Page 70 of One Chance to Stay
The three of us sat in silence, sipping coffee. No cell phones out checking text messages. No distractions. The longer it went, the more uncomfortable I grew. Is this how Seamus interacted? Did he and his friend(s) enjoy each other’s company through proximity alone?
“So,” I said.
“Told you,” Seamus said.
“I owe you a whoopie pie.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Told him what?”
“You’d break the silence.”
“I don’t like this one bit.” My eyes narrowed, darting from Seamus to Abraham. “You two are trouble.” Abraham snorted. I couldn’t fathom my stoic, straight-faced bear being friends with somebody as outgoing as Abraham. “How did you two meet?”
Abraham’s snort turned into a thunderous roar. Seamus raised an eyebrow, returning to his usual verbal sparsity. “It’s still not funny.”
“It’s hilarious,” Abraham said, smacking a knee. “Firefly’s first-ever Turkey Trot. Innocent enough, right? People dress up, running a 5K around the town, and wind up in the green.”
Abraham had to stop and laugh. Meanwhile, Seamus retained his neutral face, not giving away a single emotion. I found it interesting how he stepped outside his comfort zone and retreated. While shooting, I wondered if this was the man he used to be. Perhaps he had always been quiet?
“In the center of the green, there were a dozen turkeys from the Miller’s farm. He donated them for the event. Winners could pick, and he’d butcher them for Thanksgiving. Exceptsomebody…” He turned and stared at Seamus. “Somebodylet them go.”
“Not my fault.”
“Seamus thought it’d be a good idea to feed the turkeys.” Abraham had tears streaming down his face. “He opened the gate to their pen, and they?—”
“They attacked.”
“A dozen turkeys scattered downtown.” Seamus didn’t share in Abraham’s laughter. “Our trotters broke from the race, and it turned into a turkey chase. Those birds are a slippery bunch. It took all morning to get them back in the cage. And worse yet, there’s one that got away.”
“Beatrice,” Seamus said.
“Beatrice?” I asked.
“You haven’t heard the legend about the rogue turkey who haunts the woods around Firefly?” It sounded outlandish, but Abraham spoke with conviction. “They say when the leaves fall, Beatrice can be seen just beyond the tree line. She lures the hunters away from their catches. If you listen quietly at sunset, you can still hear the faint gobble-gobble of the one who got away.”
“You can’t be—” I thought back to the first day on the mountain and the shadows in the tree line. No. I refused to believe a phantom turkey had led me astray. “I guess it’s not the weirdest thing I’ve heard about this town.”
“Beware,” Abraham said. “I met Seamus while we had a turkey cornered in the mill. It moved like a slicked pig and almost got away. There’s nothing like the bond of brother-in-arms.”
“Did Laurel and Grace go to school together?”
Seamus nodded.
“I have this image of playdates,” I said.
Abraham shook his head. “Not even a little. They hated one another. Laurel was on the basketball team, and Grace was in the band. They were destined to be arch rivals. Want to see them go at it? Ask them about the championship game. Laurel still blames a perfectly timed clarinet squeal ruining her free-throw.”
“It’ll be your funeral,” Seamus added. The two men clanked their coffee cups together before taking another drink. Despite their daughters being in different cliques, they found a comfortable groove with one another. I liked this version of Seamus.
“So, Evelyn conned you into helping with her bonfire?”
I nodded. “She offered an extra week at Valhalla for free if I played bartender.”
“Glad to see you took her up on it. Firefly isspecial.” I couldn’t argue with Abraham. Firefly’s people made it anexperience to remember. But it wasn’tallthe people that had caught my attention. I’d say it gave me more time to find myself, but it wasn’t the whole truth. I did it for a particular man.
“She mentioned something about Julie?”
“Yeah, she and her husband are opening the liquor store.” I said it, forgetting he probably knew every detail already. “We’re going to partner up for some signature cocktails. You know, give the adults something to get excited about.”
