Page 74

EXPOSED FOR ALL

“Coffee. I need coffee.”

I’m pretty sure the bags under my eyes had carry-on luggage. Will had come over, and we sat at the kitchen table for almost three hours while he asked questions. Without a doubt, it had been the most grueling interview of my career. He’d be a star reporter in no time.

I got out of my car and made a plan of attack. First, coffee. Then, I’d settle into a healthy breakfast of whoopie pies. By the time my sugar spiked, the bistro would be open, and I could grab lunch. After the play, Will’s interview, and two… no, maybe three, glasses of bourbon, I wanted comfort.

The sun tried warming the air, but it remained a brisk morning.

The town center was busier than usual. I assumed they were having a bake sale, a farmers’ market, or planning the spring formal.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all one and the same.

It was the perfect day for a town-sponsored event.

The sun was out, softened by giant white fluffy clouds.

For them, it was bathing suit weather. Even I could survive a day like this, but I liked my jacket too much to take it off.

I walked by Twice-Told Tales and spotted Gladys in the window. Hair disheveled, she dropped a box of trinkets when I waved. I half-expected her to run out and tell me about the newest haul. Instead, she clasped her hands over her chest, gawking.

“Okay,” I mumbled. “Glad to see you.”

I continued walking, giving a slight nod to a couple passing by with fresh coffee.

They stepped out of the way, staring. No, it was more like gawking.

I expected this type of reaction when I first arrived.

They’d see me as a movie star and ignore that I put my shoes on just like them.

But now? I figured after a striptease, the play, and being the top topic of gossip, we’d be past this stage.

I put my head down and picked up the pace along the sidewalk.

Something didn’t feel right. I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Normally, everybody in Firefly acted as if they were seconds away from bursting into song.

When I caught the florist at the door with her husband, also gawking, I feared I had done something wrong.

“What if the school has security cameras?” It was the only thing I could think of that would cause a scandal deserving of these silent stares.

In the coffee shop, similar stares. I checked my shirt, expecting to see syrup from Rose’s pancakes. As I reached the counter, I glanced over my shoulder. Half a dozen people didn’t hide their faces. This was unusual even for Firefly.

“Rita.” I leaned on the counter, whispering. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know.”

She slid a coffee in front of me. Without asking, she had prepared a fancy coffee. She pushed it across the counter, her eyelashes fluttering as she grinned.

“Thanks. But seriously, what’s going on?”

Rita’s amusement faded. “Wait, you don’t know?”

“Know what?”

She reached down the counter, grabbing the Town Crier. She slapped it down with enough force that the coffee sloshed over the rim of the cup.

Will must have gotten the review for the??—

“Oh.”

“Chris Wilde’s Greatest Role is a Lie.” After all Will could have published, he wrote a tabloid article. If it got him into college, I’d consider it an acceptable casualty.

“Is it true?” I’d need more information before I opened my mouth. “I already know about the movie deal.” When the confusion didn’t vanish, she let out a huff. “You’re making a movie in Firefly?”

Oh, that! “I can’t make any promises, but that’s the hope.”

She leaned in close, whispering. “You’re the talk of the town. Expect plenty of stares today.”

“More than usual.”

She patted the side of my cheek. “Oh, yeah.” Rita handed me the paper. “Coffee’s on the house.”

“Thanks.” I took the paper and grabbed a chair. Ignoring the onlookers, I sipped my coffee. It was time to see what damage Will had caused.

Firefly Valley, Maine – Chris Wilde, the man behind the fearless superhero from Centurions, came to Firefly, not seeking fame or glamour but in desperate need of respite.

After a film ended in public criticism, Chris found himself searching for a moment to breathe.

His return to Firefly, initially a simple stop for the annual Firefly Con, turned into something far greater—a place that truly felt like home.

Will didn’t throw me under the bus. His article was less a hard-hitting news story and more a character profile. With our conversation last night, he could have written an exposé that would have launched him into fame. Instead, he wrote a human interest piece.

