Everybody Knows (Sunnyside #1) (5 page)

“Not likely. The farmers say we’re at the
beginning of the worst drought we’ve seen in a decade.” He returned to the
light panel and flicked on additional lights that made it easier to navigate.

“Shouldn’t we call the police, the insurance company,
or something? Town officials?”

“I am a town official, and I’ll see that everyone
who needs to be notified hears about it by morning, including the insurance
agent.”

Harper remembered a comment Zach had made to
Brianna earlier. “Besides, Jimbo brought Jillian and the new baby home this
morning, and you don’t want to call him out for a bunch of paperwork.”

“Right. Good memory. I’ll call him if you want,
but ...”

“No, you’re right. The morning will be fine.”
Despite the disturbing situation, she almost smiled. “I’ve never lived anyplace
where you only report crimes when it’s convenient for law enforcement.”

“It’s not like that. I’m just trying to give the
guy a break.”

“Very thoughtful.”

Zach rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone.
“I’ll take pictures and send them to him, just in case all the evidence
disappears.”

“Good idea. Me, too.”

With phones in hand, they picked their way through
the building. In the basement supply closet, they located a broken window that
had been an open invitation to every sort of two- or four-legged rodent
interested in accepting. The second floor appeared the least disturbed. The
third level had enormous Rorschach stains on the ceiling and the floor,
foretelling the greater disaster of leaks in the roof.

Harper needed to notify her boss and not wait on
an official report. She made notes about the most pressing issues.

“Andrew should know about this before anyone
else.” She momentarily stopped typing. “Just to be clear, you’re not posting
those on Facebook or Twitter, or anything like that, are you?”

“God, no. I don’t want whoever’s responsible for
this to have the satisfaction of seeing their handiwork spread out all over
social media.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Zach stayed close beside her as they continued
through the library. He provided her with his support and opinions, lending a
hand to lead her around damp spots and assorted rubbish. In return, Harper
quizzed him about the previous and current maintenance of the building as well
as names of businesses and individuals who would be helpful in the renovations.

As bummed as she was by the condition of the
library, her natural optimism began to poke up its head by the time they called
it quits. Her mind raced with ideas for the restoration as they returned to the
main entrance. She’d always known she had a big job ahead of her. She just
hadn’t known
how
big.

Andrew had intended to gut most of the place
anyway. However, Harper’s inner cheapskate and love of authenticity had wanted
to re-use as many of the existing materials as possible and keep the decor
rooted to its past. This new turn of events would make it more practical for
her to do it his way.

Locking the door behind them, Zach wiped a smudge
from her cheek with his thumb. Her cheeks heated when he put his hand on the
small of her back to escort her down the stairs. “You’ve had a long day.”

She opened her mouth to answer, but her stomach
chose that second to growl. Loudly. Harper chuckled, but Zach smacked himself
on the forehead and groaned.

“Jeez, I forgot. You told me you were hungry, and
I dragged you all over this decaying mausoleum instead of feeding you. Dinner’s
in order for both of us since breakfast was the last meal I had, too. The local
cuisine doesn’t offer a lot of variety. There’s no Spiaggia here, but...”

“Spiaggia’s not necessary.” Harper grimaced at
mention of the fancy restaurant in Chicago that was so pricey it was only for
very special occasions. Blaine had proposed to her in its tiered dining room,
so that was an automatic strike against it. “Anywhere will be fine. It would be
foolish to say I’m not hungry after my stomach just said differently.”

“What do you like?”

“Almost anything, except—”

“Just a second.” Holding up one hand to silence her,
he dug his phone out of his pocket with the other. Then he glanced at the small
screen before answering briskly, “Dr. Novak... How bad?... How many?...
When?... I’ll be right there.” He shut off the phone with a pained expression.
Even though he still stood squarely in front of her, his thoughts had left her
far behind. “Seems like I keep having to apologize. I’m sorry about dinner—” He
strode down the rest of steps, and she hurried to keep up with him. “—but there
was a wreck out on Slaughter’s Bend. A couple of kids are banged up pretty bad.
I have to get to the hospital.”

To help her keep pace, he cupped her elbow in his
hand, heading her back toward his sister’s house. She dug in her heels. “You go
on. I’ll be fine, just point me in the right direction for food.”

He stopped and looked at her, clearly anxious to
be off. He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Food. Right. Okay. One block north
and turn left. Anything that’s open will be that way. There’s a pizza place, a
taco stand, a diner. It’s Sunday night, so...” His words trailed off, and she
imagined that most places closed early on Sunday. Like the gas station.

