This Is How I Exhale
Bobby: Meet me at Valhalla.
Mike: Should I wear work clothes?
Bobby: Nope. Different kind of work.
I eyed the phone again. Bobby was one of the bears I knew the least. Handyman.
Lifelong resident. Madly in love with Hollywood’s favorite action star.
I couldn’t imagine why he asked me for help.
Seamus was better with his hands. Heck, Bonnie’s husband had his own chainsaw.
I could barely strike a nail with a hammer and not hit my thumb.
Opening the door to the bed-and-breakfast, I expected to hear table saws and smell freshly cut lumber.
I had spent many nights with the Glitterati at Valhalla.
We treated it as our unofficial training station for upcoming shows.
The absence of our usual manic energy left it feeling calm, almost empty.
“Bobby?”
I glanced up the stairs to see the second floor of the converted house empty. I stood idly, inspecting the photos on the wall. Mixed in with the artwork were testaments to Evelyn’s grandmother. She had done a beautiful job of balancing making the space inviting while honoring her family’s legacy.
“Mike!”
Her head poked around the corner from the kitchen.
She charged down the hallway with arms open.
I swept her off her feet as she kissed my cheek.
As the owner, she had seen the Glitterati and me at every stage of undress.
She’d never win a dance contest, but I liked to think we had taught her a thing or two.
“Mike, it’s great to see you.” She looked down. “I was told there’d be pie.”
I looked down, confused for a moment. “Oh. I thought he was joking.”
“You should know by now—”
“We never joke about pie,” we said in unison.
“I’ll survive,” she said. “Barely.”
The Glitterati, all dozen queens, came with wigs and dresses, but every morning, Evelyn saw Mike before the glam. It was impossible to be fabulous before my first cup of coffee. Of everybody in town, only my grandparents spent more time with this version of me.
“Where’s Bobby?”
“He mentioned you’d be coming over.”
She pulled off the wet rubber gloves and stuffed them into the pocket of her apron.
She pushed her hair back over her ears, trying to make herself presentable.
It wasn’t easy managing a house full of queens, but Evelyn had proven to be the most capable hostess.
Firefly and hospitality went hand in hand, and this home personified that inviting warmth.
“Any idea what he wanted?”
She shrugged. “If you want, I could give him a shout.” In Firefly, she meant it literally. She’d rush to the back porch and yell over the fence until Bobby appeared. Phones might be handy, but nothing mobilized a neighbor more than a good shouting match.
Evelyn had a smirk on her face. That meant one thing. Trouble.
“Evelyn, what’s going on?”
“Just have a seat in the parlor, and I’ll see what’s taking him.”
Suspicious. Even more so when she put a hand on my back and gave me a slight shove toward the living room.
“I’m sure our guest won’t mind.”
As quickly as she pushed me through the doorway, she dashed to the kitchen as if I might give chase. I froze while the sound of a pen scribbling notes filled the cozy space.
Oh, this was a pleasant surprise.
Sammy’s tongue hung from the side of his mouth while lost in thought. Despite standing in the doorway, he never looked up. Something had lit a fire and held his focus. I stood awkwardly, trying to decide if I should interrupt or wait for him to finish.
“Cough.”
Those eyes were electric. As he set the pen down, I had to remind myself not to stare. He closed the notebook, the same one he had given his employees. It took a moment before I noticed he had replaced the dress shirt with a neon pink t-shirt with “Positivity” scrawled across the chest.
“So, we meet again.” His smirk removed the sinister from the statement.
The space still resembled a living room, with two brown leather couches taking up two walls. I moved to the other couch, giving him a slight wave. “Any reflective insights?” I gestured to the notebook.
“Oh.” His cheeks turned red. He put both hands on the cover in his lap, ensuring it wouldn’t accidentally reveal itself. “Less professional, more personal insights.”
Sammy hid secrets. It seemed we spoke the same language. As much as my curiosity wanted to inquire, some conversations were best left unspoken. However, this time, I refused to let the conversation drift toward the awkwardness of our first meetup.
“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve discovered?”
“Huh?”
“About Firefly.” Every outsider discovered the town had quirks. Talking about them came naturally, as much as the townspeople talking about flatlanders. “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen? So far, at least.”
He leaned back, crossing his legs. I almost chuckled at the gray socks covered in cats.
I knew he’d have kittens somewhere. He might have looked handsome in his dress shirt and tie, but there was something calming about this casual Sammy.
