Page 21 of One Chance to Stay
“And it stays between us?”
His lips thinned as he debated his answer. “A secret in Firefly is worth more than gold.” I’m glad he understood my conundrum. “It’ll cost you.”
I raised an eyebrow, not sure what he meant.
“What’s your favorite book?”
If I confessed to not having picked up a book in years, he might toss me out the front door. If we were thinking of favorites, it’d be the one my mom read to me as a child. Thinking of her sitting cross-legged in bed, making voices for each of the characters, left me with a big grin.
“Neverending Story.”
“Michael Ende,” he said. “Good choice. I accept payment. You may proceed.”
I appreciated the moment of levity. I leaned forward, hands clasped together. “You’ve lived here your whole life.” Let the gossip begin. “What happened to Seamus?”
“Finnigan?” Tyler let out a long sigh. “Why do you ask?”
“I might have almost died a couple of nights ago. I got caught on the mountain when it snowed. He took me in. And…”
“You’ve noticed that he’s a bit… standoffish?”
“To say the least.”
Tyler leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “If I were anybody else in town, I might tell you. But this isn’t my story to tell.”
“But…”
“Seamus isn’t like the other people in Firefly. He came here to escape. We all know him, and as you can guess, we know more than we should. But some stories… that’s for him to tell. Why the sudden interest?”
I wanted to know something about the man who spooned against my back last night. It would have been the truth… partly.My fascination, perhaps even infatuation, allowed me to dodge the entire reason I came to Firefly.
“I guess he’s a distraction.”
“From what?”
“Those tough inner monologues you don’t want to have.”
“This isn’t an inner monologue.” His eyebrow shifted up his face. “Try me.”
Tyler disarmed and redirected like a professional therapist. I wanted to ask if he double majored in school. He built a rapport without flipping a single glass or popping the cap off a cheap beer. Where did he hide the couch?
“You ever wonder if you’re where you’re supposed to be?” He glanced over his shoulder at the library. The smirk said he landed exactly where he wanted. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s time to get a new job. Not sure why I stay at the bar.”
Tyler shook his head. “You know why.”
My eyes narrowed. I thought loudly about his socks, testing if he could read my thoughts. They’d match my mittens. When he didn’t reply, I figured it had to be something obvious.
“Sure, I like the people, but?—”
“Don’t but me.”
“But—”
“Back it up, mister. If you love the people. You have your answer.”
“I want to do something with people? That doesn’t really narrow it down.”
Tyler laughed. “If I gave you all the answers, what would you really learn?”
