Page 150 of The One With the Mountain Man

"Come on," Maeve pushed back her chair, "let's go get set up early. Sharon is bringing new swag today. We're the models for the website."

Still Standing still seemed like a different place to me when it was empty like this. The floorboards creaked and the lighting was all wrong. It was still a saloon, but it was a saloon that was also a book club and gourmet food hideaway, and where I met Mack on Thursday afternoons to taste Scottie's menu of the week while we talked breathlessly about the books we were reading and all the publishing industry gossip we found online.

We used the bar to line up the stickers Maeve made. "These are grim, Maeve. Grim." I tapped the sticker where a woman was buried under a pile of books.

She held up a tombstone sticker with books falling everywhere. "Murdered by my TBR Pile is my favorite."

This group. I loved them, loved how they jumped to help me, but damn were they weird.

"You can shake your head at me all you want, young lady, but we can't keep these items in stock!"

"I guess there are a lot of murderous weirdos out there in the world then." I turned as the door opened and Sharon came in with Liam behind her, arms laden down with boxes.

"It's TBCIMA day!" she sang out. "And check out the new shirts!" She waved her hand at the light pink t-shirt she was wearing. In darker pink it said Murderous Meddling Little Book Nerds and had a picture of a woman reading a book beside the words. "Scottie is going to die. He's just going to die!"

"Isn't that the point," I said more to myself than anyone else. Not that it mattered with as quiet as it was in here.

Sharon spun on me. "I see what you did there. Murder book club. Dying. But you know that's not what I meant."

"Why pink, Sharon? I feel like murder book club should come in grey or something darker."

She might be my favorite writer of all time, but she had a gift for this book merch business. Her smile was all sly and devious. "It subverts the darker themes of death, my dear. The little explosion it makes in your brain when it tries to reconcile murder with the pink, girly book nerd is precisely the point and why they're going to fly off the shelves!"

Maeve started pulling things out of boxes. "Are you going to be here next month for book club?"

Most of Jackson's siblings and friends knew we were engaged but we were taking a perverse amount of joy in keeping this secret from the M&Ms specifically. "I think so."

"You're all rented out through October, right? Any thoughts on staying for the winter?" Sharon bumped her shoulder against mine.

"We'll see. My friend Charley will be here for a few weeks."

"Bring her to book club!" Maeve called out.

Charley was reading along. She was studying and plotting like it was a playoff match. Next month's book club was her championship. I was terrified. "I will but you should know I think this violates the laws of physics and combining Charley's personality with this," I waved my hand at everything, "might end the world." They were going toloveCharley and all her snarky, pessimistic attitude.

"Don't be so dramatic," Aviana teased. "Why just a couple of weeks ago we were super sleuths! We can't end the world!"

I knew she was trying to make light of everything, but I couldn't laugh. I had a lot I needed to say and this was the perfect opportunity to get it out there. "Hey, can I have everyone's attention for a minute?"

Liam dropped the shirt he was folding back into the box. Maeve took a seat at the bar. I had all eyes on me.

So I cleared my throat and focused on a salt shaker. "I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for what you did for me. Assembling that command center and using all your resources, it...it might have ended very differently if not for the Alibis. You really are super sleuths. I appreciate you. If you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask. I owe you all big time."

No one said a thing in response, so I forced my focus away from the saltshaker and actually looked at the people surrounding me. Every one of them was scowling.

It made my heart stop. "I, uh, thought that was the right thing to say. I'm sorry?"

Sharon crossed her arms, one eyebrow arched as she studied me. "Young lady, you don't owe us a damn thing. That's not how things work around here. Did we not explain what being a member of the TBCIMAs means?" She glanced at Maeve, Liam, then back to me. "This Book Club Is My Alibi. It means we've got your back. You need a little white lie? We've got you. You need an excuse? Use us. You need us to hunt down a murderer? We're here for it. The only thing you owe us is the same courtesy. Be here for us. That's it."

Everyone nodded in agreement. And even though they were all telling me I was one of them and this should have been a healing moment or maybe even something communal, instead I felt alone. Uncomfortable. For the first time in a while, I wanted to run.

"She looks like a deer in the headlights," Maeve murmured.

"She needs a hug," Aviana sighed. "Come on, Barnaby."

The next thing I knew Aviana had me crushed in her arms as Barnaby pressed against my leg and licked my hand. Her arms were joined by Liam and Harrison’s, Maeve and Sharon's. Even Scottie emerged from the kitchen to join in.

"Is that better?" Maeve asked.

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