She’d be content to pick up some things at the
grocery. “Is there a Trader Joe’s or a Whole Foods?”

His headshake reminded her of her outsider status.
“In Springfield maybe, not—”

“—not in Sunnyside,” she finished for him.
“Right.” Life in a small town. This is what it would be like if Carrie Bradshaw
moved to Grover’s Corner. Her choices were limited. But after the day she’d had
and on the brink of starvation, she’d forgotten there’d be things to adjust to.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll manage.”

“Rachel said for you to eat anything you find at
her place, but the pickings are slim.” He hesitated again, leaning away from
her like a sprinter preparing for a quick start.

He obviously wrestled with his need to get to his
patients and his sense of responsibility for her. Taking a couple of quick
steps away, he then turned around and faced her, somehow managing to trot
backward, like a baseball player during pre-game warm-ups. “I’ll make up for it
in the morning. Pick you up for breakfast at seven, then we’ll head back here
for a nice sweaty morning of grunting and groaning...” He let one of his rare
grins escape. “And I don’t mean that in the fun way.”

A tiny tingle slithered down her back. She really
had to stop reading flirtation into every little thing he said. “What could be
more fun than grunting and groaning through the clean-up of a devastated
library?”

“You might be surprised.” His eyebrows arched
upward.

“I’m usually happy to be surprised but not the way
I was tonight.” Even allowing for relocation jitters, this night had been too
weird even for her. “See you at seven,” she said, impressed with his backward
maneuverability. Maybe that was something they taught in medical school that
Library Science courses skipped.

“Hey, Chicago.” Jogging away from her, he turned his
head to look at her over his shoulder. “Welcome to Sunnyside.”

At two AM, Zach rolled his shoulders and poured
another cup of coffee from the machine in the doctor’s lounge. He needed just a
few minutes before he went back out there and faced all the people waiting to
talk to him. Would he ever get over this feeling of déjà vu whenever he was
called in about an automobile accident? Would those old memories just hang
around in his psyche no matter how old he got?

Driving to the hospital tonight, he’d been
gripping the steering wheel like a scared high school kid who was in over his
head and unable to keep his best friend from dying. He’d already been growing
up too fast when he’d had the wreck that took Tyler’s life, but that event sent
him on an accelerated trajectory to pick up the responsibilities and burdens of
those who needed his help. Even if their problems weren’t his fault, he owed it
to Ty to try his best to help anyone he could. And he’d made sure that his best
from that point on was very, very good.

Jimbo stuck his head in the door. “Heard you were
in here.”

“Just filling out some reports.”

“Yeah, I got some of my own to fill out but wanted
to see how you were doing.” The Sheriff poured a cup of coffee and slumped onto
the sorry excuse for a couch, propping his feet on the coffee table. “This kind
of crap never gets easier, does it?”

“No, but this one is no harder than any of the
others.”

“They’re all hard.” Wearily, Jimbo rubbed his eyes
with his fists. “Are these kids going to make it?”

“Joe and Tommy, yes. Probably. Less certain about
Jason.”

“It was Joe driving Tommy’s truck, and Jason, the
dumbass, didn’t have his seat belt on. I hope it scares the shit out of them.”

Having been in a similar situation at a similar
age, Zach knew that it would. “Hard way to learn a lesson.”

“Is there any other way?”

“Not around here. You know what it’s like. You
can’t
tell
teenagers anything. They
have to figure it out for themselves.”

Jimbo grunted. “Parents are outside when you have
time to talk to them.”

Standing, Zach stretched out the kinks in his
muscles. “Sorry you got called out tonight. I’d hoped you and Tina would get
some family time with Maisie.”

“It’s all right. When I left, she was sleeping
like a baby.”

Zach shook his head. “And you and Tina were
standing over the crib watching her.”

“Well, yeah. She’s such a miracle, we’re afraid
she’ll disappear if we close our eyes.”

“You’ll learn pretty quick. When the baby sleeps,
you sleep. Otherwise, you’ll both be walking zombies with an adorable tyrant on
your hands by the end of the week.”

“I’ll try to remember that.” The Sheriff leaned
his head back and closed his eyes. “She’s just so dang sweet.”

Grabbing his laptop, Zach remembered he needed to
talk to Jimbo on another subject. “When I got called in tonight, I was at the
library with the new librarian.”

Jimbo opened one eye. “Yeah? What’s she like?”

Zach’s dick twitched just remembering those legs.
That face. That body. If there hadn’t been a medical emergency, he would have
spent the night fantasizing about her every which way but Sunday. “A force to
be reckoned with. She’ll be good for the town, if they’ll give her a chance.
You know what they can be like.”

