Page 102 of The Fireman and the Flirt

“No. Hasn’t started yet,” Mitch said.

“Shoot. I’ll keep driving around the block then.”

“Oh come on. It’s a good movie,” said Dusty. “I’ve already watched it twice.”

I gave Dusty a tight hug. It was great getting to know him, and I was floored by the gorgeous shelving unit he’d made for my living room. The man was likely a better carpenter than Jesus.

There we were. My friends and I reunited, along with our spouses. (Technically, there were two more dads I had yet to meet in the Single Dads Club, Buzz and Shane. They were living in Seattle but were planning a trip back this spring.) For the first time in forever, I had a friend group again. I never realized how much loneliness had seeped into my entire being in Alaska. Sure, I had Jolene, but she couldn’t prop up my social life for me. I had good friends here, real friends. I had teammates. Why had I been so stupid to leave this town so quickly, so desperate to grow up and break free? We couldn’t go back in time, but I would treasure every moment I had with these guys.

We hung in the back of the bar as the movie played, restraining ourselves from yelling out comments. We weren’t really into romances, but the movie grew on us. Cary had been turning me into a softie, while also making me hard all the time. Make it make sense.

Lucien stumbled into our peanut gallery halfway through the film.

“Good work, Lucien,” said Mitch. “It’s kinda weird seeing myself up there, but you make it work.”

“It’s not you, Mitch. You merely provided a smidgeon of inspiration.”

“Is that why I caught you raiding my closet?”

“Inspiration,” Lucien enunciated.

“You guys did a great job with me. But am I always that perky?” Charlie asked.

“Yes,” replied everyone except me and Cary, though if we got to know Charlie better, we’d probably say yes, too.

“I have to say, you and Skip seem very believable as a gay couple. I’m impressed,” said Cary.

“Well, funny you should say that.” Lucien scratched his head.

“What do you mean?” asked Leo. “Funny how?”

“We really wanted to be true to our characters. I’m a firm believer in doing my research as an actor, really going the extra mile as it were.”

“Oh my God.” Cal threw his hand over his mouth. “Did you have sex with your co-star?”

“No comment.” Lucien strolled off, leaving us wondering just how good of an actor he was.

EPILOGUE - DEREK

FOUR MONTHS LATER

When I bought my house, I thought one bathroom would be enough for Jolene and me. And it was…until Cary happened.

Three people sharing a bathroom was rough, especially when one of those people owned enough creams, soaps, and hair product to fill a CVS. I once asked Cary why he had four different types of hand cream, and he looked at me as if I were the crazy one.

I knocked on the bathroom door again. I had to take a wizz so badly I was two seconds from going in the backyard.

“Cary, are you almost done in there?”

“Almost. Just working on my hair.”

“What do you mean working on it?”

“It’s a process!” he yelled back.

“It looks great!” I said, making an assumption. His hair always looked great, never a strand out of place. I once made a suggestion that he buzz it off for summer, and again, he looked at me as if I were the crazy one.

Fortunately, I found those quizzical looks nothing but endearing. Watching Cary’s face change with each new expression was quickly becoming a favorite pastime.

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