She wiped her cheeks. Sparkly words pressed through the sunlit windowpanes.Anticipate. Create. Together.They circled around Stella before pressing into the skin on her hands and disappearing. “I’d better get to the library. Keep resting up so you can come home soon. Everyone’s been asking about you.”
“Stella,” he said with so much compassion. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I wouldn’t have done any of this if I’d known it was going to bring you more heartache.”
“You know, Arnie,” she said, grabbing her purse, “this has been the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. The magic, the characters, Jack, these past few days. Jack might have ‘turned my light back on,’ but so much more has come to life inside me. I can see possibilities now.” She hooked her purse over her shoulder and walked to the door. “I wish there was a way for him to stay longer. There’s not a character we can bring out who could help us?”
Arnie closed his eyes and shook his head. “If there was, I would have resurrected that person years ago to repair lots of mistakes. I’ve met a few characters I wouldn’t mind sharing my life with.”
“Really?” Stella asked. “Who?”
Arnie waved his hand. “Never mind that. Would they have agreed?” He patted his belly. “I’m not exactly Aragorn.”
A thought occurred to Stella. “I haven’t asked Jack what he wants.”
Arnie reached for his coffee and took a drink. “He’d definitely say yes.”
Stella’s brow furrowed. “How do you know that? You haven’t even seen us together.”
“That man would be an idiot not to want to stay with you.”
She smiled at Arnie. She knew without a doubt that if he’d thought bringing Jack out for her would have harmed her, he never would have done it. For all Arnie knew, Stella and Jack could haveenjoyed conversation but nothing more. “If I brought out the genie from Aladdin, could he grant me wishes?”
Arnie’s laugh rattled his bedframe. “Doesn’t work that way, but it’s a brilliant idea.”
“How do you know?” Stella asked. “Did you already try it?”
He winked at her. “What do you think?”
She grinned and waved goodbye, then rushed off to the library to spend what remaining time she had with Jack, all the while wishing for a solution to her heart’s desire.
Chapter 21
When Stella parked at the library, vendors and volunteers were already arriving on the grounds. As she got out of her car, Jack walked out of Arnie’s and crossed the lawn to meet her on the back steps of the library. Within an hour, a constant hum of energy and chatter filled the air. The festival didn’t officially begin until ten, but dozens of people were already milling around, slapping backs, and hugging people they hadn’t seen since the year before. Children chased one another around the gigantic oak tree in the parking lot and twirled in empty spots on the bright green lawn. Booths came alive with activity and the ticket takers prepared for the throng of people already lining up at the temporary gates.
Stella, Vicki, Dan, and Melanie met with the volunteers posted in the library and reviewed their jobs one final time. Then the group wandered off to find their stations.
Stella stood near the circulation desk and fanned herself. The air conditioner did its best to keep up with the summer heat, but sweatdampened the back of her shirt. “I want this to go well. Arnie’s eager to hear about it later, and I want positive news for him.”
Jack drank from a water bottle. “There’s nothing to worry about. Did you see that line of people waiting to get in?” She nodded. “You know what you really need to do?”
She looked quizzically at him. “What?”
“Enjoy yourself.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. “How could this day not be swell? I’m at a festival with you.”
Stella rolled her eyes but she was smiling. “You always know what to say, don’t you?”
“I ought to. I’ve had a hundred years of practice.”
Stella’s laughter sent out a surge of happy energy that spread throughout the library, and people nearby smiled wider and leaned a little closer to their friends. Crusoe and Darcy were gazing out a nearby library window that gave them a view of the grounds. She walked over to them.
“You know the rules,” Stella said. “No book characters are allowed outside of the library.”
Darcy peered down at her. “Yet Mr. Mathis walked with you through town. The rules don’t apply to everyone, I’ve noticed.”
“Mr. Crusoe,” Stella said, “I know Mr. Darcy doesn’t like strangers, but how do you feel about spending time with hundreds of people? You might be more accustomed to living without human contact since you spent so many years on your island.”
Crusoe returned his attention to the window. “I overcame my despair and built a life out of what I had been given. I thanked God for a fate in which nothing I needed was missing, except friendship. As complicated as humans can be, and as barbaric, I still delight in the presence of others. I do believe I would enjoy spending time with people. Are you offering to break the rules for me? Perhaps for us?” He looked at Darcy.
“Well... Miss Parker is mostly right,” Darcy said. “I don’t dislike strangers, only being around so many of them and forced to converse.” He focused on the activity outside the window. “What would I even say?”
