Chapter 15 Flaming Arrows Denied
FLAMING ARROWS DENIED
“Can you make a flamethrower?”
“What about a bomb?”
“Why would he make a bomb?”
“What if a moose attacked?”
“You want to use a bomb on a moose?”
“Yeah. The flamethrower is for bears.”
How many times would I hang my head while listening to these tweens go on a tirade?
It started as a demonstration on stacking firewood, and somehow, we had turned it into a conversation about pyrotechnics.
I’m pretty sure Ronnie would be in prison by thirteen.
Jeff wouldn’t be far behind him. At least they could share the only cell at the county sheriff’s office.
“Are you done?”
Ronnie and Jeff shrugged. Matt, on the other hand, continued paying attention.
The gremlins had warmed up to the idea of survival training.
I don’t know if I’d ever let them into the wild without adult supervision, but at least they might make it through the night… if they didn’t blow themselves up.
“If you two are done, we can start.”
I expected this to go sideways. My morning had been rushing from Valhalla, getting to the house, grabbing my rucksack, and meeting the boys.
I should have been in full-on survival teacher mode, but my mind continued drifting to the extremely long shower we took this morning.
I had seen Nick naked and wet before, but scrubbing his back had been a new experience.
Shaking my head, I snapped back to reality.
If I didn’t focus, I’d be pitching the wrong kind of tent.
The gardeners were hard at work preparing plant beds.
Harvey and Walter were at one of the cement tables playing chess.
Firefly’s green was filled with retirees keeping themselves busy.
Every now and then, I spotted their prying eyes.
If last night didn’t start a rumor, I’m not sure what would.
What did the woman with an oversized hat and gardening gloves know? What whispers did Walter exchange with Harvey as they glanced in our direction? It was hard to bask in the sleepover afterglow while Firefly attempted to wedge itself into my business.
“Are you okay?”
Matt, my favorite gremlin, had a look of concern.
While the others would have run into the forest for fun, he had been the reluctant of the three.
He might be curious, but the fear read on his face.
It’d take time to build up his confidence, but I’m sure with each victory, he’d be one step closer to being a Firefly mountain man.
I nodded.
I pulled the flint from my left pocket and Pops’s knife from the right. Holding them up, Ronnie tried to grab the knife. “Back up before I hogtie you.” I held them up for each of the boys to inspect. “Never go into the woods without these.”
“When do I get a knife?” asked Ronnie.
“Never.”
“But—” I flipped the blade open, and he froze.
“This is going to require patience.” I moved over to the grill, where we had set up our mock campfire. “The big logs are for once it’s burning. Kindling is the small, easy-to-burn stuff. Always make sure it’s dry.”
“What if it’s raining?” asked Matt.
“That’s another lesson.” I could see Matt had already found a reason to be worried. His brow furrowed with worry. “Don’t worry, there’s always a solution if you know where to look.” It eased the lines, at least for now.
“This side is for scraping.” I tapped it with my knife. “Other side is for sparks.” All three leaned in as I scraped the flint, letting it fall into the bundle of dried grass and leaves. Flipping it over, the first spark hit, but didn’t catch. Fourth try, and still no luck.
“How about you try?” To Ronnie’s dismay, I offered it to Matt. I guided his hands, showing him the motion. “If you get this on the first try, I’m quitting.”
“Show him who’s the boss,” Jeff urged. Sure, they’d cooperate, but only if it was to make me look bad. Would it be bad if I left with three and only came back with one gremlin?
The first scrape got him a spark. All three leaned in to see if it caught. No luck. The next strike made a huge spark, and I could hear the familiar crackle. I stepped in to see the tiny flame. Pushing some brush on top, I let it spread.
“Don’t slide it into the kindling too quick. It needs room to breathe.”
I could hear them gasp and hold their breath. The brush caught fire, and I slid it under the logs and fed it some kindling. I gave Matt a pat on the shoulder and snatched the knife out of his hand before Ronnie could grab it. I’d be duct taping mittens on that boy for everybody’s safety.
“Woohoo!”
I spun about to see Lacie raising a bottle of Moxie in the air. The outline of a moose on her shirt couldn’t be any more touristy. The outline of the turkey on top of it made it undeniably Firefly. At this rate, she’d be buying a house and baking pies for the townspeople. Speaking of…
Nick. He had a smirk on his face, and I couldn’t help but match it.
