Ronnie: We can go camping on our own.
Ronnie: We’re basically survival experts.
Jeff: Your dad will kill you.
Ronnie: Not if he doesn’t know.
Jeff: That’s never going to happen.
Ronnie: I want to wrestle a bear!
“I wanted to say thanks.”
I set the bottle on the counter.
Elbows on the counter, Seamus didn’t blink.
Holding my ground, I refused to break the silence. I imagined he had grown used to Patrick filling the air while he remained quiet. I didn’t need to speak to get my point across. We entered a stalemate, and I was determined to win. Was it a petty game? Sort of. I wanted to see if I could get him to?—
“You’re welcome.” He took the bottle, admiring the label. “Julie will never let me live this down.”
She might have wanted the sale, but she didn’t need to coerce. Knowing his tastes, she could tailor every recommendation. It was only possible with the closeness of a frequent patron. The similarity between that and Firefly wasn’t lost on me. Blurting out my dinner with Mum and Nick had led to the perfect wine. Did they run to their phones to tell the town the tattooed guy was sweet on a flatlander? Perhaps.
I couldn’t change how Firefly acted, but I could change my response.
“Dammit,” I muttered.
Seamus remained silent. Before meeting him, I’d have considered myself the king of the ‘strong silent types.’ I had been dethroned. Those eyes didn’t miss a beat, but instead of verbalizing, he held still. I could see why Patrick found him alluring. He made space, and I suspected everybody in his presence took his silence as an invitation to spill their guts.
“An unsettling epiphany,” I said with a slight smile.
He nodded. “Good. Now stop ignoring it.”
I frowned. How many times would he give me pithy suggestions that rocked my world? I thought Logan should get rid of the tools and put up a sign, “Life advice.” They’d make a killing.
“I’m trying,” I admitted.
He went back to the bottle.
“You’ll have to join us for a drink.”
From the first time we talked, I knew he was unlike the rest of Firefly. Much like his house, he sat on the fringes of town. Though I remember how fast he roped me into helping the gremlins. Seamus might not be like the others, but he participated in the mayhem lying underneath the charm of Firefly.
“How do you do it?” I needed an answer. “Avoid the drama?”
He set the whisky behind the counter, out of sight. Without saying a word, he leaned on the counter, hands clasped together. Sagely wisdom brewed as he chewed on his top lip. After our last dinner party, I wasn’t sure I’d get a second invite. I assumed Seamus didn’t allow drama into his life, but then again, I don’t think it would have bothered him in the least.
“Get over yourself.”
Uh. Ouch.
“Not what I was expecting.”
“You grew up. So did everybody else.” His eyes met mine, burrowing a hole into my soul. “But they’re not the ones trapped in the past.”
Seamus had cocked his rifle and fired. Every word hit its mark, leaving a sharp sting in my chest. He hadn’t held back, and yet, the timber of his voice held no malice. He didn’t mince his words, and if he was going to expend them like ammo, he made sure he had the shot.
“I’d hate to see what you’d say to somebody you didn’t like.”
