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The thing about getting your life turned upside down is that the more it happened, the easier it got to turn it right side up again.
Nancy had been thrown for several loops in the last few years: her mom’s cancer diagnosis, finding out she was adopted, learning about her birth mother’s death, her adoptive mother’s death, meeting her biological father… It was a lot. So when she graduated from college and had the opportunity to choose to upend her life, Nancy went for it. She moved from her dream life in New York City to Horseshoe Bay, Maine, a town she had never even heard of before digging into her biological father’s past.
She had been two years into her psychology and political science double major at Columbia when her mom died. The moment she heard about the diagnosis, Nancy felt deep in her gut that she needed to switch majors, but it wasn’t until after the funeral that she actually went through with it. She knew she easily could have dropped to either a psychology or political science single major but those were both dreams for a future that had Kate Drew in it. And without Kate Drew, all Nancy wanted to do was escape. Run. Hide. Anything that would stop the grief from overwhelming her.
So she escaped the best way she knew how: into books. Reading was something they had always done together and Nancy found that revisiting those same old favorite books made her feel closer to her mom, rather than as if the giant hole in her chest would consume her from the inside. And the new books she read, those were a true escape, to a time and place that didn't know Kate Drew, and one that she hadn't known either.
In the end, Nancy switched her major to English and threw herself into reading everything she could. She practically lived at the Columbia library, not because of the coursework, as had been the case her first two years, but because there was nothing more comforting than being surrounded by endless rows of books. She was never truly alone in a library.
All this led her to now, having upended her life for the umpteenth time to move to Maine to be closer to her biological father, giving them an opportunity to get to know each other. Nancy was not entirely sure how she managed to get a job at the Horseshoe Bay Library given how competitive the field was, but she figured the universe owed her one stroke of good luck after all the bad she'd been through.
The Horseshoe Bay Library was about as unlike the main Columbia University library as it could be while both still being considered libraries. But after a few weeks in the smaller, slightly musty building, Nancy had developed the same fondness for it as she had for the one at her alma mater. It also helped that the small staff of the library (now up to a whopping six full time people, including her as the shiny new programs coordinator and community engagement librarian, the maintenance guy who kept appearing out of nowhere like a ghost, scaring people half to death, and a small army of volunteers) was exceedingly welcoming to her and that their director, Rebecca, was quite possibly one of the warmest and most friendly people Nancy had ever met.
Thus far, every idea she had pitched as a potential program or event for the library to host had been met with absolute enthusiasm, even her tabletop role playing game night idea, which she was sure Rebecca would veto because it had the proclivity to be a logistical nightmare. Rebecca had just beamed at her.
“Oh, Nancy, I think that’s a wonderful idea! I’ll ask my son Ace if he wouldn’t mind helping out.” She pulled out her phone, presumably to text Ace. “He was quite into the dragon game in high school.”
“Oh, that’s awesome,” Nancy said, mildly taken aback by the reaction. At most, she had expected a “we’ll think about it”.
“You know, Acie is about your age, Nancy,” Rebecca told her, looking up from her phone, clearly thinking. “He’ll be back in town soon. You two should meet. I think you’d really hit it off.”
Nancy bit back her initial reaction of “abso-fucking-lutely not” and went with a much more neutral, “Yeah, I’m always down to make a new friend. I don’t know many people here yet.”
Rebecca smiled at her again and Nancy went back to work, hoping her new boss would forget about it.
–
Several days later, Nancy found herself working the front desk. It was fairly quiet and she was the only one in because Tamura, the grumpy collections developer who was supposed to also be working today, had called out at the last minute due to "a cough". It didn’t make much of a difference for Nancy, since he typically shut himself in his office all day anyway.
Nancy was writing a proposal for a new event when a man with shoulder length dirty blonde hair approached the desk. She had seen him before, popping in and out, sometimes with a book, sometimes not. Part of the reason she noticed him was because he walked with such purpose, like he knew exactly where to go for whatever it was he was searching for, rather than the lazy stroll most people used when walking the stacks. The other reason she noticed him was because he was unfairly good-looking. Tall, broad, and with great hair.
