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"Do you think I should add glitter and blow-up ponies to my tour?" Johnny asked excitedly as we swiftly walked towards civilization.
Tango, completely thrown, had gone through the motions of the rest of his tour, sans other special effects, and now was force-marching us back to Trevor's saloon.
"Because, I gotta say, it was sort of the highlight of the entire tour," Johnny continued.
Lottie leaned over with a wicked grin. She tucked the curls of her long, black mane behind her ears. "That's just what I was thinking myself."
Nate exchanged a look with me. As much as we didn't like Trevor or Madison, or heck, even Tango, the last thing the island needed was bad press.
"Go easy on him, Lottie," Nate gently encouraged. "Everyone is new and figuring all this out."
She placed her hand over her heart with mock horror like she was shocked by his suggestion. "Are you asking me to compromise on my journalistic integrity?"
Nate tried to keep it light. "No... just... don't rake him over the coals for something that was clearly not his fault."
"Do you think Echo did that?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder toward the woods. "I heard there was a rivalry between those two."
"And if Echo did that, why didn't he do it for his own tour?" Johnny exclaimed. "Because did you see the confetti cannons?!" His eyes became distant. "I can almost still see them."
There was a loud boom and then shimmering colors of light in the sky.
"That's just fireworks," Nate replied.
We all stopped for a moment to enjoy the show. I snuggled into Nate's side to keep warm, but couldn't help but notice it didn't escape Lottie's attention. She didn't say anything, but her face fell just a little and she pulled her hands inside her stretched out sweater arms like she wanted to disappear beneath the oversized knit.
"Um... I should be going," she spurted out, suddenly turning away from us.
"DUDE! But the fireworks!" Johnny exclaimed, pointing at the sky.
She gave him a smile, but there was a tension I recognized in the corners of her mouth. "Yeah... I'm cold. I'm going to go warm up at Trevor's place and... do those interviews I'm supposed to do about the tour," she said, searching for an excuse.
Johnny nodded with solemn understanding. "Journalistic integrity is something missing in today's news industry and I, for one, salute you." And then, he actually saluted her.
It was enough to make Lottie smile a real smile and roll her eyes, breaking the shadow of melancholy I think she had hoped we hadn't noticed.
"You're such a dork," she said.
"Captain Dork to you," Johnny corrected her, eliciting an actual laugh.
Lottie waved at all of us, and then half-jogged to Trevor's saloon. I gave Nate another little squeeze and he placed a kiss on top of my head.
Poor Lottie. I knew how hard it was to really like a guy, and then find out he wasn't that into you. But to add insult to injury, I think Lottie was sort of moving on to crushing on Trevor, except he was so brainwashed by Madison, he couldn't even see there was someone better right there in front of him. Or maybe Lottie just had a thing for unrequited love.
I gazed up at Nate as he continued to enjoy the fireworks. When Trevor had broken up with me, I thought I'd never be happy again. But now I could see that end made room for me to meet Nate.
I didn't particularly like Trevor, he was a total weasel, but I didn't want him condemned to a life of misery. I watched Lottie's hair bounce on her retreating form. If Trevor ever decided to be brave enough to walk away from Madison, it felt like Lottie would be really good for him.
I detangled myself from the moment. "Okay, you slackers, I gotta get down to Bitter Beans."
"But the fireworks!" Johnny protested.
"The caffeine starved will start tearing down the door to Bitter Beans like a zombie horde," I warned him.
"Fair enough."
We hustled down there, and Echo's somber group was waiting outside, probably desperate to wake up after the tour they had just endured.
I chided myself for not coming immediately over after Tango's tour as I fumbled with the key to the lock. I know that Granny and I were wanting to take advantage of all of the opportunities here on the island, but even I could see we were spreading things a little too thin. If Lottie hadn't headed over to Trevor's saloon, I probably would have offered her a job on the spot.
Nate, sensing the grouchiness, stepped forward and said, "A free drink for everyone! On me!"
The mood noticeably shifted as they made their way to the counter and I washed up.
Johnny slapped Nate on the shoulder. "That's awesome of you, cuz. Any chance I could put that down as a regular bonus benefit for the after-tour?"
"Not a chance," Nate replied.
Soon, my espresso machine was hissing and the smell of roasted beans and hot cider filled the store. The quiet was replaced by laughter and chatter. I even managed to tell a few of Granny's stories. As everyone was milling around, though, the bell over the door tinkled. It was Tango.
He stormed into Bitter Beans like a house on fire, looking for someone.
And then he saw him.
Oh poor, unsuspecting Echo.
Echo was standing by the bookshelf of local history, completely absorbed in the pages when Tango marched over. I seriously wondered if he was going to punch the guy. Echo widened his stance, I think wondering the same thing.
Tango thrust his finger into Echo's face, his attitude as dark as his trench coat. "How dare you! How dare you come into my territory and undermine my business."
"How dare I? How dare YOU!" Echo said, motioning to the people who had taken his tour. "I am trying to give my customers an authentic experience and you come in here with your cheap parlor tricks, undermining the very code of ghost hunters with your razzle dazzle. Why don't you just stick some werewolves and vampires into your tour and really cash in on the cheap thrills."
Johnny leaned over to me, asking under his breath, "Do you think Echo might be open to adding some werewolves or vampires? Because that sounds awesome."
"OH! Cheap thrills?? CHEAP THRILLS??" Tango shouted, his voice getting louder and louder. The crowd was forming around him the way kids in a schoolyard gather around a fight.
But then the door opened and Granny came in. I guess the fireworks had marked the end of the festival. She was carrying a few leftovers and supplies.
But the moment she saw what was going down, she stepped forward, having none of that nonsense. "Boys, I am going to ask you to leave. This coffee shop is for paying customers only, not for swinging your tinkler around to see who is the most manly. Now, take it out on the street if you want to continue your discussion, but you are not welcome here."
Granny has a way of putting you on notice. Both guys backed off. Tango stalked to the door, but not before pausing to turn dramatically. "But if you EVER put a blowup unicorn and glitter canon on my tour again, I will make a ghost out of you."
And then he left, slamming the door behind him.
I heard one of the girls next to me whisper guiltily to her friend. "We should have gone on that tour..."