Page 42 of Her Brother's Billionaire Best Friend

I looked up at her. Laura’s blue eyes seemed to have warmed a little, to Pacific blue. She gave me a flirtatious grin.

“Oh yeah,” I growled. “What do I get in return?”

Laura’s eyes widened, and I saw her cheeks blush. She opened her mouth, and for a moment, my mind was alive to all the dirty possibilities that might tumble from her sweet lips.

Then, she clenched her jaw.

“I’ll bake you a cake,” she said. “See you on Saturday.”

Before I could say anything more, she’d turned and walked out of the office.

*

I knew my donation was generous, but I had no idea just how far they’d been able to stretch the money I gave the library. Lyla and the board had placed half of my donation into trust, allowing the library to remain open for the foreseeable future. The other half had been invested into renovating and redecorating the place, as well as expanding the library’s formerly poor stock of books. And as I stepped through the door, I couldn’t help but smile at the rows and rows of brand-new books crammed along the shelves. Kids from town would have access to textbooks in math, science, and history. The children’s section had been completely redesigned, with a cozy alcove and a small play-area in the corner. A bank of top-quality computers were now in operation in the reference room. And best of all, the old spiral staircase of the building and its parquet floors, a legacy from the 1930s, had been polished to a brilliant sheen.

When I arrived, I was led by an enthusiastic group of natives through the library and into the old reading room. It was a grand old place, with a high plaster ceiling and wood-paneled rooms with a fireplace. The room had been closed off recently, but now it had been renovated and reopened. The long study tables had been pushed to the sides and draped with white tablecloths, and the old fireplace at the back of the room was burning happily, while behind the glass, the library’s rare and antique volumes sat pride of place.

Someone thrust a glass of champagne into my hand, and I was bustled around to meet the people whose lives I’d changed. The librarian shook my hand and pointed to show me some of the old books in the collection, but before I could look, I was pulled away by the skinny, wrinkled arm of my high-school chemistry teacher.

“Mr. Barnes,” she said, shaking my hand. “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you. You’re the knight in shining armor that Laura’s been telling me all about.”

I looked over at Laura, who radiated beauty in a white, knee-length dress, her hair pulled up with a ribbon. She was standing next to Kyle, who was wearing a dress shirt and jeans. She looked away as I caught her eye, and blushed. I raised an eyebrow. Knight in shining armor, huh, Laura?

“Please,” I said bashfully. “It’s Lucien. And I’m glad to do all I can to help my local library. This place is invaluable for students.”

“I’m glad you think so, Mr. Barnes. I quite agree. Many of my students from poorer neighborhoods in town used to come here to do their homework and catch up on school.”

I looked away nervously and nodded. Was there a chance Lyla could recognize me? No chance. She was sharp as a whip, but she hadn’t seen me since I graduated at 18. I’d disappointed her by not going to college, but what was I going to do? I had no grants, no scholarship. I had no choice but to work for my dad’s carpentry business instead…

“It’s a vital resource,” I said stiffly. I slowly became aware that Kyle was looking at me while he whispered in Laura’s ear. What was he saying? I wondered.

“In fact,” Lyla wittered on, “you remind me of a boy I used to teach—”

I was about to pull away, but mercifully, the mayor chinked his glass, and we turned towards the fireplace.

“Ladies and gentleman. It’s my pleasure tonight to thank you, not one of you but all of you. All of your efforts in restoring the library have been essential. But there’s a very special person here who I’m happy to introduce for the first time. Please give a warm welcome to our lead donor and benefactor, Mr. Lucien Barnes.”

There was applause, even a whoop of excitement from Kyle, and I caught his eye and grinned as Laura shushed him. David stood off to the side, lightly tapping the back of his hand while staring at the wooden beams above us. He hadn’t said much to me since I arrived.

I stepped forward and shook the mayor’s hand, while the applause carried on. “Say a few words for us, won’t you?” winked the mayor, and I nodded uneasily. Speeches weren’t my thing.

I turned towards the crowd. As I fixed them with a glare, the applause died down.

“Thank you very much for having me,” I said.

There was a smile, and a nod, and some more polite applause. What was I going to say?

“This is a real honor. To be here, you know.”

Come on, Lucien! Get it together!

“But,” I added, “you really don’t have to thank me.”

Murmurs of confusion spread through the crowd.

“Of course we do,” said Lyla from the back.

“No,” I said. “See, the thing is, I wouldn’t have even known about this project if it wasn’t for Laura.”