The Random Acts of Cupid (Christian Romance) Read Online Free

You should ask around.”
    “Sure. I’ll figure something out,” Elise replied, purposely noncommittal.
    “You’re not going to ask around, are you.” It was a statement. Chandra knew her very well.
    Elise was silent.
    “Come on, Elise. I know you’re an introvert, but that’s no excuse for going to a Broadway show alone !”
    “I’ll be fine, Chandra. Don’t worry about it.”
    Chandra let out an exasperated sigh.
    Elise wished she had the guts to ask someone to go with her, but the mere thought of approaching someone about it was just about enough to send her into a panic attack. What if that someone said no? Worse, what if he or she said yes? Then Elise would have the stress of trying to be personable for an entire evening. No, Chandra was safe. If Elise couldn’t go with her friend, then she’d rather not go with anyone at all.
    “Oh, gotta go!”
    And Chandra hung up before Elise could respond. Joey was probably getting sick again. Poor little guy! Poor Chandra!
    Elise was much too busy to waste time worrying about something she couldn’t change. She had to finish work here at the library then get busy with all her plans. It would have been nice to share some of those plans with Chandra, but she couldn’t let that stop her. Too many people depended on her actions in the next 36 hours or so. After all, tomorrow was Valentine’s Day.
    Trying to finish the project she was working on, Elise focused on her computer. She had to leave in about 30 minutes and needed to get as much done as possible before then. She’d really jam-packed her schedule this year. She really hoped the timing on everything would work out.
    “Excuse me, Miss Hutchins, may I have a word with you?”
    Elise startled, but not so much because of the interruption as due to the sharp tone of voice. Her gaze swung to find Ryan Jenkins once again standing at the Reference Desk. Shocked and confused at the anger she found seething in his eyes, Elise jumped up and grasped at the only explanation she could think of.
    “I found your book!” she said excitedly, holding the heavy book out to him across the counter.
    Ryan didn’t even glance down at the book, but instead kept his intense gaze steady on Elise.
    “Can I please have a word with you in private?” he gritted out.
    “Of course,” Elise replied, not sure what he had in mind. She looked around nervously. They couldn’t really get more private than they already were. It was a library, and it was only sparsely populated at the moment.
    “Can you take a break?” Ryan asked.
    “Sure,” Elise replied, understanding that he wanted her to follow him. She always worked more hours than required by contract, and she rarely took breaks. Thinking she’d just take off work a little early, she grabbed her coat and purse and came around the counter. “Just let me tell Sheila.”
    At the circulation desk, Sheila flashed Elise a strange look at the announcement that she would be taking off early. Elise smiled, trying to dispel any of her coworker’s concern or curiosity over the fact that this was probably the first time ever Elise had ‘taken off early.’
    Elise’s smile fumbled as she met Ryan’s hard gaze again. Why was he mad at her? He hadn’t even taken the book she’d found for him. He’d left it at the Reference Desk. Not that she’d ever admit it to him, but she’d gone to a lot of work to locate it. After being unsuccessful with her emails and phone calls, Elise had personally gone to the other library this morning before reporting for work. Another librarian had assisted Elise in her fruitless search. Finally, they’d discovered that the book had never been sent but had been displaced after being checked off as sent. Almost 45 minutes after setting foot in the building, Elise had left to return to her own library, Ryan’s book securely in hand.
    Now it looked like all of her work had been wasted. Not only did he no longer want the book, but he obviously hated her. And