Free Almost Midnight by Teresa McCarthy Page A

   
    Great, Hannah thought. This was all she needed.
    She quickly made her way down the aisle and turned first to Candy, hoping to dilute the repercussion of being caught squished between two strapping men. “Miss Richards, “Hannah replied, “I believe your brother was looking for you. He’s ready to leave now.”
    Candy angled her head in the direction of the two men and frowned. “I see. Has Alex been causing trouble?” Not waiting for an answer, the petite brunette marched down the aisle to reclaim her brother.
    Mrs. Gould looked at Hannah, then suspiciously back at the two men. “May I remind you, Miss Elliot, fraternizing with the male gender for your own interests is not allowed in this library. If you wish to cavort around like a shameless hussy, then do it on your own time.”
    Mrs. Gould marched away like a prison warden, leaving Hannah’s cheeks burning with embarrassment. First Mr. Clearbrook and now Mrs. Gould.
    She needed this job, she told herself, but only for another few months. When she started at Reach Medicals, she would have no qualms about leaving the library then.
    Of course, she would mind leaving Jeremy. She wasn’t the boy’s mother, but Nick’s declaration, that as his wife she would never be a mother, hit her like a smack in the face. Jeremy’s father, on the other hand, was a factor too dangerous to contemplate. But at least he had Jeremy.
    She wondered if there ever would be a man willing to share his life with her who also wanted children.         
    “Hey, Hannah,” Jeremy shouted, causing Mrs. Gould to glare over her shoulder.
    With a hushed finger to her lips, Hannah strolled toward the boy. “What are you doing here so late, pumpkin?” 
    She gave him a hug and noticed a line of white powder along his hairline. He smelled of ginger, too.
    “We got lots of books on cooking. Look.” He shoved a few of the cookbooks her way.
    She smiled. “Oh? What happened to Mable? I thought she cooked most of your meals.” Mable, who showed up a few times a week, was their housekeeper and part time cook.
    “Mable doesn’t cook gingerbread, and I wanted gingerbread, and we tried to make it in the kitchen, but we needed a better recipe. And Mable wasn’t at our house today. She only comes a on Monday and Thursdays. We could have gotten the gingerbread recipe on the Internet, but Grandpa said they had good cookbooks here. And good books for me here too! Now we don’t need the recipe, because we don’t have time to make it. But Dad got flour, sugar and manila all over the place, and on the way here, I told him all the multiplication facts up to twelve.”
    Hannah’s heart leapt at the fact that Jeremy was getting along with his father. She also didn’t have to wonder what burr had wiggled beneath Tanner’s saddle to make him try to bake gingerbread. Jeremy and Fritz had a little conspiracy going; she was sure of it. “Didn’t your dad tell you I’d bring you the gingerbread tomorrow?”
    The boy dropped his gaze to his feet. “Uh...um...no.”
    She gently put her hand on Jeremy’s chin. “I think you better start thinking about how you’ve been acting lately.”
    “I told my dad I was sorry.”
    “Hmmm. What about telling the truth about the gingerbread? Even your nose is growing longer, Pinocchio.”
    His brows knitted into a look of disbelief. “What? Where’s the mirror?” He bolted toward the bathroom with Fritz emerging from a nearby aisle, trailing in his wake.
    Smiling, Hannah turned around, only to find Alex Richards brushing up beside her. “Hey, darlin’.” He gave her a saucy wink and stuffed his business card into her hand. “If you want a job, give me a call, or if you want me, give me a call too.” 
    His infectious laugh drummed into her ears as he strutted out the door with his sister. Hannah fingered the business card and let out a light laugh, but her smiled died on her lips when she saw Tanner Clearbrook leaning against a bookshelf, his