“Excuse me,” he said quietly, apparently not wanting to break the sacred silence of the library, even though the place was nearly empty. Nancy found herself immediately endeared to him. “Could you help me find a book? If you’re not busy.”
He was wearing a blue pullover today that made his eyes even more startlingly blue. Or maybe they were always that blue. Nancy didn’t know - she had never been close enough to really see them before.
“Of course,” she said quickly, straightening up in her chair. “How can I help?”
“Do you have any books about Jane Austen?” he asked, folding his hands lightly on the checkout desk. Nancy refused to get distracted by them and put all her energy into listening to what he was saying. “I just finished reading a Jane Austen novel and was wanting to learn more about her life?”
Nancy nodded, coming around from behind the desk. Normally, she might need to search the database for suggestions but not for Jane Austen. Nancy also knew she could just tell him the books and where to go but… how many good looking guys hangout in libraries reading Austen?
“We have a pretty decent collection of biographies of Jane Austen,” Nancy told him, leading him through the stacks to the Biographies section. “One of my favorites is right–” Nancy scanned the shelf before selecting a book, “–here. It goes into detail on Jane’s life and influences, but it also makes connections between her life and her writing. Which doesn’t sound that groundbreaking, but it was well-researched and well-written.”
The man took the book from her hand and flipped through it. “Ooh, pictures!” he said with a smile.
“It also has a lot of pictures,” Nancy allowed, smiling back. She paused, not sure where to go from here.
“Is that all?” he asked, glancing around at the shelves of books. “I’m absolutely going to read this, but I’m game if you have other suggestions.”
She looked at him for a moment, sizing him up. Truth be told, this was her favorite part of being a librarian (in training - she was still working on her grad degree). She loved recommending books, and loved hearing what people thought once they’d read the book. The trickiest part of making a recommendation, though, was when it was outside the realm of what the patron had asked for or usually read.
“Okay, bear with me.” Nancy looked at him, wanting to see how he’d respond to this. “It's not a biography per se, but it is still kind of about Jane Austen and it’s really good!”
He gestured with his arm, indicating he would follow her to wherever the book lay, so she started off.
“It’s more of a look at what life was like in Austen’s era for the upper and middle classes, and then compares it to her books to see how much creative liberty she took. Like, were all rich, unmarried men really in want of a wife? It’s written a bit like a travel guide, so it doesn’t expect the reader to have a lot of prior knowledge and it keeps things moving. It puts you in the era, the day-to-day, so if you’re wanting to dig deeper into Austen and her works, I think it’s a must-read for understanding the world and the context the books were written in.” Nancy paused, realizing while the man had followed her to a new shelf, he hadn’t reacted beyond that. If anything, he was just staring intently at her, making Nancy suddenly self-conscious. “Sorry, if it’s not what you’re looking for–”
“No, no!” he cut her off quickly, giving her a smile. “It sounds great. I was just wondering what the odds are that the librarian I ask for help happens to be an expert on Jane Austen.”
Nancy flushed. “I’m hardly an expert. I was just an English major with a concentration on the Regency era.”
“Ahh, so you wouldn't have as strong of an opinion if I asked for biographies about Sir Walter Scott?” he quirked an eyebrow at her.
“Probably not,” Nancy admitted. The man grinned and Nancy found herself fighting a blush.
“These both sound great.” He looked down at the two books in his hands. “Can you check me out?”
Oh, I have been . Nancy thought, but nodded and walked back to the circulation desk.
He pulled out his library card, which looked very well-loved and placed it on top of the books as he slid them across the desk to her.
Typically, when helping someone checkout items, Nancy didn’t glance at the name attached to the library card. This time, however, she couldn’t help herself.
“Joseph?” she asked, glancing at him. A weird expression crossed his face for the briefest moment before it cleared and he smiled.
“Yeah, that’s me.” He tucked his hair behind his ear.
“I’m Nancy,” she said before she could help herself, sliding his newly checked-out books back to him.
