Everybody Knows (Sunnyside #1) (22 page)

Having been a hit with the
town, Nathan left for Chicago on Sunday with promises to return in a few weeks.
As soon as the sun set, Zach sneaked into Harper’s house and set about making
up for all of Friday’s interruptions. Hot, hard, and fast the first time. Long,
erotic, and sensual set the tone for the second round. But now Harper
luxuriated in the joy of lying naked in his arms with the fan oscillating
overhead, trying to get her breath back, lower her heart rate, and collect her
thoughts.

After the picnic on Saturday, Zach had been at the
hospital most of the night. Exhausted, he was ready to doze off when an idea
she wanted to run by him popped into her head.

She elbowed him in the ribs. “Remember when you
came to the library the other day and Myrna was there?”

He pulled her close and nuzzled her hair but
barely roused. “Sleeping,” he mumbled.

Harper tugged on his ear and continued anyway. “I
noticed she had this really cool tote bag, and that was unusual because, let’s
face it, Myrna doesn’t have really cool anything.”

Finally accepting that she wanted to talk, Zach
opened his eyes. “Right. I’ll alert the media. Myrna Hopper owns a really cool
bag.” A huge yawn nearly cracked his jaw. “And that interests us how?”

“The design looked familiar even though I couldn’t
place it at first.” She tossed back the covers to get up and get her phone.

“Where are you going? Come back to bed.”

“But then it dawned on me where I’d seen something
similar.” Returning to sit on the edge of the mattress, she thumbed through pictures
on her cell. “It looked like this.” She held the phone up for him to see.

He squinted. “What is it?”

“One of the graffiti scenes painted in the reading
room at the library.”

He took the phone from her and studied the screen.
“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. And guess who the artist is?”

“Who?” He turned onto his side, and the sheet
slipped below his hips, momentarily distracting her.

“Bennie! Myrna’s brother!”

Yawning again, he scratched his scalp and sent his
hair standing on end. A surprisingly good look for him. “And what do you want
to about it?”

“Tell Jimbo that Bennie was one of the library
vandals.”

“You said yourself that a lot of graffiti is
considered a form of street art in Chicago.”

“Well, yes, but Bennie vandalized the library.
It’s not the same thing.”

“How is it different?”

She gaped at him. “Are you defending him?”

“No. What he did was wrong, but it would be hard
to make him understand that. And what good would putting him in jail do? Life’s
hard enough for him already without adding on a criminal record.”

“So that makes it all right?”

He reached out to pull her down beside him. “Think
of
To Kill a Mockingbird
. Think of
Boo Radley.”

“Are you kidding me? You’re using my namesake
author to argue against me?”

“It’s a relatable comparison from one of your
favorite books. Why cause harm to someone who never meant you any harm?”

“By harming the library, he
did
mean harm to me.”

“His one and only allegiance is to Myrna. He knew
she had lost her job. He didn’t know who specifically was to blame so, in some
convoluted way, he blamed the building. He didn’t even know you then.”

“And you know this how?”

“Jimbo’s already talked to him about it.”

Well, that hurt. Placed directly in the class of
outsider again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You had plenty of other stuff to worry about.”

“And you didn’t think I’d understand your Boo
Radley analogy.”

“You were pretty upset when you saw what had
happened in the library.”

“Even I realized the graffiti was the least of the
destruction compared to what Whitherford and McMahon were responsible for. Even
though you want to protect Bennie, I think it’s wrong to let this go.”

“What would you have us do? The town won’t want to
press charges. If you and Andrew Berkman want to, we can’t stop you. But what
about this? You think about a fair punishment for him. And then we’ll make sure
it’s enforced. Outside of official channels.”

That was a handy little plan. A little too handy.
She eyed him suspiciously. “That probably violates about five or ten state and
local laws, you know. Did you already have that idea in your back pocket in
case I found out about Bennie’s involvement?”

“You’re smart. I assumed you’d figure it out
sooner or later. It’s a solution that seems fair to me, but the choice is up to
you.”

“What about Whitherford and McMahon? Are you going
to protect them with the Boo Radley rule, too?”

“No. Those two asshats acted with criminal intent
to defraud the city. Now that Whitherford’s been brought back from Florida,
Jimbo will throw the book at them.”

“Good to know you don’t try to channel your
inner-Atticus in every instance.” Shaking her head, she turned her back to him,
feeling more like an outsider than ever.

She didn’t plan to speak to him again that night,
but when his hands began skimming her body, speaking became secondary.

Harper loved interviewing for the available
positions at the library. She loved the puzzle of fitting the right people in
the right place, being able to help the community by putting so many people to
work, and getting the chance to meet so many townspeople and hear their
stories.

Rehiring Myrna was a no-brainer. No one knew the
town and its citizens better than the older librarian. It was a popular move
that erased some of the resentment against the new librarian.

