What the Librarian Did by Karina Bliss

well served by a song that was both melodic and haunting.
    She wasn’t an expert, but Rachel could see nothing in his performance to excite a music legend into mentorship. Her fingers tightened on her bag. Was that relationship more payback from Devin?
    He’d breezed into the library several times this week, always calling across the room, “Keep me posted about that ride, won’t you, Heartbreaker.” Rachel had fielded a lot of interested questions from fellow staff members who were agog at the thought of one of their own attracting a rocker.
    As if.
    She knew damn well that Devin was baiting her as punishment for sticking her nose in something that didn’t concern her. What she couldn’t judge was how much of that depravity was feigned to annoy her.
    In her worst moments, she even considered telling Devin the truth. But Rachel had kept this secret too long to trust it to an undisciplined rocker who probably had looser lips than Jagger.
    The song finished; the buskers took a break. Flipping his hair out of his eyes, Mark caught sight of Rachel and scowled. She responded with a tentative smile and stepped forward. “Can I talk to you privately for a minute?”
    “I don’t need another lecture.”
    “I want to apologize.”
    He searched her face, then shrugged. “Back in a sec, Ray.” They walked down the side street a few feet. It was quieter here. She steeled herself.
    “I know my concern seemed intrusive—”
    “It was the disloyalty that got me.”
    She swallowed. “Disloyalty?”
    “To Devin,” Mark said impatiently. “I mean, the guy’s your friend.”
    “Oh.”
    “He’s the one you should be apologizing to.”
    Rachel murmured noncommittally and Mark’s expression grew even sterner.
    “Especially when he agreed with you that he was a bad influence.”
    That surprised her. “He did?”
    “At least until you read him the riot act. Then he said I could hang out with him as much as I like.” Mark grinned. “Maybe I should accept your apology.”
    Rachel bit her lip. So she’d provoked Devin into doing the very thing she’d set out to prevent. Mark really was better off without her. Except…this was the only chance she’d ever have to know him. “So are we okay again?” Will you stop avoiding me?
    “I guess.” He was already looking beyond her as he waved to his mate. “Yeah, coming! So is that all you wanted?” He was taller than her by a few inches. Amazing .
    Through force of will she matched his casualness. “Yes, that’s all.” As he walked away, Rachel knew she’d never be anything to him other than as the loopy librarian. Unless…“Mark?”
    He turned back impatiently. “Yeah?”
    “I will think about apologizing to Devin.”
    He nodded in approval; she basked in it all the way to the parking lot.
    She’d always had one imperative for her son. To keep him safe. And that hadn’t changed.
    If the only way to Mark was through Devin Freedman, then so be it.
    In the driver’s seat of her Honda hatchback, she passed a hand over her face, suddenly exhausted. She felt as if she was on a teeter-totter, up one minute, down the next. For years she’d worked hard to achieve serenity. Her childhood had held no security…even the long periods of relative peace were the only uneasy calm before an impending storm.
    As an adult she’d organized her life into neat compartments. Now the drawer was a jumble again.
    She needed to start thinking smarter. Apologizing wasn’t a fix; somehow she had to scrutinize that damn man. Then she could judge him herself.
    An idea occurred to her and she grew thoughtful. If she befriended the rocker, then Mark’s attitude would soften toward her, providing an opportunity to get to know her son.
    Not quite the threesome Devin had had in mind when he’d tried to shock her. Rachel chuckled. She’d thought of a way to get what she wanted and extract a little revenge on Mr. Rock Star.
    The next day when Devin called across the library,“When are you