Smile For the Camera
SMILE FOR THE CAMERA
I threw my sneakers in the car and admired the boots. They weren’t my style, not in the least, but if I were going to spend time in Firefly, I might as well look the part. The jacket, on the other hand, was perfect—my hands no longer felt like blocks of ice. I couldn’t wait to tell Tessa about the fashion show. She’d laugh and ask if I had gone native.
Gone native? No. Had a native? Yes.
Rose made me promise not to devour any of the muffins. My stomach growled, and I decided it was time to see a familiar face. Since the comic convention, I have stayed in touch with Jason and Simon. At first, it was the typical friends-on-social-media situation—liking the occasional post. But seeing the photos of the two of them together with their son always made me smile.
When I mentioned visiting, Jason had given me the listing for Rose and Edward’s house. Since then, we talked regularly. I’d stop by to say hi, but not before I filled my belly with one of Simon’s breakfast sandwiches.
I froze. Bobby exited the hardware store with a box. In classic New York style, I stared at my boots while I walked. No, I was in the country now, and I wanted to partake in their unusual and mystifying ways. I waved.
His face didn’t light up, nor did he look away. I worried he felt awkward after our romp. Would he regret getting naked? I hoped not... part of me hoped it wouldn't be a one-time event.
He offered a sheepish wave. Well, this had turned awkward. Do I walk away like I hadn’t been thinking about him by the campfire? Or do I rush up like a puppy dog fascinated with his new chew toy?
“Look who’s admitted he’s a city boy.” Dear God, thank you for breaking the ice. I let out a sigh of relief. We returned to average, albeit handsome, guys meeting in front of the flower shop.
“City bears, not enough of a pelt to keep you warm.” Having seen him shirtless, I knew it wasn’t a joke. The moment I thought of running my hands over his belly, a shiver ran down my spine.
Down, boy.
“I’m heading over to the bistro…” I trailed off. Yes, I’ll admit it. I was nervous about asking him to sit down and have a meal. I wasn't sure if he'd be interested, and for some reason, he put me on edge. Would it be too close to a date? In the city, we could have gone the rest of our lives without bumping into one another. Here, I felt I’d see him every time I ventured into town.
“I’ll walk with you,” he said with a smile. “I have to stop by Little Light.”
“Little Light?”
“Coffee shop. Barb introduced me to mocha, and I’m pretty sure that’s why my pants are tight these days.” They weren’t nearly tight enough for me.
Okay, time to take a perfectly pleasant stroll and make it weird. “About the other day… I wanted to apologize.”
“Apologize? For a good time?” I bit my lip, flustered by the compliment. While I walked beside him, he pushed his hair behind his ear, giving me a clear look at those jolly red cheeks. “I think what you mean is thank you.”
“Oh.”
“Thought I was on the straight and narrow?”
“Nothing narrow about you.” I gave him a playful nudge.
He stopped, his head slowly turning. He reached out and gave me a slap on the back. “The man has jokes.” When he laughed, his whole body shook, and my mind went straight to the gutter. Maybe it wouldn’t be a one-time event?
“In that case, I’ll write a proper thank-you note.”
I slowed my walk, a sense of dread creeping along my skin as I spotted the news van. Did Tessa tell them I went on vacation in Firefly? Had they tracked me down to drag my name through the mud? I didn't want to think about my career going up in flames, and there was no way a reporter would let me go without questions. The last thing I needed was more fuel added to the fire.
“What’s up with the news van?”
“Oh! I read in the Town Crier that Simon won a restaurant award. They’re probably interviewing him. It’s a big deal for the town. Almost as big as a big-deal actor.” He shot me a wink as his pocket played music.
The reporter and her cameraman walked out of the bistro as Bobby pulled out his phone. “Don’t mean to be rude, but if I don’t get this, Carl is going to electrocute himself again.”
He walked over to the building and leaned against the wall while he feverishly told Carl to stop touching wires. I thought I was safe until the reporter walked out of the bistro. The moment she spotted me, she stopped talking to her cameraman. I had been spotted, and there was nothing to do except face the music.
