He stops and turns to the reception desk, where Martha is waving him over. “I almost missed you. You had a phone call a few minutes ago.”
“Here?”
“Well, your uncle said he tried your home before, so he thought to check here.”
A familiar chill slides down his spine. “What did he want?”
“He said that the dinner event next week has been moved to today.” She smiles. “Must be exciting going to an event in that big mayor’s house. I envy you.”
He fails to fake a smile, so he settles on a stiff nod. “Thank you. Have a good evening.”
He steps into the cold and windy evening. He hates it when it happens—this last-minute summons to the mayor’s house. He needs to get back home to prepare himself, and since it’s already late, he doesn’t have much time.
He’s about to cross the road to reach his truck when he notices someone putting up a poster next to thegrocery shop. It’s windy, and he’s struggling to get hold of the big piece of paper. Will would have likely gone to help regardless of who that person was, but since he recognizes Owen, his legs begin to move on their own.
“Shit,” Owen says as he fails once more to make the poster behave.
“Need a hand?”
Owen sharply turns around, his long hair blowing like a cape behind his head. “Will! You scared me. Yes, I need a hand. I chose a horrible time to put up posters, but the book club is happening in three days.”
Will grabs one side of the poster, and together they attach it with Scotch tape to the wall, next to some other posters for sales and local bands. But out of everything, Owen’s poster stands out the most. It’s a beautiful drawing of the library, with the words,You’re invited to the official Van Buren Library Book Club!
“Do you think anyone will come?” Owen asks, his hands in the pockets of his jacket.
“It will be a hit, especially with this poster.”
Owen smiles. “Did you see I included you?”
Will squints. “Where? Oh, I see.” He’s walking in front of the library, wearing blue jeans and a red and black flannel shirt. His hair and beard are light brown, like in real life. He doesn’t remember anyone ever taking the time to draw him. “I’m flattered, but I don’t see you here.”
“I’m inside the library, running the show.”
“Of course.”
They watch each other for a long moment before Owen clears his throat and asks, “Did you take care of Nate’s leak?”
Will draws a cold breath, not surprised by the question. It must have seemed strange to Owen having Will leave so abruptly with how nice of a time they were having. “Yes, I took care of it, and I’m sorry. It was unfriendly of me to leave.”
“But you didn’t want to go,” Owen says quietly, the wind making it harder to hear his words. “I could be wrong, but I felt like you wanted to stay.”
Will looks away, his skin growing warm. He hates being in this situation and having the dark truth pushed to the surface.
“Hey, I don’t mean to step out of line.” Owen puts his hand on Will’s shoulder. “I’m too curious for my own good. Tell me if you feel like sharing, but you still owe me dinner regardless.”
Will nods, appreciating the lack of pushing. “I do owe you dinner, but not tonight. I have something to take care of, and I don’t know how long it will take.” He glances at the poster. “I’ll ask my sister if she wants to join. She read that book.”
“Great. I even got a budget for some snacks. Between you and me, I think that Francie is getting a bit excited about this—but she’ll never admit it.”
“She likes you, which isn’t a surprise.”
“Are you trying to make me blush, Will Thomas?”
He swallows. “Maybe I am.”
Owen blinks in surprise. “Well, mission accomplished. Is it okay if I try to get hold of some of the movies I told you about? The non-straight ones.”
“I’d like that.” It means that Owen will come over to his house, where they will sit together on the couch. Alone. Once more, such thoughts are both exciting and nerve-racking, and Will is frustrated that he can’t just feel positive about something without dreading possible ramifications.
