Everybody Knows (Sunnyside #1) (17 page)

“Oh, no. It is just that the townspeople don’t
quickly accept anyone who wasn’t born here. To them, we are all outsiders. You
will see. It takes many years for to be accepted here.”

“How long has your family lived in Sunnyside?”

“Five years since we bought our business. We would
like to have a restaurant. My mother, she is an amazing cook, don’t you agree?”

“Yes, amazing.” Harper savored ach bite.

“But the people of Sunnyside would not accept our
type of food, and we could not make a living. When we have a booth at the
festivals like this, most of our customers are visitors from out-of-town. We
have thought of moving to St. Louis or Chicago, or even Springfield, where
there would be more acceptance, but my parents don’t want to start over again.”

“Aren’t they happy with their QuikStop?”

“Yes, they are happy. But in their country they
did many things. And here, they would like to do more.”

An outsider herself, Harper was hardly one to give
advice. But she liked this girl with the quiet dignity. “Is your brother back
from Urbana yet? I could really use his help at the library if he would like to
come back to work for us.”

“Yes. He came home yesterday and went to the
library in the afternoon, but it was closed.”

“The work will start up again tomorrow. If you
could ask him to come see me then, I’d appreciate it.”

“I will tell him.”

A customer in a denim Harley vest came up behind
her and Harper moved aside, feeling like she’d made her first friend in
Sunnyside. She hoped she had anyway. Zach probably didn’t count. Like he’d said
to Kate, he considered Harper one more responsibility to add to the rest of the
people he took care of.

Remembering the unexpected kiss he’d given her
made her wonder what that had meant—if anything. For all she knew, he kissed
everyone he met, coming and going. But she hadn’t noticed that practice at the diner
or the town council meeting. And it hadn’t felt like a whim or a courtesy.

Maybe it did mean more.

Which was a good thing because she sure didn’t
make any friends at the library social hour. Everyone there introduced
themselves and greeted her. But most had only come to gawk and didn’t make an
attempt to get to know her. None of them were outwardly rude, but the word
standoffish might apply.

And the food consisted of the typical Midwestern
appetizers that leaned heavily on meat, fats, and cheeses.

When Harper fixed her plate, her neighbor,
Brianna, pointed out the beanie-weenie dish she’d brought. “I hear you’re a
vegetarian. The little hotdogs are easy to spot if you want to pick them out.”

Did she
really think vegetarianism worked like that?
 
About a dozen women leaned in to listen in on
the exchange. “Thanks, I’m sure it’s delicious.”

“It’s one of my kid’s favorite meals.”

“I’m sure it is.” Avoiding chicken puffs, wings,
chili-cheese dip, and pigs in a blanket, Harper nibbled a soggy spinach
mini-quiche, sipped orange-sherbet punch, and smiled, smiled, smiled.

The town council was there, all but Zach. His
sister was in attendance with Kate. Rachel explained that Zach had been called
to the hospital. The owner of the diner and some of what Harper assumed were
the “church ladies” kept asking her which church she planned to attend. And
although they talked effusively to one another, she could see that there were
definitely rivaling factions between the denominations.

If she was asked one more time if she was a
Presbyterian or a Baptist, she planned to claim to be a Hindu Mystic. Not that
they would dislike that answer any more than they disliked the fact that she
was non-denominational. In this crowd, that answer seemed to be as unacceptable
as devil-worship.

Harper had the opportunity to meet Myrna Hopper,
the former librarian. When they were introduced, the entire assemblage held its
breath to see how Myrna would react. And after that, they all took their cue of
polite indifference from her.

The woman could have chosen to make the moment
more difficult. She was pleasant, if not warm. Harper asked to meet with her
privately to get the older woman’s opinion on a few things and discuss some of
the renovations. Myrna said she’d check her schedule, but that might be
possible. The retired librarian might have been willing to chat longer, but a
large, overbearing man came over and unceremoniously pulled her away.

“Don’t mind him,” a lady covered in cat hair said
to Harper after she’d been left standing alone in the middle of the room.
“That’s Bennie, Myrna’s brother. He’s mostly harmless. They call him autistic
now, him being kind of an artistic genius and all. But back when he was a
child, we didn’t know that word and people just thought he was odd.”

