Page 36 of As They Are
“Oh,interesting.”
I sighed and pushed my glasses up on my nose. “Nothing is interesting here.”
“Sure it’s not.” Jackie looked in between us again. “Have fun, Henry!”
Once upon a time, Jackie was only halfway into the drama in town. But things had changed after Mollie stuck around, and now she was far more open. I’d seen her post more in the Facebook group too.
Normally, I didn’t mind talking with the town. But there was something about Wren that made it hard for me to be normal. And if the town started pushing me with her? I was doomed. If they sniffed out a crush, they would never let me live it down.
“What can I help you ladies with?”
“I need a gynecological exam.” Wren’s voice was deadpan, and I thought the floor fell out from under me.
“W-what?” I waswaytoo into her to handle that professionally.
“Just kidding. Your reaction was good, though.”
My face could now fry an egg. “So what do you actually need?”
“Advice. And depending on the answer, it could be as fun as a gyno exam.”
“You’re gonna give him a stroke if you keep that up,” Mollie said. “What happened to Sad Wren?”
“She’s on vacation. Now I’m Annoying Wren.”
“You’re not annoying,” I said. “Just shocking. It’s too early in the morning for me to be thinking about a gynecological exam.”
“It’s one in the afternoon.”
“What if wepretendedit was still the morning?”
Wren laughed.
“Okay,” Mollie said. “I hate to interrupt this because she really needs to laugh, but we did come here for a reason.”
Wren’s smile faded and she stood up straighter. “Right. The STM grant.”
I gathered myself before I could answer. “What about it?”
“Is it legitimate?”
“As far as I know, yes.” I put my hands in my pockets and I forced myself to focus on what she’d asked. I found it much easier not to embarrass myself when talking business with Wren rather than ... whatever had happened at the library yesterday. “I’ve used it some. Most small businesses have. Why do you ask?”
“I wanna use it to fund the library.”
I blinked. “You want towhat?But that would mean renovating it.”
She smiled. “I know. I do have a show about that. They have reservations, but the long-term funding was the major issue. If the grant covers that, then I think it could work.”
“You went in thereonceand you want to remodel it?”
“Hang on,” Mollie said. “You went inside?”
“Yeah.” Wren rubbed her neck. “We both did, actually.”
“What?”
“Are you trying to get us in trouble for that?”
