Page 84

WHEN IN FIREFLY…

“So you’ve been stalking me?”

We crossed the road, walking through the green.

I couldn’t figure out our destination as we walked away from Firefly’s storefronts.

Like everybody in town, Tyler had a rustic charm to him.

If he had an axe strapped to his back, he’d fit right in.

Two… no… three inches taller than me, and wide enough I’d struggle to hug him.

He had grown into quite the stud. I wanted to know what happened to him after that summer.

From what I could tell, life had treated him well.

He gave me a nudge with his shoulder. “Stalking sounds bad. I prefer enthusiastically following your accomplishments.” He snorted.

His voice might have deepened, but the way he laughed brought me back to my senior year.

“Okay, that sounds bad, too. How about I knew you’d be in town, and I hoped to run into you? ”

“In a bathroom?”

“If I recall, you followed me in.”

“Can I blame it on the alcohol?”

“I hope you don’t.”

Was this flirting? Were we flirting? Maybe I wasn't a lost cause? I’m sure I’d find Amanda later and over-analyze the encounter.

First, she’d have to get over being angry that I ditched her twenty years ago to kiss my first boy.

Maybe she’d understand. Or she’d just be annoyed I abandoned her for a boy.

“Sorry about that. I was in a mood.” Did I just apologize for making out with a sexy lumberjack? “Not sorry enough to not do it again.”

“It happens.” We reached the edge of the park and came to an old stone building with five cement stairs leading to an ominous wooden door. It must have been as old as the original mills that created the town. It couldn’t have been any bigger than Mimi’s house.

“We’re here.”

Here where? The sign in the yard faced away from us. Despite all my years visiting, I had never been inside this building.

“Welcome to Firefly Public Library.” He stared up at the building as if it were more than a small square.

Like much of the old mill town, it had been built with red bricks, and on either side of the door stood a white four-pane window.

It held the same small-town quaintness as every other building.

I debated if I should act surprised he worked at the library or that Firefly had a library at all.

“Wait.” I gave him a funny look. “You’re a librarian?”

“Yup. All started because a cute boy left behind a book.”

I couldn’t help but smile. It had been a cornerstone moment for me as well, but it hadn’t changed my life… had it? I stole a glance at Tyler as he admired the building, face beaming with pride. He wasn’t just a librarian. This was his library.

“Are you going to invite me in? Or is that a faux pa?”

“How forward of you!” He snorted.

Every time he laughed, I couldn’t help but grin.

That sound brought me back twenty years.

I wanted to hear about his life. If nothing else, it’d be a great opportunity to see how far we had come.

It was one reason I loved spending time with Amanda.

Every time we came together, it was like visiting a new version of ourselves.

“I’ve been working here for almost… Wow. Since I got out of jail.” He whistled, walking up the stairs. “It’s been a decade now. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

My awkward teen kiss had gone to prison? Who knew I'd be so turned on by hanging with the bad boy? We’d put a pin in that conversation for later. I had a lot of questions. But the last part of his statement sounded even more ominous.

I followed him up the stairs, and he held the door open with a slight bow.

Swoon. As soon as I walked in, the smell of books filled my nostrils.

Not the scent of fresh, pristine books, but books that had existed since before Firefly became a town.

People paid to make their homes smell like this.

I inhaled audibly and let it out with an “Ahhh.”

“Every person does that,” he said.

To the left, there was a small sitting area with two leather chairs that had seen better days. Waist-high bookshelves separated it from the rest of the library. From there, the traditional rows of books lined the left wall. On the right, a podium held a single book. Call me curious.

“Spellbook?” I walked toward the solitary tome. “Do you summon demons to do your bidding?”

“Only on Thursdays.” He followed close behind. I’m sure it was my imagination, but as he stood behind me, I swore I felt the heat from his body.

“What is it?” It was opened to one of the first pages. I could see a bunch of rectangles surrounded by dimensions that had faded. It took a moment, but it looked almost like an aerial view— “Is that Firefly?”

“Hendersonville,” he corrected. “It’s the town’s charter and incorporations.”

“Hendersonville?” I had never heard that before.

“Founded by the Henderson family. It wasn’t until much later they changed the name to Firefly Valley.”

“Smart marketing choices were made.” Once upon a time, it had been nothing more than a few paper mills.

The town came later and was created to support the families of the mill workers.

I wondered if Mimi’s grandparents had worked there once, and if that’s what brought them to Maine.

Now that I thought about it, much like me, she didn’t talk often about her parents.

“It’s hard to think the building is going to become another relic.”

