Page 47

His eyes narrowed. “What I’m hearing is, ‘Wow, your town is so boring I have to go door-to-door for entertainment.’ How’s that?”

“I mean, I wasn’t going to say it out loud. Firefly is??—”

“Quaint? Adorable? Has character?”

I wondered how many of those Simon had said when he first moved here. When did it stop being an adorable town and transition to home? He took to small-town life. I wasn’t so sure I could do it with such ease.

“We’ll go with friendly.”

Jason bit his lip, holding back the smile as he nodded. “That’s code for ‘Why are these people up in my business?’ Who have you caught gossiping yet? Rose and Edward listen more than speak.” He patted my chest, inspecting the interior of my jacket. “Gladys. Definitely a Gladys treasure.”

“Is it that easy to tell?”

Jason reached into his pocket, and before the screen lit up, I knew what I’d find. He spun it about, holding it in front of my face. “Famous Hollywood star arrived a disaster and left a stud.” She had already posted the selfie and tagged me. I watched as her likes continued to skyrocket.

“Nosey and business savvy, that’s Gladys in a nutshell.”

“Says the man with a counter full of Valiant action figures.”

His cheeks turned red. “I mean…” I followed him to the front of the store. “Not to be presumptuous or anything.”

I shook my head. “Yes, I’ll sign them.”

“Oh good.” He clapped his hands. “Half of them are already spoken for.”

“Are you the person? Jason, did you buy them for yourself?”

He shot me a stern look before laughing. “Just one. Okay, two if you count Lucas.” His head cocked to the side. “Make that three. Lucas doesn’t understand leaving the toys in the box yet. So, I’ll need a backup for him.”

Geeks. I would never have imagined the sheer number of superhero fans in the world.

Once upon a time, they kept their love of comics a secret, shunned for liking heroic soap operas.

Now? I’m pretty sure they ran the planet.

If they had their way, there’d already be a Centurions 2…

and 3. How many fans would I upset if I said I wanted to retire my cape and focus on less mainstream content?

“Hand me a marker,” I said.

We reached the counter, and he held out a black Sharpie. I picked up the first box. “It’s still unnerving to see my face on an action figure. I used to have nightmares they’d come for me in the middle of the night.”

“Speaking of nightmares…” Jason’s eyebrows waggled up and down. “How’s it going over at Rose's and Edward’s house?”

I snorted. “I thought I was renting the entire house. Who knew I’d have roommates?”

Jason’s face went slack. His laughter came out like a roar, his belly shaking before he doubled over. I couldn’t be mad. Rose and Edward were gracious hosts. The mistake had been mine, and I might as well learn to laugh at it.

“Did you think somebody in Firefly owned a second house they rented? Oh, no, no, no, that is not a thing here. Just be lucky it’s a suite, and you’re not tiptoeing past their bedroom in the middle of the night to take a leak. But if it’s a problem, there’s a hotel about an hour away.”

“An hour?” I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. The way Rose cooks, I’ll officially lose muscle bear status.” We both looked down at my gut, and I held up a finger before he could speak. “Don’t you dare comment.”

“I’m sure Bobby loves a little cushion for the pushing.”

Now, it was my turn to go dead in the face. Gladys and Dorothy were captivated by my relationship with the local handyman; I shouldn’t be surprised Jason enjoyed a bit of local gossip. However, I was not expecting him to skip the relationship and jump right into my sex life.

“Did you think I ignored the gossip?”

“I should have known better.” After talking to Simon, I imagined that while he cooked dinner, Jason would fill him in on the happenings in town. Every small event turned into colossal news.

“I need to know… have you two…” He wagged his eyebrows.

It’d be ironic to lie and say no. This was the one truth about my relationship with Bobby. “We’re not kids.”

“I’ll take that as a yes. Is he…” He peered down the aisle, ensuring the kids were out of earshot. “We were at the creek once, and I saw him changing. I need to know if it was my imagination or not.”

If it had been anybody else, the question would have crossed a boundary, but gossip between gay men lacked subtlety.

We talked about our sex lives with candor and had a tendency to share the most intimate details.

By liking men, we entered a small tribe of brotherhood where secrets were few and far between.

I could leave Jason hanging and give him a colorful innuendo, but part of me wanted to brag.

“Bigger than you remember.” I held up my hand, showing off the thickness.

His jaw dropped. “Liar.”

I had to admit, I took a secret pleasure in being able to share a truth, especially one as tasty as this. “I’m sure you could ask him yourself.”

Moving to the next box, I jotted down my signature and picked up the next. The kids came from the back, complaining about homework.

“When are we getting a sequel?” asked the ginger.

“That’s up to the studios,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll know before I do.”

“Greg is going to be jealous that he didn’t get to meet you.” The curly-haired kid pulled his phone from his pocket. He tried sneaking a photo before I grabbed it out of his hand.

“If you’re going to take a photo, let’s make him real jealous.” I handed the phone to Jason and moved behind the three teens. “Sorry, Greg.” With a snap of the camera, he handed it back to the owner.

“Here.” I handed them each an action figure.

“Really?” asked the curly-haired teen.

I handed an extra to the ginger. “Make sure Greg gets one.”

“Thanks.” They all gave a wave as they headed out.

“You just made super fans out of them.” Reaching into my back pocket for my wallet, I dropped a credit card on the table. “I’ll buy them all.”

“Whoa,” he said.

“Just make sure they find good homes… and I don’t mean your house.”

Jason swiped the credit card, shooting me a disapproving look. “I’ll make sure Bobby gets one. I’m sure he’ll be disappointed the spandex doesn’t come off.”

He punched a few buttons on his tablet before returning my card. “He doesn’t need to worry when he has the life-sized version.” I shot him a wink as I walked to the door. “Spandex optional.”

His jaw dropped. For good measure, I held up my hand again, giving him another glimpse of Bobby’s girth. He let out a laugh.

“Now you’re just being mean.”

“I’m sure you’ll hear more when we come over for dinner.”

As the cool air found every opening in my jacket and jeans, I couldn’t help but crack up.

Sure, the folks here might be nosy, but they were warm, a stark contrast to New York.

Having Jason and Simon around would make it bearable.

Maybe I’d have to consider a second home in Firefly, an escape from the hustle of the city?

It didn’t hurt that there was a handsome handyman who caught my attention.

“Daydreams,” I mumbled. It'd be foolish to move to the middle of nowhere, and for what?

Hiding away from the rest of the world? Maybe the slower pace would let me focus on other things.

I wouldn't move for Bobby, but if it meant having more time to see if our chemistry extended beyond the bedroom, it wouldn't be the most reckless thing I had ever done.

Maybe it was time I put my needs before my career?

It'd be a fantasy I'd mull over on the walk home.