Page 17

SOUND IT OUT

“You can’t kill my dwarf.” Sorry, Mike. I did.

“Killed, and now I’m dancing on your grave.”

“But… how did… are you cheating?” Pete knew better. Who needed to cheat? As the reigning champion, this was all skill.

I feigned a gasp. I spent the afternoon with three geeks from Firefly High, schooling them in the art of elven warfare. They stared at the card on the table, their disbelief scribbled across their faces. I might be the most uncool adult around, but I knew how to play the game.

“Should I explain it?” My eyebrows waggled up and down.

The store had been slow, and I loved having warm bodies in the shop.

Sometimes, I found it hard to believe I had once been them, young, into dragons, elves, and magic.

Heck, other than my age, I still felt like one of the gang.

When Ricky asked if their club could meet here after school, I moved around racks and furniture to accommodate them.

“He’s never going to let us live this down.” Ricky shook his head, tossing his remaining cards on the table. “Please don’t dance. Please don’t?—”

I hopped up, pushing the metal chair back. It was less a dance and more of an interpretive victory cheer. All three hung their heads in shame. Someday, they’d be doing the same thing to their kids. It was only appropriate to pass the trauma from one generation to the next.

“Another game?” Mike collected the cards, shuffling them into a stack. “Maybe his highness will take pity on us.”

We all froze at the sound of the bells from the door.

Other than some loitering teens, my pubescent friends had been the only ones in the store.

As much as I wanted to lay waste to their hopes and dreams, I suppose I should act like a real proprietor.

Other than the recent issue of Goblins and Girls , these three weren’t buying anything.

“Sorry, fellas, this is a job for royalty.” I gave them a deep bow.

“Why do you always make it weird?” asked Mike.

“So weird,” Pete added.

“Someday you’ll find yourself a lady…” I eyed Pete, “or a lad.” He blushed.

There were no secrets at this table. “And then you can embarrass the hell out of your kids.” They gave each other a fearful glance.

It’d be years before they realized geeks ran the world.

Until then, the thought of a date was almost as terrifying as my elven arrows.

I rode my victory. A little dance, a little shimmy.

I straightened the action figures on the shelf as I worked my way to the front of the store.

Stopping, I eyed the weather goddess in her box.

I knew exactly where I’d place her in my house.

No. I swore I wouldn’t buy any more of my inventory.

I gave the box a light touch, unable to resist. “Soon.”

“You’re in a chipper mood.”

Tony Drummond, a descendant of Firefly’s founding father. Every member of his family had been born, educated, and died here. He was one of the lucky ones who fell in love with the girl across the street and lived in domestic bliss.

“I just whooped some teenage ass.”

“That’s not the brag you think it is.”

When somebody said Firefly, the image of Tony came to mind.

The lumberjack stereotype existed for a reason.

His gray overalls had sawdust on them, and the flannel coat with hoodie must have been at least ten years old.

He reached up and pulled off the orange hat, complete with earflaps. I liked Tony. He had manners.

Tony also had a secret.

“Here for pickup?”

He glanced at the back of the store to make sure the kids weren’t paying him any attention. It was endearing that this burly man could wield an axe, but a bunch of geeks had him on edge. When he nodded, I walked behind the counter and pawed through the orders I set aside.

“How’s work?”

He let out a long sigh. Tony leaned on the counter. If I didn’t know him, he’d make me nervous. A guy like him belonged in the bar or working on a car in the garage. Seeing him in a comic book store was almost unsettling.

“Winter’s going to come early. It’s going to make work miserable. Hopefully, we’ll get the area cleared before the snow piles up.”

“Want me to lend a hand?” I glanced over my shoulder and winked. “Give me a chainsaw and set me loose.”

“Last thing we need is a one-armed comic store owner. But on a good note, it means ice fishing will be here in no time. I just got a new heater for the shack. You can always join me.”

Ice fishing is the most boring activity in Firefly. I might be a big guy, but I wasn’t built for snow. Or heat. This was strictly a fall body.

“If I show up to your ice shack with a six-pack of beer, you know the town will think we’re banging.”

“You could do worse.” He gave me a wink. I couldn’t help but crack up. I appreciated a man secure with his sexuality. He might look like the typical lumberjack, but he certainly didn’t act like one.

“Nancy might object,” I said.

