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“It was Gigi’s idea,” Joyce explains. She flashes a grateful smile at Jeremy. “And the fire station agreed to go along with it. We raised enough money with the Flying Saucer community day for the library to hire a photographer, and my friend Catherine donated her graphic design skills. Nikko and Bailey aren’t coming back until tomorrow, but Nikko called the restaurant and told them to supply appetizers and wine. Then a bunch of local businesses donated items for a silent auction—”
“Some of the single firefighters are auctioning themselves off as dates,” Lucky interjects.
“—We sold tickets,” Joyce continues, “and here we are!”
“Oh, you guys… This is amazing!” I put a hand over my heart. “I mean, it’s totally weird having a bunch of nearly naked guys all over the walls, but it’s a really sweet idea. Thank you so much.” Something warm flutters in my chest as I turn to Jeremy. “I can’t believe you actually went through with this.”
“About half the guys volunteered. They thought it was a blast.” Jeremy’s hand wraps around mine. “We’re really hoping we can convince you to stay.”
Tears prick the back of my eyes, both for the effort they’ve all made and for the fact that, ultimately, it’s not going to be enough. There can’t be more than a hundred people here. Unless those tickets cost a couple thousand dollars a pop, which would be way out of range for most people in Welkins Ridge, the money they raise can’t possibly cover all our mounting expenses.
Sooner or later, I’ll have to break the news about New Orleans to the rest of them… but that can wait. Tonight, I’ll just sit back and be grateful for having friends who would do this for me.
“It’s wonderful,” I tell them. “Maybe we’ll be able to get the elevator fixed.”
“Oh, I think we’ll be able to do a lot more than that,” There’s a sly glint in Gigi’s eye. “Didn’t you see the calendars?”
She pulls me over toward the circulation desk which is piled high with calendars. I pick one up. The cover displays the same photo of Jeremy holding Jackie with the words Hot Reads! Heroes, Heat, and Furry Tales emblazoned across it.
“You’re selling these as well?” I guess if everyone here buys one, that could be a few hundred dollars.
“They come with the tickets to the fundraiser,” Lucky explains.
So, no extra money, then. I have to force enthusiasm into my voice.“Well, the whole thing was really thoughtful of you. Thank you all so much.”
Lucky bursts out laughing, and Gigi sighs. “Blaze,” she says in her patient voice, “it’s a launch party.”
“The people here who bought tickets, they’re just the tip of the iceberg,” Jeremy adds.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, those celebrity friends I teased you about came through for you, and so did a whole lot of other people.”
Lucky shoves her phone under my nose. “Keep in mind that we’re making five dollars profit on each calendar. It just went on sale this morning, and we’ve already sold over twenty thousand.”
I catch a glimpse of some numbers on the screen, but I don’t really see them because the room tilts. “Twenty thousand? There aren’t twenty thousand people in Welkins Ridge!”
“It’s being sold all over the country.” Joyce gestures at Lucky. “Lucky’s been teasing it on social media, Anthony promoted it on his YouTube channel, Nikko put it on Instagram, and Heather got some celebrity friends of hers to share it all over the place. We had thousands of pre-orders before it even went live.”
Gigi slips a hand through Jeremy’s arm and bats her eyes at him. “The only thing people love more than firefighters with animals is firefighters with animals and books.” She glances at her watch. “Five minutes if we want to stay on schedule.”
“Oh, fine.” Jeremy drops a kiss on my temple. “Just remember, I’m doing this for you.” He disappears past the circulation desk into the office area beyond.
I’m still too stunned by the news about the fundraiser to ask where he’s going. “Twenty thousand…” I whisper again. That’s $100,000 in a single day. That’s enough for the roof and the elevator and some left over.
“And that’s just calendars and just today.” Lucky slips her phone back into her purse with a smirk. “The silent auction is on track to bring in a bundle, and I’ve had some requests from the media,” she adds. “Mind if I set you up with some interviews?”
Dazed, I just nod my agreement and take a rather large gulp of wine just as Joey and Janine appear and each give me a hug.
“Took your advice, sis,” Joey says proudly. “That page on your site walked us through all the steps for getting a business license. We should be up and running in a few weeks.”
I barely have time to congratulate them, though, because more and more people walk up to me with stories to share. They thank me for resources that helped them find jobs and scholarships, for a free place for clubs to gather, for the storytimes that got their kids excited about reading, for the pro-bono tax assistance day we hosted last spring, for the tech tutoring class we held in conjunction with the senior center, for the free internet and computer use, and much more.
I’m soaking it all up when I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around to see Scarlett.
“Hi, Blaze.” She looks as elegant as always in a pale green suit but she shifts uncomfortably under Joyce’s suddenly hostile gaze. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
While we may not be enemies any longer, we’re certainly not friends. Still, there’s something subdued, almost vulnerable, about her. I’m willing to give her the time of day.
