by D. M. Webb
David lashed out. “Good little Jeremy. Grow up. Can’t be a mamma’s boy forever.”
Quicker than a cobra, Jeremy snatched a fistful of his shirt and brought him closer, his nose bare inches from his own. “Let’s get this straight right now. I don’t care what you do with your life. Mom is worried, and it’s her life I care about. So, whatever is eating at you, then good riddance to you. You don’t need to be around her.”
Anger boiled over. He rammed his hands up and broke Jeremy’s hold. His elbow contacted with Jeremy’s cheek, sending him a step back.
Jeremy spat at the ground. “I ain’t fighting you. Be bullheaded if you want.” He walked away.
“Just like you. Coward as always.”
Jeremy paused, back ramrod straight. His head cocked to the side. His fists clenched in their gloves.
David scrubbed at his face. He moved too soon. Jeremy would be relentless now. Couldn’t let him know. He hurried to his brother’s side and laid a shaky hand on his shoulder.
“Look. I’m sorry, really. I’ve been totally exhausted lately.” The sun hid behind some clouds, and shadows danced over them. Jeremy’s muscles relaxed under his hand. It had to work. Even if he didn’t mean it. “The apartment puts me closer to work. I won’t have to risk waking Mom and Dad when I do come in.”
Jeremy slowly turned back to him. His eyes were cautious, calculating. David worked a smile, burying his anger deep within. That fire had to stay hidden.
Jeremy shook his head. “No. Look, I’m sorry. I know you’ve been filling in for B shift. You didn’t need me baiting you.”
David shrugged. “No harm. It’s just a bad time for me to talk, that’s all.”
He trudged back to the house beside his brother. As they rounded the corner, his parents pulled into the drive in their black Dodge 300. The smile didn’t seem to want to stay in place, but he had to keep his game face. For just a while longer. Soon, he’d be in his own apartment.
Jeremy glanced at him as they neared the garage. “Why a bad time?”
David sighed. “Just drop it, please.”
“Dropped, then.” Jeremy leaned against the brick column outside the garage. “For now.”
Their mom and dad entered the garage. Mom looked around. “I thought you had more stuff?”
“Sold most of it. Less to worry about.” David set a box on top of the box that held the porn magazines. Didn’t need his mom finding that one. “Mom, look, I’m sorry that I haven’t been talking lately. I’m just tired.”
She brushed at a wayward curl near her face. “But why leave?”
David leaned against the boxes. His dad and Jeremy had disappeared around the front of the house. The creaking of the front porch rocker floated across the air toward him. He ran a thumb over his lip. He hated lying, no matter how easy it came to him lately. “It puts me nearer the station. And I’m out and about so much that it’s better that I stay near town.”
“What about church?”
Her eyes worried him. She would eventually be able to read him if he stayed.
David dropped a kiss on top of her head. “I’ll still come. On the days I ain’t working, maybe not for Sunday school every morning, but I promise I will try for services. Will that help?”
She smiled and patted his hand. “For a while. I just worry about you, sweetheart.”
“Nothing to worry about, Mom. Nothing at all.”
“Well, come on in for lunch.”
David shook his head. “I’ll be there in a bit.”
She walked away. The hand he had shoved in his pocket unclenched. Guilt ate at his heart. He had lied. David hung his head. He was never going to drag himself out of this hell he created.
He kicked the box. Why even try? Pointless anyway. He took a deep breath, quieting his thoughts. Can’t let Jeremy and his dad read him. He needed to move into that apartment soon. The sooner the better.
: : : : :
Maggie pulled her truck into the side parking lot at the firehouse. If David had to work on a Sunday and couldn’t make it to church, then she would bring church to him. And a plate of fried chicken, potato salad, corn, and a huge wedge of apple pie. She smiled as she climbed out of the truck, her gifts balanced in her hands. Hiding a plate of food from hungry Baptists wasn’t easy. She grabbed the mason jar of sweet tea and hoped he liked it. Even it was hard to hide.
She stuffed the CD that had been lying on the console into her denim jacket pocket. With a kick from her foot, the door slammed shut. Now that she was here, she wanted to bolt. This was stupid. This was insane. Good gracious, what was he going to think of her?
She squared her shoulders. As gracefully as she could manage, she crossed the pavement toward the door. Jason emerged. His face broke into a grin as he saw her.
“Maggie! Hey.” He eyed the plate and tea. “Who’s that for?”