“It’s good to meet you, Nancy.” Joseph gave her a soft smile which she returned.
“You too.”
–
It was like that one interaction had opened the floodgates on Nancy’s interactions with Joseph. She had known he was a regular, but after their Jane Austen conversation, Joseph somehow became more regular. Or at least, more regular in speaking to her - not that Nancy minded in the slightest.
He was, it seemed, as much as an avid reader as she was. He came in once or twice a week for a new book, but also would check out video games or movies, or a few times, CDs (Nancy teased him endlessly for this). Nancy believed that if the eyes are the window to the soul, then the books one reads are a window to their mind. There seemed to be almost no rhyme nor reason to the books he chose: car maintenance, science fiction, wilderness survival, Jewish folklore, cookbooks, and so much more. Joseph alternated between asking for Nancy’s help in locating a book he was interested in and asking her for recommendations, which he never turned down.
It was almost like he knew her schedule, coming in during non-peak hours and almost always when it was just her and Tamura or Darlene working (neither of whom had the patience for the circulation desk - or people - and left it to Nancy).
He frequently asked her about the events she was planning and would listen while she talked about them, often giving a suggestion or helping troubleshoot a problem she had run into. Nancy had thought about inviting him to participate in some of them, but most didn’t quite seem like his thing - even if he read every type of book he could get his hands on. The Yarn Night for people to crochet, knit, or sew together was a miss—he joked that he didn't have the hands for it. She had half-jokingly invited him to the West Coast Swing Night that was halfway through October, but he had a family thing and couldn’t attend.
“Next time, though,” he’d said smiling. “I have a mean push break.”
Nancy had had to google that later and then found herself wondering how he knew anything about West Coast Swing. But it turned out that Joseph not attending the West Coast Swing night ended up as a blessing in disguise, as her newly discovered biological father Ryan had decided to make an appearance at the event in an effort to support Nancy. He wasn’t much of a dancer and the night ended up with three broken toes and a sprained ankle, all of which belonged to dance partners of Ryan. Nancy could not imagine dealing with that disaster while Joseph watched.
–
Tuesdays weren’t Nancy’s usual day to work, but Darlene had called out at the last minute, so Nancy agreed to work the afternoon shift.
“Oh, Nancy!” Rebecca sighed in relief, as she walked into the staff room (which was really just a book storage room with a microwave and a table) to put her bag down. “Thank you so much for coming in. Though, I wish you’d been just a few minutes earlier. You just missed Ace!”
Nancy forced a smile. The last few weeks, Rebecca had only gotten more insistent on introducing Nancy to her son and Nancy was running out of ways to deflect.
“Yeah? Is he normally here on Tuesdays?”
“He comes by a few times a week to bring me lunch.” Rebecca smiled fondly, pointing to the takeout container on the table. “He was in, updating the software on all the computers. And!” Rebecca looked at her delighted. “He fixed that bug in the catalog system that’s been giving us grief.”
“Oh, that’s great!” Nancy said genuinely. She knew Rebecca’s son, Ace, was a dishwasher at a local restaurant. How he knew how to fix bugs in library software, Nancy couldn’t begin to guess.
“He’s our unofficial I.T. department.” Rebecca nodded. “He spent so much time here growing up, I tried to figure out ways for him to be useful. You know, he came up with the current layout of the library.”
“Did he?” Nancy asked, now wanting more than anything to leave this conversation. No offense to Ace, but listening to people talk about how great their kids were had never been a strong point of Nancy’s. And, if she was honest, she didn’t really care to meet Ace. She would much rather continue talking to Joseph.
“He did. Part of becoming an Eagle Scout is doing a community service project and Ace’s was redesigning the layout of the library. He spent so much time here planning, I think he might know where every book is just from memory.”
“Impressive,” Nancy admitted as she inched towards the door. She had to appreciate an impressive memory when she saw one.
“You really should meet him. You’d be fast friends, I’m sure.” Rebecca looked at her again with a hopeful look that Nancy couldn't disappoint.
“Yeah, we’ll have to figure something out,” she said weakly, Rebecca beamed at her again and Nancy fled to the circulation desk.
