“I can… I don’t know about Firefly, though.”
“Yeah. I need to talk to her before Dorothy whips out the claws.” Only been here for a month, and he already understood Dorothy. Maybe hewouldfit into Firefly?
“I can do that.”
I wanted to believe I could. In front of me sat this amazing, sweet, and funny man. He had endured a night of questions from my mom to see me. I had dated nobody like him. At the same time, we were still in the early stages. It’d only take a slight breeze, and our house of cards would come toppling down.
He rested a hand on my cheek, and I couldn’t help but lean into it. I knew myself well enough. This would be on my mind until I went to sleep. I’d overanalyze and pick apart the possibilities. I tried focusing on his hand, but already I worried I allowed myself to be a straight man’s dirty secret.
Simon leaned in for a kiss. I held up a finger, stopping him. I turned his head to the living room window. Mom didn’t dart away quick enough. He chuckled and then went in for a kiss.
“She was going to find out one way or another…”
Would it be the same for Lucy?
FIREFLY'S NEW VIXEN
I took in a deep breath.
“I love the smell of new comics,” I shouted.
“You’re still weird,” Amanda shouted from the loft. If she wasn’t my best friend, I’d have shot up a one-finger salute. We’d have to renegotiate her rent.
“Are you working?”
The lack of an immediate reply told me everything I needed to know. “Of course,” she shouted. That meant she was curled up in her loveseat, giving her creative process room to breathe. Call it whatever she wanted. It sounded like procrastination to me.
I took another whiff of the box before opening it all the way. Before I could get them on the shelves, I had to go through the pull lists. The most faithful customers didn’t browse the shelves looking for new issues. They called ahead and had me set them aside. Knowing I had guaranteedmoney always made me happy.
I had cleared the calendar for new-comic day. The anxiety of the convention would have to wait for tomorrow. I had to remind myself that while the convention would put Firefly on the map, I needed to make sure I didn’t go out of business in the meantime.
“Everything will be fine,” I told myself. “Better than fine.” I raised my fist in the air. “It’ll be awesome!”
“Hi.”
“Jason!”
Lucas rushed to the counter, his little hand waving back and forth. I couldn’t stop staring at the woman standing in front of the door. Up close, Lucy bordered on perfection. Nobody should have legs that long or cheekbones that sharp. Did she only have a suitcase full of fluffy sweaters? I needed to check the weather in Africa. I had questions.
“Lucas has been talking about coming non-stop.”
“I got an A on my spelling test. Mom said if I got an A, she’d bring me.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the sheet of paper. “I spelled them all.”
I picked up the paper as if I checked his work. His penmanship was more legible than mine. “Looks like you got them all.” I gave him a wink. He spun about, looking at the entire store.
“You own all these comics?”
“Sort of.” Despite owning a comic store, my collection wasn’t all that grand. There were plenty of customers who boasted more boxes than I could fit into my house.
“Can I look, Mom?”
“You can look. But don’t touch.”
Lucas vanished down an aisle, leaving me alone with the blond bombshell. I might not be attracted to women, but if she gave me the time of day, I might reconsider. If Amanda had been down here, I’d have to stop her from pouncing.
“He’s been talking about coming all week.”
“Kids love comics.” Did I sound as odd as I felt? When did I cross my arms? I dropped my hands into my pockets. I was convinced the way I stood screamed, “I shagged your husband!”