“Chris? Chris Wilde?”
I eyed Bobby, and he held up a finger. Apparently, Carl was seconds away from burning his house down. I gave my jacket a fluff and strutted down the sidewalk, holding out my hand. “Chris Wilde and you are?”
“Gail Simmons. I read you were in town, but I didn’t think I’d bump into you. I’m a huge fan.” Centurions had been translated into dozens of languages and could be found on every streaming service. Everybody had seen it at this point.
“Nice to meet you.”
“This is Frank.” I shook her cameraman’s hand. First lesson in the business was: be friendly with the media, or they’d eat you alive. “I hope I’m not imposing, but would you mind a quick interview?” She had a big smile on her face, and with doe eyes, I couldn’t say no.
“Sure.”
Rolling her shoulders, she held up a mic, and her cameraman prepared for the interview. The moment the red light turned on, she jumped into action. “Firefly might be a small town on the edge of the county, but it’s filled with surprises. We just bumped into actor Chris Wilde. What brings you to town?”
“I visited a while back for Firefly Con and fell in love with the town. I decided a vacation was in order, and here I am.”
“The tabloids are highlighting your recent box-office bomb.”
Gail wasted no time getting down to business. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything I hadn’t already heard. “You can’t win them all. I stand behind the project. It was an amazing opportunity, and I’m hoping to keep expanding my craft.”
“Rumor has it you’re here to rekindle a romance.”
“Uh—”
“Is this a public relations spin to avoid the spotlight until coverage blows over?”
Gail Simmons. She might be a reporter in the middle of nowhere Maine, but she didn’t pull her punches. Reeling from the intensity of her questions, I tried to recall what Tessa had said. Usually, I practiced sound bites, but I didn’t think I’d be?—
“A ploy?” Bobby put away his phone and cozied up beside me. I became painfully aware of his hand on the small of my back, his thumb running back and forth over my spine. “If it’s a ploy, then we need to have a serious talk.”
What the hell was happening? I was caught between worrying where this was about to go and not wanting him to stop touching me. As Gail’s eyes widened, I fought to maintain a straight face. Tessa’s lie to the tabloids had been officially confirmed. Here, I worried about things being weird between Bobby and me after a blow-and-go, and now he thrust us into a relationship. It was amusing that minutes ago, I worried about awkwardness, and now we were dating.
He wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my cheek. I leaned in, not wanting him to stop. “We met at the convention. Took some convincing, but I’ll make a country boy out of him yet.”
The only person more stunned than Gail was me. She turned to the camera and put on her game face. “There you have it, Maine. Hollywood star finds love in the mountain town of Firefly.”
She dropped the mic, an eyebrow raised. For the camera, she confirmed the story, but I could see the suspicion on her face. Bobby took my hand, squeezing my fingers. “Go have lunch, and I’ll catch up with you later, handsome.”
“Thanks… pookie.” I rushed to the door, trying to understand my new, very public relationship and what this meant for my career... and for my love life. Outside, Bobby went about his business as usual. The handyman didn’t give his actions another thought as he wandered toward the café. Meanwhile, I thought I might have a nervous breakdown. People paid me to fake it. My actual job description had me pretending to be things I was not, and yet, I nearly tripped over my tongue.
“I’m telling you, Bobby Wright just kissed?—”
The woman with blue hair dropped the phone into her apron as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I realized the town gossiped, but this was the first time I caught one of them. She smiled, crossing her arms and trying to occupy herself with the napkins on a table.
Simon’s bistro blended the modern with the rustic. Dark wood tabletops and wood-and-metal chairs created a homey vibe. Simon might have left the city, but he didn’t leave it behind. The waitress might have been talking about me, but when I caught a whiff of bacon, the rumbling in my belly spoke louder.
“Hi, I’m Dorothy. I’ll be taking care of you today.”
