Page 31 of One Chance to Stay (Bears of Firefly Valley #4)

Harvey: The eagle has left the roost.

Jason: Is Harvey drunk?

Amanda: No, this is normal Harvey.

Jon: Who’s the eagle this time?

Harvey: Patrick. No. Seamus? I forget.

Jon: Aww, Seamus came back? So damned cute.

Walter: Sorry, Jon, they’re officially Firefly’s cutest couple.

Jon: Rude.

Audrey: Who added me to this chat?

Amanda: When in doubt, blame Walter.

Walter: Facts.

The moment I opened the door, I smelled blueberries mixed with sugar. Part of vacationing in Firefly meant bringing stretchy pants. I had never met a group of people who liked baked goods this much. The fridge had at least two half-eaten pies.

I debated heading upstairs and tucking myself in for the night. As I drifted off to sleep, I’d hear the music playing and imagine dancing with Seamus as if I didn’t step on his toes. Even the thought made me grin.

“Welcome home!” Evelyn’s head appeared in the doorway. There’d be no escaping tonight. The dreams would wait. For a few more minutes, I partook in reality.

“Are you baking again? Are you trying to fatten us up for the holidays?”

I walked into the kitchen and froze. Four pies? Four. Not one. Not two. Four. I raised an eyebrow. “Are you making one for each of us?”

“Har. Har.” She rolled her eyes. “These aren’t for the guests. I’m sending one to Nancy. Steve hurt his back, and she’s been taking care of him. Two are going to Phyllis. She has her grandsons this week for the bonfire. She needs more help than she’s willing to admit.”

“Pie four?”

“That’s for Laurel’s dad. Abraham would never admit it, but weddings make him sad. A blueberry pie with an extra crisp top always cheers him up.”

The people of Firefly traded gossip like currency.

A good secret could net you a small fortune, or at least some street cred.

Then there was this side of the town. They genuinely cared for one another.

They’d argue, fight, and throw tantrums, but at the end of the day, there’d be a pie with a request for forgiveness.

“Can you get the pecan and pumpkin pies for me?” She stood at the counter, folding the corners of fancy boxes. “Careful, they’re hot.”

I took the oven mitts and a second later, had two hot pies in hand. Setting them on the counter, I watched as she carefully tied a piece of twine around the box.

“Pie is for the soul. Presentation is for the ego.”

I chuckled. “I think you’re winning on both accounts.”

She paused, staring at the mess left by her baking frenzy.

“When Mimi passed, the whole town showed up for Jon and me.” Sometimes I couldn't believe she and Jon were siblings.

“So many damned casseroles. I gained fifteen pounds. My ass barely fit in my sexy jeans.” Then there were moments when I could spot the family resemblance.

“I grew up in Maine,” I started. “I’m a Mainer by geography. But… it’s different here.”

“More snow.”

“That too.”

“Kissing cousins.”

“You’re joking.”

“Ask Meredith and Leonard.” She took the next pie, setting it in its box. “Let’s just say Mr. Palito’s family tree assignment brought some things to light.”

I didn’t know if I should laugh. “Wait. Did they stay together?”

Evelyn cackled. “Wouldn’t that be the talk of the family reunion!” She gave me a bump with her hip, working her way to pie number three. “I might have swooped in that summer. Cute face, very handsy. He didn’t survive the summer.”

“He died?”

She scowled. “I dumped him.”

“Oh.”

“This is Firefly, not a true crime podcast.”

“Nobody suspects a small town,” I said. “It’s the perfect cover.”

Evelyn finished tying the knot, sealing the pie in its box. She held the ends, as if she were about to finish the bow, but paused. Her finger twirled the string about for a moment before she glanced in my direction. The banter ended, and the tension became palpable.

I recognized the chewing on her bottom lip. “You want to say something?”

Instead of responding, she reached into her pocket and produced a phone with a neon-pink case. With a couple of clicks, she opened a photo. She pushed it in front of my face, and it took a moment before I could make out the?—

“Wow.”

“Grace sent it.”

Less than an hour for the gossip to rush through Firefly. In the photo, Seamus held me firm in a low dip. It wasn’t the muscles in his arms or even the way I clung for dear life that caught my attention. I pinched the screen, zooming in.

“He’s smiling,” I whispered. I hadn’t spotted the grin as I clenched my eyes, hoping he wouldn’t drop me. The entire night had been magical, but this… this made it hard to catch my breath.

“Jon told me all about the hot bartender at Spectrum. More than once, he described you as a ‘looking only’ employee.”

