True Believer(18)
Author: Nicholas Sparks

“Does Jeremy Marsh even know about this?”

“Of course, he does. Why, I spoke to him about it this morning, and he seemed genuinely excited by the possibility.”

“Really?” she asked, leaning back, doubting it.

“And I was hoping that Lexie might come as well. You know how important she is to folks in this town.”

“I doubt if she would. She hates doing these types of things any more than absolutely necessary. And this doesn’t strike me as absolutely necessary.”

“You might be right. But anyway, like I was saying, I’d like to use this evening to help us kick off the weekend.”

“Aren’t you forgetting that I’m against the whole idea of using the cemetery as a tourist attraction?”

“Not at all,” he said. “I remember what you told me exactly. But you do want your voice heard, don’t you? If you don’t show up, there’s going to be no one there to represent your side of things.”

Doris stared at Mayor Gherkin for a long moment. The man certainly knew what buttons to press. And besides, he had a point. If she didn’t go, she could imagine what Jeremy would end up writing if all he had to go on was the mayor and the town council. Tom was right: she was the only one who could handle something like this on such short notice. They both knew she’d been preparing for the tour this weekend and had plenty of food on hand in the kitchen already.

“All right,” she capitulated, “I’ll take care of it. But don’t think for a second I’m going to serve all those people. It’ll be a buffet, and I’m going to sit at the tables like the rest of you.”

Mayor Gherkin smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Doris.”

Deputy Rodney Hopper was sitting in his car across the street from the library, wondering whether or not to go inside and talk to Lexie. He could see City Boy’s car parked in the lot, which meant that they’d returned from wherever they’d gone, and he could see lights from Lexie’s office glowing through the window.

He could imagine Lexie sitting at her desk reading, her legs propped up on the chair with knees bent, twirling those strands of hair as she thumbed through the pages of a book. He wanted to talk to her, but the thing was, he knew he didn’t have a good reason. He never dropped by the library just to chat because, honestly, he wasn’t all that sure that she wanted him to. She had never casually suggested that he stop by to see her, and whenever he veered the conversation in that direction, she would change the subject. On one level, it made sense, since she was supposed to be working, but at the same time, he knew that encouraging him to visit would have been another small step in the progress of their relationship.

He saw a figure pass by the window, and he wondered if City Boy was in the office with her.

He scowled. That would take the cake, wouldn’t it? First a lunch date—something he and Lexie had never done—and now a friendly visit at work. He scowled just thinking about it. In less than a day, City Boy had moved right in, hadn’t he? Well, maybe he’d just have to have another little talk with him about the situation. Spell things out for him, so that City Boy would understand exactly where things stood.

Of course, that would mean that things with Lexie stood somewhere, and right now he wasn’t exactly sure they did. Yesterday he’d been content with the status of the relationship. Well, okay, maybe not completely content. He would have preferred things to be moving just a little faster, but that was beside the point. The point was, yesterday he knew there was no competition, but today the two of them were sitting up there, probably laughing and joking, having a grand old time. And here he was, sitting in an idling car, staring at them from the outside.

Then again, maybe Lexie and City Boy weren’t in the office together. Maybe Lexie was doing . . . well, librarian stuff while City Boy was hunched in the corner, reading some moldy book. Maybe Lexie was just being friendly, since the guy was a visitor in town. He wondered about it, before deciding it made sense. Hell, everybody was going out of their way to make the guy feel welcome, right? And the mayor was leading the charge. This morning, when he had City Boy right where he wanted him, just when he was going to set the boundaries, the mayor (the mayor!) helped the guy slink away to safety. And bam! City Boy and Lexie are picking flowers and watching rainbows together.

Then again, maybe not.

He hated not knowing what was going on, and just as he was getting ready to head inside, his thoughts were interrupted by a tapping on the glass. It took an instant for the face to come into focus.

The mayor. Mr. Interrupt at the Wrong Moment. Twice now.

Rodney rolled down his window and the chill swept into the car. Mayor Gherkin leaned over, using his hands as support.

“Just the man I was looking for,” Mayor Gherkin said. “I happened to be driving by, and when I saw you, I was struck by the thought that we’re going to need a representative from law enforcement this evening.”

“What for?”

“The little get-together, of course. For Jeremy Marsh, our distinguished visitor. Tonight at the Lawson Plantation.”

Rodney blinked. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, not at all. In fact, I’ve got Gary making him up a key to the city right now.”

“A key to the city,” Rodney repeated.

“Of course, don’t tell anyone about that. It’s supposed to be a surprise. But since this is becoming more official, I sure would appreciate your presence tonight. It would make the evening seem a bit more . . . ceremonious. I was hoping that you’d stand by my side as I presented the key to him.”

Rodney puffed his chest out just a bit, flattered. Still, there wasn’t a chance he’d even consider doing something like that. “I think that’s more my boss’s duty, don’t you?”

“Well, sure. But you and I both know he’s hunting in the mountains right now. And since you’re in charge while he’s gone, it’s one of those things that falls in your lap.”

“I don’t know, Tom. I’d have to call someone in to cover for me. It’s a shame, but I really don’t think I’m going to be able to make it.”

“That is a shame. But I understand. Duty is duty.”

Rodney breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

“I’m sure Lexie would love to have seen you, though.”

“Lexie?”

“Well, of course. She runs the library, so that makes her one of the dignitaries that will attend. Why, I was just coming by to tell her about it. But I’m sure she’ll enjoy visiting with our guest, even if you’re not there.” The mayor straightened up. “But all right, like I said, I understand.”

“Wait!” Rodney said, his mind moving quickly, trying to recover. “You said it’s tonight, right?”

The mayor nodded.

