Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
FINN
The morning of the scavenger hunt, I hurry around The Scoop, preparing for the busy day. I implored the protesters to take the weekend off and even offered for The Scoop to sponsor them as a team in the scavenger hunt, but I’m afraid bribes are useless against righteous indignation.
Some of them were confused and blaming the garage for cuts in the festival schedule, the rumor mill run amok. At least I was able to clear some of that up. The garage is responsible for a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them.
Riley is unlikely to be of help, either, but I tried.
With so much I can’t control, I focus on what I can, and that means making my corner of the gayborhood bright and welcoming for today’s event.
It’s not difficult to summon a good mood, either.
Rise of the Storm Goddess does not disappoint, and NotAnOgre and I have agreed to meet.
It’s an exciting, fun light on the horizon, and I let myself smile and fantasize about it as I prepare The Scoop.
Kenneth pops his head in the front door. He’s dressed as a giant banana, and the top of his costume gets stuck on the frame, forcing him to lean in at an awkward angle.
“Sure you don’t need me today?” he asks. “If you need extra help at the shop, I can change out of this costume and come in. I really can.”
I grin, well aware that the scavenger hunt is a family tradition for Kenneth. “And break up the Fruit Salad? Your team is destined to win a championship eventually. We’re well-staffed, and I don’t think your moms would forgive me if I pulled you away.”
Kenneth groans and starts sulking away, but then excitedly hurries down the street.
I chuckle to myself and follow him out, where I see the teams assembling and making their way to the center of the gayborhood.
The first clue will be announced down the street, and the crowd will scramble from there.
I notice the team from Bloom all sporting '80s neon spandex, and Miranda gathers with her old crew in front of the bakery, The Creped Crusaders each wearing a cape with a pastry on it.
There’s simply no way the representative from the arts organization could see this and turn us down for additional funding. The scavenger hunt is one giant, collaborative community arts event, and everyone comes out to play their part.
Assuming nothing goes sideways between the mechanics and the rest of us.
I tilt my eyes across the street and realize the garage is quiet. Curious, I walk over and find a sign on the door, announcing that they’re closed for renovations and will be open again Monday.
I blink. Riley closed the shop. Did he hear my concerns in the bookstore and decide to shut the business down for the afternoon rather than risk another confrontation?
Surprised, I walk back to The Scoop. He’s seemed so inflexible; I hadn’t expected this.
But maybe I made a decent case for our cause, despite the need for discretion.
Riley likely cares about the neighborhood for the same reasons we all do, like he told me in the bookstore.
It’s the home of his business, and trouble for Allentown means trouble for all of us.
As I’m processing this new information, I spot a small group of mechanics walking down the main drag. A couple are wearing animal masks, an opossum and a raccoon, while two others are dressed as vultures with big black wings. The last mechanic, Little Joe, shuffles along in a red crab costume.
Scavengers, I realize, and laugh to myself. They’re all dressed as animals that scavenge their food. Not only did Riley shut the garage down, but he signed the mechanics up for the event.
For some reason, I feel confident that he came up with the clever costume idea, too.
Impressed, I return to work.
And for the first time since the butterfly landed on his nose, I smile as I keep thinking about Riley.
RILEY
I’m sitting in the office of the shop, waiting for the crew to arrive and install the new lifts while the noise of the scavenger hunt builds on the street outside.
It took a while to convince enough mechanics to join in, but when Pirate Bill agreed to lead the crew as co-vulture with Ali, the team came together.
Glad I don’t have to take part in it, I tell myself. Although I’d be good at a scavenger hunt. I’ve got a brain for puzzles and clues. Even came up with the costume theme for them.
The door to the garage flies open, and the team comes rushing in. “We can’t do it!” Little Joe yells out as he pulls his crab claws off. “This is fucked.”
Ali shakes their vulture wings. “Everyone is staring at us! Probably think we don’t belong, and they’re probably right!
Just how are we supposed to figure this first clue out?
” They pull out a slip of pink paper and read it out loud.
“Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold. Thanks to dear Madeline, our history is bold! Your next clue is an open-book exam. Just ask dear Dewey where I am.”
Pirate Bill throws his hands in the air. “Now everyone is going to laugh at us, hate us, and we’ll be the biggest losers of the day. This whole thing was a mistake.”
They all start bellyaching together, so I bark out to shut them up. “Cool it!”
Should have figured these weirdos would cave under pressure.
I grab the clue from Ali and look it over. Open-book… Dewey… When it clicks together, I shove the paper back to them.
“First thing first, no one is laughing at you. Sure, you look like jokes, but every damn person in this scavenger hunt is wearing a ridiculous, humiliating costume. So suck it up! Second, yeah, they might hate us. Which is why you’re playing this game in the first place.
That means you force a smile on your face, go back out there, and pretend to have fun with everyone else.
Because you deserve to be a part of this community, damn it, and we’re going to start acting like it. ”
I glance around to make sure my version of a pep talk is sinking in, then grunt.