I hated to admit it, but Seamus had been right.
I would have given Nick all the space in the world, and where would we be right now?
Though… where were we? I hadn’t thought about it while we were busy rutting, but with my libido in check, I couldn’t help but wonder what I had gotten us into.
It took a moment before I realized everybody in the green had turned to watch.
I couldn’t tell if they focused on the growing pillar of smoke or Lacie’s boisterous cheering.
The walls surrounding Firefly pushed in, and I hoped they were more concerned about me burning down the town than who I surrounded myself with.
Not far away, Bonnie hurried down the path from the market with a brown paper bag in tow. We hadn’t spoken since I first got to town, and now she appeared like a raving lunatic barreling toward us.
“Hi.” It’s all I could manage while I tried to dissect everything at once.
“Hi,” Nick said with a slight wave. He might not be as enthusiastic as last night, but some of that glee held on.
“You two are so gross,” Lacie said. “What’s going on here?”
She brushed past me to the grill and gremlins. I couldn’t stop making eye contact with Nick. Was I staring? Too much? Not enough?
“We’re making a fire,” said Matt.
“For flaming arrows.” Ronnie would be the death of me.
“To kill bears,” Jeff added. “Bears hate fire.”
“There aren’t bears,” Matt said.
“Not bears?” Lacie said. Please, for the love of all things good, do not reference gay bears.
I didn’t need them telling their parents about bear culture.
“I was with the taxidermist yesterday. That’s the guy who stuffs dead animals.
He’s got three full-sized bears in his garage. All of them from right near Firefly.”
“Really?” Jeff and Ronnie were already planning their bear traps.
Bonnie reached us, paper bag leading the way. “These are for you.” She held it out without saying anything, and when I didn’t take it, she shoved it against my chest. I was about to growl when I smelled marshmallows. A quick glance into the bag, I found chocolate and graham crackers.
“You can’t have a campfire without s’mores.”
“I—”
“Look. We’ve got a history.” Bonnie was going to say her part without interruption.
She smacked her bubblegum between her words.
“It’s not pretty. Consider this your apology for my part in it.
” Never in a million years did I expect her to acknowledge what happened in high school, let alone apologize for it.
Bonnie hadn’t been the offender. Her guilt came from remaining silent. I could bare my teeth and growl while I chewed through her. I had every right to hurl obscenities and tell her that our history had nearly crushed me.
My fists tightened until I spotted Nick’s face.
Pushing past the curse plaguing him, he found his smile.
The anger I felt toward Firefly had allowed me to keep them at arm’s length, not letting them step inside the boundaries I set.
Was this my version of Nick’s curse? As Bonnie raised her hand, I had to decide. Would I remain walled off, or did I—
I shook her hand. “Apology accepted.” The lingering look from her carried more weight than her words. She meant what she said. The acknowledgment… it felt… good.
“Who’s ready for s’mores?” The gremlins stepped away from the fire, the drool already forming. Bonnie snatched the bag, and Lacie was already reaching inside, pulling out the sticks. I made a single concession, and already she forced her way inside. I had a feeling I’d regret my decision.
“Good for you,” Nick whispered. The back of his hand brushed against mine.
Or maybe I wouldn’t?
“Do I look like a badass?” asked Ronnie.
“The baddest,” confirmed Matt.
Hyped up on sugar, I knew I’d regret this portion of the day.
Each of the gremlins had successfully started a fire.
They could tease all they wanted, but I spotted the pride each time kindling sparked to life.
They were at the age where none of them would admit to liking something for fear of being ostracized.
It reminded me of how awkward I had been at that age.
“What did I say?”
Both kids grumbled.
We had extinguished our fires after eating an entire bag of marshmallows.
Then we moved toward the end of the green.
Here, the green met the river. The perpetual trickle of water reminded me of skinny dipping with a certain man.
I stopped for a moment to look back along the green.
Near the top, he, Lacie, and Bonnie headed to the grocery store in search of supplies.
For what? I didn’t know, but I assumed Moxie was involved.
“When do we learn how to do trick shots? Two arrows at once?”
I rolled my eyes. “Nobody does that. Stop watching movies.”