“YOU!” The bell on the door chimed violently.

My head shot up as everybody turned to the door. Like the first time we met, Laurel stormed into my life. She stomped across the coffee shop, and all eyes followed with murmurs of speculation. Pulling out a chair, she sat down. With a quick snatch, she pulled the paper from my hands.

“What are you doing?”

I’m pretty sure one woman snapped a photo with her phone. The familiar swoosh meant it had gone to one of the hundred text chains in the town. I had about ten seconds before everybody speculated if Laurel would slap me.

“I thought I was having my morning coffee.”

“Is it true?”

“Let me read the paper, and I’ll let you know.”

She shook her head, folding it. “Why are you in here?”

I held up my coffee. “We’ve established the obvious.”

I flinched when she reached across the table. She grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer. “Is it true about Bobby?”

“That our relationship started as a lie?”

She paused. Rapid blinking. What was about to happen? Had I broken Laurel? Did she not know? I wouldn’t open my mouth again until??—

Laurel laughed. Like her brother, it started as a chuckle and turned into a full-body shaking kind of laugh. It was loud enough that people on the sidewalk would have heard.

“Did you hear that?” She turned to the others. “He thinks we didn’t know about him and Bobby.”

Everybody snickered. A woman with gray curly hair shook her head. “Honey, haven’t you learned? There are no secrets in Firefly.”

Laurel stopped long enough to gasp for air before continuing. She draped herself across the table, pounding her fist. I leaned back, protecting my coffee. She might not be the drama teacher, but she held her own as a drama queen.

“Did you really think we didn’t know?” Laurel wiped the tears from her eyes. “If Bobby had met you at the convention, he’d have been grinning ear to ear for months. We knew something was up when we saw Gail’s report.”

“You all knew?”

Curly-haired woman’s husband nodded. “Linda, I guess we can keep a secret.” She covered her mouth as she snorted.

My brain couldn’t connect the dots quickly enough. I’d have to replay every conversation in my head. Every time somebody made a joke or asked me about how we met, they already knew? They all deserved awards for their performance.

“Wait. Why did you storm in here flailing?”

“Do you think Bobby hasn’t heard about the paper? I’m sure Walter is giving a dramatic reading as we speak.”

“Good.” I sat up straighter, feeling rather proud of myself. “I want him to know.”

Laurel rolled her eyes. Sliding around the table, she lifted the mug out of my hands. “Maybe you should ask Tessa if she can give you a script for a rom-com. When Bobby finds out, you’re supposed to be there.”

“I am?”

“It’s the grand gesture. Wow. Do you not watch the Romance Channel?”

“She’s right,” Linda’s husband said. "The missus would be livid if I didn't sweep her off her feet." Linda blushed at his confession.

I turned to see Rita waiting, phone held against her chest. She pointed to the door. “He’s playing chess in the park.”

They were serious.

“Can I at least??—”

“No,” everybody said in unison.

This was absolutely ridiculous. I had been in dozens of movies. The gunfights weren’t based on reality. The stunts were over-the-top and outlandish. Yet… they all stared, waiting for a collective happy ending.

“I guess I’m going to the park.”

If I discovered it had been a well-rehearsed joke, what would it hurt?

I’d get to have a moment with Bobby, and we’d finally have that conversation.

I had hoped he’d read Will’s article, and then we could discuss it by the campfire, but the residents of Firefly weren’t going to let me wait.

They demanded our relationship turn into a spectator sport, and they were all betting on us.

With the cat out of the bag, our romance no longer had an expiration date.

Would he want me there? The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to see his face when he found out I had figured out a way forward with my career that included him.

Would we kiss? Laugh? They had gotten in my head. I needed to be there.

I headed for the door.

“It’s happening,” Rita said. “Hurry.” I didn’t need to look to know she had somebody on the line. When the phones dinged across the coffee shop, a simple meetup in the park had become a town-wide event.

“Let’s do this.”