Chapter 20
Saturday morning dawned with a watercolor-painted sky, a horizontal rainbow of soft pastel colors. Stella stood at the bay
window in Arnie’s cottage with her mug of coffee while Jack finished cooking breakfast. Tomorrow, Jack would be gone.
Will he disappear Sunday morning or will I have all day?
How much happiness can we fit into a day?
She wished time would slow down, perhaps start turning backward to give them more. We’ll fit in as much as possible.
She walked to the table where her notebook sat. She opened it before taking another sip of coffee. Words darted through her
mind, swooping like agile wings. She grabbed a pen and wrote.
You are the dragonflies
bursting from knee-high grass,
reflecting the light on your wings,
spreading warmth with your wind,
holding me captive.
I am like air,
shivering in your light.
I close my eyes,
open my hands for you,
as you move around me.
“Ready?” Jack called from the stove.
She closed the notebook. Her chest expanded when she looked at him. Jack was so full of life, and Ariel was right: Optimism
was contagious. The woman who’d been intentionally pushing away relationships and closing herself off had been left behind.
“I could get used to this,” Stella said, repeating his words from the day before. “Seeing you first thing in the morning.
You making breakfast, me drinking coffee with you.”
Jack pulled out his chair at the table. “I can’t imagine any better way to start every day.”
Stella sat and leaned her chin against her fisted hand. “Do you think that sounds too much like a fairy tale?”
Jack shrugged. “Fairy tales come from somewhere, don’t they? There’s a grain of truth in every story. Hans Christian Andersen
said that life is the most wonderful fairy tale.”
Stella reached for a piece of bacon. “It has its share of evil queens and dragons and moments when we aren’t sure the hero’s
going to make it.”
“Don’t forget the handsome prince,” he teased.
Stella touched his hand. “Are you referring to yourself?”
“I wouldn’t say no in this story.”
Stella squeezed his hand. “You’re definitely made of prince material.”
After breakfast, Stella left Jack at the cottage and drove to the coffee shop for pastries and then to the hospital. It was
early, but she hoped Arnie would be awake so she could talk to him.
Lisa was working behind the desk, blowing pink bubbles and tapping her pen to the rhythm of a country song crooning quietly in the background. Her expression lifted when she saw Stella. “All ready for the festival? I get off at lunch, and I’m heading straight over.”
Stella leaned her elbows on the high counter. “As ready as I can be. The committee’s preparation makes it so much easier,
and Arnie is just as organized. How’s he doing? Do you know if he’s awake?”
Lisa nodded. “His nurse just left a few minutes ago. He’s doing well but impatient to go home, as to be expected. Go on in.”
Stella knocked on the door and pushed it open when she heard Arnie call for her to enter. He was sitting up in the raised
hospital bed holding a cup of coffee.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said, before putting the cup on the bedside table. “I’ve been eager to hear about everything. Percy stopped
by yesterday and surprised me. I had the nurse call him because I thought he’d want to know, but I didn’t know he was coming
to town.”
Stella tamped down the irritation that wanted to erupt. “He surprised me too.” In more ways than one.
“He looks good and happy,” Arnie said.
“Mm-hmm.” Good thing Arnie hadn’t seen Percy last night.
Arnie clapped his hands together once. “How did festival setup go yesterday? Did everyone show up? Any problems? Any concerns?”
Stella grabbed the orange chair and slid it to the edge of the bed. “I told you not to worry. If the doctor gets wind that
I’ve flustered you, they’re going to forbid me from visiting. Do you want that? Then who will bring you breakfast pastries?”
Stella shook the brown bag she’d been holding before putting it on the bedside table. “After a plateful of cookies, I figured
you’d need healthy treats.”
Arnie’s eyes narrowed. “I knew you were somehow involved—sending Dana here with my favorite cookies.”
Stella held up her hands in defense. “She asked if she could bring you anything, and I just told the truth.” Stella sat in the chair. “So, how was it? Did you two hit it off?”
