Page 35 of The Overdue Kiss

Her eyes close slowly as she inhales a calming breath. “No library card? How is this place even functioning? It’s like they want to be shut down.”

“Shut down?”

Maya forces a tight smile, but the twinkle in her eyes is long gone. “A figure of speech, so to speak.”

I scratch my jaw and take in the space around me. Then it hits me. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You’re closing Rocosa Library.”

Her smile cracks. “I—I don’t want to lie to you about it, but it’s a possibility. I’m only reporting stats to my boss?—‍”

I raise a no-nonsense brow.

“—‍but yeah, it’s not looking great. I’m trying my best to bring in more patrons before I go. Not sure it can be done, though.”

“You’re going to help us?”

“I’ll try my best, but I can’t guarantee anything. I’m not the one calling the shots.”

“Wow.” I tuck my hands in my pockets and survey the room. This is one of the landmarks of Rocosa, a piece of our history, not just the town’s but my own. I never thought such a closure would be possible. “Just wow.”

“I know. Please don’t be mad at me.”

I turn to her, my heart clenching at her furrowed brow. “I’m not. It’s not your fault things have gotten so bad here. I’m just surprised we could lose a building that’s been here since the town was founded. There’s even a plaque out front.”

Maya steps closer, determined.

“Des, I’m not giving up. If I can prove that there is a need in the community for this library, I might be able to save it. But what I am proposing is a bigif. It might be impossible. For goodness’ sake, this place doesn’t even have internet.”

“It’s part of the charm.”

“Charm doesn’t help with funding—getting people in the building does.”

“It’s the historical society, isn’t it? They won’t let us update the school either. They think that keeping everything in its original condition preserves the history, but history is getting eclipsed by modern devices. There has to be a compromise.” I shake my head.

“Mr. Sherman has already warned me they’ll be a bear to deal with. I plan on submitting a long list of requests by tomorrow. Unfortunately, I have less than a month to get this library back on its feet.”

“Okay. Just tell me how I can help and I will.”

“I will help too,” Reese says from the stairwell.

We both spin, shocked to see my sister holding on to the banister. She’s in her stained work overalls with a guilty slant to her lips, her usual expression when she comes groveling for forgiveness. Maya peers up at me, unsure how I will react after Reese’s outburst yesterday.

But Maya doesn’t realize this is a common occurrence for Reese and me. Some days, her addiction’s talons squeeze her until she snaps, and other days, I think she’s beat it and I finally have my sister back. It’s a never-ending seesaw between the two.

Her gray eyes are thankfully clear and full of remorse. At least this time she didn’t fall into temptation and drink. She doesn’t want to be this way any more than I do.

I hate this for her.Hate. It.How someone so full of life is forever tormented by one mistake. I’ve never had a drop of alcohol in my life. And until Granny died, Reese hadn’t either.

I wish I’d been there for her that day. Maybe her life would be different if I had.

She clears her throat, waiting for a signal from me to know we’re okay again. I nod and mentally remind myself to check when the church’s next AA meeting is. I haven’t been able to convince her to return to church since the funeral, but I’m hoping with this last outburst, she’ll recognize she needs more than group accountability and a mentor—she needs Jesus.

Reese walks over, the tension easing from her shoulders with each step. “I promise I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. It seemed like a heated discussion, and I didn’t want to interrupt... but I also wanted you to know that you have my support. Whatever you need for the library, you got it. I’m good at building and installing things. I could help with the internet if it gets approved.”

“Thank you, Reese. I need all the help I can get,” Maya says.

“But that’s not the main reason I stopped by. I want to apologize to you both. It’s actually convenient that Des is here since I won’t have to track him down later.” She tucks her blonde hair behind one ear. “I’m so, so sorry for my rude and hurtful behavior last night. It was unacceptable and not the person I want to be. I could blame it on my addiction, but it was all me. Burns called before I arrived at Cliffys, and I was furious that he could still burrow into my head.”

“What?” I growl. Every muscle tenses in my body at the thought of that lunatic returning to our lives.

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