He turned left.
“Oh,” I said. “You can turn right here and?—”
He ignored my directions. Nick’s hands gripped the wheel as if we were in a snowstorm. I guess there were worse ways to be kidnapped. If nothing else, my captor had a cute smile and a fuzzy belly. The more I stared, the redder his face grew. He was up to something.
“Don’t ask.” He beat me to the punch. Now Ireallywanted to ask.
With one more turn, we were driving parallel to the green. He pulled into a space in front of an empty storefront next to Sheers by Sheryl. I leaned forward, eyeing the bay window and “For Sale” sign on the door. Was this about the shop? Was he going to give me a grand speech about how I could move to Firefly and start tattooing?
“They made me do it.” He spat out the words as he flew out of the car, shutting the door.
“They?” I mumbled.
I got out and continued staring at the storefront. It wasn’t as big as my previous shop, but it’d be enough for a single station. There’d be plenty of room for a light table and enough flat wall for hanging sample artwork. I got out of the car, imagining myself inside, tattooing one of the little old ladies from the quilting guild.
“What are you looking at?”
I spun about to see Nick with his backpack standing in the street. “I— Uh— What?” I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Why had he brought us to the green? My jaw went slack as Ispotted two tents in the middle of the park. He had asked me to go camping, but he had never mentioned where.
“What are you up to?”
I grabbed my rucksack from the back of the car and joined him in the street. As he trekked toward the makeshift campsite, I paused, looking over my shoulder. For a moment, I had the image of Pops standing outside the window, admiring the bright sign in the window.
“Charlie!”
I spun about to see Matt barreling toward me. At first, I assumed it had been by accident. Then I spotted his backpack, sleeping bag attached to the top.
“Dad let me borrow his knife.” He fished around in his pocket before patting the outside. “Oh, no.”
“Matt.” Johnny emerged from between two cars, holding a Swiss Army knife. “Forget something?”
My brain struggled to understand what was happening. It wasn’t until I heard Ronnie and Jeff shouting for Matt. Standing outside one of the tents, they waved for him to join. Nick gave me a shrug of the shoulders, feigning innocence.
“That bastard,” I mumbled.
“Can I go?”
Johnny handed him the knife. “Put it in your pocket so you don’t lose it.” He gave Matt a firm pat on the back, and the boy was off running to join his friends. He had been scared to camp overnight in the forest.Somebodyhad solved our problem and set up a campsite in the middle of the green. Nick might have been the ringmaster, but I suspected he didn’t act alone.
Johnny cleared his throat. His hands shoved in his pockets as he watched Matt run across the green. “I talked to Bonnie.”
I didn’t respond.
“She said I was an asshole.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “She’s not wrong.”
I focused on Matt jumping up and down with the gremlins. They quickly ushered him inside the tent. Nick had already tossed his pack into the other tent. Somebody had brought logs to the green, making a makeshift campsite. Inside a rock fireplace, there was a metal fire pit with logs stacked, ready to light.
“We good?” Johnny asked.
I nodded. As good as we’d ever be. If he had apologized, I’d have rolled my eyes. Acknowledgment. That’s what I had needed all these years. It didn’t remove the trauma, nor did it change how I felt about Johnny. If anything, it cemented a truce, one I’d happily abide by for the sake of Matt.
He returned a silent nod and walked away.
“Not staying?”
He shook his head as he walked toward the market. “He’s in good hands.”
I threw my pack over my shoulder, snapping the straps across my chest and waist. Closing my eyes, I clung to the sensation in the pit of my stomach. For the first time since arriving in Firefly, I felt a sense of peace. I had begrudgingly come back to take care of my hobbling mother. I figured I’d wade through my guilt from abandoning my parents and deal with the anger of a town I never wanted to see again. Peace was the last thing I expected.