“You’d think twice if you saw her search history.”

I nearly choked. I had known Nancy my entire life. The prom queen and star cheerleader, she was the epitome of small-town royalty. Now, when I saw her, I’d giggle thinking about her double-clicking her mouse to the sight of men getting it on.

“Here we go.” I pulled several issues from a box. “I added a couple to the reading list.”

He glanced at the back of the store again. The kids were in the middle of a magical showdown and wouldn’t notice if aliens attacked. I spun the comics around on the counter for him to check. He went to reach for them and paused.

“You sure?”

I flipped the comic open to the first page. “I think you’re ready. And if you have questions…”

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his glasses. Glancing at the comic, he started reading. His lips mumbled the words as he jumped from one text box to the next. When his finger stopped at a word, I waited for him to look up.

“Dem-o-lih-ty-on.”

“Li-shion,” I corrected. He let out a low growl. “You’re close.”

Months ago, Tony would have thrown his hands in the air and stormed out. I had worked with young readers at the school. There were comics for every reading level, even for adults who never learned.

“Demo-li-shun. Oh. Demolition.”

He cracked a smile. I looked away as he stood, trying to maintain some semblance of the ‘bro code.’ When I first asked Tony if he could read, he had been furious.

He had come back into the store a few days later, tail between his legs, and apologized.

Having dropped out of school to work in the woods with his dad, reading had never been a priority.

“Think you can handle it?” I invoked the challenge.

“I think so.” He had once admitted that Nancy helped him from time to time. She tattled on him about how he practiced before sitting down and reading them out loud to her. Now that I thought about it, Tony and Lucas weren’t so different.

“If you like the story, let me know, and I’ll set them aside for you.” It wasn’t as if he could read them. I had faith he’d get through them.

“Thanks.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a credit card. He didn’t need to say anything else. I knew first-hand the power of words combined with images. It made me smile as he tucked the bag into his jacket and headed out. He’d never proclaim himself a geek, but I knew better.

My phone vibrated as I basked in the afterglow of a good deed. I picked it up and saw a text from Simon.

Simon: Is it wrong to admit I’m a little jealous?

I leaned over, looking through the front door to see Simon standing in the Bistro's window. He waved. I had a hankering for a late lunch.

Jason: Don’t worry, he didn’t get the back-room treatment.

Simon: I’d watch that.

Me too. I wandered through the store, heading back to the guys. I wanted to ask him out. Again. Had I already taken up too much of his time? How much was too much? I was getting in my head as I tried to think of a witty reply.

Jason: Dinner tonight?

Simon: After I put Lucas to bed? Good with you?

He was even cuter when he played the part of a loving father. If it meant another cooking session, I wouldn’t say no.

Jason: Sure, dad.

Simon: That’s daddy to you.

Woof. I thought about running out of the store and charging across the green to jump him. Running? He must know how to press my buttons if I considered that.

Jason: It’s a date.

“So…”

“So…”

Julie sat in an oversized armchair, legs crossed under her.

I had taken a perch on the couch on the opposite side of the living room.

I had assumed another night of cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

Her presence meant Simon wanted to go out.

Did I mention we were going out for food to her?

Did she know about the date? Even if I didn’t confirm it, Julie wasn’t dumb.

“You look uncomfortable,” she said.

“You look uncomfortable!” Where did that come from? Before I could apologize, Julie laughed. “Glad I can amuse you.”

“Did you buy him a corsage?” I didn’t follow her question. “Cause you look as uncomfortable as my prom date last year.”

I frowned. “I’ll have you know; he’s the one who bought the flowers.”

Her body language changed at the mention of flowers. Had I just spilled the beans? Would the rest of Firefly know the moment we walked out the door? “That’s soooooo sweet.”

At first, I thought it might be sarcasm. She tossed herself back in the chair. “I can barely get Conner to commit to a date.”

“If you ask me…” I couldn’t believe I was about to dole out relationship advice. “The best ones don’t require chasing. You run toward each other.” I should write inspirational greeting cards.

The stairs creaked as Simon came down. I hope he hadn’t heard my moment of maturity. However, the more I thought about it, the advice applied. Neither of us were running away. Simon had lived up to his motto about new experiences, and I reaped the benefits.

“Okay, Julie. Numbers are on the fridge. Lucas is out like a light. Should be a calm night.”