–
Planning the Tabletop Gaming Night at the library had been nothing short of a herculean effort. Nancy had been blown away by the sign-up sheet and then immediately panicked when she had realized she now needed to host an event that had so many moving pieces - literally. Fortunately for her, Rebecca had taken one look at the sign-up list and told Nancy she would take care of dividing up the groups with their Dungeon Masters, despite being unable to be present at the event.
(Nancy recalled Rebecca saying her son played D&D in high school, and assumed Rebecca must still know people in the community.)
Nancy had been delighted though when she saw that a twelve year old girl had signed up for the middle grades campaign of Dungeons and Dragons. She saw a note on the girl’s sign-up, stating she was Hard of Hearing and to please be mindful of that during the event. She relayed the information to Rebecca, who assured her she had it covered, and then proceeded to spend almost every other free moment leading up to the event watching ASL videos on YouTube and practicing signing the girl’s name, G-R-A-C-E.
When the day finally arrived, Nancy was so busy setting up and putting out small fires that she totally missed the player check-in. She did some rounds, making sure everything was going smoothly before heading over to the 11-13 year old group that had been put in the back of the library.
She made her way towards them, mentally rehearsing “Hello, my name is Nancy” in ASL.
Nancy caught sight of the table and froze.
Joseph.
How on earth did Joseph end up DMing for middle schoolers? she wondered, watching as he led one of the boys through rolling his dice.
Joseph then turned to Grace and began moving his hands as he spoke. She watched, mesmerized as Joseph signed to Grace. He paused, letting her respond, and then turned back to the group, telling them what Grace was planning on doing with her turn. The boys nodded earnestly, one giving her a thumbs-up.
Nancy watched for a few more moments, then tore herself away, turning to go check on another table.
If someone asked her later, Nancy would not be able to tell them a single thing that happened at the event after seeing Joseph with his group. She would call the event a success, and was definitely told it was a hit by most of the attendees, but all she could see was Joseph sitting with his group, patiently leading them through a campaign and making sure each party member was fully included.
She was cleaning up after the event, putting chairs back, when she felt someone walk up behind her. Turning, she saw Joseph standing a few feet away, his hands in his pockets.
“Hey,” she smiled at him. “How did your group go?” She put down the chair she was holding.
“Really good.” He nodded, taking the chair she had just put down and putting it in the stack. “They were all pretty new, so it was a lot of figuring out how the game works.”
“I didn’t know you knew ASL,” Nancy blurted before she could help herself.
“Oh, yeah.” He looked a little sheepish. Joseph gestured for the chair that was next to Nancy. “My dad lost his hearing in an accident when I was a kid, so we learned. Comes in handy more often than you’d think.”
“Was that a pun?” Nancy asked, fighting a smile and handing him the chair.
“Not intentionally,” Joseph admitted. “It’d be a better pun if I was trying.”
Nancy let it go. “Did Rebecca know you know ASL? Is that why she put you with that group?”
“Yeah, she wanted to make sure Grace had someone she could talk to.” He nodded again, looking at her.
“Does Rebecca know everyone in Horseshoe Bay? Or is it just because you’re a regular at the library?”
“Both?” Joseph looked mildly uncomfortable. “She’s worked here for years, and I practically grew up in the library. It’s my favorite place in town.”
“Really?” Nancy snorted with disbelief.
“Oh, yeah.” Joseph nodded, crossing his arms. “My mom says I took my first steps in this library.”
Nancy looked at him, curious. “Then why do you ask me where to find things?” She thought she knew the answer, but wanted to hear him say it, acknowledge this…thing that they had been dancing around for weeks.
He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, George, a gruff woman about Nancy’s age who had brought her two sisters to the event, called her over.
“Hey, Drew! I want to talk to you about that book club thing.”
Nancy shot Joseph an apologetic glance before going to George.
–
Rebecca had been, unsurprisingly, thrilled about the turn out for the game event.
“My son said it was a huge success, Nancy!” Rebecca had gushed about the following week as they sat in her office, getting ready for a meeting.
