Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
PRESTON
Preston arrived early for the inquiry meeting.
He wasn’t eager, only anxious. After everything that had happened, he didn’t hold much hope for things turning out for the better today. Probably they would get worse, just as he had felt worse the past few days, still going about his routine like nothing at all had changed, except for how he felt like a hole had been blown straight through his chest.
But Harmony and her magic were gone, and the town only had him, so he’d assembled all his notes and come to the town hall chambers ready to speak up for the library.
Cheryl was there already, chatting with a couple of her friends and Travis, who leaned on one of the tables at the front of the room. She shot Preston a superior look. As he took a seat on the far aisle, he could hear her murmuring about “that exposed scammer” and Travis laughing. Preston stared only at his notes while listening to them debate his lack of judgment for dating her. Rumors about Harmony and the festival had been flying all over town. People were worried. Cheryl clearly thought this would only benefit her today.
He was concentrating so hard on not looking at anyone and keeping a brewing stomachache at bay, he didn’t notice at first how full the chambers were getting. But the shuffling and conversations grew too loud to ignore.
The seats were filled with people. Ellie Vickes and several other friends of Cheryl were near her in the audience now, but Libby and Bonnie and Sarah were sitting off together on the other side of the room. Sarah caught Preston’s eye and waved. Libby gave him a thumbs-up. And all around them, other library patrons had come. He twisted in his seat to see the entire GSA was sitting behind him. Holy shit. He’d halfheartedly posted about the inquiry on those new social media accounts, but as Harmony had said, no one tended to show up except to complain.
The town had come out for their library.
Nina propped her crossed arms on the back of the seat next to him. “Why didn’t Ms. Hale come?”
Before he could reply, Jordan asked, “What they’re saying about her isn’t actually true, is it?”
His mouth opened and closed once, and he looked down at his notes as if the answer to their questions might be found there.
“Because that’s BS,” Jordan said darkly. “She wouldn’t do that. Like, she’s the one that got everyone here.”
Preston looked up, the room seeming to go quiet and empty again, except for Jordan’s words. “What do you mean?”
“Emailed everyone, posted everywhere, made us all promise. Mr. Jones, she’s not really gone, is she?”
Nina slumped back in her seat. “If there’s no festival, then all our work was wasted.”
“It’s not wasted,” Jordan huffed. “She said she’d teach me stuff and she did. I’m not stopping. Wait till your mom hears me during open comments, and that’s just the start. I have a whole strategy for the next city development meeting.” She jabbed an emphatic finger in the air, in a way Preston knew she’d picked up from Harmony. “They are gonna listen about the risk of soil erosion and wildfires and harming the burrowing owl habitat, before they clear-cut any more land.” Her brow pinched. “You really think she didn’t care at all?”
Surrounded by all the people she’d gathered here, Preston suddenly found he couldn’t answer that.
They were interrupted anyway, as the rest of the council had arrived and Travis called the meeting to order. Cheryl spoke first, all her carefully couched concern for children, for parental rights. She called into question the judgment of the library staff and proposed a committee appointed by the council to oversee culling the collection, new acquisitions, programming, and staff. Preston studied the faces of the councilors. Travis was a given to act in his wife’s favor. But he couldn’t get a read on anyone else. Was this going poorly already? Was this one of those times people went through the motions but already had their minds made up?
And then it was his turn.
As he took the podium, with hands that were not shaking enough for anyone to tell, he hoped, Preston couldn’t help remembering Harmony’s advice—because why wouldn’t he be thinking about her right now when everything depended on his keeping it together? People want you to succeed.
All these people she’d gotten to come. They were rooting for him. And they were counting on him.
He launched into his prepared statement. All the information about the library’s mission, the statistics about patron usage, circulation and attendance numbers, plus the American Library Association’s statements on the First Amendment. He used all his regular tricks, looking at the councilors’ ears rather than eyes when he lifted his gaze, matching facial expressions. He couldn’t tell if this was going well, but when he reached the end of his notes he found he wasn’t done speaking.
