Gail Simmons, star reporter. Everybody in the state of Maine recognized that voice and her sensible outfits. Behind her, the cameraman followed. I didn’t want to talkto the press. Having my face attached to this small-town scandal was more attention than I needed. I sucked in a deep breath, reminding myself that it was all to help save the town’s library.
I pulled my shirt off a bale of hay, and she held up her hand. “Shirtless, if you don’t mind.”
“But—”
“Skin sells. You want people ordering calendars?” She had a crooked smile. The reporter used my altruism as blackmail. I balled up my shirt and tossed it on the hay. “Amanda said you were the guy who came up with this…” She glanced over her shoulder, watching Chris holding sparklers as he sang the Star-Spangled Banner.
I gritted my teeth. If Chris could raise his flag pole for Firefly, I could give an interview. I let out a long sigh. “Okay, let’s do this.”
“Mackie, we’ll need a wide shot.” She glanced down at my bulge. “Keep it to the waistband and up. Our viewers can only handle so much excitement.”
I blushed at the… compliment?
Gail moved toward my side, and we both faced the camera. She froze as Mackie situated his eye behind the camera. When the light on the top turned red, she sprung into action.
“This is Gail Simmons reporting from Firefly, Maine. What happens in a small town when budget cuts threaten to shut down the local library? They rally, putting their best foot forward to protect their community. Jon Olsen, afrequent visitor and descendent of Firefly, has decided a foot wasn’t enough and has organized a charity calendar.”
I held my breath as she angled herself toward me. Please. Please. Please. Don’t make me regret this.
“We’ve seen bake sales. Merryville held an auction to save their bookstore. What made you decide to put together a calendar?”
Okay. I could do this. “Every summer, I’d visit my grandmother in Firefly. She’d have a giant red circle on the calendar in her kitchen, marking our arrival. While cleaning out her house, I found the calendar, and the idea hit me. We needed to do something, and here we are.”
“But you’re not from Firefly? Is there any particular reason you’ve taken such an interest in the community?”
Should I bring up my grandmother’s funeral? Or did I talk about learning she had a wild spirit that allowed her to take chances? She might have been the catalyst, but this story wasn’t about her or me. In the distance, I spotted Tyler helping Bobby, both still in the buff, as they moved the next background into place.
“Firefly is different from any place I’ve ever lived.” A younger me would have commented on the lack of things to do, huffing over the boredom. When I looked back, that had never been the case. Mimi might have transformed mundane into excitement, but she wasn’t alone. Jason and Amanda ensured every day had been filled with laughter. “There’s something, dare I say, magical? I saw an opportunity to give back.”
“Was getting naked the goal from the start?”
Gail shook me back from the memory, reminding me I was in nothing more than underwear and glitter. Oh, and wings, the ensemble wouldn’t be complete without hand-plucked feathers attached to my back.
“Gail. Honestly, have you seen the men in Firefly? It’d be a crime to not share that with the world.”
She let out a sigh. “You have a point.” Her eyes shot up, as if she had let the reporter I slip for a moment. “An anonymous source suggested this bout of charity has something to do with a certain librarian?”
He wasn’t justareason—he was every reason.
Was it Gladys? No, Marigold. Bonnie? The gossipers of Firefly were far too many to name. It wouldn’t shock me to find out Amanda ratted me out to the reporter. Anonymous my butt, I’d find the culprit before we reached December with Simon riding a lifelike reindeer.
“Tyler Bailey, Firefly’s librarian, and I go back almost twenty years. You can say he’s one reason why I’m connected to Firefly.” What? “The people, Gail. The people make this town worth saving.” Nice save.
I wasn’t sure if I was ready to admit the truth to myself, let alone the entire state of Maine.
“That’s a coy non-answer. I think we’ll let our viewers decide your motives.” Great. We went from small-town shenanigans to the entire state of Maine. I wouldn’t be able to stop for gas without somebody asking about my love life. I guess that beat them asking me to pose naked.
“Would you be surprised to know the Men of Firefly calendar has already sold just under…” She picked up her phone refreshing the screen. If we moved a hundred copies, it’d at least move the needle. We’d chip away a little at a time until— “One thousand orders?”
My jaw dropped. If I spoke now, it’d be filled with words inappropriate for the six o’clock news. She refreshed the screen and held up the phone. Eleven hundred orders?
“The folks in the audience posting to their social media is doing the trick. It looks like you... and I do meanallof you.” She waved a hand all over the front of my chest. “Will go down in Firefly history.”
Before I could comment, she pointed toward the photoshoot, pushing Mackie along. Tyler, in all his glory, had taken his spot on the stage. I couldn’t imagine what he’d do for August? It wasn’t exactly the most?—
“Puppies?”
Jason and Simon hoisted tiny pups under each of his arms. The adorable bundles of fur barked through their modeling debut. He struck poses while the puppies fidgeted. This beautiful bear had reached peak sexiness. I could hear the ladies fawning in the crowd. I couldn’t blame them. Everything about Tyler… I let out a lengthy sigh.
