Deep River Promise Jackie Ashenden (best life changing books .txt) 📖

have wind chimes making noise outside a library, but Astrid didn’t care. It was a happy, welcoming sound and it soothed her.

She went in—she never locked the place since no one ever locked doors in Deep River—heading over to the sole work desk that stood in one corner, a big box of books sitting next to it.

“This is the nicest damn library I’ve ever been in,” Damon said as he came inside after her, looking around with interest.

The library was only one room, with shelves lining the walls and one long shelf running down the center of the room, books shelved on both sides. There were no couches or places to sit, since the library was small and every square inch had been given over to books.

“Isn’t it?” Astrid bent over the box and opened it, going through what was inside until she’d found the book Phil had particularly wanted—a romance, since he loved romances—stuck a bar code on it, then went to enter it into the system.

Damon wandered over to one of the shelves, studying the titles. “So you’re the librarian as well as the mayor?” he asked.

“Yes. When I first got here, the town had a library but no one to manage it, so I decided I would.”

“And who pays for it?”

“The Wests. There’s some money they put aside for town expenses, and my salary is part of that, as is a small allocation for books.”

“Seems like a good system.”

“It works well, yes.”

Astrid put the book through the scanner, issuing it to Phil, and when she looked up, she found Damon had turned from the shelves and was watching her. A shiver of heat whispered over her skin.

“What?” she asked.

“I spoke to Connor after leaving your office this morning.” He moved slowly over to the desk. “Kid was hanging around outside as I left, so I bought him a coffee and a donut and we had a conversation.” Damon paused. “For the record, he was waiting for me so he could warn me off you.”

Astrid’s gut lurched. “Oh, God, I’m sorry. I don’t know—”

“It’s okay. Connor was just worried about you. And he’s worried for this town. And it seems I was right: he feels responsible for it and for you too.”

Worry hit her and guilt—and grief too. Worry for her son and guilt for what she hadn’t told him. Grief for what she’d put him through and what he felt he had to take on, for the fact that he hadn’t told her any of this.

She would have given everything in that moment to have not met Aiden that day in the café where she’d been working. To not have had Connor sitting nearby because he’d been sick and she’d had no childcare and had had to bring him to work despite her boss’s disapproval. To not have talked to him or for him to notice Connor and ask if he was her son. He’d been so nice to her and she’d been at the end of her rope…

If only she hadn’t brought him into their lives, maybe things would have been different…

She lifted a hand to her forehead, half turning away, not sure why it was hitting her so hard now, when she hadn’t even thought about Aiden for at least a year or so.

It was Caleb’s death and all that had brought with it, that was the issue.

“Hey, what’s up?” Damon’s voice was warm with concern. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t,” she said. “It’s fine.”

It wasn’t fine, though. Her eyes were prickling with unexpected tears and her throat felt tight. God, what was wrong with her? She usually managed her own emotions much better than this.

It took her a moment to realize that Damon had come around the desk to her, moving even closer. And then his fingers closed around hers, gently pulling her hand away from her forehead. The concern in his voice was there in his eyes too, and she was gripped by the almost overwhelming urge to lean against him, lean into his strength, because he had such a lot to spare and her reserves right now were so low.

But she knew how that went. He’d play nice at the beginning. Get her to trust him, to depend on him. Get her to think that maybe this time would be different. And then he’d turn on her the way men like him always did.

Damon could be different, it was true. But she couldn’t risk it.

He frowned, letting go of her hand and searching her face. “If it’s about Connor, it’s okay. I know he hasn’t spoken to you, but he asked me how long I’d be here and when I told him, he said ‘good.’ I think that means he’s okay to talk to me at least.”

Yes, that was good. Her poor boy needed someone, especially if he felt he couldn’t talk to her, and clearly he did. Strange that he should trust this man though, when after Aiden, he didn’t tend to trust men in general.

Or perhaps it’s not strange. Perhaps Damon is actually someone you can trust.

She couldn’t believe that though, not yet.

“He doesn’t want to talk to me, does he?” It sounded so pathetic she wished she hadn’t spoken. But it was too late now.

“It’s not that,” Damon said firmly. “He probably doesn’t want to worry you with it. And I say that because I was his age once, and my mom was a single mom too. She worked two jobs, was constantly worrying over money, and so any issue I had, I handled it myself because I didn’t want to add to the load.”

Her brain latched onto the small morsel of information. “Oh yes, you mentioned your mom was on her own.”

“Yeah. My dad up and left when I was barely a toddler, so my mom brought me up herself. I know how it goes, Astrid. And Connor knows too. He’s just trying to lighten the load.”

Astrid’s throat constricted. Of course Connor was. But what Damon