He steered his gaze directly into Travis’s eyes. “Ultimately, our library needs to exist for everyone in our town. It needs to serve every race and disabled and LGBTQ+ patrons.” Preston went on, to the rest of the council, “It needs to include them in its materials and programming, because to not do so would mean actively erasing them. It would be telling the children who use the library that who they are, or who their siblings or friends or parents are, is not okay. That they should not exist. That’s a statement to the people of this town, to its children, that this council could but should not make.” He broke his pretend eye contact with the people at the head of the room to turn in Cheryl’s direction. “We should accept everyone, even if they turn out to be different from what you thought. Even if their lives are different than yours or what you imagined.”
He wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince her to finally get her head out of her ass about Nina, or somehow trying to talk to his own father, a hundred miles or two decades away.
Or maybe himself, as he felt all over again what a shit he’d been to Harmony when she’d tried to explain about her past.
Cheryl adjusted the sleeve of her blouse and murmured something undoubtedly spiteful to her friend next to her, but Preston was too busy hoping Harmony was long gone, far beyond the reach of the Weavers and his own sorry treatment of her, to care much.
He gripped the edges of the podium and finished, “I think the library should be a place of more imagination rather than reflect only one kind of person or one kind of life. I trust the people of Brookville to each use their own judgment in how they and their families make use of our services and materials that we aim to enrich the lives of all patrons with, just as I trust this council to decide in the true best interest of everyone.”
Preston pivoted and took his seat again and promptly sat on his hands because they were definitely shaking now.
Someone clapped him on the back. Jordan, leaning forward. “Kickass, Mr. Jones.”
He blew out a breath. “Thanks.”
The meeting opened to public comments, which took well over an hour. That was what Cheryl got for pushing for a special meeting—at monthly town hall sessions there was a cap, but today person after person streamed forward to take the podium. A few spoke for Cheryl’s side, but far more supported the library. Sarah mentioned the tutoring club her eldest, Joey, had used in middle school. Libby mentioned the value of the library to the school district’s families and praised the book club, noting specific titles they’d chosen for their first year, some of which were on the contested list. Nina beamed encouragement while Jordan spoke confidently about the GSA—her voice didn’t even tremble, like back at the band auditions. And so many others.
Preston couldn’t help feeling more than ever the absence of one person. Harmony had done this. The rumors were all saying she’d reneged on her promise to help the town, but she’d made these connections that were working today to save something important. And he’d accused her of simply trying to steal from them all. He fought to hold himself together. He had to see this through.
At the end of comments, Travis adjusted his mic, mouth halfway open already, but Vinitha Newell spoke first. “Thank you, Mrs. Weaver and Mr. Jones, for sharing with us here today.” She addressed the crowd. “And thanks to all of you for being here and letting the council know your thoughts on this important issue. I have to take a moment to say, I have been concerned about the direction Brookville seemed to be taking, with regards to the library and free speech. The calls for censorship have both a chilling effect on freedom and, I believe, a part in provoking actual physical violence against public servants, which is something I would very much hate to see happen in our town.” She paused a moment, looking at Cheryl and Ellie Vickes beside her. Then she tipped her head to Preston. “No matter how forgiving our wonderful public servants may tend to be, we have a duty to speak up against such things whenever we can.”
Travis looked like he was struggling to hold a mouthful of marbles in. He pulled his mic closer and said, “Everyone on the council is eager to discuss the matter, but it’s gotten rather late. Perhaps we ought to adjourn and move that to our next private session?”
Ms. Newell gave a pleasant shrug. “I think it won’t take very much time for the council to come to a decision on this.” One or two on the council were blank faced still, but all the others nodded. Some of the audience drifted out while a few councilors made their own comments or asked Preston to answer a question—thank god for his over-prepared notes—or Cheryl, who talked a lot without saying much. After what seemed like an age in this room under the whining fluorescent lights, but also far too soon, Ms. Newell made a motion to vote on a resolution affirming the work of the library and taking no action to direct a change in materials, programming, or oversight. The motion was seconded, the vote taken, and it passed.
