Page 30 of Unfiltered
Blythe laughed and held up her hands. “I swear I didn’t. But that was perfect.”
“I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?” Abby asked.
“No, you expressed what I’ve said for years. Ricki should stop hiding behind the camera and show her face.”
“It ain’t gonna happen.” Ricki crossed her arms over her chest.
“Shy?” Abby asked.
Ricki shrugged. “I’m not shy with the right people. I just don’t see any sense in making videos for a bunch of strangers.” A look of horror crossed Ricki’s face, and she reached across the aisle and touched Abby’s arm. “No offense.”
“Sure.” Blythe snorted. “You don’t want to offend Abby, but you’re all right offending me.”
“Absolutely.” Ricki grinned at Abby. “Seriously. It’s just not my thing. It’s Blythe’s. That’s probably why we get along so well—we’re not in competition. She’s always fighting with some creator or another.”
“That’s because they’re a bunch of assholes,” Blythe said.
Ricki smirked. “You said it. I didn’t.”
“I have noticed there’s a lot of drama,” Abby said. “It makes me a little uncomfortable. I was just having fun, wanting to sharethe books I loved with a few of my friends. I never thought about strangers watching them.”
“Well, unless you have over six hundred thousand friends, then a lot of strangers are watching,” Blythe said.
“That still boggles my mind.” Abby’s cheeks lost some of their color. “Ricki, Blythe mentioned you own a lot of books.”
Blythe considered returning the conversation to content creation since there was so much she wanted to discuss with Abby, but they had all weekend for that, so she allowed Abby to change the subject.
“Mostly older ones. I’ve been trying to use the library more and not buy so many.”
Abby smiled. “I’ve gone on a book diet, too, or I’d go broke.”
“But you’re a librarian, so you have access to every book imaginable,” Ricki said.
“I know. It helps, but I still like to own my favorites. I’ve made a rule that I never buy a book until I’ve read it first. That way, I know I’m only buying the best.”
“Ah, you mean you don’t own hundreds of books you’ve never read?” Blythe said. She doubted her thinly veiled insult was lost on either Ricki or Abby.
Abby gave Ricki a sympathetic look before she said, “I used to buy books as soon as they came out. I had thousands I hadn’t read. But after I bought my house, I had to downsize and make changes.”
“Do you miss buying books?” Ricki asked.
“That’s the beauty of it.” Abby chuckled. “I handle all the library’s purchasing, so I still buy books all the time.”
“There you go,” Blythe said. “Found you a new job.” She looked at Abby. “Ricki hates her job, but I can’t get her to quit or find a new one.”
Ricki waved her hand. “We are not talking about my job this weekend. I want to be happy.”
Abby opened her mouth as if to ask a question, but then she stopped and nodded. She turned to Blythe. “I wanted to thank you for inviting me this weekend.” She smiled at Ricki. “And of course, thank you for opening your house to me.”
In this short time, Abby’s considerate nature was evident. The sweetness Blythe discovered when they’d talked wasn’t an act. She’d shifted the uncomfortable conversation away from Ricki, while expressing gratitude at the same time.
After they assured Abby it was a pleasure to have her, Abby said, “Blythe, I keep forgetting to tell you how much I love your name.”
“Thank you very much,” Ricki said.
Blythe smiled at the look of confusion on Abby’s face. She was adorable.
Ricki must have noticed Abby’s confusion, too, because she added, “I named her.”
