A/N Thank you Perry Loves Della for looking this over.

Goodbye Little Yellow Bird

Chapter Two

Good-bye, little yellow bird.

I love you, little yellow bird,

But I love my freedom, too.

So good-bye, little yellow bird.

- "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Lyrics by Charles William Murphy

Chapter Two

It once again being time for the annual Cabot Cove Fire Department rummage sale fundraiser, Seth had offered to pick Madame Chairwoman up and ferry her over to the sale, but Jessica had declined.

She had enough extraneous items in her house that she had finally decided to part with that Seth's car wouldn't get the job done. Elroy Brimley was coming around with his pickup truck to collect both the items and her with them.

As Jessica and Elroy pulled into the lot, Seth approached and offered Jessica his hand while she stepped down from the Fix-It Shop truck.

That was when he spotted it in the back of the truck tucked between the bookcase and the pieces of Jessica's old canopy bed frame.

"What's this?" Seth asked.

What it was being fairly obvious, Jessica didn't answer.

Gently, Seth suggested. "I thought in time, you might consider getting another bird."

Jessica rested her hand on the empty cage a bit wistfully and sighed. "I thought I would too, but then the more I thought about it …"

Jessica shook her head. "Seth, I travel so much and I'm in New York a few days a week two semesters of the school year. It's just … well, it didn't seem practical to get another one."

Her lips turning down into a little frown, she went on. "The house plants really don't need tending more than once a week. Without another canary that needs to be looked in on every day or two, I wouldn't have to be imposing upon you nearly so often when I travel. It's not only that. Getting another bird is selfish. It's not fair to the bird, being left alone while I'm sometimes gone for a week or two at a time."

Shrugging her shoulders and at least to his ears, sounding like she was still trying to convince herself, she told him. "Besides, this way, not having a bird at home waiting for me, I wouldn't have to feel so obligated to rush back home just as soon as I can all the time."

Everything she said made perfect sense, but that didn't have to mean he liked it.

But before he could say anything, Jessica was being called away by Mayor Sam. "Jessica, thank goodness you are here! We have a very serious problem!"

"Oh?"

"Eve Simpson and the Appletree sisters are fighting over a Chippendale."

Seth's jaw dropped and Jessica's eyes damn near fell out of her head.

When they both just stared at him, a blushing Mayor Sam clarified. "A Chippendale breakfront!"

"Oh!" Seth and Jessica said it together.

As Jessica disappeared with Sam, Seth found himself being jostled out of the way as Elroy and a few of the other volunteers began unloading the truck bed.

tbc

A/N Thoughts? Opinions? Feelings?