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“Don’t remind me about your hook and ladder,” she grumbles but she doesn’t look upset.
“Helped keep your friend Joyce’s cafe from burning down last Christmas,” I remind her.
“Oh, fine. You deserve your stupid hook and ladder. But my library deserves a roof. And a new elevator. And enough staff to actually run the place.” She dabs her mouth with a paper napkin. “Sorry. Let’s talk about something else. What about the fireworks? They’re at the high school football field. It’s usually a pretty good show.”
Damn. I wish I could ask her to go with me, but I can’t. “I’m on duty. They need a few firefighters on hand in case something goes wrong. I can watch, though.”
She winces. “Sorry. I didn’t even think of that.”
“No biggie. I volunteered for it. Figured the guys who have kids oughta be able to take the night off and watch them with their families if possible.”
“That was nice of you.”
“Gotta keep my men happy,” I tell her. “What about you? Will the library be in the parade?”
“Yup. We have an old bookmobile from the 1950s. Back then, the town was a lot smaller and people were more scattered, so the librarians would drive it around to get more books into the hands of more people. It’s not good for much these days, but we drag it out for the Fourth of July. The sides fold down to show off bookshelves. My stepdad drives it, and a couple of the librarians and I throw candy and bookmarks out the windows.”
“Sounds cool. What do you do with it the rest of the year?”
“My stepdad keeps it in one of his garages as a favor to me.”
“Nice. Is it worth anything? I mean, some vintage cars are worth a fortune. Maybe you could sell it—”
“I’ve looked into it. We might get enough to fix the roof if we found the right collector, but—” She spreads her hands out. “We haven’t found them yet. My stepdad knows the car world pretty well. If he can find a buyer, we’ll sell it, but I’m not holding my breath.”
I sit back. I do need a dorm for my men… but I also hate to think of Blaze having to sell off a part of her library’s history to literally keep the roof over her head.
But library or fire station, we’re both better causes than Scarlett’s corporate spa. I clink my beer bottle to hers. “To good causes.”
“To good causes,” she agrees.
18
BLAZE
I text the Chief my draft for our email first thing on Monday morning.
Looks good, he texts back a few minutes later. It’s got my blessing.
I send it immediately to Walden and all the council members, making it clear that even though it’s from my email address, it’s coming from the Chief as much as me. Lucky has come up with some ideas about social media and the press. With any luck, once we’ve pushed out information about VivaVentis out to the public, people will rally around the library. Or even the fire station, because even that would be better than letting Scarlett win.
Another text comes in from the Chief. Hey, can I ask you a favor?
My first instinct is to say yes because I have a weird impulse to do something nice for him. Before I can unpack my sudden desire to be a good neighbor, he texts again. Could you take Jackie out for a quick walk when you get home and make sure he’s got food?
Sure. That’s not a big ask, and Jackie is cute.
Working a double shift, the next text explains. Got a guy with a wife on bedrest, and he’s having trouble rounding up childcare over the summer.
I wonder if this is a not-so-subtle reminder of his need to hire more people. But just because I have a devious mind doesn’t mean he does. I chalk it up to him being conversational.
No problem, I respond.
He texts back with the code to unlock his door. I appreciate you, Neighbor! He adds a string of smiley faces.
You’re welcome, I reply, wishing I didn’t sound so formal. See you soon.
But I don’t see him soon. As the week wears on, I find myself checking the back patio as soon as I get home in the evening, just in case he’s out there reading a book. I find myself lingering on the front porch when I leave for work, just in case he decides to come out and walk me into town. But he’s either working weird hours or sleeping his weird hours off. Except for a couple more requests to check in on Jackie, I don’t hear or see anything from him.
