"So do you have a date to the firefly festival?" Molly asked Angela. Angela was sitting on a stool in the bar. Three weeks had gone by since Darryn had left Waffle Island. Angela had been rather silent since then. Molly had decided not to pry too much into what her sister was feeling at the moment. She felt that she owed at least that much to her older sister. She had been insensitive when Angela had first told her about the breakup with Darryn. Molly couldn't help but feel guilty about being the reason for their breakup. Angela had finally told her how she had turned him down. It had taken a lot of courage for Angela to do what she did and walk away. Molly respected Angela even more for that. But even if she no longer loved him, Molly imagined it had still been hard on her older sister.
"No," Angela sighed. Angela had not even been planning on going to the firefly festival. "I don't know if I am even going to go."
"Come on Angela you should go. Ya know, YOU could always ask someone, what about Mr. Sexy over there?" Molly asked, craning her head towards Gray.
"Shh... For Goddess sake, Molly!" Angela scolded. "Someone might hear you!" Molly beamed an innocent smile back at her sister.
"Oh whatever like he can really hear me anyway, it's so loud in here tonight," Molly crooned. She sashayed away from her sister. Angela turned back around to the bartender Hayden who was hiding a smirk. Hayden was someone who knew about everyone. But he also was very discreet about it, which Angela appreciated. She'd had many conversations with Hayden, and had found out most of what he knew about the townspeople was from what he overheard or what was told to him. He had told Angela that people seemed to open up to bartenders.
"Your sister has a point," Hayden said. "Pretty much everyone on the island is going to be there. You should go." Angela was relieved that he left out the part about her asking Gray.
"Maybe," Angela said into her glass. She shrugged not really wanting to pursue the conversation any further.
XxXx
Angela stood with her arms folded waiting her little sister. Why was she always letting Molly persuade her into doing things. She had planned on staying home the night of the firefly festival, but Molly had been so insistent. Molly finally emerged from the bedroom and stopped. She folded her arms.
"You are NOT going to go like that! Come on Angie! At least take the bun out of your hair. I mean really!" Angela rolled her eyes. They seemed to do this every time.
"My hair is fine," Angela responded.
"Why are you so afraid of being beautiful Angie?" Molly asked placing her left hand on her hip. Angela was taken aback. She had not expected those words from her baby sister. Maybe Molly was more observant and wise than Angela gave her credit for at times. Angela sighed, then reached up and pulled the pins out of her hair.
"Is that better?" Angela asked.
"Yes!" Molly asserted.
"Come on, let's go or we'll be late," Angela stated. Molly followed Angela out the door.
Just as everything else on Waffle Island the Firefly Festival turned out to be a beautiful event. There were many couples huddled together, Molly and Chase included. The firefly lamps lit up Caramel Falls area. Angela sat listening to Mayor Hamilton explain about the festival.
"This is a festival where we gather to remember the souls of those who have gone before us. We light these lamps in memory of them. We remember our ancestors as a way to keep them connected to us," Mayor Hamilton explained. Angela stared at the lamp that Mayor Hamilton had placed in her hands. Her mind immediately flew to her dear mother. Angela looked up to see Gray standing off in the distance, a lamp in his own large hands, with a solemn look on his face. She wondered who he was thinking about. She started walking towards him and stopped herself. What exactly was she going to say to him anyway? Instead she perched herself on a stump a short distance away from Molly and Chase who were speaking in hushed tones to each other. Angela glanced towards Maya who was glaring at the couple, and shook her head. She glanced once again at Gray who was still standing away from the crowd. She felt drawn to him still. As if he could feel her staring, he looked up at her. His gaze held hers, and she found herself unable to look away. A small smile came to his lips. He was so attractive when he smiled like that. Angela looked back down at the lamp in her hands. When she looked back up Gray was no longer sitting where he was. He must have decided to leave. Many of the older married folks were leaving, while the younger couples stayed behind, she knew from what Kevin had told her most young couples would stay well past midnight. Kevin had already taken his wife and his baby home. She stood up to leave.
"Going home already?" Angela instantly recognized the voice behind her. She did not even have to turn around to know who it was. She felt a warmth rise in her cheeks.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to call it a night," Angela replied back to Gray turning her head to look at him.
"Well then, can I walk you home?" Gray asked. Angela was surprised at the request.
"Um... yeah sure," Angela answered. "Let me just tell my sister that I'm leaving." Angela walked over to the two lovebirds who were still softly chatting to each other. "Molly, I'm going to head home." Molly looked up and saw Gray standing nearby waiting for Angela.
