Beside her, Julian didn’t look up from the legal pad he was perusing and replied in a bored voice, “You’re not. The paper’s owner asked me to personally thank Jacob, since he couldn’t be here tonight, and said to be sure to let him know of any more exciting events in his shop.”
“I saw quite an uptick in sales that day as well,” Gus ventured.
“We didn’t.” This was Matt’s father, the owner of Engleton’s Fine Clothing. “If anything, our sales were down.”
Matt studied the table.
Rebecca laughed. “Well, I doubt a bunch of eager young women and curious residents would naturally run from a bookstore and coffee shop to start suit shopping.”
Zhang, who had been consulting his translator, popped into the conversation here. “We have good business Saturday.”
Clark, annoyed this wasn’t going his way, launched into a fifteen-minute diatribe about respectability, morals, and community image. As he wound down, he fixed his gaze on Jacob. “I hope we’re not about to see some kind of repeated spectacle. Our businesses are struggling enough as it is.”
Jacob offered a serene smile. “I don’t see how my love life could affect other businesses, but I’ll certainly keep your remarks in mind.”
He enjoyed watching Clark’s mouth pucker at the idea of Jacob’s very gay love life.
“If you think about it,” Gus ventured with a thread of maliciousness in his tone, “Jacob and Rasul will be contributing to the local economy. Dates mean restaurants. And wherever they go, others are sure to follow.”
Every restaurant owner immediately perked up.
“Do you think it’s too late to ask our new celebrity to be featured at Founder’s Day?” someone asked, sending Clark into another round of bluster.
The meeting droned on until well past ten, at which point Jacob only wanted to bolt home and soak in the tub. Instead, he lingered afterward, making small talk with the restaurant owners who suddenly had great deals for him, especially if he booked in advance, and with Rebecca, who drew him aside.
“Thank you,” he said to her before she could say anything.
She waved a hand at him. “Nothing to worry about. I’ve got your back. But speaking of that. Are you still open for running for office?”
Jacob startled. “You knew I was considering that?”
She winked at him. “I had a feeling, but thanks for confirming. Wanted to let you know I was behind you.”
“I’m not sure I have a real chance, though.”
“You have more of a shot than you think. Everyone knows you’re absolutely dependable and respectable.”
Why did people keep saying that, and why did it bother him so much?
She kept going. “This town needs new blood in all its leadership. I can’t do it—they hate me too much, plus I’m still busy with the hospital board for a bit. I pity you in advance, because I know Nick is going to turn to you to be president next after my term is up.”
Good Lord. Jacob wasn’t looking forward to that.
It’s probably because you’re so dependable.
Rebecca continued. “That won’t be for a while, yet, though. Besides, right now I want you to serve office here. There’s no one better suited. You’re not as young as Gus and Matt, but you’re not so old you’re… well, them. You embrace new ideas, but you’re still conservative in some ways, like how you resist social media. I just wanted you to know I have your back completely, and so do several others.”
He thanked her, hugged her goodbye, and went to join Matt and Gus.
“Does everyone really see me as dependable and boring?”
“Not boring,” Gus said. “But yes, very dependable. Loyal, dependable, solid. That’s Jacob Moore.”
Not the adjectives he wanted to be used to describe him.
He thought of Rasul telling him he liked his brain and wanted to see more sparks of passion.
Sighing, Jacob ran a hand through his hair. “I need to get home, feed my cats, and finish the books.”
Matt grinned. “See? Dependable as the day is long.”
Jacob frowned all the way back to his apartment.
Chapter Six
ON WEDNESDAY Rasul packed up his laptop and headphones and headed down Main Street toward Moore Books. He was a little apprehensive about going, despite having explicit permission.
It was ten in the morning, and the place was decently busy. It seemed there was some sort of book club going on in the circle of chairs near the front window, and the collection of mostly older women waved to Rasul as he came through. The blond ponytailed employee was also there, watching him intently as she loaded books from a cart onto shelves.
Ah, he finally saw her name tag. Jodie. He waved at her.
She ducked her head and turned away.
He frowned, then shrugged. Weird to have a teenage girl hate him for no reason, but at least he could be in the store without having his photo taken.
Jacob was at the checkout desk, working at the computer. He glanced up at Rasul and gave him a polite smile as their gazes met. “Good morning.”
Rasul had to fight the urge to straighten his clothes and run a hand through his hair to smooth any errant strands. “Hey. How are you?”
“I’m well, thank you.”
Rasul was highly cognizant of the other patrons in the store getting quieter to listen to them. He wasn’t sure how to behave with Jacob. Normally if he were dating someone, he’d come up to them and give them a kiss, touch their face, their hair, their shoulders, their hands. He was a highly tactile person on a lot of levels, but especially in regard to romance. He knew being overly touchy wouldn’t be a good way to approach Jacob for actual courting, but at the same time, Rasul worried their fake relationship would be found out if they weren’t engaged enough with one another.
If Jacob had these same fears, he hid them well. After closing his computer, he glanced at the women in the front of the store. “Maryann, I’m taking Rasul upstairs so he can start writing. Will you keep an eye on things for me for a few minutes?”
A spry elderly woman with a cane leaning against her chair turned so she could grin lasciviously at them. “You two lovebirds take your time. I’ll keep people in line.”
“Isn’t there an employee here somewhere?” Rasul asked Jacob as they went to the back of the store. “That Jodie person?”
“Yes, and she’ll do the official store minding, but Maryann likes to feel important, so I always tease her about taking charge. Besides, she’ll actually greet customers, whereas Jodie won’t. She can be painfully shy. I let her work here against her grandfather’s wishes because I think it’s good for her.”
“Why in the world does her grandfather have a say in what she does?”
Jacob sighed. “One, because he’s a rather significant person in Copper Point, and two, because it’s Copper Point.”
As they headed to the door leading to the apartment, Rasul glanced around to see if he could spy the cats, but the space was currently unpopulated by humans or felines. Moriarty was on the stairs again, however, waiting to bolt until Jacob shooed him, at which time he darted away with a hurt glance.
“I do appreciate that you’re letting me use your space,” Rasul said as they cleared the landing. “I promise not to get into anything but the tea.”