Arnie leaned his head back and sighed. “She’s a lovely person.”
When he didn’t elaborate, she bounced her elbows on the bed until he opened his eyes again. “And?”
“And we’re going to have tea or coffee or lunch when I make my jail break.”
Stella smiled widely, and Arnie looked at her strangely. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I haven’t seen you smile like that in ages,” he said.
Stella sat upright, clasping her hands together in her lap. “I’m happy for you, that’s all. You deserve someone nice to have
conversations with. I like Dana. She seems like good people.”
Arnie eyed her but continued, “She is. I should thank you for your sneakiness. Dana spent the better part of two hours here
talking about all sorts of interesting topics. We could have talked for the rest of the day, but she had to go home to let
out her dog. I’m looking forward to seeing her again.”
“I knew once you got over the babbling bit, you’d have a great time,” Stella said.
“Enough about me. Tell me about the festival, and I promise not to work myself up.”
Stella explained how well the setup had gone, due to the committee’s and his impeccable planning, and that there had been
no issues they couldn’t handle. She told him about the volunteers and the vendors and about Jack. But she purposely left out
information about Hook and his untimely departure and her confrontation with Percy.
When she finished, Arnie’s features relaxed. “That’s what it is, then.”
“That’s what what is?”
“Jack.”
Stella stilled. “What about him?”
Arnie reached over and patted her hand. “Someone has turned your light back on. You’re glowing. I’ve missed that. I would
tell you to be careful, but love is an adventure worth taking, and playing it safe isn’t always worth it. Listen to an old
man. Take the leap.”
Stella stared at him. “I don’t—”
“Don’t deny yourself the pleasure of basking in it for a while.” Arnie held out his hand to her, and she slipped hers into
it.
Her throat tightened when she looked at him. “It’s kinda terrifying, opening myself up again.”
He nodded. “My two cents, kiddo? Love is always worth trying, even when it’s scary. Don’t let fear of the unknown keep you
from living.”
Stella nodded. “I hear you.”
“You’ve only got this one life,” he continued, glancing over at the machines beeping and keeping track of his vitals. “Go
live it, and I suggest you love the hell out of it.”
“Are you planning to take your own advice with Dana?”
Arnie grinned and rubbed his belly. “If those cookies are any indication of our future, it’s going to be a sweet, fulfilling
ride.”
Stella released Arnie’s hand. “Arnie, there’s something I want to talk to you about. It’s about Jack.”
His expression sobered to match hers. “I’m listening.”
“The ink only allows characters to visit for two weeks,” Stella said.
Arnie nodded and shifted on the bed. “That’s correct.”
Stella inhaled a deep breath and then spoke in a rush of words on the exhale. “Have you ever, what I mean is, did you ever try or want to try to keep someone around longer? Is that a possibility? When the Irishwoman gave you the ink, did she say there were exceptions?”
For an excruciatingly long pause, he didn’t respond.
“Arnie, he’s leaving tomorrow. You want me to take a leap? Not that I can stop myself at this point, but what about the fall?
I’m picturing Icarus with wax wings. Why does Jack have to go? Why can’t there be a way to help him stay?”
“There are rules,” Arnie said.
Stella gripped the bedsheets in her fists. “Let’s break them! There has to be a way. All of this is magical, so can’t there
be a magical solution?”
Arnie rubbed the back of his neck and looked toward the window. “If there is, I don’t know it. I’m sorry, Stella.”
A niggling started in Stella’s gut. “What about Ruby Lou and Pearl?”
Arnie shot his gaze toward her. “What about them?”
“You brought them out, but they ran off and weren’t in the library at the end of two weeks, right? Is that why their book
disappeared? Because they weren’t near the magic at the time they should have returned to their book? Or . . .” Stella’s mind
whirred. “Could they still be somewhere in the world, alive and well? Maybe the book disappeared not because something bad
happened to them but because they weren’t inside the library on time.”
