The Reading Circle by Ashton Lee Read Free Book Online Page B

You’re overreacting,” she said finally, trying her best to salvage what was rapidly becoming an ugly confrontation.
    â€œNo, I’m not!” he snapped back. “You really expect me to come down to your next meeting and talk about how great football is, when all my efforts to get a fair shake from New Gallatin Academy have basically been dashed by the love affair the South has with that silly game? Actually, it’s more like an addiction, if you want to know the truth! Who do you think got all the girls when I was in high school: The jocks, or the guys like me who wrote for the school literary magazine?!”
    Maura Beth’s discomfort had now morphed into shock. She could not believe Jeremy was acting this way and feared that anything further she said to him would be pounced upon mercilessly. Yet, her independent spirit was not about to be silenced. “So is that what this is all about? We’re going all the way back to high school? The last thing in the world I’d like to do is dwell on that painful period of my life. I was teased at first because of my red hair and freckles. Of course, I learned how to toughen up. Maybe you shouldn’t act like this is the end of the world. If you stay the course regarding your goals, you’ll eventually win out.”
    He continued his lecture while pacing, though he did lower his voice somewhat. “Okay, so maybe I was oversimplifying things. But I thought we saw eye to eye on this issue. You’ve let me down. I realize I’m in a terrible mood because of Yelverton’s decision, but I guess I’d already begun to think of The Cherry Cola Book Club as a voice in the wilderness.”
    â€œYou do love your metaphors, don’t you? At any rate, that’s a lot of pressure to put on one little librarian in a little town like Cherico. The New York Times Book Review hasn’t asked for my opinion even once,” Maura Beth said in an attempt at peacemaking. But one look at Jeremy’s face told her there was no truce.
    â€œHey, if I don’t try to change things up at New Gallatin Academy, and you don’t hang tough here in Cherico, we might as well revert to cave drawings to communicate!” Jeremy continued, finally coming to a sudden halt and planting his feet firmly in the middle of the room. It was as if he’d found his mark for a scene they were shooting for a movie. Only then did he resume his monologue. “Shouldn’t we have loftier goals than who scores the most touchdowns on Saturdays and Sundays? How low should our common denominator actually be allowed to go?”
    Maura Beth sensed the posturing, the playing to the crowd of one, and remained unmoved. Furthermore, she intended to show him she was no slouch in the speechifying department herself. “Can’t we make room for both? Though I will admit I feel like I have to fight the good fight practically every day of my life. But part of my mission as a librarian is to be inclusive of all ideas and interests in the collection that we make available to the public. We’re not supposed to choose sides, but we’re asked to frequently, believe me. Some people want us to remove any books on witchcraft, while others want to know why we don’t have more information on gay issues. The truth is, we’re the first line of defense against censorship whenever it rears its ugly head. Meanwhile, I just don’t want to be known as the Dictator of The Cherry Cola Book Club.”
    â€œI have a terrific headache,” Jeremy told her, massaging the tips of his fingers into his forehead. “Do you have something I could take?”
    After Maura Beth had excused herself and retrieved a couple of aspirin and a glass of water for him to wash them down, Jeremy again took a seat on the sofa where he sank back and considered. Then he dropped the bomb. “I don’t want to participate in the Forrest Gump review. I’d probably end up