The counter continued climbing. I could spend all day watching our success. Not because it belonged to us, but because I couldn’t wait to see Tyler’s face when I told him. I couldn’t think of a better gift. If not for him, I’d already have both feet out the door.
I gave up being rational and joined Amanda’s shrieking cheers. Arms around each other, we hopped in rhythm until Jason joined us. It might have started as my idea, but this victory belonged to us all, toallof Firefly.
I stopped. “You can’t tell him.”
“But—”
I frowned, eyes narrowing. “Steal my thank you kiss and?—”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.” Holding out her arm, westarted jumping again. I loved them. I couldn’t ask for a better group of friends. This was the family I chose, and if they knew I warmed to the idea of Firefly being my home… mysecondhome, heads might explode.
Now, I needed to figure out how I wanted to tell Tyler.
DISCOVERING ADVENTURE
“Spaghetti dinner?”
I flipped the piece of paper over, looking for any other clues Evie might have left. This townreallyliked spaghetti. Did somebody need a new hip? Maybe they raised money to fix that pothole on Main Street. Firefly didn’t need much of an excuse to partake in red sauce and meatballs.
Without Evie, the house did its best to fill the silence. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the creaking floorboards and shaking walls were Mimi trying to communicate. With every step to the kitchen, the wood groaned. It was no wonder I had never been able to sneak out as a teenager. The house came with a built-in security system, designed to keep its occupants inside.
I debated finishing the blueberry… no strawberry… maybe banana cream… We would never finish all the pies beforethey went bad. We could probably host a bake sale at this point.
Wiped, I decided I needed a shower more than I needed pie. Climbing the stairs, I noted the discoloration where photographs had once hung. Without them, it looked as if the wallpaper had a Polka dot pattern. There were boxes filled with pictures of our family I’d spend the next year digitizing. Even if we were the last of our line, I didn’t want our heritage forgotten.
When I reached the top, I paused, taking in the spaciousness of Mimi’s house. It was one of the largest on the street, and I couldn’t imagine, even with Evie and I… or our parents, for that matter, that it ever feltfull.Perhaps that’s why Mimi insisted on filling it with stuff. It might not have people, but it had more memories than one person could ever remember.
I headed into my bedroom, flipped on the nightstand lamp, and stripped down. My hands were still covered in graphite from drawing. It’d require a serious scrubbing to get them clean. After a day of awesome, I wanted to take the hottest shower possible and sit in the living room sipping hot chocolate.
I had taken the room with the biggest bathroom. Unlike the others, this one held a clawfoot tub and a glass shower. Evie claimed she had taken more baths in the last month than she had in ten years. For a house this old, I swear the water heater must hold magical powers.
Eyeing the tub, I opted for a shower. I turned the porcelain handles, listening to the pipes resist before waterpeppered the tile. While I waited for the water to turn hot, I stared in the oval mirror above the vanity. Between the house, Evie, and the calendar, I had transitioned from a snazzy bear with a goatee into a woodland creature. With flannel, I’d blend right in with the locals.
“Nope. Not having it.” I chuckled as I grabbed my trimmer. Popping on the guard, I left it longer than usual. I’d call it a compromise. It hummed louder than the shower as I went to town sheering my face. With the amount of hair hitting the sink, I’m surprised I had any left.
“Maybe ithasbeen a while.” With a quick buzz, I felt more like myself. With a few more swipes, I cleaned up my neckline and that stray gray hair in my mustache that refused to die. “I feel my humanity returning.”
I inched a toe into the shower, hissing at the heat. It rode the line between bearable and too much. I craved that sweet spot and jumped in, letting the water pummel my back. It didn’t matter how calm the day had been; I always wanted to end it in the shower.
The glass partition steamed over. I drew a little heart, then an arrow through it. JO + TB. Yes, I could still be a hopeless romantic, and directing that energy toward Tyler came naturally, so much so that it made me nervous. I couldn’t sort out why? With nothing going on, I didn’t have to speed past the thought.
“Intimacy?” I shrugged my shoulders as I grabbed the bar of soap. “We’ve got plenty of that.” I started the routine. “What if it ends?” All my other relationships had gone down in a fiery heap. Something in my chest tightened. Ourstory started twenty years ago, and it felt like it raced toward an all-or-nothing decision. Maybe that had something to do with it. This wasn’t the pressure of a first date with a guy I hardly knew. Tyler mattered, and the thought of upsetting that first kiss hung in the air.
“You’re scared you’ll blemish your first kiss?” I almost laughed at the absurd conclusion. It didn’t feel like pressure when I was with him. In fact, it was the opposite. But saying, “I want this,” out loud, meant a series of events I wasn’t as confident with. Would I uproot my life in Portland and move to Firefly? Would we try a long-distance relationship?
“What if Tyler isn’t the adventure?” I scrubbed my hands, trying to get rid of the black powder. “What if Firefly is the adventure?” I had more fun since arriving than I had in years. Where I passed faceless strangers in Portland, everybody here welcomed me with a smile and outlandish stories.
I paused, washing the soap off my fingers. The tips were still dark, and I realized the answer had been staring me in the face this entire time. Firefly had stoked the flames, bringing back my passion. I had been so focused on capturing it in other people I hadn’t seen it in myself. Radical love had taken hold, and I wanted to chase this feeling.
I could feel my heart skip a beat.
“What if Tyler’s not the adventure? What if he’s the reward at the end?”
Firefly had introduced me to a grandmother I hardlyrecognized. It brought me back to something I loved. Hell, the town had somehow mended family wounds. In the middle of all that, I thought of a big white sign two miles from downtown.
“Welcome to Firefly.”
The magical water heater had reached its limit. After the water turned cold, I finished my routine by posing in front of the mirror. I couldn’t help but smile as the jumble of thoughts turned into a single forward direction. There weren’t words to explain it, just a feeling in my chest that screamed, “Yes!”
