“If you get rid of Mittens—” She dropped the box on one of the barrels turned to tables. “—I’ll give you a discount on everything in the store.”
James leaned closely and whispered. “She loves reminding me about it.”
“What if you got a tattoo of me?” She framed her face, attempting to appear angelic. Not sure if she joked, we both kept our mouths shut. “Fine. Get your whisky barrel.”
At least that would be on brand for his hipster lifestyle. “Soon as I find a shop, I’ll hook you up.”
“Find a shop?” Julie walked over to the shelf, pulling a bottle of whisky. “You know there’s empty space next to Sheryl’s shop?”
“A tattoo shop in Firefly? There aren’t enough people to keep it open.”
With her free hand, she made a sweeping gesture to the shelves. “You think Firefly can keep a liquor store open? We’re competing with cheap beer at the grocery store.”
She wasn’t making the argument she thought?—
“Our online orders are more than enough to keep us open. Word of mouth got us here. When fall hits, and the leaf peepers stay at Valhalla, Evelyn sends them our way. When Merryville’s snowmobile club stops at the Legion, who supplies the drinks? Us. That’s who.”
That answered quite a few questions. The barber shop? Everybody needed their hair cut. I couldn’t fathom how the comic shop and the bakery remained open. I hadn’t realized the hustle behind their businesses. Consider me impressed.
“Something to think about,” she said before handing me the bottle. “Tell Seamus I say hello.”
It was the same bottle as the other night. “How’d you—” I raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what she had heard. I couldn’t imagine Seamus sharing our conversation the other night. Patrick, on the other hand? He’d be more than happy to call a town meeting to provide every detail.
She had a curious expression as she brushed her bangs behind her ear. Julie didn’t know anything. There were no tells that she had a secret that didn’t belong to her.
“You’re justifying a sale,” I mumbled the words.
“Want me to recommend something more expensive?”
I took the bottle. Julie didn’t have ulterior motives. She wasn’t fishing for information to compare against the rumor. Her only goal in this conversation was to make money. Of course, she used my connection to Seamus to make it happen, but there was no prying. I let out a sigh of relief. Firefly had its moments of normalcy, where it didn’t leave me gasping for air.
“Thanks.” It wasn’t for the alcohol.
“Can I interest you in a new bourbon? It’s?—”
“Wine?” I chimed in. “Dinner party. Mum’s hosting a get-together.”
Without her fishing for information, I could feel my guard falter. It was easy to be on the defensive when I felt somebody violating my personal space. When they accepted things at face value. Things shifted, and I didn’t hate it.
“How much do you want to impress?” asked James. “Are we talking casual? Or is it important?”
I paused, searching for the underlying meaning. I had spotted the nosiness from Bonnie, but this seemed… genuine? Was it possible to have casual small talk without there being subtext? Was I trying to find a problem where none existed? I took his curiosity as a shopkeeper looking for a sale.
“It’s a guy.” What? My mouth betrayed my brain. “She’s meeting a guy.” My head hung in embarrassment. “She’s meeting my guy.” I could have just said important. Instead, my mouth continued running, ignoring my common sense. “My guy.”
“She’ll love Nick,” Julie said, moving behind the counter.
James said nothing as he went to a shelf. Pulling a bottle, he set it next to his wife. “The perfect bottle to ease the nerves and impress a man.”
Julie wrapped her arm around his waist. “It’s the one he brings when my mom’s in town.”
A minute later, I was standing on the sidewalk, two bottles of booze in a brown paper bag. Did I just have a positive interaction with somebody in town? James and I had never talked in school, and yet Julie walked in on me caressing her husband’s chest. I could have gotten out of there with little more than a head nod, and yet… I couldn’t help but smile. It felt good to brag about a certain man coming over for dinner.
I’d dissect every word later. After I made a delivery.
Ronnie: So, I’ve been thinking…
Jeff: That’s dangerous.
