Page 76

WE STILL HAVE TODAY

I stood in the driveway, staring at Abraham’s house.

For the last week, there had been a sense of impending dread hanging over me.

I needed to leave Firefly and meet with Spectrum Studios to talk about the project.

Amanda would be joining me, and as much as I loved her company, I wanted the man shouting in the backyard to be the one by my side in the hotel room.

“One more day,” I whispered. Despite wanting to spend my last day curled up on Bobby’s couch, he insisted I join him at his father’s house.

My plans had involved fewer clothes, even if I looked pretty good in overalls.

The flannel, however, that would take some getting used to.

Tessa was going to have a field day with my new look.

I walked alongside the house until I reached the gate. “You’re going to kill yourself!” Laurel yelled. I reached for the latch, admiring the woodwork. Every plank had Bobby’s signature touch—each piece fitting perfectly, carefully laid out, with a small heart cut into one of the boards.

With a deep breath, I pushed aside the fear of goodbye and grounded myself in the here and now.

Bobby’s ability to live in the moment had rubbed off on me.

The fear of leaving him and returning to Hollywood would still be there tomorrow.

Right now, I wanted to soak in the love and affection of my growing circle of friends.

I opened the gate and sauntered in. Tessa and Laurel were sitting on a picnic table while Abraham and Bobby were raising the frame for one of the shed’s walls.

They secured it in place, and I heard the loud thwap-thwap-thwap of the nail gun.

Will was in the middle of bringing drinks on a serving tray when the noise startled him, the lemonade in the pitcher sloshing over the edge.

This was the marriage of my past and present.

“About time you showed up,” Laurel said.

“Right? Actors,” Tessa added, rolling her eyes. “I’m about to jump in and show them how it’s done.” Tessa wouldn’t dare risk breaking a nail, though. “Christopher Wilde, what the hell are you wearing?”

I ignored her jab as I walked past. For the last week, Tessa had been working furiously to get everything in place for our next project.

Once she read Amanda’s comic, she went all in.

I think everyone who read it found a bit of themselves illustrated on those pages.

If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Amanda had modeled the best friend after Tessa.

My agent would never admit it, but the story had gotten its hooks in her.

“Okay, I think it’s time for a break,” Laurel said.

“But we’re—” Bobby started.

“Tired,” Abraham finished. He might be in his twilight years, but he wasn’t letting his son outshine him. I was sure Will would be sneaking him ibuprofen when no one was looking.

Bobby only wore his overalls, and I didn’t need to ask to know there was nothing underneath. I suddenly appreciated the extra room in the crotch. He threw an arm over my shoulder, spinning me around to inspect the shed. Cement foundation and four walls… so far.

“Not a bad start to the day. I hope you’re ready to get your hands dirty.”

I held up my hands. “There’s a first time for everything. Do I get to play with the nail gun?”

“Uhm… about that… no.”

“How else am I going to learn?” I bumped my hip against his. “Besides, you’re going to need me for the cabin.”

He turned, giving me a kiss on the forehead. “Oscar has the plans, and he’s figuring out the details.” Bobby admitted to needing help to expand on his original idea. Apparently, he wanted something a bit more inviting in case he ever had a roommate. Me. I was the roommate.

“Getting along?” I asked.

“Other than being from Merryville, he’s not a bad guy.

After talking to him… man, I was in over my head.

” I had promised to help, but once I started asking questions about logistics, Bobby caved and went in search of help.

I was glad to see he’d taken the advice.

“He’s going to hire me onto his crew so I can learn how it’s done. I’m excited.”

“You’ll be building cabins in no time.”

“Me? This is a ‘we’ thing.”

“By ‘we,’ you mean I’ll hand you the tools.”

Laurel butted in between us, holding up two glasses of lemonade and thrusting them into our hands. “Will you two stop being cute? It’s getting old.”

“So old,” Tessa agreed. “Are there any hot straight men in this town?”

“Girl,” Laurel said, “We’re too much for Firefly.”

Bobby shot me a wide-eyed glance. He didn’t need to speak for me to understand what he was thinking. Tessa’s influence had quickly rubbed off on Laurel. If they spent any more time together, I was pretty sure Laurel would turn into a raging diva.

“Come on, Tessa. We can find ourselves some eligible bachelors.”

Tessa didn’t seem convinced. “Where?”

“Merryville is hosting lumberjack games this weekend.”