“Your son was there?” Nancy asked, taken aback. She had tried to speak to everyone who had attended (while avoiding Joseph’s table to not be distracted more than necessary), but couldn’t recall meeting an Ace. She would have remembered.
“Yes! He was helping run one of the groups.” she said, head bobbing enthusiastically. “Ace had such a great time.”
“I’m glad,” Nancy said, genuinely, still trying to figure out who Rebecca’s son could possibly be.
They were interrupted again before Nancy could learn more, this time with a visit from the Historical Society and a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, who were there to iron out the details for a joint event the library was hosting in a few weeks.
Nancy swallowed her questions and pulled out her notepad as the meeting started.
–
As Thanksgiving and their joint event with the Historical Society drew closer, Nancy unfortunately found herself working the circulation desk less and less. .
She hadn’t initially thought inviting a speaker to give a talk on Native American history and the real version of the first Thanksgiving would be so detail-heavy but that was because she had not yet met Bess Marvin, Keeper of the Horseshoe Bay Historical Society, when the idea was approved.
Nancy liked Bess quite a bit, admired her drive and dedication to detail, but even Nancy thought that four re-dos of the chair setup was excessive.
As such, it meant that Nancy spent more and more time in the breakroom or Rebecca’s office with Bess, going over everything with a fine tooth comb.
“I cannot believe you built a diorama of the library,” Nancy said, staring down at the scale model of the building they currently were in.
“Oh, I didn’t,” Bess waved her off. “This belonged to my platanchor. He built it years ago and is letting me borrow it.”
“Platanchor?” Nancy looked at her. She prided herself on having a fairly extensive vocabulary, but even she didn’t know that word.
“Ahh, yes.” Bess nodded, giving Nancy a slightly apologetic smile. “Platonic anchor. It's what Ace and I call each other, since ‘best friends’ seems… so passé.”
“Ace? Like Rebecca’s son?” Truth be told, Nancy had started to wonder if Ace even really existed or if he had been erased from everyone’s memory except Rebecca’s as no one else had mentioned him. There was only one photo of him in Rebecca’s office and it was clearly from years ago, when Ace was still a toddler.
“Yes! Have you met him?” Bess leaned forward, event planning seemingly forgotten.
“No, I haven’t, but Rebecca really wants us to,” Nancy admitted, looking at the diorama just for something to do.”
Bess frowned. “Really? He’s here all the time. How many young men frequent the library?”
“More than you’d think.” Nancy shrugged, thinking of Joseph. “Ace must come on days I’m not in. As far as I know, we’ve never crossed paths.”
Bess frowned, clearly thinking. After a moment, her expression cleared and she smiled again. “Well, you’ll certainly meet at the talk. As my platanchor, Ace is obligated to go to support me.”
Nancy nodded, getting the distinct feeling she was missing something - a feeling she hated - but given she didn’t really know Bess and they did have this event to finish planning, she decided to let it go, for now.
“I think moving the podium to this wall=” Nancy moved the little podium in the diorama. “-we’ll be able to maximize the number of seats and avoid any sunlight glare on the screen.”
“Oh, Nancy, that is an excellent idea!” Bess clapped her hands.
–
“Quick - I need to know where I can find a book on musical theater!”
Nancy spun around in her chair, startled. Joseph stood there, in a light purple hoodie that had no right to look as good on him as it did.
“Joseph! You scared me,” Nancy scolded him, fighting a smile. This was the first time she had seen him in several shifts and while she didn’t want to admit it, she had missed him.
“I’m sorry, Nancy, but it’s urgent.” Joseph looked at her pleadingly. “Musical theater?”
“You know as well as I do where those are.” Nancy gave him a look. “How are you having a musical theater emergency?”
“Okay, ‘urgent’ may have been overstating it.” Joseph had the decency to look sheepish.
“If you want to talk to me, you don’t need to make up a book emergency,” Nancy told him, overcome with a sudden bout of courage. They never had finished their conversation from game night, though their subsequent interactions had taken on a more charged energy.