“Dorothy! Dorothy! Did you say Bobby kissed the actor?” This couldn't be happening. Within seconds, the news rippled throughout Firefly.
I pointed to the tiny voice squawking in her apron. Dorothy did everything possible to avoid eye contact. She pulled a menu from one of the other tables and promptly handed it to me. Her cheeks had turned a deep red as she reached into her apron.
“Coffee is on the house,” she said.
“Dorothy,” the woman on the other end shouted into her phone. “I’m hanging up and calling Gladys. She’ll know.”
Just like that, my relationship—my fake relationship, had become the talk of Firefly. While it might sidestep the problems in my career, what did it mean for me and my newly acquired boyfriend? I plopped down on the chair as Dorothy flew toward the back of the bistro and into the kitchen.
“I’m an actor. How hard can this be?”
“Hurry up,” Dorothy whispered rather loudly from the kitchen. “I made a fool of myself in front of Bobby’s boyfriend.”
Oh, boy.
The omelet had been amazing.
Dorothy spent my entire meal hiding in the kitchen. In the middle of the week, only one other person had come in. He sat in the far corner, sipping his coffee and reading a copy of the Town Crier. Now and then, he’d glance over the top of the paper and then go back to reading. If he recognized me, he was less than impressed.
“Meal’s on the house,” Dorothy said with a smile.
“No, no. I can’t let you do that.”
She held up her hands. “You’ll have to speak with the chef.” Clearing off my table, she pointed to the back. “Go back and say hi.”
Wiping down the table, I got up and grabbed my jacket. She gave me a quick smile. “Sorry about earlier. I’m not usually a gossip.”
“Liar,” said the gentleman.
“Pete, does Phyllis know you’re hiding here?”
“I’m in the doghouse either way,” he said, never looking up.
The people of Firefly reminded me of my family at Thanksgiving. They bickered, argued, and, most of the time, did it with a smile. However, the people here knew more about each other’s lives than my family. I don’t think I knew my parents as well as these folks knew one another.
I worked my way to the back and pushed the swinging door open. Large and in charge, Simon patted down the sweat from his forehead. With the sleeves of his chef’s jacket rolled up, I could see the tattoos of kitchen utensils along his forearms.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you out of spandex.”
Whatever occupied his mind vanished with a grin. “If Jason had his way, I’d only be in spandex.”
“Superhero fetish, good to know.”
He wiped his face with a dish towel and tossed it on the pass. Coming around, he opened his arms for a hug. I knew him and his boyfriend from the convention, but the friendship had formed through text messages after the event. When his arms wrapped around my chest, he gave me a squeeze.
“With the number of times Lucas makes me watch The Centurions , you might as well take the spare bedroom.”
“Speaking of, did Jason tell you?—”
Simon roared with laughter. I didn’t have to finish the sentence before he backed up, buckling over as his body shook. I couldn’t help but grin and shake my head. Now that my expectations had adjusted staying with Rose and Edward was working out.
“Did you think people were renting their entire house?”
“There were plenty of cabins?—”
“Hunting cabins,” he corrected. “We don’t even have a bed-and-breakfast.”
“I knew it was small… but…”
Simon wiped the tears from his eyes and came in for another hug. He patted me on the back. I knew a pity hug when I received one. “Chris, the town north of here is called T4 R9. No inhabitants, just a road and a lot of land for hunting deer.”
“So, Firefly is a metropolis?”
“We have stop signs and stoplights.”
Dorothy popped her head in. “Am I interrupting? Or are you still working?”
“Don’t mind Dorothy. She’s the real muscle behind this operation.” She handed him a sheet of paper and he put it on the pass. “I heard her say you and Bobby are a thing?”
Dorothy’s face flashed red. Spinning around, she pushed her way into the dining room. I wondered how long it would take before we’d be able to make eye contact without it being awkward.
“Yeah. It’s weird saying it out loud. I guess we’re a thing.” Some would call it lying. I called it preparing for a role.
