Everybody Knows (Sunnyside #1) by Jacie Floyd Read Free Book Online Page A

city blocks like in New York
or Chicago. She could walk to work each day in no time flat.
    “Did you read the library’s history before you
applied for the Berkman Grant?” They skirted a statue in the park that
surrounded the building.
    “Absolutely.” Excitement thrummed through her with
each step, thrilled to finally see firsthand the project she’d accepted.
    “Do you know about the Carnegie lampposts
installed at the front entrance to most of his libraries?”
    “Of course. Carnegie considered them a symbol of
enlightenment. I am a librarian, you
know. I research things,” she said when he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“I’m glad the town managed to keep this one despite the recent hard times. A
lot of the lampposts disappeared before some communities recognized their
value.”
    “It was a close call, but the Historical Society
managed to get ours protected by the National Registry before it was
demolished.”
    And if it hadn’t been for young
techno-bazillionaire Andrew Berkman, the library and the lamppost would have
both been lost. As with many small towns, the Sunnyside tax base hadn’t been
able to keep the library afloat. After years of operating over budget, the town
had to quit funding it when other public necessities took precedence.
    But Andrew Berkman, who had more money than God
also had a special fondness for small-town libraries. Nationwide, he set up
grants to refurbish and revitalize struggling or failed ones. Based on the
original Carnegie formula of public participation, he planned to reopen
facilities in twenty towns that could prove their need. The former Sunnyside
head librarian had filled out Sunnyside’s proposal. By some stroke of freaky
fate and amazing good fortune, the town had managed to receive one of the
grants.
    In a dream-come-true moment for Harper, who had
been following the process out of curiosity and admiration for Andrew Berkman’s
philanthropy, she’d applied for the job closest to Chicago on a whim. Two
months ago, out of a pool of hundreds of applicants for the twenty libraries,
she’d been honored and thrilled to be chosen as the project leader at the
Sunnyside library. At thirty, she was the youngest librarian selected for the
project. She was up to the task but had a lot to prove.
    And here she was, standing at the entrance of this
gem in the rough, waiting as Zach unlocked the front door by the light of the
Carnegie lamppost. As bedraggled as the exterior of the stately old building
appeared, its flaws were all cosmetic and caused by a lack of upkeep.
Hopefully, the same could be said for the interior. At least they kept this
door locked.
    Zach pushed open the heavy door and motioned her
in ahead of him with a little ceremonial bow. “After you.”
    Stepping eagerly inside the grand entry, she
waited for him to hit the lights. When the bright beams illuminated the entry
and beyond, the breath whooshed out of her in shock.
    Blinking twice, she couldn’t immediately grasp the
sight in front of her. The deplorable condition of the interior didn’t match
the simple neglect of the exterior. Worse. Far worse. Massive devastation
loomed everywhere and looked almost intentional. But who could be so
conscienceless? And why? “Freaking hell! What happened here?”
    “Damn!” Zach stepped in front of her as if there
might be potential harm lurking in the chaos before adding a few swear words of
his own. “What is this mess?”
    “What—how—who—?” Harper sputtered in search of the
right words. With hands on her hips, she surveyed the damage that had occurred
in a formerly magnificent space. She could barely contain her distress. And
disappointment. If crying would help, she would have burst into tears.
    “I don’t know how this happened.” Rigid with
anger, Zach and his previous unflappability shattered. “But I’ll damn sure find
out.”
    “If the other locks in town are as unsuccessful as
this one, no wonder they aren’t used.” The snarky