Page 183 of As They Are
Now, she sent me texts with her plans. Most of them wouldn’t work, but some could easily improve the town.
But today, she was with a sea of other people. I’d seen everyone in town individually, but never all together like this. It showed how excited people were to have the library up and running.
As Wren’s boyfriend, I got special privileges. I was closer up, which helped, considering howloudeverything was for the library’s opening. I focused my attention on running my eyes over every inch of the new space, wondering how Wren had made this all happen.
In just a few months, the library was alive again. It had been turned from an eyesore to a beautiful space. That was what I wanted to feel for the day. Pure joy for Wren.
She and I had already discussed a quiet night back at my place, so while I was pushing myself by not wearing my earplugs and being around the whole town at once, I knew it was going to calm down soon.
For now, I got to take it all in.
Wren and I had arrived together, but one of the assistants had insisted she use some type of new mascara, so she’d been delayed while they put that on her. She’d rolled her eyes, but told me to go hang out with the town while she finished up.
When she was finally ready, the entire town clapped when they saw her. Even from where I was standing, I saw her freckled cheeks darken as she gave everyone a wave.
They all silenced when Jude came out too. I could tell he was ready for the applause, and the town’s refusal to be friendly with him ensured he’d never come back.
Good.
Filming started with Wren and Jude talking to the camera. Even though she was next to a man she didn’t like, she still glowed when gushing about the library. It was obvious she was proud of it.
They let us in shortly after. Even though I had started out ahead of everyone else, they all swarmed to get in. I could see why. The inside was as beautiful as the outside. Maybe even more so. There was color and books everywhere, like a painting come to life. I’d seen it every step of the way, but nothing prepared me for the final walkthrough.
Despite the near chaos, it was incredible to see the town’s reactions to the space. I focused on one at a time, taking it all in.
“It’s so beautiful!” Henrietta said, tears in her eyes. “Can you believe we get to work here?”
“No, I really can’t.” Marjorie’s voice was quiet. “I thought this day would never come.”
It was rare that she was so serious.
On the other side, Kerry followed her son, Tommy, as he excitedly talked about all the books he wanted to read. He bounced around like a little ball of energy.
“We’ll never leave,” she said with a laugh. “To think, all it took to get you to read was a library!”
I didn’t get a chance to see anyone else’s reactions because I had an armful of Wren. She’d launched herself at me and I pulled her into the air while I squeezed her tight.
“The face!” she said as she pulled away. “You made the face!”
“What face did I make?”
“The look of shock and awe. My favorite one.”
I remembered when we’d been in the square and she’d grabbed me by my arms when she’d mentioned she was excited for me to see the finished product. And here I was now, with her in my arms.
If only I’d known then.
“But while you’re making the face I was waiting for, I still need to know what you think.”
“I think it’s incredible. Just like I knew it would be.”
“For once, I agree. A lot of the time, I’m fixing something to simply fix it. But this felt ...”
“Magical?” I asked.
“Yes. Just like the town slogan says.” She pointed to the mural behind me. I turned and couldn’t help but look at everything we had in this updated version of the town.
“It looks magical,” I said. “And I haven’t even seen the upstairs yet.”