The cat-hair lady might know a thing or two about
odd herself. She wore flowered everything—hat, dress, shoes, and purse. But
even with strange little old ladies, Harper knew better than to gossip about
the natives. “It’s sweet how he seems so protective of Myrna.”

“Protective and devoted, but most of us try not to
get on his bad side. He can be a bit touchy.” She tucked her flowered clutch
under her arm and stuck her hand toward Harper. “My name is Cora Conner, and
it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Of course, the crazy cat lady. Harper should have
guessed. But since Cora was just about the first person at this event to find
any pleasure in making her acquaintance, Harper was happy to carry on a
conversation with her. “I’m Harper.”

“I know,” Cora said. “I understand you’ve traveled
many places.”

Where had the cat lady heard that? “Yes, I’ve been
lucky to be able to visit many interesting countries.”

“I love to travel, too. I just returned from
Dubai. Have you been to Dubai? Fascinating place, but hot! Lordy, I’ve never
been anywhere so hot in my life. But I got to go to dinner at the Sultan’s
palace, and it was a fancy spread that went on for hours, let me tell you, with
some of the oddest things to eat I’ve ever seen. Some of the dishes looked like
plain old insects cooked in oil and spices, but I passed on those.”

Harper had never been to Dubai, but it turned out
she and Cora had been to many of the same places. A widow, Cora had her cats
and a small bed and breakfast that kept her busy much of the time. But as often
as she could, she traveled with her thoughtful nephew. Andy was obscenely
wealthy, owned his own airplane, and took the very best care of her. She
offered to donate some books she’d collected on her travels to the library.

She jabbered on a bit, but Harper found her
conversation delightful if not necessarily grounded in fact. People around them
rolled their eyes at Cora’s more outrageous anecdotes, but Harper hoped she was
as enthusiastic and positive about life when she was in her seventies as Cora
seemed to be.

A very bright and attractive woman in her late
forties with an appealing air of self-possession seemed to be in charge of the
social hour. She moved around the room making sure the trays and punch bowls
were kept filled. She mingled and spoke with everyone in their turn, including
Harper.

Although she seemed very pleasant and competent,
the other women didn’t include her in their circles. But Harper couldn’t see
what there would be to dislike about her. She introduced herself as Claire
Willoughby.

“Really? Are you married to or otherwise related
to Mick Willoughby?”

“Married,” Claire confirmed. “And mother to
Cassie, who you’ve also met.”

“And you’re hosting this event?”

“Mick suggested it, and I was given the reins by
default.”

“Thank you very much. I’m sure it was a lot of
work.”

“Oh, no. With a few calls to the church ladies,
things fall into place. I know you’ll be swamped in the next few months, but I
have a few ideas for the library if you’d be interested in discussing them. I’m
quite an avid reader, and I’m looking forward to the reopening.”

“I’d love to discuss your ideas. Maybe in a month
or two when some of the more pressing projects are underway. It would be ideal
if we could form a Library Guild or Friends of the Library organization for some
of the locals to get involved and make their suggestions known.”

Claire gave her a sympathetic look. “You might
find it slow-going if you want the ‘Sunnysiders’ to help.”

“Well, yes, so, far I haven’t had much, um,
encouragement. But perhaps you can convince some of the others to participate.”

“I can encourage them. Sometimes they take my
advice, but I’m not really accepted here either. Asking Myrna Hopper to help
was a step in the right direction, but that could still backfire on you. If you
want the others to be on a committee, it will be better for someone like Mick,
Bert, Barb, or Zach to make the suggestion.”

Harper couldn’t hide her surprise. “How can you
not be accepted? You’re married to the mayor, if nothing else.”

“‘Nothing else’ is about right. I’m originally
from Indianapolis and then met and married Mick when we both were at IU. They
still think I’m an evil temptress who tricked one of their golden ones into
mating outside his species. Some of them tolerate me, but the fans of Louise
Downing, Mick’s high-school girlfriend, will forever resent me for being here.”

“His high-school girl friend. Really? Forgive me
for asking, but how long ago was that?”