“Maybe I have a paper comparing the work of Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber that I left till the last minute,” Joseph joked. He had told her once that he had taken some classes as a compromise with his parents, but had no desire to go to college just because other people thought he should.
Nancy rolled her eyes. “I think we both know the internet would probably help you more than the songbooks from Sweeney Todd and Cats .”
“Maybe,” Joseph admitted, drumming his fingers lightly on the desk. “But asking a librarian is the best way to start any project.”
“You put a lot of faith in librarians,” Nancy observed lightly, leaning back in her chair.
“Librarians are the unsung heroes of the world,” Joseph said seriously. He was looking directly at her, as if he could see all the way through her, into the most protected and vulnerable parts of her soul. Which was a lot, given the lighthearted nature of the conversation.
“The world, huh?” Nancy looked at him, not even trying to hide the fondness she was sure was all over her face.
“Knowledge is power.” He shrugged, breaking eye contact as he glanced around the library. “Where has more potential for knowledge than a library?”
“The internet?” Nancy repeated, teasing.
Joseph shook his head. He paused for a moment then asked, “Hey, by the way, the Thanksgiving talk tomorrow, is that one of your events?”
“Yeah, it is. I mean, it was Rebecca’s idea, but it’s been me and the woman from the Historical Society planning it.” Nancy fidgeted with the pen in her hands. “Do you know her? Her name is Bess.”
“Yeah, I know Bess.” Joseph nodded with a small smile. “I know she can go a little over the top with planning. She’s not driving you crazy, is she?”
“No,” Nancy smiled. “And honestly, I like working with someone as detail-oriented as I am.”
“You’re detail-oriented?” Joseph shot her a look of disbelief.
“Yes!” Nancy said in mild indignation. “I’ve told you about my days as an amateur detective, haven’t I?”
He nodded, smiling. “I think you might have gotten a bit rusty.”
“Rusty?” Nancy was in full indignation now. “What makes you say that?”
Joseph shrugged again and Nancy wanted to shake him. “I just heard there’s a bit of a mystery afoot that you haven’t solved.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Nancy wracked her brain. The only thing that came to her mind was the mystery of who had sewed the curtains in Tamura’s office so they couldn’t be closed, allowing anyone in the main area of the library to see into his office, thanks to the window. (It was Darlene, Nancy knew. It had been retribution for Tamura getting ink on one of her personal books.)
“Rebecca’s son?” Joseph looked at her expectantly.
“Ace?” Nancy asked, confused. “That’s not a mystery, I just haven’t met him.” She waved her hand, then before she could help herself added, “And it's not like I”ve been in a rush to change that.”
Joseph paused, clearly not expecting that. “You don’t want to meet him?”
She shrugged, her stomach starting to tie into knots. “I’m not opposed to it, it’s just Rebecca seems set on setting us up and…” She winced.
“What?” Joseph leaned his forearms on the circulation desk, looking at her with a different type of intensity than he had been just moments before.
“My new boss setting me up with her son just seems like a recipe for disaster, I guess,” Nancy explained. She wanted to say that she wasn’t interested in dating Ace. Because there was someone else she wanted to date. Not that Rebecca had ever even mentioned dating Ace, but that’s certainly what her boss’s enthusiasm seemed to imply. But despite her sudden bout of courage, she refrained. She took a deep breath and continued, “But my days of avoiding it are numbered; he’s coming to the Thanksgiving talk, and it’s not like I’ll be able to avoid him there.”
“Sometimes you gotta avoid,” Joseph said softly.
“Somehow, I don’t think between his mother and his platanchor I’ll be able to.” She gave a wry grin. “But it’s fine. I’ve only heard great things about him, so…”
“So it’s not like you’re afraid he’s a jerk? Or a total weirdo?” Joseph asked, his mouth quirking.
“No, but given I’ve survived working with Tamura and Darlene for this long,” Nancy gave him a knowing look and Joseph smiled. “I think I can handle meeting him, even if he is.”
“Well, I know I’m looking forward to it.” Joseph stuffed his hands in his back pockets.