“Good for you. Bobby is good people. I’ll talk to Jason. You guys can come over for dinner and some drinks. It’ll be nice to have adults in the house again.”
He moved back to the hot top and stopped. “Wait. How did you meet Bobby? I don’t remember him at the convention. That was the night the pipe burst in the Kirby house.”
In the city, nobody would question my fib. Without thinking, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I might have stayed for a night or two.”
Simon held an egg in mid-crack. “Stayed?” Dammit. There were no places to stay in town. This is why I never lied. I could barely keep track of the truth. The tabloids had plenty to talk about, and if it came out I faked a relationship, they'd be on me like a pack of wolves.
When in doubt, be short. “Yeah.” I shot him a grin. Had I just overstepped my boundaries? Our relationship was only an hour old, and I was already worried I would put Bobby's business on display for the whole town. I prayed he found the lie amusing and shrugged it off.
“Oh,” he said. “Well, that’s a scandal all on its own. Remind me to tell you how I first met Jason. It still makes my toes curl.”
I stifled a laugh. Now Simon thought I went from a comic convention, found the first available bear, and shacked up. If I found out Bobby lived with his parents, this story would take an incredibly weird turn. Though… the more I thought about it, maybe I could use the opportunity to my advantage.
“In the spirit of small-town gossip…” I leaned against the pass-through, listening to the bacon pop on the griddle. “What can you tell me about Mr. Wright?”
“I’ve only been here six months.”
I raised an eyebrow. “In Firefly, six months is enough time to know everybody’s business.”
“True,” he said with a laugh. “You know how every town has that one guy everybody knows, but nobody really knows?” Not a clue what he meant. Hollywood and New York City had lots of people I didn’t know. “That’s Bobby. Hell, before—” He checked his watch. “—forty-five minutes ago, I didn’t know he was gay.”
“Really?”
“I mean, I’m glad there are more bears. At this rate, we’ll have enough for a team at the American Legion’s trivia night. We’ll call ourselves the Growlers.”
“I’m going to guess that’s the most exciting thing happening in Firefly?” I had to admit, the idea of sitting around with a group of burly men playing trivia sounded like fun. I bet their trivia was less pop culture and more about how to survive a blizzard.
“Unless you like Bingo. But if you go, bring a knife. There’s a good chance you’ll get roughed up.” I laughed before he shot me a look. “That was not a joke. If Jason says they’re joking, he’s lying.”
I was glad to get an outsider’s perspective of Firefly. Simon seemed to have adjusted to life in a small town. I was sure Jason had something to do with that. It was unlike anything I had experienced in New York. I could get used to the closeness of the town... until I realized the lack of privacy. Then again, how was that any different from life as a celebrity?
“I forgot to ask, is Lucy in town?”
“She’s in Boston for the month, preparing for another stint in Africa. Speaking of which, I need to check in on her.”
I remembered his family being close. How he managed a son, boyfriend, and ex-wife made him a superhero in my eyes. I had a houseplant at home that wasn’t trying hard enough to survive.
“Go see Jason. If he gets pushy about signing merchandise, tell him to behave or I’ll spank him.”
“Like that’s going to slow him down.”
He nodded in agreement. “Stay out of trouble.”
I gave a wave as I exited the kitchen. I wondered what on Earth could I possibly do to get in trouble in good ol’ Firefly Valley? Apparently, I'm already dating the nicest guy in town. How long before Tessa got the news and texted me eye-roll emojis? That’s what she gets for lying to the media.
I gave Dorothy a slight wave as I walked through the dining room, just to watch her face turn red. “Bye, Dorothy.”
“Did you just kill me? Again?”
Not what I expected to hear from Firefly’s resident king of geekdom. As I walked down the aisle, looking at the superhero pins and keychains, Jason’s maniacal laughter filled the store. He sat at the back of the store while three younger boys sat on the opposite side of the table. Their eyes went wide at my approach. I held up my finger, giving them the universal signal to stay quiet.
