Charlieshrugged. “Runs in the family. Wait until you meet my mom.”
Ashliked the sound of that. Meeting Charlie’s mom, settling into this strange,wonderful little community they’d stumbled across and having a quiet, happylife.
Itwas a nice dream. Ash knew it couldn’t last forever, but he was enjoying itwhile it lasted.
“Giveme time. I’ll know everyone in this town eventually,” Ash said, sitting backcomfortably.
Hewas looking forward to that. To having a life that was about more than justworking, eating whatever came to hand, and occasionally sleeping.
Thedifference it had made in Declan was huge, and he could feel it making adifference in himself, too.
“Soyou’re Marv’s great nephew?” Charlie asked as Scott started serving generousportions of lasagna.
Declannodded. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“Iremember him mentioning you once. I didn’t think much about it until I saw youin person.”
“Really?”Declan asked.
Ashknew he was eager to learn things about his great uncle, since Marv had kind ofdropped him in the deep end with a cryptic letter and nothing much else.
“Iremember him telling me he had a nephew about my age. This was… probably ten ortwelve years ago, before he retired,” Charlie explained.
“Thenyou know him a helluva lot better than I did,” Declan said. “He was always… Idunno. I don’t think mom liked him all that much. I’m thinking now that itwould have been nice to know him better.”
“Hewas a good man,” Charlie said. “Weird, but good. I always liked that. And hewas so proud of me when I told him I was going to study to be a librarian.”
“Wereyou two close?” Declan asked.
“Notexactly? He was like that with everyone, honestly. He knew everyone’s story.Knew their interests, and their hopes and dreams. I can see why, now. The bookspeople read say a lot about them.”
“Whatdoes it say about me that I don’t read much?”
“Itsays you’ve been working too hard for a long time,” Ash responded beforeCharlie could. “And that you deserve a break.”
“Listento your husband,” Charlie said. “This is a great place to slow down, and youlook like you could use it. What did you do before this?”
“Willyou stop interrogating the poor man?” Scott spoke up. It wasn’t unkind. Morefondly exasperated.
Ashgot the impression that Charlie’s curiosity tended to get the better of him.
“Idon’t mind,” Declan said softly, though Ash could see him starting to shrinkback into himself. It’d been a long time since he’d been in a social situationlike this. He’d need some time to build up his stamina for dealing with otherpeople.
Peopleoften made the mistake that Ash would be the introvert of the two of them,since he worked in a bookstore and got through his own weight in books everyyear, but Declan had always been the shy one. Or notshy, exactly butfond of his own company.
Overthe years, Ash had come to count as part of his own company. Ash could tell hedidn’t drain Declan’s energy.
Otherpeople, on the other hand…
Itwasn’t that Declan didn’tlikepeople. He liked them just fine, when theyweren’t assholes.
Hejust had a limited amount of energy to spend on them.
Ashcouldn’t exactly relate, but he did understand. Or at least, he grasped theconcept.
Personally,he could have chatted to people all day and never gotten tired, as long as theyweren’t being dicks. Especially if the conversations were about books.
Declanwasn’t like that, and that was okay.
