burgundy approached her and tried to offer a smile. “Would you please join me in the Grove Room?”
The brunette looked at her with eyes made to appear wider thanks to the application of way too much mascara. “Sure,” she said. “I’ll be right there.”
Burgundy nodded and turned to go to the designated room. It was a lovely spot, a little dark, but private. The Grove Room housed their oldest and most valuable books, as well as priceless local ephemera. People could only use it or the microfilm reader by special request. Burgundy had blocked out a half-hour on the calendar for herself to use the room that morning.
Trepidation made her hands shake as she placed her papers down on the small, round wooden table and took a deep breath. Lynn followed and shut the door before Burgundy could ask her to.
As soon as the middle-aged woman was seated across from her, Burgundy opened her mouth to speak. But Lynn started with, “I thought about it and I don’t know why I told you to change the teen display.”
“Oh?” Burgundy realized her surprise was obvious in her wide eyes and the way she sat back in her chair. Even if it hadn’t been, she didn’t doubt the cat shifter could sense it.
“Yes. I mean, you know what you’re doing. It’s not that big a deal.”
It fell short of an apology or acknowledgement of wrongdoing on Lynn’s part, but it was something. Burgundy glanced down at the papers in front of her. One detailed all of Marian’s gripes. The other was the library assistant job description, which laid out in specifics what was expected of the people in the position.
“Anyway, I won’t do it again.”
Lynn’s remark still wasn’t what Burgundy wanted to hear. The woman had been out of line for several months and Burgundy knew it would continue. A minute ticked by as she gathered her thoughts. She wondered what Lynn might be thinking. Had she known this talk was coming? Was this her way of trying to get around it? Burgundy wouldn’t put it past her, so she decided to push forward anyway.
“I appreciate that. Our job descriptions clearly outline what’s expected of us and I’d like to continue to address the matter of delegation.” There. The words sounded professional enough.
Lynn squinted at her, nose wrinkling slightly. If she weren’t such a pain in the ass, she might have been cute once upon a time. “Delegation?” she asked.
“That’s right,” Burgundy went on. “Delegation and leadership. It’s important to remember who has the authority to delegate work here, and that’s me and Sylvia. We, of course, answer to Mr. Knight. It is not your job to dictate tasks to myself, Sylvia, or Marian. I would appreciate it if you remember that. If there is something that needs to be done, let me know and I will be sure that the appropriate staff member is asked to do it.”
Once again, Burgundy hoped the way she explained herself was proper enough not to cross any lines. Even if Lynn didn’t like it, all of it had to be said. “I see.” The friendliness left Lynn’s voice. “Well, what if some people aren’t doing their jobs correctly?”
“Then that’s not up to you to point out,” Burgundy answered, clenching her fists in her lap. This was exactly the Lynn she’d expected.
“It is if no one else notices.”
It took conscious, physical effort to keep from gritting her teeth as she responded. “Lynn, you are not in charge here. Mr. Knight is, and Sylvia and I are the supervisors. You and Marian are the assistants. If you truly believe we aren’t performing up to snuff, then I suggest you take it up with Mr. Knight. However, please remember this is a small town library.” More words jammed in
her throat, frustration ready to be released after dealing with Lynn for the past year. “Please feel free to say whatever you like to Mr. Knight. Just be sure not to shoot yourself in the foot.”
This time, the cat shifter bristled visibly. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she hissed.
“It means you might have some sort of ridiculous resentment about me being your boss or the rest of us not agreeing with your vision of how things should be around here, but you need to learn to let go of it. Mr. Knight is the director. Period. And you will never have my job or his. So you can either accept your place as a library assistant or start looking for more satisfying work elsewhere.”
For a brief, rather gross moment, Lynn’s skin rippled as if transformation were imminent. She closed her eyes and blew out a breath, then looked at Burgundy. “Is that a threat?” she asked.
“Not at all. It’s a fact.” Burgundy jabbed at the papers in front of her with her index finger. “Everyone is perfectly content with their roles here, except you. How about, instead of acting too big for your britches, you get out there and find a job that suits you?”
Lynn huffed and pushed herself to her feet. She shoved the chair she’d vacated back under the table. The two pieces of wooden furniture clattered together. “You have a lot of nerve, coming in here with your ridiculous blue hair and your arms covered in tattoos, and telling me all of this,” Lynn admonished her.
“Oh, and don’t forget my master’s degree in library science.” Burgundy rose to her feet and glared at Lynn from across the table. “That’s the real trouble, you know, that I’m more qualified for a job I’m sure you want than you are.”
The cat shifter scoffed and turned away from her. But she didn’t deny the statement.
“Look, Lynn, you’ve lived in Rock Grove your whole life, just like the rest of us.” Gathering her papers, Burgundy shuffled them together and continued. “Mr. Knight won’t quit and, at this rate, he probably won’t die, either. If that did happen, there are only two internal employees the town would even consider for his job. That’s me or Sylvia. Trust me when I say the odds of you, or even Sylvia or I, running this library are pretty much nil. Now stop being such a pain in everyone’s ass and do your job.”
