After Hours at Dooryard Books

“This is very upsetting to me,” Nathaniel says, sounding aggrieved enough that Patrick puts down the latest Antiquarian Bookman and turns his attention to what’s going on at the back of the shop. Nathaniel is sitting at the table between Iris and Hector, correcting their math homework.

“It’s the same material you were learning last month,” Nathaniel says, tapping their textbook with the eraser end of a pencil. “Is your teacher obsessed with simplifying equations? Simplifying them stupidly, I might add.”

Nathaniel’s hair falls across his forehead as he scribbles something on a piece of paper.

The radiators are having fits, so it’s warm enough in the shop for Nathaniel’s sleeves to be rolled up.