Elizabeth Lynn Casey - Southern Sewing Circle 10 - Wedding Duress by Elizabeth Lynn Casey

11

    “Stop it! That’s my book!”
    “But I wanna look at it, too!”
    Tori looked up from the computer screen just as Nina’s quiet voice filled her left ear. “Can I just say how glad I am Lyndon isn’t that age yet?”
    She bobbed her head to the left to afford a better view of the tug of war taking place in the middle of the self-help aisle.
    One tug toward the dark-haired four-year-old . . .
    One tug back toward the slightly lighter-haired three-year-old . . .
    One tug toward the dark-haired four-year-old . . .
    And finally, a book grab from their mortified mother . . .
    “When the two of you start fighting over a book that neither of you have the slightest interest in, it’s time to head home.” The woman slammed the object of herchildren’s disagreement down on the closest shelf and then grabbed both boys by the hand. “Let’s go! Now!”
    “But what about our cookies from the bakery?” wailed the younger child.
    “You should have thought of that before you decided to argue in the middle of the library after I specifically told you to keep quiet.”
    Hushed and not so hushed whining accompanied the threesome to the front door before disappearing from the library once and for all. Straightening her shoulders, Nina made her way around the information desk and toward the now vacant aisle and its misplaced book. “And to think I was actually starting to give some thought to the notion of a little brother or sister for Lyndon in the near future.”
    Tori pressed save on the notes she was making for the rapidly approaching board meeting and then stretched her arms above her head. “Siblings fight. It’s part of growing up.”
    “I get the occasional disagreement, I really do, but when it’s over something that doesn’t matter to either one of them to start with, that’s when I’m not sure I’ll have much patience.” Nina retrieved the offending book from the shelf and held it up for Tori to see. “Because two kids under the age of five really need to argue over who gets to hold a book about finding your inner spirit.”
    “They were probably just tired.” Tori peeked up at the clock above the front door and let out a sigh of relief. “Looks like it’s time to call it a day. So what’s your evening looking like?”
    Nina smoothed her hand over the book’s cover and then placed it on the correct shelf by author’s name.“Duwayne and I are taking Lyndon over to Duwayne’s mama’s house for dinner.”
    “Sounds good. Especially since it means you won’t have to cook after being here all day.” She shut the computer down, neatened the stack of scratch paper and bin of pencils utilized by patrons inquiring about specific titles, and slid off the stool she’d inhabited for the past hour. “Milo and I are ordering pizza and watching a movie on TV as a way to chill for a little while. I think we really need a few moments of that before we get into the final week leading up to the wedding.”
    “You’re going to be a beautiful bride, Victoria,” Nina mused. “Real beautiful.”
    She pushed her stool flush against the counter, smiling as she did. “Thanks, Nina. Rose did an amazing job on the dress, that’s for sure.”
    “Are you sure you want Lyndon at the wedding? He’s quite the babbler these days.”
    “Yes, I want him there. I want Melissa and Jake’s kids there, too.” Tori emerged from behind the information desk and headed toward the bank of computers designed for public use, shutting off each monitor as she passed. “Thanks for covering for me this morning. I managed to get quite a few things crossed off my list.”
    Nina returned to the desk and the wheeled cart that held the half-dozen books that had been returned over the past hour. Grabbing them into a single stack, Tori’s assistant took off around the library, returning each title to its proper home. “It was my pleasure. This whole day has been eerily quiet around here . . . except, of course, for