Page 12 of One Chance to Stay (Bears of Firefly Valley #4)

“Off with its head!”

“Swing harder!”

“For crying out loud, put your back into it!”

“Split it right down the middle.”

My boots, barely unlaced, and I froze at the shouting from the backyard of the bed-and-breakfast. It sounded as if somewhere, a mob was ready to kill.

Firefly Valley might be an adorable town from the outside, but that’s where killers loved to hide.

This one time, in grade school, Judy’s older sister had a cousin whose best friend witnessed…

Now that I thought about it, Judy might have been a liar. She also claimed her parents won the lottery but preferred the middle-class lifestyle.

To be safe, I reached for the first weapon within reach. An umbrella. It’d have to do. I inched my way through the house, ready to see something gruesome. Should I call the cops? I almost chuckled. Firefly didn’t have cops. They’d be lucky if they had a sheriff.

“Hack it to pieces!”

I walked through the kitchen and through the back door, and I spotted the head of an axe held high. It swung downward, out of sight, as I rushed to the door. I burst outside as everybody cheered.

I recognized Bobby and Evelyn, the older gentleman and another woman I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting. The older gentleman held the handle of the axe, half buried into a log set atop a tree stump. The only thing being murdered was kindling for a fire.

“Why the umbrella?” In her bright neon-pink puffy jacket, Evelyn crossed her arms. Looking up to the sky, she stared, eyebrow cocked.

“Oh, this?” I threw it into the kitchen and walked down the stairs. We’d laugh about that later. “What are you guys doing?”

The other woman snorted. “My dad is convinced he can out-chop Bobby.” From the flannel button-down to the hunter orange cap and dark tan boots, she couldn’t look any more like a lumberjack. I couldn’t help but smile when I realized she and Bobby had matching multi-colored mittens.

“Never going to happen, Pops,” Bobby said.

His dad threw up his hands and stepped aside. “If I had my glasses?—”

“You’d be able to see yourself missing the log,” Evelyn said. “Abraham, you lost fair and square.”

“Laurel, want to show the men how to do it?” asked Abraham.

On closer inspection, I should have seen the family relation. Bobby, Laurel, and their father all had a similar smile. As Laurel rolled her neck, shaking out her hands, her dad put a hand against her chest before pointing in my direction.

“Let the new kid give it a shot.”

“I don’t think?—”

“City boy,” Abraham said. Laurel and Evelyn both made an “oooh” sound in response. He had thrown down the gauntlet, and my pride as a Mainer had been called into question. He knew exactly how to motivate.

He had wedged the axe into the tree stump.

I eyed it as if I were about to pull the sword from the stone and rule over all of Firefly.

How hard could it be? I watched the lumberjack competitions.

It’s not like I had to create a unicorn with a chainsaw.

Chopping wood, an activity that had been around since man learned how to make fire.

“I’ve got this.”

I rubbed my hands together before gripping the handle. Despite a sharp tug, it didn’t move. Bracing a foot against the stump, I leaned back, shaking the axe free. For a slender shaft and small metal head, it weighed more than I expected. With a quick spin, I found a comfortable handhold.

My pride rested on the line. I took a slow practice swing, ensuring I’d bring it down straight through the middle of the log. It had already been hit once, half split. How hard could it be to finish it off?

“You’re killing me,” Evelyn said. “Swing already!”

Squaring my feet, I brought the axe over my shoulder.

I let out a low growl as I flexed. It swung over my head and, by instinct, my eyes clamped shut.

The axe came, no— went . I opened my eyes in time to see the axe spiraling through the air.

It smacked off the fence, rolling over into the neighbor’s yard.

I raised my hands, staring at my palms in disbelief.

“Oops.”

Evelyn threw her arms in the air. “Membership revoked!”

Abraham covered his mouth as he snickered. I wanted to protest and say the axe had been wet or my fingers had cramped from the cold. My future as a lumberjack had been dashed, and now I’d need to go next door to get the axe. I could feel the respect of my ancestors vanish.

“How did you get so bad at this?” Evelyn couldn’t stop laughing. It started funny, but as she held her stomach, buckling over, I could feel my pride wounded. I mean, I couldn’t be the only person who accidentally threw an axe into the neighbor’s yard?

“They don’t teach you how to lumberjack at bartending school.”

The firewood sat undisturbed in the middle of the tree stump. I tried willing it to split, but alas, it remained intact. I half hoped somebody from the neighbor’s yard would hold up an axe, asking if it had escaped. At this rate, I’d never hear the end of my lack of survival skills.

