Chapter 5 #2
Lacie embodied chaos. Snatching Nick’s hand, she pulled him along like a dog pulling at its leash.
At this point, if I ran, it’d be considered rude.
The kids had tested my patience, and I wasn’t sure I could handle another interaction with humans.
Instead of focusing on the impending awkwardness, I turned my attention to him.
He tried slowing her, digging in his heels, not that it worked.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about him after our exchange on the green.
An outsider, he didn’t see me as anything more than a random guy.
No generational baggage. No history. No expectations.
In a place where it felt as if the walls closed in, he provided relief.
As she dragged him along, his face had turned red from embarrassment.
Nick didn’t notice the way his shirt crept up his belly, revealing a dark line of hair circling his belly button and leading to his jeans.
He hid his girth with an open button-down, while I showed off every curve in a tank top.
I had a feeling that if we talked, we’d find ourselves on opposite sides of every discussion.
“Look who it is.” I couldn’t help but snort at Lacie’s ‘My Heart Belongs to Firefly’ t-shirt. Only here for a few days, and the town had made a convert. I wonder if she understood we joked about flatlanders and their touristy ways? I’m not sure she’d care.
“Are you going somewhere?”
I raised an eyebrow.
She stepped close enough to invade my personal space. Her perfume reminded me of Marigold’s flower shop. Leaning to the side, she inspected the backpack. Above us, a flag snapped in the breeze, its rope tapping a soft rhythm. Firefly, the epitome of small-town ambiance.
“An axe?” Her eyes were wide as she returned to staring me in the face. “You’re one of those outdoorsy types, aren’t you?” She reacted as if she realized she had won the lottery. “Are you a lumberjack?”
“Lacie!”
The red crept from his beard until his cheeks glowed bright red. I think I understood the dynamic. He played the reserved role while she provided the outgoing energy. I wanted to ask Nick if she had a dial or if she always came in hot?
“Not a lumberjack.” She pouted at the news. “Teaching some kids about wilderness survival.”
I’m certain that if I held Lacie by her ankles and gave her a vigorous shake, it’d be a smattering of Firefly essentials.
Honey from the Walters. Whoopie pie from No Big Whoop.
If I got lucky, she’d have beef jerky from that guy at the farmer’s market.
It’d either be that or cans of Moxie rolling out.
“Nick loves the wilderness.”
“I do?”
“He does?” Nick’s screensaver with mountains didn’t count.
“Yeah, he might look like a desk jockey. He gave that up for adventure. He’s always talking about wanting to commune with nature.”
She lied through her teeth, but I appreciated her commitment.
I’d play along. “I’m going for an overnight camping trip tomorrow.
” Nick didn’t react, but Lacie turned to her friend, all but squealing.
“More than welcome to test your grit.” I suspected Nick didn’t get much sunlight during the summer.
He struck me as an inside cub. Video games?
No, he was more of a watch documentaries kind of guy.
He’d never accept.
“He’d love that,” she said.
“Would he?” I met his eyes and didn’t look away.
“Uhm.” The conflict played out in his eyes while he bit his lip. I recognized the fine line between desire and fear. “Are you sure?”
Before I could reply, Lacie jumped in. “Oh, he’ll be there.”
“Are you going, too?” he asked. If she agreed, he might tag along. I’m not sure what brought him to Firefly, but I had a feeling Lacie had been the driving force behind the decision.
“Me?” Her flair for the dramatic bordered on cinematic. From facial expression to her hand pressed against her forehead, I had to wonder if a camera crew filmed this for her social media accounts. “I can’t. I’ll be with the Quilting Guild.”
“What?”
“Gladys invited me. I can’t let the girls down. You know how they get.”
“How they get?” Nick had the most even delivery. Not mad, nor excited, simply existing. “We’ve been here two days. You’re out of control.”
“Ruth is bringing her famous rhubarb pie.”
While I kept Firefly at arm’s length, Lacie charged in, ready to hug her way through the town.
I avoided the whispers and dodged their need to get involved in every aspect of a person’s life.
Had Lacie barreled her way past being a flatlander and turned local?
It took them years to warm up to outsiders, but I bet she had a knack for breaking down boundaries.
“I leave first thing in the morning.”
I shot Nick a wink. He flinched, and his eyes dipped.
Our exchange, while in jest, didn’t provide the same levity it did for Lacie.
His hands slid into his pockets, and I watched as he retreated, the walls slamming into place.
If it had been the two of us, I’d have given him a pat on the shoulder and let him know it’d be okay.
Like me, Nick didn’t say much, but his silence felt different. He wasn’t guarded. It came off almost… hollow. He tried to vanish in plain sight. I spoke fluent isolation, but he had an accent of loneliness that I hadn’t heard in ages, but I remembered.
“I should get going. Have to get ready for tomorrow.”
For a second, his eyes turned up, and I cracked a smile. It wasn’t much, but I hoped a little warmth counteracted whatever weighed him down.
“Going to get your bow and arrow?”
She really didn’t have a clue. Her tone and energy made it clear she wanted the romanticized version of an outdoorsman. Packing maps and water purification tablets didn’t quite do the trick.
“Bow and arrow?” I scoffed. “Amateurs.” I held up my hands. “I only eat what I can catch with these.” If swooning were a facial expression, she had it. “This bear is old school.”
It wasn’t her reaction I cared about. For a split second, his lip curled. Almost unnoticeable before he buried it. He could choose to be isolated, but I wouldn’t walk away until I dented his sense of loneliness.
She patted Nick on the chest, rattling on as I walked away. I would never understand why somebody would seek out a place like Firefly. Perhaps the next time I bumped into Lacie, and I’m sure there’d be a next time, I’d have to ask her what she found magical.
A screen door clapped shut somewhere behind the bistro as I rounded the sidewalk curve. Almost out of earshot, I could hear her berating her friend. “Bear? See! You know how to catch those.” I couldn’t help but chuckle.
He wasn’t coming. I knew that. Guys like him didn’t vanish into the woods with a stranger. Still… I smiled at the ‘what if.’ No, he’d stay where he felt safe. But for a second, I let myself imagine what it'd be like if he did.