He gave her a look. “No, I don’t hate my parents.” His expression turned somber. “I love them. They were good parents. Still are. I just…”
Will wasn’t able to finish the sentence, wasn’t even sure what he’d been planning on saying. He was too busy wondering if his parents were real. Had he ever been born? Or had he just popped into existence at age twenty-eight? Every time he tried to wrap his head around it, he felt a mild buzzing headache begin at the back of his skull. Emmy clearly sensed his turmoil as she chipperly changed the subject.
“Okay! Game plan. I need a phone, I need transportation, and I need access to every library and bookstore in a ten-mile radius.”
“I get the first two, but why libraries and bookstores?”
“It’s a shot in the dark, but I was thinking maybe if a book got me into this mess, then a book will also be the key to getting me…usout.”
Will considered this, shrugged. It was as good a place to start as any. They finished their pie and coffee as they discussed strategies and theories, planned out next steps, and bartered over how much he was willing to spend on a phone for her. Emmy pointed out she needed 5G so she could search for bookstores and get directions, maybetake notes if she found something interesting. She’d want to save those notes to the cloud, obviously. Will capitulated on that, but remained firm when it came to getting her a car. Emmy relented when he pointed out that she couldn’t rent or drive a car without a driver’s license. She briefly toyed with the idea of making a fake, but without the proper tools and knowhow, it seemed like a futile effort.
“You do realize this means you’re going to have to be my chauffeur whenever I need to go somewhere,” Emmy pointed out on the drive back to Will’s place.
He shrugged. “You don’t exist in my world. Where would you even need to go besides a bookstore every once in a while?”
“You expect me to just hide out in your house like some kind of poltergeist you haven’t gotten around to banishing?”
“Yeah, I guess. It’d be nice if you didn’t make all my electronics short out. But I’ll understand if you can’t help yourself.”
Emmy crossed her arms over her chest and glared. It took a few seconds, but when he realized she wasn’t going to respond, he looked over at her again.
“What’s that look for?”
“I’m going to want to go places,” she stated.
“Fine. Jeez. I’ll take you places.”
“Good. That’s all I needed to hear.”
*
By the time they got back to the house, it was already late evening. The last of the sunlight trickled over the horizon, and Emmy was exhausted from running all over town. It was a good kind of exhausted, though, because she knew she wasmaking progress. Armed with a phone and new clothes, she would be able to start her search for a way out of this book.
The first thing she did was put her new wardrobe away in her room. It was funny that she already thought of it as her room. That might be a worrying development considering she didn’t want to form any attachments to this fantasy world. Even if, she thought as she wandered into the kitchen and saw Will frowning over a box of pasta, there were some things she wouldn’t mind getting attached to. She leaned against the kitchen doorway and watched him as he pulled the makings of dinner out of his cabinets. Not only was this guy stupid hot, but he was surprisingly good company. She just wished she hadn’t had to upend his entire life.
“I’ve got work tomorrow,” Will said later while they shared a meal of pasta in spicy red sauce, crusty bread, and Caesar salad from a bag.
“From when to when?”
“Six to two.”
“If you’re not too tired after your shift, maybe you could take me to the library? I want to get started on my search.”
“We’ll see. What’re you going to do while I’m at the hospital?”
“I don’t know. I’ll try to sleep in, watch some TV or something. I’ll probably end up going stir crazy after like thirty minutes. Then who knows what mischief I’ll get up to?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You better back up all your files in case I decide to short out your electronics.”
He grinned at that and pointed at her with his fork. “That was good. Good callback.” He speared more pasta, chewed thoughtfully. “What’re you going to search for at the library?”
She took a sip of her drink, trying not to notice the solid line of his jaw as he chewed. “I don’t know exactly. Romance novels. There might be something there. I want to see if the book we’re in exists in this world, for one. Maybe it will act as a doorway or something. Other than that, I’m going to try to find the solution to the problem by eliminating everything that isn’t.”
“Very Sherlock Holmes of you.”
“Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. His methods are sound. Except for the cocaine and opium and stuff.” She gestured at him with a jerk of her chin. “If I’m Holmes, does that make you Watson?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Nurse Watson.”
She cocked her head. “Why not doctor? Since we’re on the subject.”