I ran through the labels. Gay? Bi? Pan? When I met Seamus, it had been about survival.

The more time I spent with him, the more I questioned my sense of self.

I still hadn’t come to a conclusion, and perhaps there never would be a tidy box I fit in?

I had spent enough time with men struggling with their identities to know the path was neither linear nor logical.

“Things change,” I said. Honest, but still unclear.

“Firefly has a way of doing that. You think you’re going to stay at a cute little bed-and-breakfast, and suddenly you have a new life plan?”

It sounded goofy, a tagline for a website.

Yet Evelyn had kicked me in the pants and given me a career destination.

Much like the pies, she knew how hard to push and when to let the words hover in the air.

I’d need to ask if Firefly offered classes on how to convert its visitors.

This town might as well be a magical portal, but it didn’t lead to a destination.

It introduced you to the best version of yourself.

“Can you send me this?”

“Do you want the seventy-six other photos? There’s a cute one of Walter doing a tango with Mabel.”

I only needed this one. “Sure.” I’d eventually look at the rest.

She returned to her bow tying. With a well-rehearsed motion, she finished the pie in front of her and moved me further down the line as she stepped up to the next.

“Do you know Julie?”

She chuckled. “Sly subject change.”

“Like that, do you?”

She caught me. If I analyzed all the little changes in my life, I’d find I had blown up my five-year plan.

If I was going to have this conversation and wade through my emotional baggage, I wanted Seamus in the room.

After all, he was the one who had me dragging it from the closet and dusting it off.

“I think Julie grew up here. Her mom is a legend on the basketball team. They took the team to state finals.”

I shot her a confused look.

“What? I might not have been born here, but you pick up a few things along the way.”

“Do you know her Social Security number, too?”

“I’m sure I have it somewhere.”

“She offered to help with the bonfire.”

Evelyn’s head perked up at the mention of her event. “I’m listening.”

“Well, if you’re going to have me bartending from an ice fishing shack, might as well make it festive. We can do hot chocolate for the kids and themed cocktails for the adults.”

“I’m not hating this idea.”

I spoke to her pride. “Just think what they’ll say afterward? It’ll be the talk of the town, the perfect way to kick off Christmas. Who knows, next year you might even get a few out-of-town visitors wanting to join in.”

“You’re good.” The smirk said my strategy worked. “I’m leaving this in your hands. I trust you.” She grabbed me by the furry buttons on my Santa costume. “If it goes wrong, you’re my scapegoat.”

“I expect nothing less.” Moving out of her way, she approached the final pie. “I’m going to hit the sack.” I walked toward the hallway before stopping. “Don’t forget the photo.”

“Oh. He’s a thirsty one.” She gave me a high-pitched whistle.

Yes. Definitely related to Jon.

The steam rose off my body as I stood at the window. My skin remained damp, the streaks of white pressing against the glass leaving a trail of fog. While I might be toasty inside, outside, the snow continued to fall.

Flipping the latch, I opened it a crack.

As soon as a gust of frigid air brushed against my stomach, it was as if I stood on Seamus’s porch again.

The situation had been dire, and yet, all I could focus on was the burly man standing in the door.

It wasn’t so different from when he appeared at the American Legion.

Both times, it made my heart swell. Different reasons, same effect.

I glanced back at the bed, my screensaver cycling through photos of various bar events. I quickly noticed in the montage where Mabel found her way into every picture. She might be a stellar performer, but her resume should include being an expert at photo bombing.

Behind the screensaver waited a dozen tabs.

Career surveys. Job opportunities. Colleges.

I had started looking for ideas for the next stage in my life.

Evelyn had mentioned Grace, and with the glee in her voice as she talked about approving an adoption, I found a direction forward.

Counseling. Social work. Therapy. There were dozens of possibilities, and I needed to narrow them down.

Something in my gut told me I was on the right track.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I shut the window and grabbed a towel off the bathroom door. Did I really need another slice of pie from Evelyn? No. Would I turn her away? Probably not. When I got back to the city, I’d need to put my gym membership to use.

“Evelyn, you’re killing me.”

I opened the door.

“Evelyn—” Twice as thick and a good foot taller, this was not my friendly hostess. “Seamus, what are you doing here?”

His eyes remained downward, and I watched as a thousand emotions raced across his face. He couldn’t hide the confusion. Whatever had brought him here pushed him far outside his comfort zone. For a second, I feared?—

“This…” He went from looking at my chest to staring me in the eye. “This isn’t casual for me.”