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HOME ISN’T A PLACE

“I’ve called you together because I need a team.”

“Now we’re superheroes? Not that I’m complaining.”

In the back of the comic shop, I had hoped for a brainstorming session with Jason. After his success with the comic book convention, I figured he’d have some insight on how to sell tickets for the show. I assumed he’d bring Simon along, but Amanda and another gentleman were a surprise.

“He’ll say anything so he can yell team-up.” Simon rolled his eyes, but his tone suggested he’d gotten used to it.

“Chris, meet Jon. Jon, meet Chris.” Amanda dragged Jon’s hand over the card table, forcing us to shake. “He’s my gay life mate.”

“We met at the convention,” Jon said.

“Ignore her,” Jason said. “They were over watching movies when you called.”

“Pretty sure I met the entire town that day.” I really needed to be better at remembering faces. “I’m glad you could come.

“The movie had subtitles,” Jon said. “You did us a favor.”

“Preach,” Amanda added.

Jason had turned on the lights in the back of the store, lighting up the space where he played board games with the kids. I wanted to ask if he did it intentionally for this meeting of Firefly’s secret cabal.

“Why are we here?” asked Simon.

“Good question.” I could have asked anybody in the town to come.

With their affinity for banding together, I bet it’d be a good turnout.

However, I wanted to keep this a secret from Laurel for as long as possible.

It wasn’t enough for folks to show up and pray they filled the seats.

I wanted a slam dunk win for her and the kids.

“The play is coming up.”

“Are you making us go?” asked Amanda.

“I’ll buy your ticket,” I said.

“So, we have to go,” she said. “Last time, one of them hurled on stage.”

Jon’s nose scrunched up. “Ew.”

“I’ll buy all your tickets.” I wasn’t above bribery. “We need to sell out of every ticket. Every. Single. Ticket. I want there to be standing room only. Heck, I want the people from Merryville coming to see this play.”

“Maybe you could perform another strip tease.” Jon’s eyebrows waggled while the others snickered. “Since I didn’t get to see it last time.”

“Stripping can’t be the answer to every problem,” Simon said. Finally, a voice of reason amongst— “Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.” Jason shot him a dirty look. “I’m thinking of the kids.”

“What do you need from us?” Jason, who would have thought he’d be the reasonable one. “Want us to reach out to folks?”

Amanda pulled a box of candy from the pouch in her hoodie. She popped a couple of pieces of chocolate before sharing them with Jon.

“Jason, you know everybody in town. Can you reach out to the stores? Simon, can you have Dorothy ask folks coming into the bistro?” They both nodded. “I figure that will hit most of the folks. If necessary, I’ll start knocking on doors.”

“That’s so old-fashioned,” Amanda said. “We have this thing called the internet?”

Jon grinned. “Maybe he’s too old?”

“I’m like five years older than the two of you.”

“Okay, boomer,” Amanda said with a smirk. “I’ll get the word out online. Maybe Lulu will let me post it on the town website. Gail would probably love to get a follow-up with you and your charity work.”

I shivered at the thought of dealing with the media. Putting my own issues aside, it could make for a great story. “Let her know what’s going on. If she wants an exclusive, I’m in.”

“He’s not just good looks,” she said with an exaggerated wink.

“What about me?” Everybody turned to Jon. “What? I can’t be part of your superhero team-up?”

“See!” Simon put a hand over Jason’s mouth.

“Peddle tickets at Spectrum,” Amanda said. “Gays are basically a bunch of Peter Pans. I’m sure they’d be willing to miss techno country line dancing to help.”

Jon nodded. “Yeah, that checks out.”

If this had been New York, I’d have to bribe them with money or at least some donuts from the good bakery.

In Firefly, they helped out of the goodness of their hearts.

They had dragged themselves from movie night, clad in hoodies and sweatpants, and met in the back of a comic store without question.

Either the movie was truly horrible or they were the nicest people in the world.

“Do we have a plan?”

Simon gave me a pat on the shoulder. “We’ve got you covered.”

“Is it always like this in Firefly? Emergencies over things like a middle school play? What’s next, prom?”

Jason shook his head. “No, that we’ve got covered. But someday, I’ll tell you about the letter-writing campaign to save the mills. Don’t let the little old ladies fool you. Those knitting needles can be used as weapons.”

I laughed until I caught Simon’s glare. “Oh. You’re not joking.”

“Don’t mess with the knitters,” he warned.

“Thanks, everybody. Laurel is going to be beside herself.”

“It has nothing to do with the fact she’s your boyfriend’s sister?” Jason got to his feet, pulling Simon up. We moseyed through the comic store to the front door.

“I’m sure it has everything to do with that sexy handyman,” Jon said. “I mean, what I wouldn’t give to be the nail he’s hammering.”

“Ew,” Amanda said. “I’m never going to get that image out of my head.”

Jon wasn’t wrong. The thought of Bobby hammering away made my pants tight.

There was something about him—the strength in his hands had that effect on me.

He wasn’t just sexy; he was genuine and kind, and he made me feel like I belonged here in Firefly.

If selling tickets won me brownie points with the entire Wright family, I’d consider it a win.

“Hey,” Amanda tugged on my jacket. Her brow had scrunched up, a slight frown forming on her face. “Have you read my damned??—”

“Your comic!” Apparently, faces weren’t the only thing I forgot. “I’m so sorry. It completely slipped my mind.”

“No worries,” she said. “Between the play, dating your boyfriend’s dad, and signing massive movie contracts, you’ve been busy.” When she put it like that, I realized that my quiet time in Firefly had been fairly productive.

“I’ll read it tonight.”

“There’s going to be a pop quiz,” she said.

“I’m telling you. You’re going to love it.

I have a feeling you'll understand the main character.” Despite her ominous statement, I admired her confidence.

