“Hazel,” he said. “Good woman.”
He wasn’t a man of many words, but they still carried weight. “You come to the library often?”
Tony nodded. “Jason convinced me. You can say he helped me learn to love books.” He watched as his daughter held up a book to Mabel, who put on her best-shocked face. “I didn’t know what to think when Tyler told us Mabel would be here. Erika would never have let me say no. Unlike her dad, she loves reading.” Tyler's work made this possible.
When I glanced at him, he had that stoic, fatherly pride face. He also had biceps that threatened to rip the sleeves ofhis t-shirt. I took a deep breath, trying to channel Amanda’s unbridled bravery. “Did you know the library might close?”
He frowned. “It’s a shame. Firefly doesn’t have much for the kids… or the adults.”
I rolled my fingers into fists, dreading the awkwardness. I leaned closer, whispering. “We have a plan to keep the doors open.”
“Why are we whispering?”
“I want to surprise Tyler.”
He scoffed. “Yup. Definitely Hazel’s grandchild.” I’d file away that conversation for later. “If there’s anything I can do, just say the word.”
“We’re making a calendar.”
He raised an eyebrow, not convinced of the plan.
“An adult calendar.”
It took a second before his eyes widened. Now, it was his turn to whisper. “Like…” He glanced downward. “That kind of adult?”
I nodded. “The sexy men of Firefly.”
He took a moment to process the idea. He glanced from the women back to me. “So I’m one of the sexy men?”
Uh. How did I answer that to a straight man? Especially one I was trying to get naked for a good cause. “Will you hit me if I say yes?”
“Nah,” he said. “But I am gonna go home and tell Nancy one of the gay guys called me hot.” He chuckled, easing the tension in my shoulders. Here I was in a library with a drag queen, children, and envious moms, trying toget a guy to volunteer his nudity, and he focused on my compliment.
“I said sexy,” I whispered back.
“Close enough.” He nodded. “If Nancy’s willing to share her sexy husband—” He shot me a sly grin. “—I’ll do it.”
That was easier than I expected. Go figure, I had game with a straight man, but not with the librarian complimenting a boy’s book selection. Tyler’s face was nothing but pure joy as he did a victory cheer with two kids. If I could be part of keeping that expression on his face, I’d try.
“I’ll have Jason text you the details.”
Tony walked up to his daughter, lifting her up in a bear hug. She flailed as she tried to show off the picture book. It was one thing to help Tyler keep his job, but seeing the delight on Tony’s face, I understood why this was important. Watching Erika hold up her book like a trophy, I realized this wasn’t just about keeping the library open. It was about keeping moments like this alive.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” A woman scooted closer. “That’s a lie. I was
totally eavesdropping. Did I hear you’re doing a calendar for the library?” Before I could respond, she gave me a playful slap on the shoulder. I should have known it’d be impossible to keep our plan a secret. “How can we help?”
I turned, eyebrow raised. The other women were all nodding in agreement. “Is Mabel involved?” As usual, Mabel had won the hearts of everybody in the room.
“We’ll need help getting the word out.” No, we didn’t. It might be the only thing we didn’t need. The moment we leaked the information to Gladys, all of Firefly would know about the burly men bearing all.
“I’ll contact the PTA. Oh, and the bridge club.”
“I’ll let the gardener’s guild know,” added her friend.
“Okay,” Tyler said in a booming voice. “Everybody have their books? You know what comes next?”
“Checkout!” the children screamed in unison.
