Page 99 of Fighting Chance

“Sounds like your family has been through enough and deserved a windfall of luck.”

“Windfall it was,” she murmurs before pushing off the doorframe and coming to stand beside me. “Now, what exactly do you need from her books? It may look overwhelming but if one book is even so much as moved an inch she’ll know.”

Relieved that she’s changing the topic, I let my surprise show. “Really?”

“Oh yeah, I can’t even dust in here. Apparently she has a system.”

I snort at that. “Well I won’t touch or take anything then, but I was wondering which are her favorites?”

She walks over to the right side of the bed toward one of the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The books are all artfully placed, some matching with all the covers facing forward, others with large maps and artwork printed beside them.

“This is what I call her trophy shelf. It’s all the special editions of her favorites.”

“Special editions?”

“Apparently if a book is popular enough, they’ll release a special cover.”

“I never knew this was such a big thing.”

“Neither did I. My husband and I don’t read. I couldn’t tell you where her love of words comes from.”

Something tells me I have a hint as to where it came from.

Perhaps Layla loves to read for the same reasons I used to watch TV shows of happy families.

Spotting a paperback, clearly having been read a hundred times, I step forward to take a closer look. Colored paper sticks out along the edges.

“What’s that?” I ask, pointing, but careful not to touch anything.

“Those are her annotations.”

“Anna…what?”

A small chuckle escapes her as she points to a box with various colored tabs. “Annotations. If she likes a book, she’ll highlight and color code her favorite passages and lines.”

I whistle low before asking, “What’s the chances I can take that copy without her realizing?”

“You want me dead?”

My head throws back on a laugh. “No, not at all. I’ll just take a photo of it.”

“Wise choice, she’ll castrate you if you touch it.”

My lips twitch as I try to stop myself from smiling but it’suseless. I take a photo of the trophy shelf and any book that looks as well loved as the one in the middle.

Later that night, I order a copy of the book and download the audiobook. As I put Emmy to sleep, sitting in her rocking chair, I switch out parenting books for what I’m learning is a dark romance read.

One that, to my utter delight and surprise, has a trigger warning list a mile long at the beginning.

You would never know by looking at Layla, the sweet, adorably sexy woman that’s all smiles.

My sunshine likes it a little dark.

Chapter 21

Layla

LAYLA