Her face heated like a furnace. “Um. For David. He couldn’t make it to church this morning.”
“That’s from this morning?”
“No. We had fellowship tonight. Thought I would bring him something to eat.” She gave him a weak smile. “Guess I should have thought about you guys too, huh?”
He chuckled. “That’s okay. Believe me, it’ll be appreciated. David’s in a foul mood tonight. Got us all busy with stuff. Three hours straight with no break. So, if you could distract him for even a small bit, that would give us a breather.”
He held the door open, and she stepped into the well-lit bay. A clatter echoed from the far side, followed by a string of curses. David’s voice rose above the shout.
“I said the other way!”
“I am. Hold on, I think I got it.”
There was another clatter. Then another round of shouts and curses spilled forth.
“Stay here. We’ve been working on the downed engine, and it ain’t going well. Let me go get him.” Jason hurried off into the direction of the shouted curses.
The voices suddenly quieted. A sudden crash boomed, causing her to jump, and then David’s voice. “What the–”
“David! Visitor!” Jason’s voice drowned out the rest of David’s shout.
“What? Who?”
A murmur of voices drifted her way, and then David rounded the back of the first engine, wiping at his hands with a rag. Pink tinged the tips of his ears. “Sorry about the language. Aggravating engine.”
Maggie grinned at him. He stumbled over something.
“So, what’s up? Why are you here?–although it’s a pleasant surprise, don’t get me wrong.” His green eyes bored into her. Even with the grease lining his face and neck, even with the sweat matting those short little strands on his head, he made her heart thud.
Why was she here? Good gracious, she almost forgot. Grow up.
She cleared her throat. “I brought you something. I thought it wasn’t totally fair that you had to work while we had fellowship tonight. And potluck dinner.”
His eyes brightened. “Ms. Edie make her fried chicken?”
She held her tongue between her lips as she removed the foil off the top. The aroma of the chicken drifted around them. “And I added a big wedge of your mamma’s apple pie.”
His eyes traveled over the food. He practically salivated over the plate. She covered it back up.
“Have you got a place to put it?”
David blinked. “Yeah. Come on. We’ll go to the office.” He led her toward the back.
She looked over at the group of firemen as she passed. Jason gave her a thumb’s up. She shook her head with a smile and hoped they took advantage of the respite. From what she had seen, the Boyette boys ate fast.
No hoses to sidestep this time. Maggie slipped into the office and set the plate on the desk. “I also brought something else for you.”
He pulled a small folding chair up for her and then sat down in the office chair behind the desk. “What’s that?” He ripped the foil off the food.
She stopped him. “Your hands are dirty.”
“I
. . .” He glanced down at them and sighed. “We’re used to grabbing food whenever, dirty hands or not. Be right back.”
The door shut behind him. She reached over, folded the foil, and pulled the napkins out from under the plate. Condensation trailed little rivers down the outside of the tea glass as she unscrewed the lid from the mason jar. The door opened. David came in with not only clean hands but also a clean face.
He reached for the chicken, but she stopped him with a hand on his. Wow. Three years had made him forget a lot. “Prayer?”
He sighed. A rumble filled the room, and his ears turned pink again. Apparently he was extremely hungry, but he bowed his head. “Gracious Father, for what I am about to receive, let it fill and nourish my body as You fill and nourish my soul. Amen.”
“Amen.”
“Can I eat now?” His voice was almost childlike.
She laughed. “Yeah.”
He picked up a piece of chicken and bit into it. A pleasurable moan escaped him as he chewed. He spoke past the bite. “I’ve missed Ms. Edie’s fried chicken.”
She watched him as he took a sip of the tea, not sure by his expression if he liked it or not. He held it out in front of himself and then took another long drink from it, almost downing the whole glass in one gulp. Guess she should have brought more than one pint glass.
“Who made the tea? It’s delicious.”
“I did.”
“Really?” He smiled.
Her insides turned to pudding. Oh boy, he had such a beautiful smile. “Yeah. One of the few things that I do well.”
He took another bite of the chicken. “I’m sure you can do a lot of things very well.” The chicken bone fell to the plate, and he picked up another piece.
Maybe she should have put three pieces on the plate. “Did I fix enough?”
David nodded. “Oh, yeah. Believe me, even if it was only apple pie, it would have been enough.” The pink on his ears traveled farther down as he slid his gaze over to her. “I’m pigging out, ain’t I?”
She laughed and propped up on her elbows. “You just look like a hungry man to me.”
