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And his wife Sandra was the kindest person, but definitely on the shy side. She was an elegant first lady in her pretty dresses, but Ana could tell she always felt a little nervous at town events with so many eyes on her. Ana would have felt the same way herself.

“I guess opposites really do attract,” Grace added.

Ana smiled, but of course that statement set her mind on Rory again, and she was determined to distract herself before she got lost in her own thoughts.

“Can you show me how you’re organizing the coats again, Grace?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

“Of course,” Grace said. “Come on, let’s do these two together and you’ll have the hang of it in no time.”

An hour later, the library was hopping, and Ana and Grace stood in front of a forest of coats.

It had been mercifully busy when Rory and Maggie arrived, and Ana had managed to avoid eye contact with the big mechanic, though Maggie thanked her profusely for the lovely costumes.

As little as Ana liked to admit it, the two of them did look pretty amazing in their matching red and white Claus couple costumes.

We did a good job for them, she reminded herself. That’s a good thing.

Now the room was full, food was being served, and the head school librarian was thanking everyone for being there.

“Go on,” Grace said quietly to Ana. “Enjoy the party. There’s nothing more to do here until people start leaving.”

“What about you?” Ana asked.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Grace said with a smile. “I have a good book. I’ll guard the coats and take care of any stragglers.”

Ana watched as Grace pulled a thick paperback out of her bag. No doubt about it, she was expecting Ana to join the party.

“See you later,” Ana said, giving her a little wave.

She decided to head down the hall to the bathroom first, just to gather herself.

Pushing open the door, she had to smile at the sight of the small sinks, placed low so the kids could reach them. When she was little, this had seemed like a perfectly normal bathroom.

She turned on a tap and washed her hands, splashing a little water on her face.

When she straightened, she took a deep breath and looked her reflection in the eyes.

“Ana, you can do this,” she whispered. “And you can do it with a smile on your face.”

Nodding to herself, she grabbed a paper towel and dried her hands and face, then pinched her cheeks to give them some color, and headed back out.

The scent of hot apple cider wafted down the hallway to her, and her stomach rumbled. She’d kept busy today, but that meant she hadn’t eaten.

Laughter rolled out from the open doors to the library and she wondered if it was from a joke in a speech, or something that had happened inside. Either way, it was a good sign that everyone was having a good time. Hopefully, that would mean a happy night and plenty raised to help the library.

“Who says, ‘God bless us, every one?’” Rachael Bliss, the librarian, was asking as Ana stepped inside.

The food and drink had all been abandoned on the tables that encircled the room, and everyone was gathered at the center now for the activity. Most of the people in the crowd, adults and a few teens, were just watching.

Up front, there seemed to be two teams with three people on each. Reggie Webb stood with Joe Cassidy and Levi Williams at one table. The other team was made up of Alice Cassidy, Marta Garcia, and Caroline Williams who stood at the other table.

The men had managed to hit their buzzer first and the three ladies were pretending to be annoyed.

“Okay, gentlemen,” Rachael said. “What’s your answer?”

“Tiny Tim,” Joe announced happily.

“That is correct,” Rachael said with a smile. “Ten more points for the fellows.”