If Myrna was wary of Harper and slightly skeptical
of her plans, the woman mostly seemed grateful to have her job back with a
regular income. Learning that Harper wouldn’t press charges against Bennie put
a renewed spring in her step. As a community service, Bennie had been
instructed to paint murals on the walls of the children’s room at the library.

Friendships blossomed between Harper and Clare
Willoughby, Cora, and Rachel. Each of them agreed to participate on outreach
committees, and sometimes a meeting with one or all of them rolled over into
lunch and conversation. Daxina was hired on for the new IT department.

Councilwoman Barbara Gentry turned out to be more
supportive than Harper had expected. Maybe it was the women-in-arms theme that
gave them common ground, but they started meeting regularly for tea and sharing
their observations about town activities after the library board meetings.

In odd little ways, Harper made unplanned
progress. One day she dropped in at the end of one of Myrna’s teen advisory
board meetings. After reviewing their ideas and projects for the coming school
year, Harper enthusiastically approved their plans and encouraged a few more.
Mindy, a girl Harper had met at the concession stand on the Fourth of July,
ventured a personal comment when the young librarian prepared to leave. “Super
cool skirt. I wish I could wear something like that.”

“I wish I could
afford
something like that,” muttered goth-girl Ava.

Harper knew what it was like to be envious of
someone else’s appearance, so she gave the comments the consideration they
deserved. “It’s not about cost so much as knowing what will look good with your
body type and coloring and developing your own style around it.”

“How do you do that?” Ava asked. “None of this
year’s fashions look good on me, but how do I know what will?”

The three boys in attendance groaned at the turn
the meeting had taken, but Harper held up her hand to keep them quiet for a
moment. “We’ll devote equal time to your needs, too, so be thinking of
something you’d like to add to our programs.”

“Your hair and makeup are gorgeous.” A girl named
Ivy had gone overboard with the smoky-eye look. “I don’t want to look like a small-town
hick when I go on college visits and interview for jobs. Could you help me pick
out the right thing to wear? The only clothes I own are jeans or shorts and
T-shirts. I want to look more sophisticated than that.”

“I want to look like
you
!” Mindy admitted.

Their comments were flattering. Harper had been
playing down her personal style and fashion connections while she’d been in
town, afraid that they would give the wrong impression or cause ill will and
resentment. But some of her natural style had apparently had been drawing
notice. At least among the teen population.

“How about this? A fashion how-to with separate
workshops on hair and makeup could be one of your projects. Something like a
what-not-to-wear week.” She could put India’s and Fiona’s expertise to good use
on clothes and cosmetics. Harper’s hairstylist in Chicago might be willing to
participate, too. “I can’t make any promises, but I might be able to get a
couple of fashion experts to help out by Skype if not in person. What do you think,
Myrna?” It was the older librarian’s committee after all. Harper didn’t want to
alienate her at the very beginning of their working relationship.

“A wonderful idea.” She pushed up her glasses and
tugged on the cuffs of her long-sleeved blouse. “I could use a few tips myself.
Everyone likes to put their best foot forward. If it’s successful with the
teens, some of the other women in town might like to participate in a workshop
geared toward a career look. It could be in conjunction with our technical courses
for women brushing up their computer skills and rejoining the workforce. There
are a lot of possibilities here.”

Like that, so many things were falling into place
at home and at work.

After the drunken bug she’d put in Zach’s ear
about her desire for a less-clandestine relationship, they occasionally left
town together to do simple things like having lunch or grocery shopping in
nearby Lincoln or Springfield.

One weekend, they each made excuses to be out of
town and drove to Chicago together. They showed one another some of their
favorite places, visited with Nathan, and went to dinner with a couple of
Zach’s friends from college. She enjoyed the simple things like holding hands
and flirting with Zach in public without having to constantly look over her shoulder.

Some of the more astute residents of Sunnyside
gave them the occasional knowing wink or sidelong glance. A few people might
have guessed their secret, but nobody mentioned seeing her with Zach more often
than might be strictly necessary. Liam, of course, knew after the stairwell
incident. Zach admitted that he’d told his brother, just because the two men
worked and lived together. Too much trouble to make excuses about where he was
going and what he was doing all the time. And it was useful to have one other
person to hide or cover up the details when Zach or Harper verged on slipping
up.

Rachel had looked at Harper strangely several
times and asked her casual questions about the status of her love life. But it
wasn’t until she showed up on Harper’s back doorstep one night asking for Zach
that Harper knew for certain his sister was on to them.

After leaving Rachel in the kitchen, she slipped
into to the bedroom. Zach sat at the edge of the bed with elbows on his knees
and his head in hands. He’d had one of his nightmares earlier and had been
sleeping fitfully for the past hour.

She crossed the room and put her hand between his
shoulder blades. “Your sister’s here.”

He turned his head toward the clock. “At this
hour? Why?”

“Looking for you.”

“Lucky guess or going house-to-house?” At least
he’d attempted a joke. Stretching, his muscles rippled. “I guess I can’t make
her wait while I shower, but give me a minute to get dressed, okay?”

