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“The kids are having fun.” He pointed. Molly was kneeling at the riverbank where it was shallowest and passed over smooth pebbles. There was a small swarm of kids there along with her. They were finding anything light enough to float like leaves and little sticks. A few of them would drop things at the same time while another group of kids on the bridge called out which item came out from under the bridge first.
Molly appeared to be distracted by a bug at the moment, but there were enough parents around that I didn’t need to keep too close of an eye on her. That was one nice thing about small towns. It felt safe here. Like I didn’t always need to be worrying they were going to get hit by a car, abducted, or dragged into trouble.
Then again… I spotted Billy. He was kneeling on the other side of the bridge in the shadows cast by the lamplights. I saw his face flicker red as he lit a match and the boy and girl kneeling beside him all widened their eyes in appreciation. They lit something small on fire, then tossed it into the water and made noises of admiration.
“Hey,” Zack said, gripping my arm when he saw me going after him. “Kids play with fire. He’s sitting on a bunch of rocks right next to a flowing body of water. I can’t think of a safer place to be a pyromaniac.”
I sighed. He was right, I supposed. I didn’t know when I’d become such an old man. That was the kind of shit I did as a warmup when I was his age, and now I couldn’t help wondering if he’d know what to do if his shirt caught on fire.
The town square was picking up in activity. The small force of police in Fairhope had all the roads blocked off and there were tents set up on the street and sidewalks. Some had crafts for kids and others held people’s home cooking or even drinks for the adults. The main long table along the river had all the supplies for everyone to make their lanterns. And then there was a similar long table along the sidewalk with a familiar face–and ass–in view.
I found myself staring as Harper and two of her friends bustled around, setting things up on the table. They occasionally disappeared into a nearby store, which appeared to be her mom’s bagel shop she was using to make sure everything was hot and ready. I never did get around to using that coupon, but I made a mental note to do it soon.
I recognized the one friend as the girl who had been giving me googly eyes in Harper’s apartment earlier. The other was new. All three of them were pretty, but I had no problem averting my eyes from the others when they bent to catch a plate blown off the table by a breeze or adjust the skirt around the table legs.
Harper though… My damn eyes were in full blown rebellion. Even when I looked away and watched the kids, I felt most of my focus dragged in her direction. It was a constant effort not to sneak another look, and my fucking brother noticed.
He was grinning at me like an idiot. “Impressed?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, pretending I didn’t know exactly what he meant. “They do a good job with this. The kids really are having a blast.”
“Mhm.” Zack’s grin widened. “Looks like you’re having a good time, too. Enjoying the sights.”
I shook my head. There was no use pretending with him. I told him everything, anyway. Even if I’d hoped I could keep just this one thing to myself. “She’s too young for me.”
“She’s an adult. You’re an adult.”
“I’m not here to fool around. Gramps and his hotel need my help. If I get distracted, I may run out of time to give him the help he needs.” I didn’t like how it felt like I was trying to convince myself and not my brother.
“So which is it? She’s too young, or you’re too busy?”
“It’s both.”
“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully.
I tried to let it die there, but my brother had a way of making me talk. He knew better than most that pressing me would just shut me up. So he simply folded his arms and kept watching the kids.
“Even if I was interested,” I blurted after a few moments. “I have no idea if she is.”
Zack blew a raspberry, clearly unimpressed. “Look at yourself. Girls would line up for you if you didn’t death glare them every time they made eye contact.”
“Are you implying I don’t get women?”
“You know what, I am. I haven’t heard you talk about anybody since you and Katie split. So what is it? Are you still hung up on her, or have you lost your touch?”
