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I shook my head, “That’s really sweet of you, but I’m doing just fine. Thank you for the hot cocoa. It really hit the spot on a cold morning.”
“So that’s how it is then?” he sighed. “Back to telling me what you tell everyone.”
“You could come to dinner tonight at the house, say hi to my dad, see Ryan,” I offered.
“I’m on duty at the station tonight. Tomorrow night would work though. If that’s okay?”
“It’s a date,” I said, and then felt my face turn pink.
4
Luke
We were inspecting gear, checking off what was in good condition and what needed repair or replacement at the station. I examined every collar and cuff, every boot. The slightest crack or peel in our gear could spell trouble in a fire. It was vitally important that we keep our personal safety equipment in top working order because our lives and the lives of others depended on it. When I finished my checklist, I gave it to the chief and went into the den where we watched TV. We had an old couch and some donated recliners to crash on in there. I sat down on the couch with Jake and Randy, who were arguing over which team was going all the way in the NBA this year.
“Hey, Luke,” Jake said. “I hear you know the hot girl that’s working down at the lumberyard.”
“I remember her growing up,” Randy piped in, “she looks a hell of a lot better now. I wouldn’t mind hosing her down when she got too hot.”
“Guys, that’s Sarah Jo, Ryan’s little sister. Don’t be disgusting,” I said.
“Come on, don’t tell me you never wanted to tap that ass,” Jake said.
“I stopped in for a level and some two-by-fours last week and got to see that sweet ass in action. Helped me load the lumber and everything. She’s a little thing, but there’s plenty of curves in all the right places. I liked seeing her bent over, let me tell you,” Randy said.
I stood up, pissed. “Listen, I’m serious. Knock it the fuck off. She’s not some cheap piece of ass.”
“Easy, buddy,” Randy said. “No need to get your boxers in a twist. I’m just having fun.”
“Yeah, you don’t get bent out of shape when we talk about that sexy nurse down at the ER. Or Sadie that cooks at the factory cafeteria. Damn, that redhead could make my mac and cheese anytime,” Jake added.
“Fine, I’m just as depraved as the two of you. But not about Sarah Jo. So knock it off.” I spun on my heel and walked out of the room.
I loved the guys I worked with. We had each other’s backs. My crew was a brotherhood. But Randy was pissing me off with his filthy bullshit about my best friend’s little sister. It felt wrong and nasty for them to talk about her like that. Not because I thought of her as the Virgin Mary or anything, but she didn’t deserve to be discussed like she was a thing, a blow-up doll. The very idea of Randy anywhere near her made me ram my fist into the wall, wishing it was his face.
I went out back and scrubbed the trash cans out. It was a job everyone tried to avoid, but I had plenty of excess energy and fury to expend. I cleaned the nasty garbage cans out and put clean bin liners in them. Then I scrubbed up and started scouring the oven and cleaning out the refrigerator. It was cathartic and calming. I had the glass shelves of the fridge perfectly clean and the non-expired foods rearranged to use the space more efficiently. The guys had a tendency to shove stuff to the back until it grew hair, and now they could start that entire process over with a clean slate.
The chief came in and gave a low whistle. “What’s eating you, Maddox?”
“Nothing, sir,” I said, standing up.
“You only clean like that when there’s a bug up your ass about something.”
“True, but I’m fine, and now the kitchen is clean. And the trash cans.”
“Trash cans too? That must have been serious. Jake said Randy was shooting off his mouth about a girl.”
“Everything’s fine. I probably overreacted.”
He leveled a look at me. “Sarah Jo Winters is back in town, isn’t she? I heard that a couple weeks back. Shame about her daddy. My daughter Hannah works out at the outpatient rehab, and she was saying at dinner that he doesn’t come in half the time for his appointments.”
“I didn’t know that. Doesn’t the bus from the hospital go out that way?”
“Not sure, but I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t. Sounds to me like Donnie’s lazy as ever. The only reason that lumberyard has stayed in business is local builders and the factory. He never did set the world on fire, working hard. When his wife was alive, she kept him in line better than he is now.”