“The next clue is at the library,” I tell them. “Dewey decimal system. That first line must be a book title.”
They all stare at me for a blank moment.
“Go!” I bark, and the mechanics scatter.
“The library,” Pirate Bill says on the way out the door. “That’s what I was going to say.”
When I see them excitedly jogging down the street, I can’t help but chuckle to myself.
This will be good for the team, I decide.
They need to start seeing the garage as part of the gayborhood, not just a hub for outsiders and loners.
And if they can keep up their manners for a full afternoon, it will be good for the garage’s reputation, too.
This is for our own sake, I remind myself. I definitely didn’t decide to shut the garage down simply because I knew it would make Finn happy and help with his problems. Sure, a part of my brain wants him to like me, but that’s irrelevant. This is business, pure and simple.
After the contractors arrive with the new lifts, I take a minute to step outside. The street is bustling with people, spectators watching while costumed teams run in every direction. I spend a minute standing there and taking in the chaos before I overhear a man talking into his phone.
“It’s nonsense,” he says. “Tacky nonsense. We have substantial funds to invest in community arts, but that is not what I see today. This is nothing more than a frivolous game and cheap fun.”
I turn slightly, looking at him without staring directly. The man sports a dull gray suit, and he stands stiffly near the corner, darting his eyes around while he talks.
Could this have something to do with what Finn mentioned, why the day is so important? If so, it sounds bad.
“No,” the man continues. “There’s no reason for me to stick around. I’ve already seen enough garish costumes and cheesy puns for one day. We should review any standing funding we have here, too.”
Shit.
I feel like I should do something, but I don’t have enough information.
My mind racing, I quickly think of the one person who likely does know what’s going on.
Steeling myself against doubts, I walk straight across the street to The Scoop.
A small crowd exits as I enter, shooting stink-eyes my way as I hold the door, but I’m grateful to find Finn alone behind the counter.
“Riley,” he says, surprised, and stands up straight. After a moment, his tense posture eases. “You shut down the garage for the scavenger hunt.”
I grunt. “Yeah, I did. But I’m afraid it might not have been enough.”
“Oh?”
I quickly tell him about the conversation I overheard, and his expression tightens with worry.
“That’s bad,” he says. “Very bad. But if the man just sticks around for the award ceremony, he’ll see so much more. The decorations, performances, live music—”
“He’s not sticking around,” I say, jumping in. “In fact, he’s about to leave.”
I turn and point at the man outside, who finishes up his phone call and begins to walk away.
Finn slaps his hand to his forehead. “Okay, okay,” he says. “Think. There must be something.” He looks around the ice cream shop, and when his eyes land on the bulletin board, his expression lights up. “That’s it!” He pulls a colorful, sleek flyer from the board. “The art show.”
“The art show?”
“My friend Kavya is curating an art show. It sounds much more like the kind of thing he’s looking for. I’ll just invite him and…” He shakes his head quickly. “I’ve got to try something, right?”
I nod. “Right. An art show. Good idea.”
He hurries out the door first, and I follow. Finn looks to me as we cross the street, and when a car pulls up to the man, he sucks in a breath. “Oh crap, he’s getting away!”
Realizing that we’re somehow in this together, I jump into action. “Hey!” I bark out loudly. “You! Man!”
The man turns on his heel, surprised, and Finn shoots me a smile before hurrying forward.
“We’re out spreading word about the Allentown Community Art Exhibition,” he says, and hands the man the flyer. “I saw you were enjoying the scavenger hunt and thought you might be interested.”
He peers at the paper, blinking. “What’s this about?”
“The show will feature contemporary and historical works made right here in Allentown. We have a long tradition of artists working in a wide range of media, from painting and sculpture to dance and video. Have you heard about the exhibition?”
When I look up, I see the mechanics coming down the street. Little Joe waves a crab claw at me and shuffles toward us, and I subtly shake my head and direct him away.
Luckily, the man doesn’t seem to notice me. He folds the paper and tucks it in his jacket. “Photography, too?” he asks, and turns his eyes to me.
Remembering a display I saw at the bookstore, I nod. “This region has a long history of landscape photography, and Buffalo has been a real hub.”
Finn looks to me, impressed, and the man nods.
“Perhaps I’ll check it out,” he mutters, then casts a disparaging glance at the chaotic scene unfolding down the street before he climbs into the car and departs.
Finn lets out a deep breath. “Disaster maybe temporarily diverted?”
“Smart idea, telling him about that art show.”
He nods. “Thanks for thinking to get me, Riley.” Finn quickly, briefly touches my arm. The pressure of his hand is gentle and warm, and it breaks me down the middle when he pulls it away. “I should get back to the shop I abandoned.”
“No problem,” I manage, and my voice catches. “Glad I could help.”
Finn takes off, and I’m left standing there, head spinning and heart in my throat.
And wanting him so badly, I don’t even know how to admit it to myself.