“They do close ranks when an outsider appears.”

“And there’s a more immediate problem. The library
has been vandalized, ransacked. Not quite destroyed, but it’s in pretty bad
shape. Shook her up to see it like that.”

“What?” Jimbo straightened out of his slouch and
dropped his feet to the floor. “How the hell did that happen?”

“It looked like about six different issues going
on there. Some of it natural and some man-made, but one thing for sure.”

“What?”

“Graffiti sprayed on the first-floor walls.”

“Aw, crap. I guess I should have expected that.”

“No reason for you to think he’d try to make that
kind of statement.”

The sheriff sipped his coffee. “What do we do?”

“Up to you. You’re the law around here.”

“I’ll go check it out when I get done with this
mess. I guess I’ll have to meet the new librarian for myself. Where can I find
her?”

“She’s staying at Rachel’s tonight, but we’re
going over to the library early in the morning and get started on the clean-up.
You can catch her there most of the day.”

“You’re going to the library with her early
tomorrow? What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing. I’m going in my capacity as the
welcoming committee for the council.”

“After working here all night? She
must
be hot. Tell me again what she’s
like. Young? Old? Plain as a stick or curvy as a figure eight?”

Hot didn’t begin to describe Harper, but he’d
enter a monastery before he admitted it. “Use your junior detective kit and
figure it out for yourself.”

Fresh from the shower the
next morning, Harper peered into the refrigerator, hoping to find something
more interesting than she’d found there last night. But not really wanting a pickle
relish or mustard snack before breakfast, the choices hadn’t improved a lick.
She gingerly pushed aside some hairy-looking leftover container hoping to
locate a lone lost yogurt, or even a rogue juice box lurking behind the
almost-empty carton of milk, but no such luck.

The cheese quesadillas she’d picked up for supper
at El Taco had been delicious but were only a faint memory now. And based on
seniority, Cleo probably had dibs on the remaining milk. But seeing as the cat
was as devious and sneaky as her historic namesake, Harper wasn’t sure she
deserved it.

Checking the clock on the stove, she saw it was a
little before seven.

If Zach failed to arrive on time, she’d go out
foraging for food on her own again. Last night, she’d tried to embrace the adventure
of searching for a restaurant but had ended up feeling a little too much like a
stranger in a strange land.

Looking forward to seeing a familiar face, she
smiled and turned as the back door opened behind her. But the figure standing
in the kitchen wearing cutoffs and a tank top and wielding a baseball bat
wasn’t Zach.

“Who are you? And what are you doing here?” the
newcomer demanded with a flash of jealousy in her eyes. And menace. Although
the threat might have derived more from the raised baseball bat than the
woman’s expression.

Harper could only sigh. Obviously, just another
Sunnyside native eager to welcome her into town.

“Right now, I’m looking for something to eat.” She
made an effort to remain cool and calm. “You must be Rachel’s neighbor, here to
feed the cat.”

The very tanned and toned woman with really short
hair and five ear studs in each ear lowered the bat a fraction. “Maybe I’m
security here to check on why there’s a stranger snooping around Rachel’s
house.”

Security,
hah!
Harper pictured the state of the library. That would be a first for this town.

But come on.
She had to start finding a way to get along with these people. “Fair enough.
I’m Harper Simmons, the new librarian.” She tried out a smile but didn’t get
one in return. “And you are?”

“Kate Monroe.” The woman’s suspicious expression
remained. “Zach was fixing up his Uncle Ted’s house for you to live in.”

“It’s not ready yet. Something about the floors.
So I needed a place to stay for a few days. He suggested his sister wouldn’t mind
if I stayed here since she’s out of town.”

“Zach suggested it? What about Rachel? Does she
know you’re here?”

The inquisition and the woman’s belligerence
sparked a twitch of annoyance. She wasn’t a masked marauder. Or a piece of
tainted meat. No matter what Kate suspected. Harper shrugged. “He checked with
her. Do you have a problem with this?”

“No, but you don’t look like a librarian.” Kate
sniffed and glared, finally moving to prop the bat against the wall. “And you
don’t dress like one.”

Harper looked down and couldn’t deny it. After
much deliberation about the heat and the dirty job ahead of her, she’d decided
to start out in workout gear—a bright turquoise power cami and capris. Designer
exercise clothes weren’t her choice for meet-the-town-council clothes, but
she’d come back here and change into something more appropriate later.

