“He wouldn’t get in the car, Maddie. Just planted his butt on the concrete and made sure you were coming back. Did you get the phone number for a certain Mr. Cocker, whilst you were away?” Her eyebrows lift on a knowing smirk.
Bending to pet Bucky I flick a glance up. “How did you know?”
“I’ve known you since we were three, hello! Did you get it?”
“No.”
As we pull out of the parking lot, Denise stares off at the problem. She’s not one to give up easily. “Hmm…Nicholas doesn’t have a regular job you can visit, either.”
“What does he do for a living?”
“Trades stocks. Quite good at it from what I hear. Which explains his clothes. The man can dress!”
“You should know.”
She swats my thigh, and goes back to the puzzle. “Trouble is that’s a job that can be done from anywhere. All you need is the Internet. If he worked at a coffee shop or something, you could walk in by accident and thank him!”
I smile, “Just accidentally show up.”
“Yeah!”
“I’m not you.”
“I don’t do that.” We lock eyes. “Okay, so I’ve done that. But I won’t again.”
Chuckling I merge onto I-285. “You had to know you looked crazy.”
She grumbles something I can’t make out. It wasn’t meant for me.
It was for the girl she used to be when she was dating that creep who only gave her crumbs and slowly turned her mental until she was jumping through hoops to get his attention.
So glad that phase is over.
Nobody wants to live on crumbs. It’s why I walked out of that bedroom tonight with my pants still zipped.
And nobody wants to see their friends scrambling for them, either. It’s painful.
“You’ll see him at the next party, Maddie.”
“Yeah, I really wanted to thank him, that’s all. I’m not trying to…well, you know. It was just unbelievably kind, what he did.” Under my breath I mutter, “Maybe we could be friends.”
“Please, you want more than his friendship.”
“I’m being realistic.”
Her phone beeps. We both jump, thinking the exact same thing as she cries out, “Maybe he got my number from someone at the party!”
“From Billy?”
Denise chuckles, “Oh no, that boy has to fight for my digits. But maybe…”
She digs her phone out and reads the text. Her smile vanishes.
“What is it? Denise, what’s wrong?”
She looks at me and a passing streetlamp illuminates tears gathering in her eyes. “My nana died.”
CHAPTER 10
N ICHOLAS
O n the way home from the hospital where I was getting my lungs checked out—paramedics forced me to go—my mom calls me.
“Hey Mom, anything wrong?”
“Why would something be wrong?”
“It’s after three in the morning…or at night.”
“Oh, is it? Huh, yes, I guess it is.” She pauses. “Your father is sleeping so I’m being quiet. Nicholas, I had this terrible dream. Your face kept appearing. I woke up hot, drenched in sweat, but that might just be menopause, I don’t know. It comes and goes. But you’re okay? I had to call. It was very unsettling. It felt like when I lost my brother. I’m sorry I sound crazy. You’re okay though, right? No depression or anything that your father and I don’t know about?”
“I was just at a party.”
“Oh! Good!” She laughs with relief. “That sounds fun! See, I was worrying over nothing. Ever since Jeremy and I sold Burn, I’ve been feeling not quite myself. I think I retired too early.”
I glance down at the mention of their old restaurant, at the burn on my hand, weighing if I should tell her. “Mom, there was a fire.”
She’s silent, then whispers, “That was why I felt hot! I knew it, dammit, I knew it! Are you hurt?”
“It was a candle that set a hanging towel on fire, or someone knocked it over in the bathroom and didn’t notice. We don’t know for sure. But I’m safe. I uh…went back to save a dog and things got pretty scary for a second. You felt hot, Mom?”
“Yes!” she sighs.
“Well, that’s because you are.”
“Only you could make a joke at a time like this.”
“Everyone’s okay, or I wouldn’t be able to. Have to laugh at the rough stuff.” Turning onto my street I feel heavy. Can’t wait to get in bed and sleep this off. “My friend Billy was pretty broken up about it.”
“Do I know him?”
“No, he’s a party friend. Throws them. It was his childhood home that burned. His folks moved to Florida. If you knew Billy, you’d know he doesn’t cry easily.”
In the background I hear a stream of water pouring from the kitchen faucet. “Poor guy. Jeremy and I aren’t moving to fucking Florida, I can tell you that. Atlanta is home. And you kids will always have one, at whatever stage of life you’re in.”
“Says the empty-nester,” I smirk. “You making tea? I heard water running.”
“Might help me sleep again. Nicholas?”
“Yeah?”
“If something like this happens to you, please call and let me know. Don’t make me find out. I want to be first in line for the big things.”
“But I’m okay—”
“—Was the fire department called?”
“Of course.”
“And the police?”
“Yep.”
“Did you run into a burning building?”
I don’t answer this one right away, instead jumping out of the car and walking up to my apartment building, rubbing a deep frown. “Yeah, but it’s the middle of the night, Mom. You want me to wake you up? Come on…”
“That’s a big thing! Yes, wake me! Apparently I’ll wake up anyway. But I’m proud of you, though. You saved the dog?”
“I did. He left with a girl I met. The owners vanished.”
“What?!”
As I walk by ignored mailboxes I hear Dad’s groggy voice. “Who are you talking to, Meagan?”
“It’s Nicholas. He was at a party that caught fire. He’s okay though.”
“What?! Let me talk to him.” The sound of the phone quickly changing hands makes me prepare myself.
Dad’s reaction to any of us in danger is never calm.
“I’m okay, Dad.”
“Jeremy, he’s safe. He was making me laugh just two seconds ago!”
He ignores her, “What happened? I didn’t hear the phone ring. Are you at the