“We’re going to need your membership card back,” Bobby said. “No more free lobsters for you.”

“You know what they’re going to start calling you,” Laurel added. She wouldn’t dare evoke such a slanderous word. “Flatlander.”

I grabbed the log off the stump. Gripping the sides, I pulled while letting out a thunderous roar. They froze as the log split the last few inches. It wasn’t much of a victory, but I’d take the win. I tossed it in the pile with the rest, pounding my fists against my chest.

“Firewood everywhere should be terrified!”

“So manly,” Bobby said with a snicker. “You can keep your card for now.”

“What’s all this for?” I asked.

“Fire?” Evelyn replied. “Oh, you mean, why not buy a cord?”

This was more than enough wood for the small fireplace in Valhalla through the next storm or two. I had to wonder if one of the other suits had a private fireplace? I’d have to check the roofline to see if I could figure out which room it was.

“It’s going to take a long time to split enough logs to last you the winter.”

“It only needs to last one night,” she said.

I obviously missed something. “I can see the gears turning.” Abraham gave me a pat on the back before gripping my shoulder. “It’s for the bonfire. Evelyn here—” he shot her a dirty look, “—is trying to save a few bucks by chopping the wood herself.”

“Going to be a small bonfire at this rate,” I said.

“Sounds like a volunteer to me.” Evelyn pointed to the smile on her face. “Don’t take too long. If they get wet, it’ll be a smoky bonfire.”

“Evelyn. Dear. I love you like the daughter I never had.”

“Hey!” Laurel smacked her dad’s shoulder.

“You’re the daughter I have,” he said, as if he didn’t see the insult. “There is no way you’re going to get enough wood for the bonfire. Besides, these are tiny. Do you want the entire town making s’mores around a piddly flame?”

Evelyn kicked the stump. “Fine. I’ll figure something out.”

“You can use these for smaller fires, maybe?” Bobby’s suggestion wasn’t bad. It’d help keep the town from surrounding a single spot. “I’ll help you finish chopping all of this.”

“I’d help you,” Abraham said. “But my back. Knee. Tennis elbow.” He threw up his hands and headed toward the door.

“Hey, Dad.” Laurel smacked her dad in the chest. “Didn’t you say something about something special for Walter’s bachelor party? How about a world-renowned bartender?”

She threw my name into the mix as if we were old friends. Bachelor parties were always the worst. It stopped being about the interactions with patrons and turned into a need to get drunk. I’m sure Laurel had the best of intentions, but there was no way?—

“That’d be perfect.” Like that, my fate was sealed. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Was that a question?”

I knew the answer. He’d claim that he asked, but there wasn’t a choice in the matter.

Had I met Walter yet? Maybe he was another of Jason’s friends from school?

I’m sure I could ask, but did it matter?

All men at bachelor parties turned into the same drunken fool.

I could only hope that they tipped well.

I had come here expecting a week of quiet. Somehow, I’d been recruited into a lumberjack competition, a bonfire crew, and now a bachelor party. Firefly didn’t ask permission—it just claimed you.

The steam rose off the piping hot cup of cocoa.

It had been years since I had hot chocolate.

With a gentle exhale, the wisps vanished, and then I inhaled the delicious, chocolaty goodness.

Tiny white marshmallows bobbed up and down, completing the perfect drink.

Evelyn knew how to dial up the charm of Valhalla and make it a cozy experience.

I curled up on the couch in my flannel PJs and ratty old bar shirt.

Wiggling my toes, I watched as the multicolored yarn of my newly acquired socks rippled back and forth.

Firefly might be an adorable small town, but my hostess took it to a new level.

Everything about Valhalla reminded me of a warm embrace.

I brought my laptop down from my room, ready to look at an inventory report for the bar, when she appeared with the mug.

I put off work, determined to embrace the quiet.

Vacationing and letting go of the job didn’t come naturally.

This right here is exactly what I needed.

With nothing to do, it was time I thought about what Tyler had said.

“No distractions,” I muttered.

What did I want? More importantly, what did I need?

The question reminded me of when my teachers would ask what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I hadn’t become a firefighter, marine biologist, or astronaut.

Younger me had big aspirations. As I sipped my cocoa, I realized that somewhere along the line, I had stopped reaching.

I grew comfortable in a job that paid the bills, but I hadn’t dreamed about a fictional future in a long time.

What would younger me ask?