“I think it’s going to be fun.” Bobby shoveled another helping of cheesy potatoes on his plate. “I mean, it’s just a handful of guys being dorks.”
“Showing off your dorks,” Evie said.
“When has that ever stopped us?” he said. “Besides, you’ve already seen me naked.”
All heads turned toward Evie. Her face turned three shades of red. She wasn’t getting out of there until she explained. I’m pretty sure Jason and Chris would block her exit while Simon and Tyler held her down. She had a secret, and we needed the dirt.
“He was thirteen.” She spoke as if that would suffice. It did not. “He was helping Abraham plant in the garden andhe went to wash off. Apparently, somebody doesn’t care if the neighbors’ windows look over their backyard.”
“I wasn’t the one taking in all the sexy,” Bobby mumbled while filling his mouth with more potatoes. “Can’t blame you.”
The table erupted in laughter. I hadn’t laughed this much since… I couldn’t remember. I loved Jason like a brother and now, by extension, Simon. Growing up with Bobby next door, I couldn’t help but love him and Chris. As I moved from face to face, I realized these people were the friends I always needed. When I got to Tyler, I caught him snorting as usual. We locked eyes.
I didn’t know what was going on with him. My thoughts of him jumbled as I tried to separate the romantic fondness of our first kiss and what that meant when compared to our situation now. Were the feelings in the pit of my stomach from a memory, or were they rumblings about the future? It got complicated, and they always ended with us sharing a kiss goodbye. I didn’t want to deal with complicated worries about the future. Living in the moment mattered.
I smiled at the adorable librarian.
Jason picked up his phone. The expression of dread on his face stopped the roar around the table. Simon and Bobby picked up their phones, and similar expressions crossed their faces.
“What is happening?” Eve whispered.
When Tyler and Chris followed suit, I realized all the locals had received a text message. “Oh, no.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Lucy.
“They know,” Jason whispered.
Lucy couldn’t help but snicker. She covered her mouth, apparently catching onto the joke before Evie or me. What would— Oh. No.
“Country boys!” Evie cried. “Explain!”
I gripped her leg under the table. “They activated the text chain.”
“Who are they? Why are you all acting like?—”
“Gladys,” Jason said. “She just texted half the town.” Evie looked at me, confusion scribbled across her face. “Firefly. Our library is in trouble. Our boys are trying to save the day with a saucy calendar.”
“She didn’t,” Chris said. “What am I saying? Of course, she did.”
“Bring snacks. Let’s make sure they show their good side.” Jason looked up from his phone. “Then she inserted a lot of eggplant emojis.”
“So many eggplants,” Simon said.
“Is this a big deal?” Evie asked.
“It means half the town will be there,” Jason said.
“With pie,” I added.
“Gloria,” Chris whispered. “Gloria is going to be there.”
“Yay for town support, right?” Oh, Evie, such an innocent flatlander. She didn’t understand that when the town got involved, they gotinvolved.
“Gloria is Chris’s biggest fan,” Simon said.
“So there I was, put up for auction like a piece of cheap meat.” Chris didn’t just tell the story; he acted it out. “Themusic starts, and I give the crowd a little of this,” —he thrust his hips— “and a little of this.” He shook his booty. “And then in walks Gloria with a wad of money.”
“Close enough to the truth,” Bobby said.
