She had thought she’d drop right off to sleep but no. Every time she felt the woozy, fuzzy lull of oblivion begin to overtake her, a creak or a groan from the house would cause her eyes to snap open and stare into the darkness.

The phone call had put her more on edge than she’d expected. She could hear Heathcliff’s even breathing. She tried to mimic him but it was no use. Finally, she reached down and pulled his fleece blanket up the bed until Heathcliff was beside her. She absorbed his dog warmth through her heavy covers and finally, she fell asleep.

• • •

It was opening day for the show, and the library was abuzz with nervous jitters. Beth had brought coffee and doughnuts from the bakery in the general store, so all of the staff members were overcaffeinated and oversugared. Lindsey would have loved it if it sped up shelving and check-in, but instead, it seemed to make everyone hyper and unable to stay on task.

“Beth, what are you doing?” Lindsey asked.

Beth had dragged a ladder out of the supply cupboard and was dusting off the tops of the bookshelves.

“Cleaning,” Beth said.

“I can see that,” Lindsey said. “Let me be more clear: Why are you cleaning up there right now?”

Beth bit her lip and looked down at Lindsey. “I’m nervous. You know I always clean when I’m nervous.”

It was true. When they had roomed together during graduate school, Lindsey had found Beth scouring their oven in the middle of the night in an attempt to manage her nerves over final exams.

“I appreciate your anxiety,” Lindsey said. “But do you think you could clean something closer to the ground? It won’t help the play if you fall and break something.”

“Oh, good point,” Beth said. She carefully climbed down the ladder. “Speaking of falling, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fi—” Lindsey had been about to say fine, but she thought better of it. “I’m okay.”

“Just okay?” Beth asked.

Lindsey studied her friend. Her big eyes were sparkling with bright-eyed optimism. “What are you talking about? What’s going on in that brain of yours?”

27

“Nothing. Well, I just thought maybe you and Sully . . .” Beth trailed off. “No?”

Lindsey thought about the moment last night in front of the police station when she had almost kissed him. She felt her face grow warm, but she refused to acknowledge it.

“Why would Sully and I . . . ?” she began but Beth interrupted her.

“Because it was such a daring rescue,” Beth cried. “There you were dangling off the balcony. Everyone was yelling and panicking and then Sully came dashing up the aisle with the mattress. He threw it down and then told you to let go and you did. And just like that, he scooped you up and carried you out of harm’s way.”