Page 15 of He Falls First
“What is that?” I say, examining the spot. “Oh my god, did you get a tattoo?”
She scoffs. “No, silly. He was just drawing a little turtle on me. Isn’t it cute?”
I let out a relieved breath. “Oh, thank god. You disappeared on me and I thought I was in trouble.”
Esme touches my shoulder. “Would you relax? Nothing bad is going to happen to me. This day is too perfect.”
What is with everyone telling me to relax? Is it that obvious that I’m stressed out?
The man that Rowan called Sagan can’t seem to take his eyes off of Esme. “Perfect day, indeed.”
To the tattooed man, with an all-too-obvious crush on my charge, I give a tight smile and say, “Thanks for keeping her company. We should be going now.”
Sagan replies, “You should stay for the bonfire.”
“That’s what I was trying to tell them,” Rowan says.
Esme claps her hands excitedly. “Yes! Let’s stay for the bonfire. One more thing that I haven’t done. Will there be hot dogs?”
“And s’mores,” Sagan says.
“I’ve never had a s’more either!”
Sagan looks from her to me. “Did the two of you come from another dimension?”
Esme winks at him. “If I told you that, then I’d have to kill you.”
His eyes widen as if he believes her. She cackles. “Kidding. I just have to get you to sign a nondisclosure agreement.”
I glance at Rowan, feeling a little panicky. Did I sign an NDA? Should I have not told him about Esme? What if we stay for the bonfire and people figure out who she is?
But looking at her now, I can see she’s determined. And if I wanna keep this job, I have to keep her happy, right? And if Frye’s out of town…
“Sure,” I say. “We can stay for the bonfire.”
She claps her hands again and shouts, “Yay!”
six
Rowan
This is my favorite part of the festival.
The city workers, townsfolk, and local landscapers have hauled in fallen trees and other natural debris and loaded it all onto the fire pit. When night falls, the fire department lights the bonfire while the town gathers to enjoy the warmth.
Tonight’s bonfire is extra special because I just met someone who makes me feel alive.
Couples huddle together, taking in the warm glow of the blazing fire. People pass around beers and bottles of wine and whiskey. Someone brings out their guitar and plays classic rock.
It reminds me of high school on these nights. Or the better parts of high school, anyway, when my fellow players on the football team would sneak beer onto somebody’s uncle’s farm in the middle of the night. Sometimes Sheriff Moody would bust up the party, but that was still considered a good night. Those memories are more than 10 years old, and most of my buddies have left Fate.
Tonight, the stars are bright and the air is chilly. And this new girl is making me wonder if there was a reason I stayed here all this time, watching my friends leave and get married one by one while I remained single.
Her friend, Esme, is talking to Sagan a few feet away from where we sit on a rough log bench near the fire. Those two seem pretty cozy. I wonder if Sagan knows who she is. Hell, I barely know who Esme Bryant is myself, and I couldn’t explain it to him if I wanted to.
I turn toward Briar and ask her to explain everything again.
She arches an eyebrow and grins with me over her hot cocoa. “Really? You wanna hear all of that again? Are you that interested in history?”