“No,” Arnie said. “I know something happened.”
“How could you possibly know? You’ve never seen them again. You don’t know without a doubt that they”—she lowered her voice—“died.”
“Yes, I do.”
“But how? What if Jack isn’t in the library when his due date comes? Could we keep him away and see what happens? Maybe keep him from
the source of magic forever so he can stay here with me?”
“No,” Arnie said, shaking his head. “I’m not doing that again—” He abruptly stopped.
“What do you mean again?”
“Drop it, Stella,” Arnie said. “I’ve been using this magic longer than you’ve been alive. There are rules, and we will abide
by them. Jack must return.”
“Then why do this at all?” Stella asked. Her whole body began to tremble. An emotion akin to grief sprang up inside her. “Did
I really need to experience someone else leaving me?”
Arnie reached for her hand, but she didn’t take it. “Stella, I thought you’d like to connect with him in person, so to speak,
since you have always been so fond of him. I thought it might give you courage to open up to the idea of dating again, but
I didn’t expect you to want to literally date Jack. I didn’t know you’d fall in love with him.”
“Well, I did!” she said, standing to her feet in a swell of emotion. She walked to the window and stared at the parking lot,
blinking away tears.
“I’m so sorry, kiddo,” Arnie said sincerely. “If I had known . . . I would have done this differently. I would have done a
lot of things differently, but sometimes life is a learn-as-you-go experience.”
“So that’s it, then?” Stella said, fighting to control the tremble in her voice. “Jack has to leave.”
Arnie nodded.
If Jack’s leaving was unavoidable, she wouldn’t spend her last hours with him crying and feeling sorry for herself. She wanted
to enjoy his company so she could carry it in her heart for as long as possible. Jack had been supporting her and helping
her since the moment she met him. He’d made her feel stable and more confident in herself. She had opened herself up to him,
something she’d sworn to never do again with a man. She wouldn’t ruin their final moments together being a weepy mess.
She wiped her cheeks. Sparkly words pressed through the sunlit windowpanes. Anticipate. Create. Together. They circled around Stella before pressing into the skin on her hands and disappearing. “I’d better get to the library. Keep
resting up so you can come home soon. Everyone’s been asking about you.”
“Stella,” he said with so much compassion. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I wouldn’t have done any of this if I’d known it was
going to bring you more heartache.”
“You know, Arnie,” she said, grabbing her purse, “this has been the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. The
magic, the characters, Jack, these past few days. Jack might have ‘turned my light back on,’ but so much more has come to
life inside me. I can see possibilities now.” She hooked her purse over her shoulder and walked to the door. “I wish there
was a way for him to stay longer. There’s not a character we can bring out who could help us?”
Arnie closed his eyes and shook his head. “If there was, I would have resurrected that person years ago to repair lots of
mistakes. I’ve met a few characters I wouldn’t mind sharing my life with.”
“Really?” Stella asked. “Who?”
Arnie waved his hand. “Never mind that. Would they have agreed?” He patted his belly. “I’m not exactly Aragorn.”
A thought occurred to Stella. “I haven’t asked Jack what he wants.”
Arnie reached for his coffee and took a drink. “He’d definitely say yes.”
Stella’s brow furrowed. “How do you know that? You haven’t even seen us together.”
“That man would be an idiot not to want to stay with you.”
She smiled at Arnie. She knew without a doubt that if he’d thought bringing Jack out for her would have harmed her, he never would have done it. For all Arnie knew, Stella and Jack could have enjoyed conversation but nothing more. “If I brought out the genie from Aladdin, could he grant me wishes?”
Arnie’s laugh rattled his bedframe. “Doesn’t work that way, but it’s a brilliant idea.”
“How do you know?” Stella asked. “Did you already try it?”
He winked at her. “What do you think?”
She grinned and waved goodbye, then rushed off to the library to spend what remaining time she had with Jack, all the while
wishing for a solution to her heart’s desire.