She’d done nothing more than pull her hair into a
ponytail and swipe on some mascara and lip gloss before calling herself ready
for the grueling day ahead. If anyone had told her this was how she’d dress for
the first day of her new job, she would have denied it. As it was, if her
mother ever found out, she’d have a stroke. Or disown Harper. India did not
take kindly to exercise clothes outside the gym.

It might not make her best impression on the
people Zach had lined up to whip the library into shape, but it would be the
most comfortable way for her to throw herself into the physical labor.

At least Kate’s was a stereotype she’d heard
before, workout clothes or not. Even in Chicago, new acquaintances were
surprised to hear what she did for a living. Her looks and wardrobe were a
little over the top for library work. Still, never a good idea to have
preconceived notions about people based solely on their appearance.

“Librarians come in all shapes and sizes just like
people in every other profession. What is it you do?”

Kate pulled her finely-toned body up with the
rigidness of an iron bar. “I’m the girls’ Phys Ed teacher at the high school.”

“Ah.” Harper refused to lift an eyebrow. Since
she’d just reminded herself about not having preconceived notions, she didn’t
want to make any about Kate. But Harper had known a lot of gays and lesbians
over the years, and right now, her gaydar was pinging off the charts. “What’s a
librarian supposed to look like?”

“Like Myrna Hopper.” Kate’s chin jutted out. “Now
Miss Myrna looked like a real librarian—old, wise, and a little well... frumpy.
She wears round wire-rimmed glasses and her hair in a bun.”

“Of course, she does.” I wear my hair in a bun and
round wire-rimmed glasses, too, Harper wanted to say. Sometimes. “I’ve heard of
Myrna Hopper. Does she still live in town?”

“Of course, she does. Where else would she go?”

“I hope she’ll be willing to share some of her expertise
and knowledge on the restorations we’re planning. She’s like a living legend in
library science circles.”

“If she’s such a living legend, why did you take
her job?” Kate demanded. “The job she had earned and still wanted.”

“I didn’t realize I had.” Swallowing her dismay,
Harper dropped into a chair at the kitchen table. “I thought she’d retired.
Wanted
to retire. Wasn’t forced to.”

Harper had applied online for the position. Since
she already lived in Illinois, met the educational requirements, and had some
creative ideas for getting the community involved and pumping new life into the
facility, Andrew Berkman thought she would be a good fit despite her young age.
Maybe because of it.

Her dream was to bring the Sunnyside library back
to its full potential. To make a place for herself here. Win the respect of the
townspeople. And more.

Hopefully Myrna’s continued presence wouldn’t
present another setback. Harper hadn’t realized the former librarian had
applied for the position, too. The two of them would have to meet soon to
determine what role Myrna might want to hold going forward.

“When the library closed, she was forced into
retirement and very-near poverty.” Kate’s tone buzzed like a wasp searching for
a place to land. “When she heard about the library grants, she singlehandedly
put the proposal together and talked the town council into submitting it.
Instead of giving Myrna her job back, Berkman’s foundation hired you.”

“I’m sorry things worked out that way for her.”
Harper meant it. She’d hate it if the job she loved was taken away. “Maybe we
can do something about that, but I won’t know until I meet and talk to her.
Hopefully, we can put her back to work, if that’s what she wants.”

“She wants her job back, not a concession from
you.” Kate’s hands balled into fists at her sides. “You big-city people always
think you know best, but sometimes you don’t.”

“You’re right.” Antsy from Kate’s continued
antagonism, Harper hoped to end the discussion on a positive note. Cleo slinked
in and created a distraction by twining herself around Harper’s ankles.

“Hey, Cleo. How you doing, pretty girl? You
hungry?” Kate crouched down and put out her hand for the cat to come. Cleo
yawned, turned up her nose and tail and padded out of the kitchen.

“What was that about? She’s known me for years,
and she doesn’t usually take to strangers.”

Harper shrugged. “I’m good with animals.” And
she’d fed the cat the remainder of her cheese quesadillas the night before. A
bonding experience that now had Cleo treating her more like a BFF than an
intruder.

“Yeah, tell that to Pippa.” Zach leaned against
the door frame, smirking.

Looking up, she smiled, surprised at how happy and
relieved she was to see him again. His slow grin warmed her from head to toe.
The long look they exchanged wasn’t anything like the private or intimate
moments they’d shared yesterday, but it made her stomach feel squishy.

Fresh and crisp from the shower, his damp hair
curled adorably around the edges. Cargo shorts and a T-shirt that smelled like
sunshine and fabric softener hit just the right notes. Except for the circles
under his eyes and the exhaustion pulling at the corners of his mouth, no one
would guess he’d been up most of the night.

