Page 26 of One Chance to Stay (Bears of Firefly Valley #4)

Patrick: Hey, so we met the other day in Firefly. I need to ask you a favor.

I had ducked out of Valhalla before Evelyn could pepper me with questions. I even made it out of the coffee shop without the barista asking me to verify a wayward rumor. Sipping my coffee, I tried to keep the bitter cold from setting in.

Checking my watch, I still had a few minutes.

I crossed the street onto the green and headed toward the library.

I couldn’t think of many places in town without prying eyes or curious ears.

Even if Tyler overheard, I could swear him to secrecy.

The conversation I needed required mustering up the courage to say a lot of things that had been kicking around my noggin.

In the daylight, I could see the preparations for the wedding.

It’d be standing room only as the two ascended the stairs of the gazebo to get married.

Lining the walkway were dozens of snowmen and colored spheres made from frozen balloons.

Firefly had gone all out to celebrate this marriage, though I suspected they’d do it for every person in town.

“What the…”

I found our snowman. I leaned to the side, not sure if it was a trick of the light.

Our leaning creation had been straightened.

More than that, he now had pebbles in place, making him smile.

Two branches had been wedged into its side, looking as if it were doing the wave.

I didn’t need to ask how it happened. Atop its head, the snowman wore a bright orange hat complete with ear flaps.

“How are you this amazing?” Saying it out loud made me slouch, as if somebody might be eavesdropping. I wanted to say it out loud. A lot. To him . For a man scared of people, he knew exactly how to tug at the heartstrings.

“Two can play that game.”

I turned and rushed to the library. Even as black ice tried to send me on my ass, I made it up the stairs and in the front door. The fireplace might be for show, but seeing the red glow from the fake logs forced a final shiver as I took in the warmth.

Tyler leaned forward at his desk before giving a wave. “At this rate, we’ll need to get you a library card.”

I kicked the snow off my shoes, doing my best not to leave a trail of white to the sitting area.

She sat there quietly, waiting, her legs folded and a tall cup of coffee clutched between both palms. I tried not to stare as I took my seat.

A gray hat with a neon-pink pompom and flaps coming down over her ear reminded me of her father.

“Hi, Grace.” I kept my voice low, partly because we were in a library, but also because I wanted to keep the conversation between us. “Glad you could make it.”

“I was already packing my bags when you texted.” The confusion must have shown. “Walter’s wedding? Do you think I’d miss the event of the season?”

I held up my cup. “Here’s to the happy couple.

” I took a swig, a long swig. I needed a moment to collect my thoughts.

Enlisting the help of Seamus’s daughter could go one of two ways.

It’d either be endearing that I wanted to know him better, or—the one I worried about—I would be violating his privacy.

“Are you going?”

I snapped back to reality. “I think so? I mean, I have to, right?”

“If you aren’t there, they’ll talk. Though, to be fair, they’ll talk if you’re there. You know how small towns go.”

I nodded. No matter the decision, I’d be thrust into the rumor mill. “What about you?”

She raised an eyebrow. I had missed something obvious. “I’m in the wedding party. Megan is one of my best friends. Audrey has been wonderful for Walter. I couldn’t say no. Finally, a woman who makes him smile as much as Harvey.”

The two elder gentlemen came off like a well-rehearsed comedy act. “It’s an act, right? It has to be an act.”

She chuckled. “Walter and Harvey? Oh, that’s as genuine as it gets. Those two have been a permanent fixture in Firefly for decades. Audrey might as well be marrying both of them. I’ll be curious to see if he gets invited on the honeymoon.”

Anywhere else in the world, their relationship would raise an eyebrow or two.

There’d be whispers and allegations about what happened behind closed doors.

I’m sure they got it from time to time. However, in Firefly, they genuinely cherished these men’s bromance.

It spoke volumes to the people who called Firefly home.

“So…” She eased the conversation back to our real purpose.

“So…” I almost regretted the decision. What if I said too much? Did Grace know her dad’s secret? I couldn’t be candid with her and hold Seamus’s confidence. I stepped out onto the tightrope.

“Why’s your dad such a grump?”

She snorted, nearly dropping her coffee cup. Shaking her head, nose scrunched up, I could see a bit of her dad. Her personality might take after her mum, but there were moments when I spotted Seamus’s contribution.

“That’s a loaded question,” she said between coughs. “Dad is…”

“A pain in the ass?”

“Such a pain,” she said. “But a lovable pain, you know?”

If she only knew. “Can you help me understand?” I could feel the sway of the rope as I tried to walk the fine line. “He’s a nice guy. I mean, he did save my life. I wanted to repay him, but there’s?—”

“An impenetrable wall? Every time you think you’re seeing the real him, he patches up the cracks? He’d let everybody believe he has an antisocial disorder. Honestly, I’m not surprised he saved you. He’s a giant teddy bear. Talking to you like a normal human? That surprises me.”

