After Hours at Dooryard Books

“It’s a yes or no question,” Susan says, and Nathaniel realizes he’s been staring at the kitchen cabinets for long enough that Susan’s finished washing the bottles. Nathaniel picks up a bottle and starts to dry it. “Do you want to play a few songs at the Gaslight next week or not?”

“Are you sure you need me?”

“I’d lose at least half the spookiness without the violin.” She pulls the plug from the sink and the suds swirl down the drain. “Also, you wrote some of those songs.”

“It’s more like I was in the room while you wrote them.” Nathaniel has a realistic view of their relative contributions. He’s helped, but mainly he does what Susan tells him.