“You’re going?” Nancy asked, surprised. Other than game night, Joseph hadn’t come to any of the library’s special events.
“Of course!” Joseph smirked. “I wouldn’t miss you solving the Great Ace Mystery.”
Nancy huffed out a laugh. “And learning about the history of the Passamaquoddy tribe?”
“A bonus.” He winked at her. “See you tomorrow, Nance!”
–
The next day saw Nancy at the library bright and early. She met Bess and the speaker, a young woman named Addy, who Nancy quickly learned was also Bess’s girlfriend, in the parking lot and helped them unload Addy’s car.
“Are you nervous?” Nancy asked Addy as they hauled the boxes through the front doors of the building.
“Not at all.” Addy shook her head. “I give speeches like this all the time. Usually though, they’re much louder, and to people who say something ignorant when they’re touring the Historical Society.”
Nancy was saved the trouble of figuring out if Addy was joking by Bess rolling her eyes. “She’s being dramatic,” she told Nancy. “Addy leads several Passamaquoddy-focused tours a week and only yells at people who deserve it!”
“I’ll have to come to one sometime.” Nancy set the box she was carrying down next to the podium.
“Oh absolutely!” Bess looked thrilled. “I’ll give you the behind-the-scenes tour!”
Nancy smiled and nodded as they got to work setting up. The three of them made a good team and the artifact tables, blown-up photographs, and Addy’s slideshow were all set up well before the event was supposed to start.
The three women were making last minute adjustments, straightening the artifact displays more for something to do than because the displays needed it, when Bess let out a high-pitched squeal.
Nancy spun around, almost knocking several Passamaquoddy art pieces to the ground. “What?”
“That’s her Ace squeal,” Addy told Nancy, not looking up from her computer.
“Ace texted me!” Bess confirmed, eyes locked on her phone.
Nancy looked at Bess again, at a loss. “You make that sound every time Ace texts you?”
“Of course not.” Bess waved her off. “Just when he tells me something exciting.”
“And what was it this time?” Addy asked, still absorbed making tweaks to her slideshow.
“He’s on his way here!” Bess beamed. Addy snorted.
Everything in Nancy wanted to ask why that was worthy of an ear-piercing shriek, but she decided to let it go, in favor of ignoring the knot in her stomach that seemed to be getting heavier.
She wasn’t sure why she was so anxious to meet Ace. In truth, all Rebecca had said was that she thought Ace and Nancy would be good friends. It was Nancy who had assumed another motive. But all the same, meeting Ace at an event that Joseph was also attending seemed like a bad plan. Like a mid-2000s romcom gone awry. Or, maybe borrowing a page out of Joseph’s read pile, like a bad Jane Austen plot where the lady grows fond of one person, only to have been betrothed to another… Okay, now she really was just being dramatic.
Nancy forced herself into several deep breaths, reminding herself that she had no reason to be nervous to meet Ace. She met people all the time, and this was no different.
She heard the door open and Bess let out an excited, “ACE!” as she turned to greet the stranger she had heard so much about.
Except it wasn’t a stranger.
It was Joseph.
“Joseph?” Nancy asked, her brain struggling to work through all the thoughts whirring around. “You’re early.”
“Joseph?” Addy and Bess asked, simultaneously. Joseph (Ace?) looked vaguely uncomfortable.
“Hi, Nancy,” he said, giving her a pained smile.
“You’ve met?” Bess asked, looking back and forth between them.
“You’re Ace?” Nancy asked, slowly slotting pieces together in her mind. It felt like the world was shifting beneath her feet, slowly turning upside down again.
“Technically, yes.” He took a step towards her. “That’s what most people call me.”
“Most people? ‘Ace’ was on your high school diploma,” Bess said, staring at… Ace, Nancy supposed.
“You’re Ace?” Nancy said again, now wondering how she didn’t see it sooner. Of course the person who told her he took his first steps in the library would also be the same one who built a scale model of the building. Of course the son of a librarian would think so highly of the profession.
