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“No worries,” I said as he came over to the desk. “I was chatting with Clara about the banned book project. Congratulations on the award nomination.”

“Thanks. It’s been a labor of love for all of us.”

I gave him a quizzical look. “Clara was telling me about the work you’ve put into it, and not just for Maplewood.”

Andre looked at Clara with half exasperation, half amusement.

She grinned unrepentantly. “Just spreading the good word.”

Andre shook his head, but he couldn’t hide the fondness in his expression. He scrubbed his hand over his face.

“Anyway,” he said, turning back to me. “Did you want to talk here, or…”

I glanced around the library. It didn’t feel comfortable having what might be a personal conversation in such a public space.

“Actually, it’s a beautiful day out. Want to grab a coffee and sit outside somewhere?”

Andre looked relieved. “That sounds perfect.” He took his tablet out of his bag before handing it over to Clara to put behind the desk.

Special Blend was a short walk away. On the sidewalk, we fell into step beside each other, a comfortable silence between us.

As we walked, I snuck glances at Andre. He looked tired, with faint shadows under his eyes, but there was an energy about him that was undeniable. Even stressed, he had a certain charm and charisma.

I wondered what it would be like to really get to know him, beyond the superficial level we were used to.

At the cafe we joined the short line. When we reached the counter, Caspian took our order. Andre asked for his usual, hibiscus tea. I tried something different with the rainbow-spiced latte, a special for Pride. Caspian also apologized for being out of Andre’s favorite, maple pecan scones.

When I reached for my wallet, he waved me off. “This one’s on me. Consider it part of my apology.” Andre tapped his phone on the payment terminal.

I hesitated, not wanting to dwell on our argument, but Andre’s expression was earnest. “Thanks.”

We grabbed our drinks and found a small table outside. The warm breeze made it a perfect early summer afternoon.

“Thanks for sending over the judging details. I’ll look those over tonight and let you know if I have any questions.” I blew across the top of my drink to cool it down. “So, we didn’t talk much about the overall festival planning. How’s it going?”

Andre sucked in a breath. “Honestly, I think we might have expanded too far. It looks excellent on paper, but pulling it off is more than I expected. There’s always something new popping up. But I do think we’ll pull it off.”

I nodded encouragingly. “That’s good news. Anything major giving you trouble?”

Andre ran a hand across his face. “A couple of things came up this morning. Remember I told you about the streaming project?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, we’ve got a team of college students who can do it, but we need a place to put them up. And an author for the book festival had to cancel.”

I nodded, considering potential solutions. “I think I can help. After all, I’ve got two houses right now.” I hoped bringing up my recent purchase wouldn’t stir up trouble, but it could certainly help.

Andre’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? That would be incredibly helpful.”

“Of course. How many people are we talking about?”

Andre flipped digital pages. “Six for sure, possibly eight. But we don’t want to impose…”

I waved off his concern. “You won’t. I’m already planning to be living out at the Montgomery place within the next couple of days, which leaves one house unoccupied. There’s space at the new house too if you need it. We can make it work”—I paused and shifted into a conspiratorial whisper—“as long as they’re not planning to throw raging parties.”

Relief washed over Andre’s face. I hadn’t expected to be so thrilled at being able to take care of that for him.

“That would be amazing. Thank you so much. And I’ll make them promise no parties.” He chuckled, picking up that I was only kidding.