A grim-faced Travis struck his gavel and it was over.
Preston was honestly still trying to catch up with what had happened when the GSA cheered with the volume only a group of teenagers could achieve, and he covered his ears. People came up to congratulate him or thank him. Sarah and the others too. When he thanked them for making their comments, Libby rolled her eyes and said, “Cheryl talked about trying the same stunt at the school board meeting, aiming for the school libraries, and I’m incredibly grateful she’ll probably think twice about kicking that hornet’s nest now. We just got everyone calmed down about the new state sex ed curriculum.”
Most were filtering out of the chambers, and Preston made for the back door that would avoid any more small talk and take him straight to the parking lot and home to Lacey and Dani, who would be eager to hear how the day went and were probably wondering what had taken so long.
Dusk was falling, Venus already winking in the sky, and Harmony’s friend Alice was leaning against the first row of bike racks.
“Hey,” he said. “How’s it going?” It wasn’t small talk—Alice was fairly new in town, and he could imagine it felt pretty shitty to make a friend only to have them turn into the top story in that month’s town gossip and disappear. “You doing okay with the whole … Harmony thing? Had you two gotten close?”
Alice stood, hopping off the base of the bike rack she’d been perched on. “Hmm, thing is, I’ve actually known Harmony kind of a long time.”
“You—” He was a little fried from the meeting, but the implication hit. “You work together?”
She scrunched her nose. “Yeah, at least until she decided to go straight because she fell in love with you.”
Preston inhaled sharply. “What?”
His whirlwind of thoughts about that were interrupted when Alice lifted a finger and screwed up her sharp little face. “Do not tell her I told you so, or else I’ll call in my guy who knows how to make problems go away.”
Preston’s what didn’t even make it out of his mouth this time.
“I’m kidding.” Alice laughed at his expression. “We don’t operate like that. No violence.”
“You sure?” Zach had seemed pretty quick to resort to it.
Her eyes flicked up to one side as she considered. “One time Harmony got shoved into a swimming pool when she almost got caught, but the only casualty that night was a silk gown.”
“That story was true?”
“Oh, yeah.” Alice cackled. “She looked like Kim at the Met Gala.”
Preston didn’t know what that meant, but you’d think his brain could give him a break and not immediately subject him to an image of Harmony in dripping, clingy silk. Had Alice come just to rub everything he’d lost in his face?
“Neither of us could stop laughing the whole drive down from Beverly Hills. I love working with Harmony, because it’s fun.”
The ache he felt in his chest carried to his voice. “Yeah, that sounds like Harmony.”
Alice shoved her hands into her jeans pockets. “Most people in our business will treat you like crap, but Harmony never let it turn her into someone like that. She got me away from that kind of thing. I’d follow her anywhere, even if she decided to try settling down in a random town in the middle of nowhere.”
He wanted to believe it, that she’d been telling the truth about wanting to stay. Even if she was already gone. Even if it made that hurt a little more.
“Where I actually really like it, turns out.” Alice shrugged. “Small-town girl at heart. Anyway, Harmony has always looked out for me, and she’s kind of been acting like an absolute churro lately—love, what can you do?—so I thought there were some things you should know. Like, Harmony only chooses marks who deserve it. People picking on the little guy. Or girl.” She scuffed the toe of one of her Chucks into the base of the bike rack. “Or seven girls over five years, until Harmony bankrupted his church and shared the proof she dug up.”
“Shit.” This didn’t sound like what he’d imagined when Harmony had confessed to being a con woman.
“Yeah. Or like Travis, who stole her father’s work.”
“What work?” Preston frowned. He felt like everything was shifting under him. “He wasn’t a music exec?” Harmony had said her father had lost everything, but he’d pictured a Behind the Music kind of downfall.
“He did I.T., when he could keep down a job, which doesn’t sound like that often from the little Harmony’s told me. But he created some code that Travis used to make his millions, and Travis cut him out completely.”
So when Harmony had said that about her father—this cast everything she’d done here in a different light.
