Chapter 7Jesse stepped into Michelle’s bookstore and took a deep, satisfying breath. The smell of worn leather and old paper made him shiver with delight, like a junkie who had been denied his fix for too long. He had avoided visiting Michelle for the same reason he took such pleasure in it now—the books. When they had first taken a tour of the new house, Emma had been charmed by the massive library, clapping her hands together with glee, and then dragging him into the middle of the room to better admire it. Jesse had been less gleeful at the sight of the empty shelves, and Gideon’s later comment about the cost of replacing the books had just been salt on an open wound.
“Hello, stranger.”
Michelle emerged from the shadows behind the counter, carrying a stack of books. Her face was smudge