“I don’t know what I was thinking, but I think Bruce is already scheduled, so I just might be able to work something out.”

The mayor smiled. “Glad to hear it,” he said. “Now, let me head inside so I can talk to Ms. Darnell. You weren’t planning to head inside and talk to her yourself, were you? I mean, I’d be happy to wait.”

“No,” Rodney said. “Just tell her I’ll see her later.”

“Will do, Deputy.”

After retrieving some additional information for Jeremy and making a quick stop in her office, Lexie found herself surrounded by twenty children, some nestled in their mothers’ laps. Lexie was sitting on the floor, reading her third book. The room was boisterous, as it always was. On a low table off to the side, cookies and punch had been set out; in the far corner, a few of the less engaged children were playing with some of the many toys she kept on the shelves. Still others were finger-painting on a makeshift table she’d designed. The room was decorated in bright colors—the shelves were like crayons, with no apparent theme other than vividness. Despite the protests of some of the senior volunteers and employees—who wanted children to sit quietly as they were being read to, as had always been done—Lexie wanted children to have fun in the library. She wanted them to be excited about coming, even if that required toys, games, and a room that was less than quiet. Over the years, she could remember dozens of kids who played for a year or more before discovering the joy of stories, but that was fine by her. As long as they kept coming in.

But today, as she was reading, she felt her mind wandering back to the lunch she’d shared with Jeremy. Though it couldn’t be described as a date, it almost had that feeling, which made it a little disconcerting. Thinking back on it, she realized that she’d revealed far more about herself than she’d intended, and she kept trying to remember how that had happened. It wasn’t as if he’d pried. Instead, it had just happened. But why on earth was she still dwelling on it?

She didn’t like to think of herself as neurotic, but this endless analysis wasn’t like her. And besides, she told herself, it hadn’t even been a date as much as a guided tour. But no matter how much she tried to stop it, Jeremy’s image kept popping up unexpectedly: the slightly crooked smile, his expression of amusement at things she said. She couldn’t help wondering what he had thought about her life here, not to mention what he’d thought about her. She’d even blushed when he said he’d found her charming. What was that all about? Maybe, she thought, it was because I spilled my guts about my past and left myself vulnerable.

She made a note not to do it again. And yet . . .

It hadn’t been so bad, she admitted. Just talking to someone new, someone who didn’t already know everyone and everything going on in town, was refreshing. She’d almost forgotten how special that could be. And he’d surprised her. Doris had been right, at least in part. He wasn’t what she thought he’d be. He was smarter than she’d first assumed, and even if he held his mind closed to the possibility of mystery, he made up for it by being good-humored about their differing beliefs and way of life. He poked fun at himself, too, which was also appealing.

As she continued to read to the children—thank goodness, it wasn’t a complicated book—her mind refused to stop whirling.

Okay, so she liked him. She admitted that. And if truth be told, she wanted to spend more time with him. But even that realization didn’t change the little voice in her head warning her not to get hurt. She had to tread carefully here, for—as much as they seemed to get along—Jeremy Marsh would indeed hurt her if she allowed it to happen.

Jeremy was hunched over a series of street maps of Boone Creek, dating back to the 1850s. The older they were, the more written detail they seemed to have, and as he watched how the town had changed decade by decade, he jotted additional notes. From a sleepy village nestled along a dozen roads, the town had continued to expand outward.

The cemetery, as he already knew, sat between the river and Riker’s Hill; more important, he realized that a line drawn between Riker’s Hill and the paper mill would pass directly through the cemetery. The total distance was a little more than three miles, and he knew that it was possible for light to be refracted that far, even on foggy nights. He wondered if the factory had a third shift, which would necessitate keeping the place brightly lit, even at night. With the right layering of the fog and enough brightness, everything could be explained in one fell swoop.

Upon reflection, he realized he should have noticed the straight-line relationship between the paper mill and Riker’s Hill when he was up there. Instead, he’d been caught up in enjoying the view, looking over the town, and spending time with Lexie.

He was still trying to figure out the sudden change in her behavior. Yesterday she wanted nothing to do with him, and today . . . well, today was a new day, wasn’t it? And damned if he couldn’t stop thinking about her, and not just in the usual, clothes-heaped-at-the-foot-of-the-bed sort of way. He couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. Maria, probably, but that was a long time ago. A lifetime ago, when he was someone else entirely. But today the conversation had been so natural, so comfortable, that despite the fact he should finish studying the maps, all he really wanted to do was get to know her even better.

Strange, he thought, and before he realized what was happening, he stood from his desk and began making his way to the stairs. He knew she was reading to the children, and he had no intention of disturbing her, but he suddenly wanted to see her.

He walked down the steps, rounded the corner, and moved to one of the glass walls. It took only a moment for him to spot Lexie sitting on the floor, surrounded by children.

She read in an animated way, and he smiled at her expressions: the wide eyes, the “O” she made with her mouth, the way she leaned forward to emphasize something that was happening in the story. The mothers sat with smiles on their faces. A couple of the kids were abolutely still; the others looked as if they’d taken wiggle pills.

“She’s really something, isn’t she?”

Jeremy turned in surprise. “Mayor Gherkin. What are you doing here?”

“Why, I came to see you, of course. And Miss Lexie, too. About the dinner tonight. We’ve got everything just about set up. I think you’ll be quite impressed.”

“I’m sure I will,” Jeremy said.

“But like I was saying, she’s really something, isn’t she?”

Jeremy said nothing, and the mayor winked before going on. “I saw the way you were looking at her. A man’s eyes give him away. The eyes always tell the truth.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The mayor grinned. “Well, I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

“Of course not,” he said.

Jeremy shook his head. “Look, Mr. Mayor . . . Tom—”