I expected her to laugh and say, “Me and flannel don’t mix.” Instead, she shrugged her shoulders and hopped off the picnic table. “Let’s go objectify some men.”

Nothing in my world made sense anymore. “You want to join them?”

I turned back to Bobby. “I have the only lumberjack I need.” With a quick peck on the cheek, I took his glass. “Back to work with you.” I leaned in, whispering in his ear, “I want to see my man work up a sweat.”

“We can still hear you,” Laurel said. She took Tessa’s hand, leading her into the house. “I’ll have her back in time for your flight.”

“The world isn’t ready for those two,” I said.

Bobby nodded. “They’re going to make a lumberjack cry.”

Will followed his mom inside, leaving me alone with Bobby and Abraham.

I was about to make a crack about the “menfolk” when Bobby handed me his glass.

He walked over to the shed, inspecting the joint where the two walls met.

I set the glasses down and joined Abraham.

If I tried to help, this would easily take twice as long.

“We’re going to miss you around here,” Abraham said.

I climbed onto the table beside him. I didn’t know what to say. Bobby and I had barely talked about it. This early in a relationship, a couple of weeks apart, would feel like an eternity. While I wanted the movie to happen, I wished they had pushed back the meetings.

“Don’t worry, son. We’ll be here when you get back.”

“I know.” His calling me “son” didn’t escape my attention.

“The more it hurts to leave, the more excited you’ll be when you get back.” He took a sip of his lemonade. “The more excited he’ll be to have you back.”

Abraham didn’t fool me anymore. Bobby’s dad was a big ol’ softy with a heart of gold.

He could hide behind his jokes, but I had him figured out.

Yes, I’d miss Bobby and having my big spoon at night.

I’d also miss the good-natured ribbing from Abraham, the frantic energy of Laurel, and even Gloria’s intense stare as she undressed me with her eyes.

“Firefly got to you,” Abraham said. “It has a way of sucking you in and never letting go.”

I watched as Bobby stared at a stack of plywood.

He pulled out his tape measure, checking the height of the window in his frame.

I couldn't imagine a running toilet had brought us to this moment. I was sure if I hadn’t met him then, I’d have bumped into him at some point.

Our story started with a bang, and yet, every time I watched him do his job, my heart skipped a beat.

“Okay, Dad,” Bobby called back. “Ready to get the sides in place?”

Abraham reached into his belt and pulled out a hammer.

He held it up, giving it a well-rehearsed spin.

“This is your job now, son.” He held it out to me.

I glanced from the tool up to him and back.

It was the proverbial handing of the— “It’s a hammer.

In case you didn’t know.” He shot me a wink as I took it.

“If your son wasn’t such a stud…”

His eyebrow shot up. “Did you just make a carpentry pun?” I got off the table and gave him a quick salute. “No. No. No. Puns are my thing. Don’t make me get off this table and give you a whooping.”

Bobby turned to see me approaching. Sure, I couldn’t wait to get him alone and scale him like a mountain, but seeing him in his element, it’d be worth the wait. I had committed to come back to Firefly. More than that, I’d committed to entering Bobby’s world, even if that meant calloused hands.

“You ready for this?”

Will’s article had been right. Firefly promised to be my greatest adventure, and I wouldn’t be diving in alone. I got on the far end of the plywood, ready to help Bobby. It was the least I could do after all he had done for me.

“With you? Yes… more than ready.”

“So, this is where the magic happens?”

Bobby snorted. “Sure, let’s go with that.”

He claimed to have an apartment, but I wondered if he lived with his dad.

I didn’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it.

.. mostly. In front of his sofa, he had a coffee table made from a slice of a tree.

The lacquer left it shining, and with the dark metal legs, it could have come from any high-end mid-century modern furniture store.

“Did you make this?” I didn’t need to ask; of course he did.

“Yeah. And the end tables.”

It wasn’t a large space, but with his love of the outdoors, I expected nothing less. This was where Bobby endured winter. The moment the snow thawed, I imagined he’d be outside, axe in hand. Okay, maybe that was more my fantasy, but I bet it wasn’t far from the truth.

“Wait.” I spotted a cardboard box on the table. “Is that me?”

I picked it up, turning it around to see one of the signed action figures from Jason’s store. He blushed. I held it up next to my head, pointing from the box to my face.

“Looks nothing like me.”

“You’ll have to put on the uniform so I can compare.”

My eyes rolled back. “If word got out, I’m pretty sure you’d have to fight Jason off.”