Toby was just pulling in the driveway when we got back. He looked tired from his night patrol. I waved as he unlocked the shed door and disappeared inside. Emma and I went in through the backyard gate and I entered the house through the kitchen door. My dog went right to her water bowl. I, on the other hand, went to the coffeepot and poured me a large mug. I took the black liquid upstairs with me to shower and change into my work uniform: a T-shirt and capris. In the summer, the uniform became a tank top and city shorts or on rare occasions, a sundress. Really rare occasions.
No one waited for me at the shop. Sasha had a class this morning, so I wouldn’t see her until tomorrow. I opened the doors and started my morning setup routine. Ten minutes after opening, my first commuter coffee drinker came in and I was kept busy until eight. I took the time to scan through the bookshelves, looking for a book or two to take home since I’d have a long weekend.
As I checked out a couple of possibilities, the bell over the door rang, and Bill Sullivan walked in. Relief filled his face when he saw me. I raised my eyebrows in a silent question and he shrugged. “Sue me, I was worried about you. Mary told me I was being stupid, but something about that guy really bothered me. I’m glad you made it home all right, and I guess I’ll be going.”
“Do you want a cup of coffee? I actually need to talk to you about the water committee, they’re getting out of hand.” I walked to the counter. “Or are you on board with this crazy idea of Mayor Baylor’s?”
Bill met me at the counter and sat on one of the stools. “No, I think you’re right. There’s something wrong about separating out the power like this. The decisions about the town’s water conservation should come from the city council. I have an agenda item for our meeting next week. I want to make sure the committee knows they are only advisory.”
“Josh is issuing fines for watering.” I watched Bill’s face to see if he’d known this, but the shock on his features told me it was news to him. “Without even checking with the committee, it seems. I got a letter about my nonexistent watering taped to my door.”
“He shouldn’t be doing that. He could put the city in jeopardy of being sued for false citations.” Bill shook his head. “I knew this would be an issue when the mayor insisted on the committee. Josh is too much of a hothead to be put into a power position. The man drives me crazy sometimes.”
“You and me both.” I poured Bill a cup of coffee and warmed my own up before I walked around the bar to sit with him. “So you’ll talk to the mayor and council about this? I told Aunt Jackie, but I think she has a vested interest in the committee’s stature. And besides, I think he cited me because of his relationship with her. What’s to say he won’t go off the deep end when she does talk to him?”
“The Harrold issue, right?” Bill nodded. “I can see Josh being upset. I mean, he thought he and Jackie were an item. I always knew there would be a day when she found someone who made her pause.”
“I’m happy for her. I just don’t want to be drawn into the fight.” I ran a finger around the edge of my coffee cup.
Bill tapped my arm. “Don’t worry about it. As of today, the committee has no standing to issue citations to anyone. And if I play this right, by the end of the month, there won’t even be a committee to have to deal with.” He finished his coffee and stood. “I need to get back to the B&B. Mary’s been complaining about the oven not working right, so we have a repair guy showing up this morning. I sure hope he doesn’t just recommend we purchase a new range. I’d need to be in tourist season to finance a purchase like that. Especially since I’ve seen the ones that Mary’s been looking at online.”
I said good-bye to my friend and went back to pulling a few books for the weekend. By the time Toby arrived, I had my tote filled and was ready to head home.
“Busy shift?” He smiled as he entered the empty shop.
I pulled the tote over my shoulder and waved. “Yours will be. It’s always a good shift when you’re working.”
“See you at home,” he called out as two of his regular customers came in. The women looked at me, narrowing their eyes. Apparently the rumor mill would be buzzing again that Toby had left Elise to move in with me. One woman’s eyes filled with tears, and her friend put an arm around her.
“He’s probably kidding,” I heard the woman whisper. “Look at her hair, and no makeup? He’s not living with that.”
My hand started to raise to my head to tamp down the unruly curls, but I stopped myself before it was noticeable. I wasn’t going to play the I-can-snag-Toby game, even if he’d put me in play with these women. I pushed the front door open and ran smack into Josh Thomas.
“Oomph,” he uttered as the wind was knocked out of him and he went backward onto the sidewalk.
“Oh no! Josh, are you okay?” I knelt beside him, making sure he hadn’t hit his head or something. I stuck two fingers up near his eyes. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
He swatted my hand away. “Two, and if you don’t leave me alone, you’ll lose both of them.” He struggled to a sitting position. “Seriously, Miss Gardner, do you have to attack me every time we meet?”