Grace had run up one side of her dad’s personality and down the other. I should have guessed she’d have turned a little of her social worker know-how on her dad. Instead of beating around the bush, she lunged into the heart of the problem. The more she talked, the more I liked her.

“It’s like you grew up with him.”

“He wasn’t always like this,” she admitted. “My parents split when I was young, but—” She scooted to the edge of her chair. “One year, I told my mom this dumb boy claimed Santa wasn’t real.”

“Lil’ bastard.”

“Right? She must have told my dad. I was celebrating with Mom. She would always wrap the presents in green paper. There’d be one… only one, in red paper. That’d be the present I got to open on Christmas Eve. I scoured under the tree. No red present. Mom claimed she must have forgotten.”

I smiled, knowing exactly where the story headed.

“It was almost bedtime, and there came a knock on the door. When I opened it, there stood Santa.” Grace took a deep breath before wiping the tear from her eye.

“They were on rocky terms, I think. But there was Dad, with a white beard and red suit. When I saw him next, I told him all about it, and he kept his usual straight face.”

I couldn’t help but think about the stern-faced man feeding the deer.

Or the way he folded my clothes each morning.

On the outside, he held onto this steely version of himself.

Yet, inside, I found him to have a gentle sweetness.

I’m sure there were many men like him, taught to keep their feelings in check, but he took it to an extreme.

“Based on your expression, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“He’s a complex man.”

“What did you hope to get out of me? Do you want my personal or professional opinion?”

I had a thousand professional questions for Grace.

What drew her to working with kids? Did it leave her fulfilled?

Why kids and not adults? What was school like?

Would she do it again? I hadn’t committed to the idea, not yet.

My brain barely had a moment to breathe since Evelyn put the idea in my head.

It’d wait. Right now, I wanted the opinion of Seamus’s daughter.

“Your dad makes it hard to be friends. There are moments when it feels like he’s trying to connect.”

“Then he pulls away,” she said. She didn’t wait for my nod. “Mom left Dad for his own good. I truly believe that.” Did her mother know the exact reason? “I’m sure she told him that a thousand times. He only saw his family abandoning him. I see it with the foster kids. They’re slow to trust.”

“How do their foster parents handle it?”

“The most you can do is to be there for them when they’re ready. A gentle nudge now and then can be helpful. Good foster parents have patience and let it happen organically.”

“What happened between him and Walter?”

She shrugged. “I honestly couldn’t tell you. One day, Walter was over having coffee while they talked about the weather, and the next, Dad was mumbling about wanting solitude.”

I hoped for more insight. She had?—

“You’re not the man I pictured him with.” I gagged, trying to disguise it as a cough. “But you obviously care.”

“What? Huh? I don’t?—”

“Good grief. What did you think? That I didn’t know my dad is gay or that you’re sweet on him?”

I cleared my throat. “Both,” I squeaked.

“I mean, good job, Dad. He must have game if he’s picking up men my age. Do me a favor?”

I nodded, positive anything I muttered would sound like a tween boy hitting puberty.

“It’s my professional opinion that he needs to talk to somebody.” She smiled, the same grin as her father. The corner of her lip turned up. “As his daughter? Chase hard. The catch will be worth it.”

I wanted to ask if they had ever talked about this.

Did Seamus know his daughter knew his big secret?

More than that, did he know she loved him and wanted the best for him, regardless of where he landed?

I held back, not wanting to interject myself any further into their family business.

It sounded as if everybody wanted the best for Seamus, and he didn’t quite see it the same way.

“I’m not done chasing,” I said. Grace’s face beamed at the statement. “But I need to ask for one more favor.”

She shook her head. “I recognize that devious grin. You might not be from Firefly, but you sure do scheme like them.”

I’d take that as a compliment. “So, here’s the plan.” I glanced up to see Tyler hovering near a bookshelf, doing his best to look like he wasn’t eavesdropping. “Are you spying?”

He let out a long sigh. “I’m dating the king of romance. Please. Please. Please! Let me in on it. He’ll never let me live it down if I can’t tell him the whole story.”

Grace snickered. “Come here, you goofball.”

“He’s going to be so jealous.” Tyler wiggled his way into the chair with Grace, his arms wrapped around her chest. She might have left Firefly for the city, but there’d always be a part of her that remained a small-town girl.

“Go on,” Grace said. “What outlandish plan do you have?”

“Outlandish? I was just going to say, make sure he shows up to the wedding.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. “Think bigger.”

Grace had given me all the clues I needed. It’d be a hilarious tale for future generations. I’d either make a fool of myself or leave the crowd grinning.

“Okay, here’s the new plan…”