Harper nibbled a thumbnail. She’d seen him after
one of these episodes before. Sometimes it took a while to pull himself back
together. “Sure you’re all right?”

“I’m fine.” He brushed away her concern. “It’s not
like she’s my mother waiting to march me back home and ground me for life.”

“Right. What’s the worst she can do?” Harper
squared her shoulders and returned to face her friend while Zach got a grip on
the demons that haunted his sleep.

Back in the kitchen, Rachel was making herself at
home, kneeling on the floor in conversation with Calliope. Harper liked having
friends in her house. She wished this visit was for a friendly purpose, but
none of the indicators pointed in that direction.

Zach’s sister looked up. “Nice cat.”

“Isn’t she? Can I get you a glass of water or
something?” Harper moved to the refrigerator.

“No, no. I’m sorry to interrupt.”

“No problem. Zach and I were just going over some
paperwork for the library and didn’t realize it had gotten so late.” She winced
at the stupidity of the comment. Rachel was nobody’s dummy. No way would she
believe an excuse as lame as “paperwork”.

Rachel scooped up the cat and got to her feet,
preparing to call Harper on the falsehood. “Secretly? At midnight? In your
bedroom? None of that sounds like paperwork.”

Harper tried to control her blush. “Sorry. I
didn’t mean to lie to you, but Zach prefers for the town not to know we’re
together.”

“Obviously.” Rachel took a seat at the kitchen
table and deposited Calliope in her lap. “I guess that has something to do with
his supposed relationship with Kate.”

“Partly.”

Zach’s sister hesitated through several seconds of
awkward silence. “This isn’t going to end well for you. Nothing against you
personally, but I don’t see Zach making a long-term commitment.”

Harper’s heart clenched at the underlying truth of
Rachel’s comment. “Because of the nightmares he has?”

“You know about those?”

“I know he has them sometimes, but he won’t ever
talk about it.”

“He never does. Just locks it down. He’ll never
come to terms with it until he lets it all out. In my opinion, that’s why he’s let
this pretense with Kate go on for so long. She doesn’t pry, and she won’t try
to get too close.”

Harper had heard bits and pieces of a tragedy that
had happened a long time ago, but no one had been willing to share the details
with the outsider. And she didn’t want to find out from Gossip Central. But
Rachel was a different story. Anything she knew would be fact. “I guess you
don’t want to tell me about it?”

She contemplated the request. “I would if I
thought it would help him, but it’s his story to tell. If he won’t tell you
about it, my advice is to not get too attached.”

Too late for that. “Some people are only meant to
enter our lives as a temporary happiness.”

“And you’re all right with temporary?”

“Most of the time.” Harper reached for an apple
from the fruit bowl on the table. She polished it on the sleeve of her robe.
“How long have you known about us?”

Rachel glanced at her watch. “About five minutes.”

“What?”

“I had my suspicions, but I figured if Zach wanted
me to know, he’d tell me. But Dad woke up and fell down the stairs tonight.
Since neither Zach nor Josh were at home, he called me. I paged Josh, but he
was with a patient at the hospital. He told me not to make a big deal out of
it, but Zach would probably be here. I called Zach’s cell and didn’t get an
answer, so I barged on in.”

Harper’s head reeled from Rachel’s words. She
latched on to the most important detail and the one that didn’t involve her.
“Your dad fell down the stairs? Is he all right?”

“He probably has a sprained ankle, but I got him
into a chair with a cold pack. Zach needs to check it out. What’s the point of
having two doctors in the family if you can’t get free in-home medical advice,
right?”

Zach joined them in the kitchen looking like a man
who’d just rolled out of bed, but that didn’t matter anymore.

“Who needs free in-home medical advice?” he asked.

“Dad fell and hurt his ankle.”

Zach nodded and tipped his head in the direction
of the house. “I’ll be right there.”

“See you around, Harper.” The screen door slapped
shut behind her.

He stopped beside Harper and took the apple from
her hand, returning it to the bowl. “Sorry I have to go. Seems like I’m always
saying that.”

“No worries. Text me and let me know how he is.”

He kissed her cheek and headed out the door.

“Have you noticed?” she asked. “The circle of
people who know about us is starting to organically expand. How long before
everyone in the town finds out?”

Stopping on the porch, Zach wheeled around and
came back in. “It was always a possibility. We’ll deal with it if it happens.”

“How?”

“It depends on what you want, Harper. It always
has. If the fall-out’s not too bad, we’ll keep seeing one another. If public
opinion goes against us, you might want to cool things down and distance
yourself from me.” He hugged her to him and propped his chin on the top of her
head. “I don’t want to make life harder for you here, but let’s worry about
that another day, okay? Our secret’s safe with Rachel.”

This time he kissed her on the mouth, loading it
with a world of unspoken meaning, feeling, and reassurance. Small comfort.