Chasing Fireflies by Claudia Burgoa

The first time I met Oliver Tanner he was five years old.
I was four.
That day he was entrusted to my keep.
He was as large and loud as a church mouse.
That day I taught him how fireflies were magic with the persistence of a person.
That’s what I loved about them.
No matter how far they strayed,
they remembered where they came from and who their family was.

After high school, he joined the army and left Knox Ridge.

Years later, the town had changed.
My dreams were shattered.
We had nothing left.
I had forgotten all about the magic of the fireflies.
Until he came back to town.
Everything about him was comforting.
He brought some light to my darkness,
But I knew the light could only last for so long.
Fireflies only stay for the summer.
He had outgrown our small town.
It was time for me to stop chasing fireflies.

This full-length novel was originally published in the Cards of Love collection as a novella. It has been revised with additional scenes.