Not that she would know what to do if they asked her a question. Fortunately no one did, at least not until five minutes after Mr. Evans departed to a nearby café for tea.

An older woman in a checked pinafore housedress approached with her gaze fixed on Grace. “Excuse me, do you have The Black Spectacles?”

Grace smiled easily. At least this was a question she could answer. “We don’t carry spectacles here, I’m terribly sorry.”

The woman blinked her wide blue eyes. “It’s a book. By John Dickson Carr. I finished The Crooked Hinge last night and just had to find the next edition in the Gideon Falls series.”

If the earth were to open up at that moment and swallow Grace whole, she’d offer no protest.

She had two book names and a series to work with and no idea where any of them might belong. While cleaning, she’d tried to find some order to the layout of the books, to no avail.

“Oh, of course.” Grace waved for the woman to follow her in the hopes she might somehow have the dumb luck of stumbling upon the book by happenstance. Or be struck by lightning on the way. She’d accept either at that point.

“Did you find The Crooked Hinge exciting?” Grace asked tentatively in an effort to glean what type of book she was seeking.

The woman pressed her palm to her chest. “Oh, it was the best kind of mystery. I locked myself in my bedroom for the last chapter so I could finish it without the children interrupting.”

Ah, yes, a mystery. Maybe there were some located near the back where she was currently leading the woman. “I believe it will be somewhere on this wall.” Grace’s gaze skimmed over the spines of multiple books. None of which were in any order, not by title or name or even color of the book jacket.

“If I may...” A masculine voice spoke from behind Grace.

She leapt in surprise to find a tall man in a finely tailored gray jacket with his black hair combed neatly to the side. She’d noticed him earlier. After all, what woman would not when he was so handsome? But it had been rather a while ago, and she’d assumed he’d already departed.

“I believe it’s on the shelf on the far wall.” He glanced toward the opposite side of the shop.

“Yes, thank you.” Grace’s cheeks burned. No, her whole body burned, flaming with an embarrassment made all the more scorching by the man’s gaze on her. She indicated the woman follow once more. “If you’ll come this way, please.”

“If you don’t mind, miss...” The woman looked pointedly at the handsome man and blushed. “I’d rather he show me.”