“Why do you hate my dwarf?” A kid in a black t-shirt shook his head, running his hands through his curly hair.
Jason came to an abrupt stop. “That’s what you get for making a dwarf cleric.”
“Mister Thistlebush will never be forgotten.” The redhead said as he patted his friend on the shoulder. “We’ll bury him with your other characters.”
The gray folding table had been covered with maps of dungeons. I recognized the multi-colored dice and tiny figurines of their characters. In my younger years, I had played my fair share of Mutants I shouldn’t be surprised Jason enjoyed a bit of local gossip. However, I was not expecting him to skip the relationship and jump right into my sex life.
“Did you think I ignored the gossip?”
“I should have known better.” After talking to Simon, I imagined that while he cooked dinner, Jason would fill him in on the happenings in town. Every small event turned into colossal news.
“I need to know… have you two…” He wagged his eyebrows.
It’d be ironic to lie and say no. This was the one truth about my relationship with Bobby. “We’re not kids.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. Is he…” He peered down the aisle, ensuring the kids were out of earshot. “We were at the creek once, and I saw him changing. I need to know if it was my imagination or not.”
If it had been anybody else, the question would have crossed a boundary, but gossip between gay men lacked subtlety. We talked about our sex lives with candor and had a tendency to share the most intimate details. By liking men, we entered a small tribe of brotherhood where secrets were few and far between. I could leave Jason hanging and give him a colorful innuendo, but part of me wanted to brag.
“Bigger than you remember.” I held up my hand, showing off the thickness.
His jaw dropped. “Liar.”
I had to admit, I took a secret pleasure in being able to share a truth, especially one as tasty as this. “I’m sure you could ask him yourself.”
Moving to the next box, I jotted down my signature and picked up the next. The kids came from the back, complaining about homework.
“When are we getting a sequel?” asked the ginger.
“That’s up to the studios,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll know before I do.”
“Greg is going to be jealous that he didn’t get to meet you.” The curly-haired kid pulled his phone from his pocket. He tried sneaking a photo before I grabbed it out of his hand.
“If you’re going to take a photo, let’s make him real jealous.” I handed the phone to Jason and moved behind the three teens. “Sorry, Greg.” With a snap of the camera, he handed it back to the owner.
“Here.” I handed them each an action figure.
“Really?” asked the curly-haired teen.
I handed an extra to the ginger. “Make sure Greg gets one.”
“Thanks.” They all gave a wave as they headed out.
“You just made super fans out of them.” Reaching into my back pocket for my wallet, I dropped a credit card on the table. “I’ll buy them all.”
“Whoa,” he said.
“Just make sure they find good homes… and I don’t mean your house.”
Jason swiped the credit card, shooting me a disapproving look. “I’ll make sure Bobby gets one. I’m sure he’ll be disappointed the spandex doesn’t come off.”
He punched a few buttons on his tablet before returning my card. “He doesn’t need to worry when he has the life-sized version.” I shot him a wink as I walked to the door. “Spandex optional.”
His jaw dropped. For good measure, I held up my hand again, giving him another glimpse of Bobby’s girth. He let out a laugh.
“Now you’re just being mean.”
“I’m sure you’ll hear more when we come over for dinner.”
As the cool air found every opening in my jacket and jeans, I couldn’t help but crack up. Sure, the folks here might be nosy, but they were warm, a stark contrast to New York. Having Jason and Simon around would make it bearable. Maybe I’d have to consider a second home in Firefly, an escape from the hustle of the city? It didn’t hurt that there was a handsome handyman who caught my attention.
“Daydreams,” I mumbled. It'd be foolish to move to the middle of nowhere, and for what? Hiding away from the rest of the world? Maybe the slower pace would let me focus on other things. I wouldn't move for Bobby, but if it meant having more time to see if our chemistry extended beyond the bedroom, it wouldn't be the most reckless thing I had ever done. Maybe it was time I put my needs before my career?
It'd be a fantasy I'd mull over on the walk home.