Or the fact that Rebecca had the same last name as Joseph, Nancy realized. God, she really had gotten rusty.
“So, you two have met?” Addy asked, finally looking up from her computer.
“Yeah, he’s a regular here. He comes in like twice a week when I’m on shift,” Nancy said, unable to take her eyes off of Ace. “Why did you let me call you Joseph if everyone calls you Ace?”
Ace shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”
Behind him, more people began to file into the building for Addy’s talk. Nancy jerked her head toward the back of the library and Ace nodded, wordlessly following her deep into the stacks and away from prying eyes.
She stopped, idly aware that they were in the same section where she had first recommended a Jane Austen biography, and turned to face him, crossing her arms protectively around herself.
“I’m very confused,” she began, trying to keep her tone even. “Were you making fun of me or something?”
“No, oh god, Nancy, of course not,” Ace assured her quickly. He reached out as if to touch her arm but seemingly thought better of it and dropped it to his side.
“Then, what?” she pressed, looking up at him.
“I– shit, this is going to sound so stupid.” Ace ran a hand through his hair. “It took me weeks before I got up the courage to even talk to you, and when I finally did, and you were talking about those books, I just wanted to keep talking to you and I don’t know why I didn’t correct you then.” He gestured absently. “I guess part of me thought it was bad manners to correct you? Like I said - so stupid. And then, we just kept talking, and it was too late to say anything. So I just.. I didn’t?”
Nancy stared at him. “That is stupid,” she agreed, smiling a little. “But it’s so stupid, I believe you.”
Ace’s shoulders dropped in relief. “I tried to tell you a couple of times,” he admitted. “But we got interrupted, or I just chickened out.”
“Is that why you asked me about the Great Ace Mystery?” Nancy asked, allowing her arms to drop to her side.
“I think I was trying to give you hints?” Ace said. “Like, if you figured it out yourself, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal?”
“If I hadn’t been so busy planning this with Bess, I probably would have had more time for it,” Nancy told him, taking a slight step forward. “I was busy!”
“That’s all it took to get you off the case?” Ace smiled at her. “You know, for a girl who was once on-track to be a detective, you had a hard time seeing what was right in front of you.”
“I hardly think there were that many clues that you were Ace,” Nancy said, slightly defensively.
“I’m not talking about that,” Ace gave her a smile that nearly melted her heart. Nancy looked at him, questioningly.
“I meant, that Joseph or Ace - whichever you want to call me–”
“I think Ace fits you better,” Nancy cut in quickly and Ace’s expression softened a bit.
“Whatever my name is, I’ve been wanting to kiss you since you went on a rant about Jane Austen.” He leaned down a bit, their noses almost brushing.
“Yeah?” Nancy nudged his nose with her own. “Should I go on another one right now? Or can I interest you in some books about Ada Lovela–” Ace kissed her, his arms coming around her waist, pulling her closer. Nancy’s arms looped around his neck, one hand going straight to his hair. Not for the first time that day, Nancy felt as if the world was spinning in every direction, leaving her to its mercy, hoping things would still be okay when the world eventually righted itself. Except this time, Ace’s arms around her, grounding her. He was gravity, keeping her planted, protected. All too soon, they broke apart, panting.
“The talk–” Nancy said, catching her breath, blinking furiously. “I have to go introduce Addy. And try to pay attention to her presentation.”
“And Bess will kill me if I miss it.” Ace nodded, giving Nancy a kiss on the temple. His arms loosened slightly, but didn’t completely let her go. She could tell he was as reluctant to go back as she was.
“It should only be about an hour?” Nancy told him, absently playing with the hair at the nape of his neck . “We’ll have to clean up, but that shouldn’t take long. Then, it’s you and me.”
“Do you want to come to my place after?” Ace asked, searching her face. “I think I’ve got some overdue library books that should be returned.”
“Well, we can’t have that.” Nancy smiled, pulling him down for another kiss as he grinned. Over the years, Nancy had gotten used to her world turning upside down, but she had never thought it could happen because of something good. And as it turned out, she was quite alright with it as long as it meant she was kissing Ace.