It was the second time he mentioned a bleak future. “Are you quitting?” The way he admired the exterior, I found that hard to believe. His eyes lit up talking about the library, and for a moment, it was as if he found himself lost in a memory.

“Funding cuts.” When those wide shoulders shrugged, it bordered on comical. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s what happens when you work in a small town.”

“That’s a bummer.” I hated to see somebody separated from the thing they loved most. “What will you do next?”

I turned around, tripping over my foot. He caught me, those bulging biceps pushing me upright. If he kept that up, I’d be more of a klutz than usual. Tonight, I’d go home and laugh at all the awkward moments. When I told Amanda, I’d exaggerate my suave moves and smooth talking.

“The city, maybe? I’ll figure it out then.” He said the words, but the optimism didn’t feel genuine. Poor guy. Tyler loved his job here, and because somebody in the capital couldn’t see its importance, he’d have to find another job. It almost made me admire Firefly’s small-town politics.

“Am I going to get a tour, or do I need a library card?”

Tyler reached out, palm up, waiting for me to take his hand.

Sure, he played with my penis, but hand-holding…

It was hard to miss the indentation where a metal band had once occupied his ring finger.

It shouldn’t be a big deal, especially after his hands had been all over my body days before, but…

hand-holding served as a different type of intimacy.

I took his hand… his rough, warm, and sweaty hand. Without haste, he pulled me through the library. We walked through the shelves and paused in front of an old, oversized oak desk.

“Welcome to my office.” With his free hand, he gave a sweeping gesture. Tyler didn’t let up gripping my fingers. “The lack of privacy is problematic, but I can’t complain with the view.” Books. The only thing he could see sitting here was the computer screen, old enough to rival the library itself.

“While you scoffed at reading Great Expectations , I lived in the library. It’s always been my home away from home. I guess you could say this building kept me in Firefly.”

I didn’t have a chance to comment as he pulled me along.

In the back, he charged up a staircase to a loft with me following behind.

Unlike the library below, it had shelves only three rows tall and one corner filled with pillows and a colorful carpet.

I was about to comment about the solitary rocking chair when I spotted open books on the floor.

“Kids’ reading area?” I asked.

“I love the day-to-day stuff and helping people find the perfect book. Really, I do. But this is my happy place. Seeing the kids’ faces when I break out The Very Hungry Caterpillar always makes me smile.

” Aww. He had transformed from an awkward teen to a lovable dork.

One who still refused to let go of my hand.

“Sexy and cute librarian.” The sarcastic remark left my mouth before I realized what I said. I swore he squeezed my hand. For good measure, I squeezed back. That was about all the flirting I could manage without making a fool of myself.

He brought me to the edge of the loft, where we had a bird’s-eye view of the library. From this vantage point, it looked bigger, housing thousands of books. Tyler put his hands on the railing, the smile still stapled on his face. I did the same, my pinky brushing against his.

“I know this is odd after the club, but I’m in Firefly for a while…”

His eyebrow crept up his forehead. “Is this you asking me out?”

I assumed I’d spend the summer covered in dust and cobwebs. If I were lucky, it’d be donating boxes in the morning and hanging out with Jason and Amanda at night. I didn’t want Tyler to get the wrong idea. Once I settled Mimi’s affairs, it’d be back to the city with me.

“I’m only here for the summer,” I mumbled.

“Works for me,” he said. “Summer seems to be our thing. I hope you’re staying for the carnival? The committee says it’ll be the best one yet.”

Twenty years ago, my summer ended with a kiss under a burst of fireworks. Now, it started with a fiery ceremony and an equally hot encounter in a club. Maybe it wouldn’t be a boring couple of months. I wouldn’t mind having some fun while I donated sweaters and cleaned the basement.

“I should get home— to Mimi’s house.” The word home didn’t hit right, even if I were going to live there for the next two months. Home was a small apartment in the city filled with my eclectic definition of art. “Those boxes won’t pack themselves.”

“I’m glad I bumped into you.” The words couldn’t have sounded any sweeter if he tried.

The thought of starting something with an expiration date gave me pause.

I didn’t want to get involved, only to reach a point with tearful goodbyes.

Despite my hesitation, I wanted to learn more about this boy who stole my first kiss.

“Me too.” I gave him a light punch to the shoulder. It couldn’t have been any more awkward if I tried. “I’ll call.”

I headed downstairs, and before I exited, I looked up at the loft.

Tyler leaned against the railing, giving me a slight wave.

I expected my summer to be depressing and filled with heartache as I sorted through Mimi’s belongings.

She’d be happy to know a cute guy threatened to make it a little more lively.

“Live a little.” In my head, I heard Mimi reciting her catchphrase.