He was still trying to catch up, but Alice went on, “And she always pays back anyone else caught up in a scheme. The people here never would have lost a dime, only the promise of more, and she honestly thought she was helping them to learn not to fall for that kind of thing again.”
Harmony had tried to tell him. That she’d been trying to steal only from Travis, not the whole town. In the moment he’d been so overwhelmed and upset—
“But then she met you, and she decided, instead, to make the festival real and deliver on all those promises.”
“That’s … that’s ridiculous.” He straightened his already straight glasses.
“Yup. I told her that. But like I said, love.” Alice pulled her hands free and fluttered her fingers around her heart and batted her eyelashes.
“She’d never actually put on anything like that before?”
Alice shook her head. “That’s how true her feelings were for you.”
The evening was deepening toward night, suffocating the light out of the sky. Preston fought to swallow down a breath. There was so much to process, lies and truths, but at the bottom of it all, the only thing that mattered was it seemed maybe—his heart stuttered with the thought—maybe Harmony’s feelings had been real, as real as his love for her. While Alice was throwing around that word pretty freely, he couldn’t know for sure just what Harmony felt, couldn’t even be certain this wasn’t another ruse, but he could remember the crushed look on her face when he’d sent her away. That had felt true and terrible.
Shit, what had he done? He’d thought he’d been okay with things, his whole history with his dad, but clearly he’d still been cutting himself off, shutting himself up, trying to make it not hurt—to not get hurt again. Instead he’d ruined everything with someone who saw him and accepted him and deserved far better than being treated like that.
He deserved better than that too. Maybe he really did need to get back to therapy.
“Harmony’s always taking care of me,” Alice said. “Of everyone who’s been shoved down or overlooked. She’d be pissed as Christian Siriano was when she returned that gown if she knew I’d come to talk to you, and I don’t even know what I hope you could do, but I can’t sit by while she’s hurting herself.”
Preston sank down to sit on the bike rack beside Alice. “I’m sorry I hurt her.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. He couldn’t say how much. “But she’s better off away from here.” He didn’t have much experience with love, but he knew, despite what the poets wrote about it conquering all, it wasn’t going to stand in the way of a prison sentence.
“Yeah, she would be.”
“Would be … if what?”
“If she left .”
“She—” Fuck, it felt like his chest was cracking open. “ She didn’t leave ?”
Alice threw up her hands. “She’s still sitting in her goddamn hotel room.”
Preston gripped the metal frame of the bike rack, resisting the sudden mad urge to grab his bike and get to the hotel as fast as he could. “Why?” The word almost snagged on all the emotion welling up inside him, confusion and fear and hope. If she’d stayed, then that meant it was all true.
Arching a brow, Alice wiggled her fingers around her heart again.
“But she—she has to go. Without a festival, it’s fraud, and Travis or the others will have her arrested.”
“What do you think I’ve been telling her? She won’t listen. She insists she’s going to that contract meeting with Travis next week as scheduled. She’s going to admit everything. And listen, no one has anything on my girl. That’s why Zach was so pissed—there’s nothing to point anyone to, no trail leading back to her, not without implicating himself in crimes our marks didn’t even report because then they would implicate themselves in worse stuff. But if Harmony marches in there and confesses?”
Preston stared at the town hall building, darkening into shadow. “What do we do? We have to talk her out of it.”
“I’ve tried.” Alice shook her head. “She keeps saying talk isn’t enough, only actions. That’s why she was working so hard trying to turn the con into a real festival.”
“Well,” Preston said, and he was definitely clutching at straws, “can we do that?”
Alice snorted. “No way. The whole point is how impossible it is to get a headliner at the last minute, without a huge fee. Everything hinges on that. We’re out of money, and Travis isn’t coughing any up. So unless you know any A-list music stars who owe you a huge favor…” Alice blew out a breath sounding like a cartoon explosion.
Like a lone note rising from a long silence, a fragile hope broke through Preston’s desperation. He angled his head at Harmony’s friend. “Funny story.”