"Alright," Molly said with smirk. "So.."
"Don't even say it," Angela warned. She could hear Molly snickering as she walked away. "All right I am ready to go." Gray simply nodded.
XxXx
"So what's going on with the two of them?" Luna asked, when the guys had gone over to get them some more refreshments. Molly smirked.
"Nothing according to Angela, but I think she likes him," Molly crooned.
"He's kinda rough," Luna said wrinkling her nose. Molly laughed. She couldn't argue with that. The few times she had encountered him, he had been rather curt with her.
"But enough about them, how did you get Gill to come with you?" Molly asked. Luna giggled, but then saw Gill and Chase walking back over towards them.
"I will have to tell you another time," Luna stated wiggling her eyebrows. Both girls erupted into giggles.
"Girls giggling, that is trouble," Chase teased, then took his spot next to Molly. She snuggled up close to him. She no longer cared that Maya was throwing daggers at them with her eyes. She did not care what anyone thought of them. She was blissfully happy.
"Oh you over exaggerate!" Luna laughed, as Gill sat next to her.
"You look beautiful tonight," Chase whispered in Molly's ear. The warmth of his breath was a stark contrast to the chill night air, and she felt a shiver run through her.
XxXx
"What brought you to Waffle Island?" Angela asked after a few moments of silence.
"Work," Gray answered shortly. Angela felt herself flinching at the tone in his voice. He had been the one to ask her if he could walk her home, this man frustrated her at times. "I'm sorry, that was kind of rude." He looked over at Angela.
"It's okay I guess," Angela answered back, still slightly frustrated at the way he spoken with her.
"Angela," Gray pleaded. He stopped walking for a moment. "I'm sorry. It is a bit difficult for me to speak about why I moved here." Angela turned to face him, his blue eyes conveyed a sadness that she had never before noticed. They continued to walk.
"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," Angela whispered softly.
"No, I suppose I need to tell someone eventually," Gray signed out. "I came here from Flowerbud, have you ever heard of it?"
"Yes that's where my parents used to live, before my father ruined everything and they lost the farm."
"Yeah, well it's a pretty small town, just like this one. I was married, and pretty blissfully happy. Until I found out my wife was pregnant," Gray stated. Angela could hear the harshness come back to his voice, but she knew this time it was not directed at her.
"Didn't you want children?" Angela asked Gray, not daring to look at him when she asked the question.
"Yes, but the baby wasn't mine. Of course I didn't know that until the baby was born, and it had the dark colored skin of my best friend. Both my ex-wife Popuri, and I are very light complected, so I knew that the baby was not mine." Gray paused for a moment. "Popuri insisted it had only been the one time, and I desperately wanted to believe her, and so I agreed to raise the child as my own. Until five months after the baby was born, I came home early from work to find my wife in bed with him again. That time I left for good, packed my things and moved back into the Inn. After a while, I couldn't stay there anymore, so I left Flowerbud when I saw the job posting here." Angela turned to look at Gray. They had reached the house by the time He had finished his story.
"Wow," she breathed out. Knowing that saying sorry was not really going to help the situation. When people had apologized after hearing about her and Darryn, it had made her feel even worse.
"So I'm sorry if I've been rude or stand offish," Gray continued to explain. "It's just that I felt an instant connection with you, and the only way I could deal with it, was to keep you at a distance. But I realized how rude I was, and you looked like you have your own past that you were dealing with."
"Is it that obvious?" Angela asked in horror. She had tried her best to cover that part of her up. Gray shook his head.
"No, the only reason I could see it, was because I was feeling a similar pain."
This man in front of her was so much more perceptive than she gave him credit for. Definitely more so than she had been. She had just thought his rude behavior had been confusing and frustrating. She stood before him feeling a bit ashamed that she had not thought to look deeper. The wind blew a strand of Angela's hair across her face. Gray lifted his hand and with his finger gently brushed the hair back behind her ear. Her eyes stayed fixed with his, even as she felt a light shudder go through her body. His finger had brushed lightly against her face.
"Did you want to come in for a bit?" She asked on impulse. She instantly regretted it. She wasn't ready for that kind of intimacy that allowing a man into her home would bring.
"No thank you," Gray sighed. "I have an early day at work tomorrow." Angela nodded. "Goodnight."
"Bye," Angela sighed. She turned and walked into her house.
