Page 49 of Controlled Burn
Me: She saw someone recommend it on the ticky tocky.
Daddy: OMG you’re kidding me.
Me: Nope. How about you?
Daddy: Nothing new. Our probie got stuck in an oil barrel. Don’t ask.
I was about to tell him he knew I had to ask how, but before I finished the text, another one came in.
Daddy: Got a call. I’ll tell you about it later.
Me: Be careful.
Shit. Now I’d be worried all morning. What the fuck was I thinking, getting involved with a firefighter? I knew what their lives were like. I knew how dangerous it was. This wasn’t the first call he’d been on since we’d been together, so you’d think I’d be used to it, but I wasn’t. I might never be, and that brings up the real problem. Can I handle the stress?
Giles stepped up beside me and gave me a light hip bump. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you just found out an author killed your favorite character.”
I couldn’t help but grin at his comparison. “No, Keith was texting me, and they got a call. I don’t know if I’m cut out for this.”
The first thing I’d done when I got in this morning was tell Giles all about my weekend so he knew all about our transition from test-drive to real-deal.
“What did he say about your concerns when you told him?” he asked, and I cringed and looked off to the side. “You did tell him, right?”
“No, I know I should have, but I didn’t want him to change his mind about us because he was worried I couldn’t handle it,” I whined. “Shit, I’m already fucking this up. He’s only given me three rules, and we’re just getting started, and I broke rule number one right off the bat.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. What’s rule number one?”
“I can’t be worried or embarrassed to tell him anything. And what did I do the first day? I got worried and embarrassed to tell him something. I’m going to suck at this whole boy thing.”
“No, you aren’t. But you do need to talk to him about this. I’m sure what you’re feeling is pretty normal and that most people whose partners are first responders feel the same way. Don’t you imagine?” I shrugged like I didn’t know, even though he had a good point. “And just because your mom couldn’t handle it doesn’t mean you can’t. Maybe you should talk to her about it.”
“Maybe. She’ll probably be horrified because I got involved with a firefighter in the first place.”
“Or she might be happy for you because she knows how sexy firefighters are.”
“Gross dude, that’s my mom. She doesn’t think guys are sexy.”
“Sure she does. I mean, your dad’s hot, so…”
I covered my ears with my hands. “Na, na, na, na, I can’t hear you.”
He reached up and pulled down my hands, laughing. “Okay, I’ll stop. Honest.”
“No talking about hotness and my parents. I have enough to worry about with my dad without adding whether or not you think he’s hot to the list.”
“Are you really worried your dad will be mad?”
“Honestly? Not at me, but at Keith? Yeah, I don’t think he’ll take it well. In his mind, I’m still a kid, so I’m afraid he’ll think Keith’s taking advantage of me in some way. Then add in the whole Daddy situation, and I just don’t see it going well.”
“Caleb, you’re the smartest, most level-headed guy I know. I’m sure you’ll be able to make your dad see that isn’t the case.”
“That’s easier said than done. My dad’s a good guy, but he’s also a stubborn SOB, and he isn’t the easiest guy in the world to reason with.”
Keith
I didn’t have a good feeling about the cause of that fire. I remembered what Fox had said about the arson cases he was working on, and this one seemed like a prime example to me.
It was an abandoned property. The utilities were all turned off, so no power or gas, and it looked like the place had been vacant for years. The chief said that it was one of those sad probate situations. The kind that made me glad my mom and dad had their affairs in order.