Trouble When You Walked In (Contemporary Romance) by Kieran Kramer

the shelves.
    Becky Lee, whose auburn hair was straight and cut in a long, shiny bob, approached. “Miz Rogers?”
    Her twang was a little like a banjo string strung too tight, but Cissie focused on not letting herself be scared. She had no reason to be.
    “Mrs. Braddock. Welcome to the library.”
    “Thank you.” Becky Lee flashed a polite smile.
    “I’m Frank Braddock.” Boone’s father’s introduced himself in a booming voice.
    Cissie curled her left shushing finger into her palm. “Hello. Cecilia Rogers. Please call me Cissie.”
    He pumped her hand once, his rings digging painfully into her flesh, but she refused to flinch.
    “How can I help you?” She really wanted to help the two of them out the door, if she was being perfectly honest. “Are you looking for a specific book?”
    “No, sirree.” Frank’s voice dipped so low, Cissie felt her rib cage vibrate. “We’re here to talk about this proposed sit-in.”
    Becky Lee gave a slow shake of her head. “That’s not the way we do things around here.” Her words and deceptively soft tone could have come from The Godfather .
    “There’s a first time for everything, right?” Cissie didn’t sound very convincing, much to her chagrin.
    The couple exchanged a meaningful look.
    “I’m just trying to make a point,” said Cissie, wishing she could channel the dystopian female heroes her teen friends loved. “We don’t need to move the library. We shouldn’t. It’s not a good idea for a lot of reasons. I’d love to sit with you and talk about them. Or you could join us this evening at the sit-in for an in-depth conversation.”
    Then Becky Lee adjusted her purse. “Miz Rogers—”
    “Please call me Cissie.”
    Becky Lee hesitated. “Cissie,” she finally said, “our son Boone is mayor here.” Well, duh! “And when he makes a decision, it’s in the town’s best interests.”
    Was Cissie supposed to nod happily and agree to everything they said? What kind of world did they live in?
    And why was she nodding happily at everything they said?
    What was her problem?
    She stopped nodding. “Maybe Boone thinks it’s right to move the library,” she ventured, “but I don’t.”
    There. Finally.
    She hadn’t been exactly forceful. But it was better than nothing.
    The Braddocks merely stared at her.
    “Now let me tell you about mine and Frank’s dedication to this area,” Becky Lee started up again.
    She went on and on about how beautifully and carefully they’d developed different mountain properties. Two more patrons came in while Becky Lee spoke. Cissie was dying to get to her customers, but Becky Lee kept going. Frank grunted his approval every now and then when his wife used phrases like quality of life and impeccable taste and or words like family , resources , and dedication .
    Finally, Becky Lee was quiet.
    “Thank you for coming in.” Cissie had no idea what that speech had to do with the library, but she refrained from saying so.
    “It was our pleasure.” Becky Lee didn’t look pleased.
    Frank outright glowered at Cissie. “Let’s keep Kettle Knob a happy place where nothing goes wrong. Have you ever noticed that about this town?”
    “Yes, it is a happy place,” said Becky Lee with a fake smile.
    “I, um … I’m sorry.” Cissie stuck out her thumb in the direction of the front desk. “I have to go. Someone wants to check out a book.”
    She couldn’t wait to get busy helping that person, to get back to the safety of her big desk and those manila cards with the blue lines. When she looked up again, Frank and Becky Lee were gone.

 
    CHAPTER SEVEN
    Cissie waved good-bye to her last library patron at 4:55 p.m., and then she remembered: She wasn’t going to lock up. She was staying there. In protest. To express her outrage.
    Too bad it was so quiet.
    But then Sally and Hank Davis showed up with a little boy in tow, three sleeping bags, and three pillows.
    “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!” She took their stuff and