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Carver nodded and made a show of locking the doors.

“All of you are now prisoners for a day and a night.” A couple of kids cheered, and the whole room applauded. Meredith and Elise gave him a thumbs-up. “We are locked in with some of the most powerful creatures in the world. Right on those shelves, magical beasts. Back before Christmas, our very own Tyler Fantana reminded me that libraries are alive. It’s easy to forget because the books can only move us and change the world when we pay attention to them.”

“Hear! Hear!” Mrs. Grappo and her husband applauded, along with one of the new English teachers.

Josh nodded at them in gratitude. “Before we unlock those doors in the morning and turn you loose again, we’re reading every single word of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.” He grinned.

What he wouldn’t give for Tyler to be here.

“Dumas. Note the pronunciation. I don’t speak French, but it’s pronounced ‘doom-ah’ not ‘dumb ass.’ If anybody wants a dumbass, you’ll have to go back outside, because all the dumbasses are out there trying to stop you from reading the books on these shelves.” He winked.

The crowd laughed and clapped again. Josh relaxed. He’d been worried someone would get offended, but obviously people who read books didn’t mind a little off-color humor. Doreen blushed, but Nadia laughed loud and winked back at him.

He smiled. “Now Monsieur Dumas had a phenomenal life. His father was born into slavery and then freed. His mother was a society heiress. Dumas was born when Thomas Jefferson was president, and grew up mixed-race in France. He became famous as a playwright, a party monster with forty mistresses, the most generous man of his era. He’s remembered as one of the most successful authors of all time, with a string of swashbucklers he wove out of his own life and forgotten bits of history. But what he knew better than anyone was fun.”

Josh couldn’t help but think of Tyler: their sunrise runs, the Renaissance Faire they’d visited together, the quiet secrets that had forged an unbreakable bond between them. He missed him more than ever, but this event was too important to wallow.

“Before we start, I want to say this. Books matter. Words matter.” He smiled and put the pages of the first chapter on the podium. “All for one, one for all.”

And so he began.

“On the first Monday of the month of April, 1625….”

Rather than a stiff or “correct” reading, Josh did his best to bring the story to life, using different voices for the narrator and dialogue, adding dramatic pauses and comedic sounds, melodramatic looks, even making the sounds of horses galloping and swords clashing. The audience got into it right away, gasping at zingers as they munched their snacks.

As he read, Josh’s thoughts turned to Tyler again. More than anything, he wished his boyfriend could be here to see how it had all come together. At the Renaissance Faire, Tyler had reminded him, “The books are static, just sitting there. Bring them to life.”

He hoped he was doing that, transporting the crowd to seventeenth-century France. In a way, this felt like reading a bedtime story to an entire room full of eager, rowdy children. Everyone, young and old, gave their full attention, nodding at the best bits, riveted by the characters.

More subtly, Josh saw the other readers dotting the edges of the room, clutching their pages. He tried to show them how to have fun, to cut loose, to make silly faces if it would help the story along. By leaning into the words, Josh didn’t have to work all that hard. Dumas’s sentences did most of the work. All he had to do was keep his voice animated and listen to the story as it unspooled.

Tyler had said something about that too. That back when books were luxuries and not many people could read, every story had been written to be read aloud. The keen listening faces proved him right.

Josh neared the end of his chapter faster than he’d expected. The crowd sat perched, edge of their seats. He looked up to see Vicky standing to his side, waiting in the wings with cheeks pink and a twinkle in her eye. Holding her rolled pages, she looked excited to keep the ball in the air. He nodded at her, and she nodded back.

We got this.

He felt a swell of pride. This reading was bringing the community together and showing how vital books and stories were. Josh knew Tyler would be proud too. Now he just had to make it through the rest of the book missing the man he loved.

The room applauded as Josh stepped aside to let Vicky take over. As she enthusiastically dove into the story, adopting silly voices for the characters, Josh glanced around at the rapt faces in the crowd. Kids and adults alike looked invested already.

During a brief lull as Vicky paused to take a sip of water, Josh did a quick head count. Nearly everyone who had signed up had shown. Mr. Chan had promised to stick around at least through chapter fourteen, which he was reading. Mrs. Grappo had come with her husband, and both of them were taking chapters. It was amazing to see the town collaborate like this, united by a shared love of books. If this evening succeeded, they had a real resource moving forward.

His gaze landed on Carver, hovering by the doors. Josh caught his eye and gave a little wave and an encouraging smile. All safe, no more press foolishness.

Josh tuned back into the story just in time to hear Vicky finish the chapter with a dramatic flourish. The whole audience crowed at the cliffhanger and erupted into applause. As the next reader headed up to the mic, Josh made his way around the room, checking on the food set up by the drama kids, chatting with parents, and making sure the students were still engaged.

Mostly, though, his mind kept drifting to Tyler. He wondered what he was doing right now. Josh pictured him in a hotel room somewhere, hopefully getting some good sleep after a punishing practice. Or maybe he was back in San Diego already. He wasn’t sure.

As the day advanced and the chapters whizzed by, Josh caught himself just listening along at several points. This hundred-and-eighty-year-old story really had everything: romance, betrayal, slapstick, swordfights, disguises, seductions. It kept people nailed to their chairs. Dumas was no dummy.

Even during the breaks when people scurried to use the toilets, grab a sandwich, or top up their snacks, they talked about the story, the characters, the living history that made up the background.

“Had you read this?” One mom turned to a friend and mumbled, “I had no idea. This is better than Real Housewives.”

The friend pooched her lips. “Honey, this is better than dating The Bachelor.”

Josh chuckled and drifted away. Mission accomplished.