“Twenty-eight years since high school, twenty-two
since Mick and I have been married.” She smiled, but lowered her voice. “Watch
yourself. They have long memories, and they hold a grudge.”

Rachel joined them. “Now, Claire, don’t be filling
Harper’s ears with unfounded stories. Let her get to know everyone and judge
them on their own merits.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re one of the local
princesses.” Claire’s humor mildly cloaked the truth. “But you’re right.
Hopefully, Harper’s experience will be completely different from mine. There
are many wonderful benefits to living in a small town like Sunnyside.”

Rachel held an empty plate, and Kate moved in to
offer to bring her more snacks. The four women chatted, but when Rachel’s cup
was empty, Kate took it and refilled it. When Rachel laughed, Kate laughed.

At one point, someone asked Kate if she was mad at
her boyfriend or proud of him for hitting the home run that beat her team. How
could they be so blind to Kate’s true interest?

A commotion occurred near the entrance of the room
when Zach arrived. Smiling, he headed straight toward Harper, Kate, and his
sister, a move that could have been interpreted in several different ways.
Harper’s heart lurched and her palms began to sweat.

From her spot on a blanket
on the courthouse lawn, Harper thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks display that
night. Years ago, she’d gone with friends to the Navy Pier to view the annual
display in Chicago. But it had been awhile since she’d viewed an all-out
pyrotechnic event. Despite an attack of eagle-sized mosquitoes, she thoroughly
enjoyed the tradition occurring in big cities and small towns all across the
country.

Her greatest pleasure came from Zach lounging
beside her on the blanket. Occasionally, his thigh, foot, elbow, or hand grazed
against her skin in little out of the way places that caused shivers of
excitement. As she gazed at the grand finale where spinners, fountains, and
starbursts filled the sky above them, he casually draped his arm around her
shoulder. The escalating physical contact, combined with the flickering
illumination, took her to another level of awareness. Just when she couldn’t
get past the idea of cupping his face in her hands and leaning in for an
explosive kiss, the cheers and applause of their companions broke the spell.

As the others discussed their next move, Zach stood
and reached out to help her up. Although she didn’t need the help, she relished
the personal contact. His hands were strong and long fingered with the
sensitivity common to his profession.

“We’re going to the Lucky Dog.” Brady leered at
her just a little.

“That’s a treat you haven’t experienced,” Zach
added as Kate linked her arm through his.

As if that move was fooling anyone.

“Brady claims he can beat me at pool,” Zach went
on. “Although he never has before, I’m willing to let him have a shot at it. There’s
a first time for everything.”

“How about it, Harper? Want to come watch me beat
the stuffing out of Zach here?”

“You probably should come, Harper,” Josh said.
“You haven’t lived until you’ve wasted the best part of an evening drinking
beer and watching these two lunkheads try to relive their glory days in the
grimy surroundings of the Lucky Dog.”

After having been on display all day, Harper was
exhausted and ready to go home. Especially ready because of that single
syllable word.
Home.
A nice long soak
in her new claw-foot tub sounded like heaven. “Maybe next time.”

“But you’re coming, right, Rachel?” Brady asked.
“At least stop in for a drink. My victory won’t be nearly as much fun without
witnesses.”

“Not me, thanks.” Standing right beside him, her
cool response was so frosty it might have arrived from a distant planet. “I
promised to help teardown the band-booster’s booth.”

“Did you?” Kate dropped Zach’s arm like a hot
potato. “I forgot about that. I said I’d help with that, too. Come on. I’ll
walk with you. See you later, babe. Come on over to cook out at my place
tomorrow night.” Gripping Rachel’s forearm, she planted a kiss on Zach’s cheek
and headed in the other direction.

Blind. These people must be blind.

“You ready to pack it in too, sweetie, or do you
want to go to the Lucky Dog?” Susannah asked Josh. “We both have early hours
tomorrow.”

“Let’s head home.” He wrapped an arm around the
shapely blonde. “Maybe watch a movie at your place.”

“What about you, Liam?”

“I’m done, too.” He stretched his arms over his
head and yawned. “I better check in at the club and make sure everything’s
okay.”

“The club’s open tonight?” Brady asked.