The shirt was what he showed off to the world, but the socks—those were a statement just for him.
That was what I expected from a burly, muscle-covered guy.
“Have you noticed how… inquisitive folks are?”
“Nosey. The word you’re looking for is definitely nosey.”
He shook his head. “That’s not the weird thing. I mean, yeah, they really love asking about my second-grade teacher, but it’s more than that. Even if they’re not paying attention to you, they still seem to hear.”
“They’re like gossip magnets. I’m sure they’re listening now.”
“Their ability to carry on a conversation and still listen is impressive.”
“Let’s call them overly friendly. The good thing about Firefly is that their curiosity is genuine. If they’re being nosey, they’re trying to bring you into the family.”
The words left my mouth, and my earlier suspicion returned.
I dug around in my pocket. “One moment.” I had seen the meddling firsthand, and that was how I wound up in the green chasing evil spirits away from Nick.
They weren’t subtle. Pulling out my phone, I found a missed text from Bobby sent two minutes ago.
Bobby: Got caught up at a job. Rain check?
Bobby’s cryptic request. Evelyn’s sudden dash to the kitchen.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think Firefly had a town meeting to coordinate their biggest conspiracy yet.
It seemed far-fetched that they’d work this hard to get me here, in a room with Sammy, but their lack of boundaries meant nothing was off the table.
“I was supposed to help a friend, and he got pulled away.” I kept my theory to myself. “Good thing, too. I’m not sure what handyman things he was going to subject me to.”
“Handyman?”
“Bobby, I know him through friends. He used to live next door. Now and then he does small jobs for Evelyn and Valhalla.”
His eyes narrowed as if he were trying to read my thoughts. “You’re more Firefly than you think.”
“Thanks. I think?”
“It’s a compliment. So, what were you going to work on? I sort of dabble.”
“Oh, do tell.”
He sat back with a smile. “Woodworking mostly. There isn’t much room in a two-bedroom high-rise, so I hand carve stuff.”
I imagined him with a stick in one hand and a pocketknife in the other. Something about a man with rough hands always got my attention. Did he make figurines? Toys? Kitchen tables? My thoughts ran away from me as I pictured him sanding a surface, chest covered in sawdust.
“It’s a hobby. Keeps me out of trouble. What about you?”
“Me?”
“Hobbies?”
I used to get on stage and lip-sync to the applause of adoring fans. It didn’t seem like the right time to drop my baggage at his feet. “I’m hunting for some new ones. I just turned forty, and I’m trying this whole new decade, new adventures philosophy.”
Mostly the truth.
He settled into the oversized loveseat, his large frame filling the piece of furniture.
I had a feeling Sammy spent a good portion of his time observing.
The thought of him trying to get a take on me made my fingers fidget in my lap.
The grandfather clock struck on the hour and rang loud enough that the neighbors could hear.
Sammy growled, fists up, ready to fight. “It scares me every time. This place gets so quiet.”
Quiet? It wasn’t the word I’d use to describe Firefly.
The people were always busy, living their lives to the fullest. It made me wonder if he had gotten out of the town itself and explored the surrounding area.
If there was one thing I had learned about living in Maine, it might be serene, but never silent.
With his departure a little over a week away, I had an obligation.
“Want to go on an adventure?” I asked.
His eyebrow shot up. “What do you have in mind?”
It was my turn to smirk. “Trust me?”
I stood up. If Bobby wasn’t coming over and Evelyn found a reason to occupy herself, I had nothing keeping me here. Why not take a perfect stranger on an adventure that showed him what made this town magical? What’s the worst that could happen? I held out my hand.
“You can’t say no. You owe me for standing by as I nearly plummeted to my death.”
His smile returned.
He took my hand, and I hoisted him up. We kept finding ourselves face-to-face, bodies touching. It shouldn’t have crossed my mind, but I missed the feeling of a handsome man pressed against me. When I offered, I didn’t have a plan, just a desire to prolong our exchange.
“What do you have in mind?”
“We’re going to take a little field trip.”
“A man of mystery,” he joked. “Consider me intrigued.”
Now I just had to come up with something to impress him on the fly.
I could take him to the mill. We could go for a quick dip at the quarry.
I could even show off the second floor of the Legion where the old-timers drank and told war stories.
They all had their charm, but when I thought of Firefly, one place came to mind.