Page 48 of Falling

“I took a first aid course to avoid a professional development session on organizational systems for children’s literature,” he said. “Which I’d regretted when I came here. Until now.”

“You’re full of surprises,” I said.

“Are you full of tetanus inoculation? Because I was led to believe you don’t want to develop it.”

“Sliced my other hand open with a saw blade helping Iggy build his cabin,” I said, showing him the scar on the other hand. “Seth took me for a shot then and made fun of me for being a baby about it. That was only a couple of years ago, so I should be good. And my glasses and floors are clean, by the way.”

“I’m not sure they’re bet-your-life clean, but you’re right, no shot for you today,” Miles agreed, mopping up blood calmly with the corner of the wipe. “So Alex is like, a capital-E Ex, huh?”

“Do we have to talk about this?” I asked.

“No,” Miles said. “But you seem upset and you always listen to me when I’m upset. Thought I’d return the favor. And distract you while I bandage this,” he added, tearing open a package of sterile bandaging.

“I’m not...”

I stopped. No lying to Miles. I’d promised.

“Alex was my first real long-term relationship. Only, also. We’d been together a few years, and I was burned out with law and honestly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I took some personal time, which he warned me would kill my career. Anyway, then I stumbled across the listing for this place,” I explained, gesturing at the bar. “We both came down and looked around and I knew instantly this was what I wanted, what I needed. So I asked him if he’d marry me, and we could buy the bar together and make a life here. But, uh. Despite the fact we’d been together… God, ten years by then, he, umm. He said this place—this town, this bar, and me, I guess—wasn’t enough for him.”

“His mistake,” Miles said, with the conviction of someone saying the sun rises in the east.

I laughed despite myself. I was never sure it was. The longer I’d had to think about it, the more I thought he wasn’t right for me. Everything he’d said...

“He was right,” I said. “I mean, he said we clearly wanted different things, that was how he put it, and he was completely right about that. I was done with my career. He was already married to his. Guess he’s getting married to someone else now.”

“What kind of law did you do?” Miles asked, wrapping the bandage around my hand with surprising skill and care. “You never said.”

“Advocacy,” I said. “Family law, immigration, even personal injury stuff, which by the way is almost always justified and never pays out like it should. Just... helping average people navigate the kind of stuff that’s small to lawyers but huge to them.”

“I’d trust you with my legal problems. I bet you saved a lot of people a lot of heartache.”

“Maybe.” I shrugged as Miles tied and tucked the ends of the bandage. “You’re good at this.”

“Haven’t lost a patient yet,” he said. “You’re the first who’s ever been a living human, but...”

“Still a good track record,” I insisted. “Anyway, I quit my job and bought this place by myself. Couldn’t afford it, but… well, it’s called Faith for a reason. Worked out in the end.”

Miles looked at me wide-eyed. “You’re...”

“Insane,” I finished for him. “You’re not the first to say so.”

“I was going to say the bravest man I know, but I guess there’s a thin line.” A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he glanced at me sideways from under his lashes.

“No braver than you.” I nudged him as he packed up the first aid kit. “You moved out here without knowing anything about the place.”

“I didn’t have a choice.” Miles shrugged. “Librarian positions don’t grow on trees.”

“I didn’t feel like I did, either. Otter Bay called to me. I think it kind of does, with lost souls.”

“Is that really why this place is called Faith?” Miles asked. “Because this was, like, a leap of faith?”

I laughed. “Maybe subconsciously. Consciously, it was because... this is a long story, but Mom always said she knew I was gay because every time Faith, the song, came on the radio, I got up and danced.”

“But you would’ve been...”

“I was three when she first noticed,” I filled in for him.

“So you’ve known you were gay since you were three?” Miles asked.