“Hey, Pippa and I got along just fine.” Harper
checked her finger where the little demon had tried to nip her hand. “After she
understood I wouldn’t have run her down in the street.”

“Uh-huh.” Zach squeezed the back of Kate’s neck,
and she turned to him with a genuine look of pleasure. “Hey, darlin’. I didn’t
expect to find you here.”

“Hey, Zach.” Kate’s eager expression turned to one
of concern as she looked him over. “You look like you’re on the bad side of a
really good party.”

“I wish. This wasn’t the way I intended Dad’s
birthday weekend to end, but I hear everybody else had a good time. Did you
enjoy yourself?”

“You know, I did. You Novaks really do it up
right. The food was fabulous. Rachel showed off those cooking skills she
learned from your mom, and your dad is the perfect host. He really seemed
touched by the big turnout. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Wouldn’t have a party without you. You’re like
family.”

“Thanks, babe.” Kate slipped her arm around his
shoulder in a bracing hug. “If I’d known you were coming back so early, I would
have ridden back with you instead of with the Willoughby’s.”

“I didn’t know it myself. Got the call while you
rest of you were down at the lake.”

Harper shuffled her feet and started wishing she
had somewhere else to be. Their conversation seemed surprisingly intimate for
two people playing on the same team. Zach gave Harper a smile over Kate’s head,
proving he hadn’t forgotten she was there.

“Were you surprised by Rachel’s guest this
morning? I meant to let you know last night that Harper’d be bunking here for a
couple of days, but I forgot about it after I got called to the hospital.”

“Other than coming in prepared to bust her head
open like a pumpkin, it was no problem.” The gym teacher nodded at the bat by
the door.

Zach bugged his eyes at Harper to see if she was
okay. “She didn’t swing that thing at you, did she?”

“No, no,” Harper said, oddly eager to defend Kate.
“We got it worked out before it came to blows.”

“Good thing. Kate still swings the meanest bat of
any woman on the town softball team.”

“Meanest bat of
anyone
, man or woman,” Kate bragged, and Harper recognized a common
topic of debate between two old friends.

“Yeah, right,” he scoffed. “Except for me.”

“But you haven’t been to many games lately, have
you? I bet I can take you now that you’re a little rusty.”

“You’re on. I’ll be at this week’s game for sure.
Promise.” He raised his hand and crossed his heart.

“Sure, you will, barring any unforeseen
emergencies.” Kate clearly doubted him. “Which is unlikely. I heard about the
wreck on Slaughter’s Bend last night. I was worried about you.” She rested her
hand on his shoulder until he made eye contact.

“I’m fine.”

“Dumbass boys. The two Schultzes and Tommy Mathis,
right? Sounded pretty bad. How’re they doing?”

Zach poked around inside the refrigerator, pulled
out a bottle of water, twisted off the cap, took a long swig, replaced the cap,
returned the bottle to the shelf, and closed the door before answering. Harper
would swear the whole maneuver had been nothing but a delaying tactic.

“So-so,” he finally answered. “Joe and Tommy are
banged up. They’ll probably be released today or tomorrow. But Jason’s got
internal injuries. Not sure how it will go for him. Marcia and Vanessa are
pretty shaken up. All four parents have been up there all night. You might want
to lend support today, if you have time.”

“Will do. It’s just such a shame. Has Pastor
Martin been there with them?”

“Yeah, that helped, but it’ll be a long hard day.”

Kate considered and then asked, “Did you let
Rachel know?”

“Not yet. I’d like a realistic prognosis before I
send for her, but some busybody will probably call her and blab before I get to
it. Don’t you be the one to do it, though, okay?”

“All right, but I’m blaming you if she’s mad I
didn’t tell her.”

He rolled his neck and shoulders. “I can take the
heat.”

His friend took his hand. Giving Harper a sidelong
glance, she spoke quietly to Zach. “You sure you’re doing okay?”

“It’s not about me.” The curt tone didn’t match
the shadows in his eyes.

“It was hard on you, though. Wasn’t it, tough
guy?”

“It’s my job.”

“Still...”

He shook his head as if to silence her, and they
exchanged a look of communication that was intimate and familiar. It didn’t
contain any heat or passion, just worlds of unspoken comfort and understanding.

Harper realized she would miss having a
relationship like that. Only one day away from Chicago, and she missed her
friends already. She’d stayed up late last night Skyping with her bestie
Nathan, but in the long run, it might be hard to maintain the closeness they’d
developed in the last few years. She cleared her throat, and Zach turned his
attention to her.

“You ready to go?” He looked her over, and his
eyes sparked a flare of heat.

“You’re going to wear
that
to the library?” Kate asked.