She didn’t waver from her stance. “Then you can thank me.” Brazen and sassy.

I wanted to put her and Tessa in a room together and see who walked out victorious.

“I promise.”

Amanda pointed to her eyes and then mine.

I had been warned. She turned around and jogged until she caught up with the men.

Hooking her arm around Jon’s waist, I envied this band of do-gooders.

I wouldn’t object to having more people like this in my life.

Who knows, maybe I’d have to invite them over for a movie night. No subtitles.

“You’re just in time for pie.”

Living at Rose's required elastic sweatpants.

At the rate she fed me, I would need to hit the gym…

a lot. Our nightly ritual involved relaxing at the dining room table, reflecting on our days as we consumed oversized slices of baked goods.

Tonight, however, she joined Edward on the couch, cozying up to him as they ate.

“You’ve been here long enough to be considered family.

Family gets their own plates,” she said.

I snickered as I entered the kitchen. She used the same line whenever she had me cleaning dishes or sweeping the floor.

No longer was I a stranger in their home; I had officially joined the family, and with that came chores.

If not for the delicious blueberry pies, I’d ask about an allowance.

I cut myself a slice and returned to the living room, settling into one of the oversized recliners.

While I shoveled the world’s best pie into my face, Edward stole glances at his wife.

Every time she looked away, he watched her with a look of admiration.

Seeing how madly in love they were warmed my heart.

“Can I ask a personal question?”

“No such thing with family,” Edward said.

They were undeniably happy. Rose and Edward had this natural chemistry, as if they were the perfect complement to each other.

They made it feel effortless, as if nothing in the world could come between them.

I couldn’t imagine one without the other, as if they had been made to exist on that couch together.

“Once you found each other, what made you stay here? In Firefly, I mean.”

“This is our home,” Rose said. “Anywhere else, I’d feel like a part of me was missing.”

“You could have made a home anywhere. There’s so much world out there. What kept you here?”

Rose’s laughter cut the tension. It lasted long enough that she had to wipe a tear from her eye. “Home isn’t a place,” she said. “It’s a feeling. This…” She gestured to the room. “This is a building. Four walls, a roof, and nothing more. It’s what we created inside that made it a home.”

Edward nodded. “Not just inside. Firefly is home. I can understand why some folks leave. They need to experience the world before they decide where they want to live. I didn’t need to go anywhere to know I wanted my life here.”

I bet if I asked Bobby, he’d have a similar sentiment. For that matter, most of Firefly. Other than Will, I had met nobody itching to pick up and leave.

“Don’t you worry, you’re missing out?”

Edward put an arm around Rose as if they were high school sweethearts on a date. “Oh, I know there are things I haven’t experienced. But for me to be missing out, I’d need to feel like something in my life was missing.” Edward gave her a squeeze. “There’s nothing missing in my life.”

“You sweet talker, you.” Rose took his plate and got up. “What you’re really asking is, can you live here and feel fulfilled?”

Rose might come off as a giddy woman excited about her experiments in the kitchen, but I never doubted for a moment she was sharp as a tack. “I guess I am.”

She shrugged as she exited. “What if this is the adventure you’re worried about missing?”

I froze, my fork holding the pie suspended in the air. I had flashes of red-carpet events and parties at directors' houses. They had once been an adventure, and now they simply were.

Sharper than a tack. Rose held a point only surpassed by her polished steak knives.

I had thought moving here might mean giving something up, but she reframed the thought.

Moving to Firefly meant I’d give up something, sure, but what would I gain?

Since I arrived, it had been one new thing after another.

For a small town, I found more than my share of adventure.

Is this how Simon felt when the town accepted him?

Edward nodded. “I can see the gears turning.”

What waited for me when I left? I'd go home to a swanky apartment. I'd sit through meetings with agents and producers. My life had become filled with acquaintances. We'd talk at parties, but at the end of the night, I'd go home... alone.

“Firefly has a way of giving us what we need,” he said. “I wasn’t lying that night by the fire. It’ll be here when you’re ready.” He groaned as he got off the couch, steadying himself as his knees loosened. “Whatever question is rattling around in that noggin of yours, you’ll find the answer.”

He gave me a pat on the shoulder before heading to the stairs. Edward had a knack for saying just the right thing and slinking off into the night. If my life were made into a movie, he’d be the sagely townsman who provided wisdom at the main character’s downfall.

“Sleep well,” Rose said as she passed by the living room. I got up and had to decide if I wanted to spend the night by the fire before dragging my exhausted butt to bed. Then I remembered I had made a promise.

Through the kitchen, I dropped my plate in the sink as I pondered the sentiment more than the words. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that even as a stranger, I never felt lonely in Firefly. That had to mean something.

When I reached my room, I pulled out an oversized hoodie and slid it on, keeping the chill from setting in.

When that didn’t quite do the trick, I pulled the quilt off the bed and curled up in the sitting chair.

My fingers traced the frayed threads of the well-loved fabric.

I flipped on the lamp behind the chair, settling under the weight of the blanket.

“Time to see what all the fuss is about.”

I pulled Amanda’s comic off the dresser. The bright blue cover didn’t give away much about the interior. I cracked the cover, surprised to see the familiar comic layout. I expected superheroes with bulging muscles and massive guns.

“Whoa.” The first panel showed a kid lying in the grass, a bottle of pills by his side.

Underneath the vivid colors, I couldn’t ignore the reality teens must face in this day and age.

As the main character ran into the school, the taunts and sarcastic comments from other students turned to outright bullying.

“Ollie,” I whispered. While it reminded me of my conversation with the middle schooler, I settled into the shoes of the hero. To some degree, I suspected every young gay person felt this way.

I quickly turned the page. I wasn’t going to bed until I found out what happened to this boy. “It’s going to be a long night.”