“Always,” Liam grunted.

“If everyone else ditches me, I might stop out at
the club later,” Brady tossed empties into a trash can.

“I’ll be there.” He helped Harper fold her
blanket. “Call me this weekend if you plan to go fishing,” Liam said to the
guys with a wave. “Come on, Harper. I’ll make sure you get home safe. My car’s
parked near the library, and everyone else is going in the opposite direction.”

“Good idea. Bye, guys. Thanks for letting me join
the party tonight. See you tomorrow?”

“I’ll be heading back to St. Louis first thing,”
Brady said.

Zach winked at her and smiled. “I’ll stop by the
library at some point.”

Brady turned to Zach. “It’s just you and me,
buddy. Still want to play?”

“Let’s get this over with. It’s been a long day,
but it shouldn’t take me long to clean your clock.”

Brady didn’t beat Zach at pool, but he came close.
They normally played the best two out of three. Tonight, Zach had won the first
game by a slight margin when Brady moved to hung up his queue.

“Giving up already?” Zach asked.

“You’ve got other things on your mind.” Brady
racked the balls. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“What things?”

“Dunno.” Brady was good at playing dumb. “You big,
smart doctors contemplate things well beyond the mental capabilities of the
rest of us.” He took a swig of beer. “But if I had to guess, I’d say it has
something to do with the hot new librarian. And if you’re not thinking in that
direction, then tell me ‘cause I just might take a shot.”

“You know Kate and I are tight.”

“Not that tight,” Brady muttered. “Not as tight as
you pretend. But if you want to keep that fiction going, does that mean the new
librarian is open for business?”

“No, you jerk, she’s not open for business with
you or anyone else.” Zach couldn’t stop his kneejerk reaction, but pulled up
when he noted Brady’s smirk. “It’s not like that. And what makes you think
she’d be interested in you?”

“If none of my friends have first dibs, I’m happy
to take her out for a spin and see what happens. If it’s not already too late.”

Zach raised an eyebrow but kept his mouth shut.

“She seemed to get along with Liam real well. I
noticed they kept laughing together. And she kept looking at him. And he did
leave when Harper did, even though he used the club as an excuse. I mean, it
might be open, sure, but how much business are they getting on the Fourth of
July?”

After stewing in silence for a second, Zach set
his beer down with a thump. “You’re right. I don’t want to play pool anymore.
See you around.”

Brady was just yanking his chain, but Zach decided
it would be a prudent move to check on his new neighbor. It would be the right
thing to do. If only to make sure she wasn’t getting involved with the wrong
guy at the wrong time.

She didn’t know anything about the guys in town,
and some of them were just plain bad news. Brady wouldn’t be able to make a
commitment to a woman that lasted longer than a week, even if they offered him
a million dollars. He had the attention span of a flea when it came to life in
general and women in particular. Zach should really see if the guy wanted to be
treated for his ADHD.

And Liam, hell, Liam was just a nanosecond away
from self-inflicted self-destruction. Harper couldn’t want to get involved with
that hot mess now, could she?

Brady and Liam were his friends. He’d known them
forever and would lay his life on the line for either one of them, just as they
would for him. They’d seen each other through hell and back more than once. But
that didn’t mean he couldn’t see them with a clear eye. And just like he
wouldn’t want Rachel getting involved with either one of them, the new
librarian was sort of under his protection, too. Sort of.

Frowning, he was annoyed with himself for even
thinking that. He wasn’t her brother, her father, or her guardian. He was in no
way responsible for her. He didn’t want her under his protection. He wanted her
under him, all right, but naked and in his bed.

Like Brady, he was incapable of making a long-term
commitment. But maybe she didn’t want anything permanent either. Like Liam,
some days it took all his energy to outrun the demons of his past. With
Harper’s recent breakup, she didn’t seem to trust guys much in the first place.
So maybe she wouldn’t be expecting much from him.

The town would unanimously rise up against Harper
if they thought she was getting involved with Zach, but he was a smart guy.
Surely, he could figure out a way to keep things hot and steamy but light and
easy at the same time. And on the down-low. Definitely that last one. Yeah,
sure, maybe he could figure out a way to make this work to benefit them both.

Hurrying in the direction of Harper’s house, he’d
turned onto Oakley when he spotted her up ahead, striding along with her
distinctive walk. Her bare shoulders and long legs gleamed in the moonlight,
temptation personified in a sizzling red halter and denim mini-skirt.

Ever since he’d first laid eyes on her today, he’d
been fixated on the way that clingy little halter revealed her shoulders and
back and allowed peeks of her bare skin between the hem of her top and the
waist of her skirt. Yep, he fantasized about raising the bottom edge of that
halter and pressing a kiss right
there
,
in the sweet spot beside her belly button. And in the hollow by her hipbone.
And from there, he’d progress to twenty other sweet spots, front and back.

“Hey, wait up.” As he called out to her, he warned
his dick to forget about sweet spots for the moment. He needed to maintain a
mildly happy-to-see-her arousal instead of a full-blown raging hard-on. “Did
you get lost on the way home?”

Harper stopped and waited for him to catch up with
her. “I detoured by the library to make sure everything was okay.”

“Good idea.” He took her arm in his hand just for
the pleasure of touching her. “Any disturbances?”

“No, not really, just...”

“What?” Entranced, he watched her face and
expression as the light and shadows played over her in the glow of the
streetlamp.

“There was someone skulking around the side of the
building.” She looked over her shoulder like the someone might still be there.
“They took off when they saw me.”

“Skulking? Really?” He could see she was serious
or he would have chuckled over the dramatic word choice. “Young, old? Man,
woman?”

Frowning, she shook her head. “I don’t know. They
startled me as much as I startled them. I didn’t expect to stumble over anyone.
I’ve just gotten in the habit of going by whenever I’m out.”

“Did you let Jimbo know?”

She scrunched her mouth to the side. “And say
what? There’s not much to report.”

“I’ll call him.” He pulled out his cell. “Just a
heads-up on a possible intruder at the library, Jimbo. You might want to
increase the patrols on the building... Yeah, I know tonight was busy, but by
tomorrow... Okay, that’ll have to do...
 
How’s Maisie?... I saw her with Jillian at the ball game... Yeah,
thanks. It was a good hit, but come on, Morris floated that pitch right over
the plate... Next year it’ll be your turn. Right. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“That sounded fruitful.” She cocked her head and
waited for him to deny it.

“Maybe not, but at least he’s up to speed.”

“That makes me feel a lot better.”

Zach returned his hand to her elbow, guiding her
up the driveway. “Do you feel unsafe?”

“I shouldn’t, I know. It’s much safer here than in
downtown Chicago, but sometimes I do get a creepy feeling like I’m being
watched or something.” She gave a little involuntary shiver.

“Believe me. I have that feeling, too. You are
being watched. Everyone is
always
watching. All the time. You get used to it.”

“I guess so.” She looked up at him. “What are you
doing here? I thought you were playing pool with your buddies.”

“Buddy. The others all bailed. It turned out to be
just me and Brady, and he got tired of losing.”

“Barring any medical emergencies, are you done for
the night? Do you want to come in?”

He looked up and down the street. “I’d love to,
but that would only draw unwanted attention to you.”

She climbed the steps to her porch, and he stood
his ground on the walk, clearly visible to their invisible audience. His voice
lowered to a stage whisper. “This is going to sound crazy, but I’m going to
leave now. I’ll cut through the backyard like I’m going home, sneak back down
the alley and come in through your screen porch.”

“That does sound crazy. Is this like reverse
stalking?”

“All the people on Oakley are watching us.
Brianna’s peeking out her window right now if you want to wave at her, and at
least four other people have found some excuse to check something on their
porches or in their yards. And look, there’s even old Mrs. Jameson pretending
to get something out of the trunk of her car.”

“And you don’t want to be seen going in my house?”
She drew herself up tall with feigned umbrage. “That’s a little insulting,
isn’t it? You don’t need to bother coming back.”

“Believe me, it’s no bother.” He smiled, sexy and
appealing. “There’s something I want to discuss. What do you say?”

“Intrigue, I like it.” She released an exasperated
sigh. “I say okay. I’ll wait for you in the kitchen.”