The bone landed on the Styrofoam plate, and he dug into the potato salad. The corn went next. She shook her head. He was a human vacuum filling a bottomless cave. He drained his tea. A belch rumbled from him, and the pink ears turned red.
“Excuse me.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’m too used to eating fast. Never know when we might get toned out.”
“Been busy tonight?” She held a napkin out to him and tapped the corner of her mouth. “You got a little bit right there.”
“Oh, thanks.” He wiped at the errant piece of potato. “It’s been pretty quiet tonight. Just a lot of chores. Fixing the engine. Inventory. Cleaning. The last few days I’ve had were hopping, though.”
“Want me to refill the glass? Just point me to the fridge.”
“Oh, no. I’ll get it in a minute.” He picked up the fork. “Thank you very much for this.”
She reached over and patted his arm, the starchy feel of his uniform shirt stiff against her fingers. That had to be hot on him. “You’re welcome. Oh, like I was saying before, I also brought something–”
The building became a living intercom. “Station One, Station Two. Field on fire at Buccaneer and Sesser Road. District four and five toned for mutual aid.”
David leapt from his chair. “Sorry, Maggie. I got to go.” He rounded the desk but then suddenly turned and dipped down toward her. “Thank you.”
Then he was gone. The ghostly warmth of his lips on her cheek lingered.
Oh, wow–
Sirens screamed. The radio in the office hummed to life. “Dispatch show Station One, Engine Two responding!” David’s disembodied voice echoed in the room.
Maggie peered out the window. The red trucks barreled down the road out of sight. The sirens faded, but the radio continued its blaring as dispatch and the trucks chattered. She reached over and covered the apple pie with the foil.
A yellow legal pad lay near the edge. After searching in the desk, she found a black ballpoint pen. She read aloud as she scribbled a small message to him.
“David. Here is a copy of the sermon from this morning. I thought of you as Daddy preached it. Mr. Jacobs dubbed an extra copy for me. Hope you enjoy it. Love . . .” She stopped. Love? She blackened the word. “Sincerely, Maggie.” Well, it would have to do.
The jewel-colored case rested on the note. With a sigh, she turned off the light and left the office. Quiet haunted the bay as she walked out the opened gates. Her steps sounded hollow. Fascinating how it all seemed deathly still without the guys.
Even the parking lot seemed lonely now. She opened her truck and climbed in. It rumbled to life when she turned the ignition, but she paused. She touched her cheek. He had kissed her. Oh, wow.
Chapter 8
DAVID HUNG HIS TURNOUTS in the locker and sank down onto the bench. He was bone tired. Again. Thomas walked by and thumped his shoulder.
“I’ve got C shift scheduled for Thursday. Tony’s out again for knee surgery, so I need you to pull a double. Work with A shift on Wednesday.” Thomas stood in front of him, waiting.
David looked up at his boss. “Yes, sir. No problem. When’s the rookies coming?”
“Thursday. They’ll be here at noon.” With that, Thomas walked away, shouting at a couple of the boys on the back of the rig.
David’s bones ached as he stood. Even with the shower he had taken earlier, nothing seemed to wash away the grime he felt against his skin. For a small town, this one was hopping at night. He stretched. His spine crackled like a log in a fire. As much as he wanted to go to sleep, he had a shift to run. He’d get some sleep later.
Toby met him at the back of Engine One. “How’s it going, dude?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Filling in, like you. Bret is out, and B Shift is down a driver-operator.” Toby leaned against the rails on the truck. “So, I ask again, how’s it going, dude?”
David lowered himself down on the diamond-plated bumper. “Tired. This town is too much like St. Louis. Too busy at night.”
“Maybe tonight will be better. Kids are back at school and gone back to college. Really, the only thing we have to worry about are the grass fires started by the farmers.” Toby scanned the bay. “Nothing really pressing tonight; why don’t you get a few z’s?”
David shook his head. “I got a date.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. Actually, she won’t call it a date.” David stood. “Eating with Maggie at Jack’s.”
“When?”
A breathy voice echoed behind them. “Now.”
They both turned. David’s heart slammed, closing off his airways. Could she look any more delicious? Her hair, highlighted by the bay’s lights, flowed around her face. He sought out her freckles as she approached them. She had been in the sun today. Her cheeks matched her dark pink, gauzy-looking shirt. He checked her jeans. Plain old jeans this time. And plain old black sandals. But as she reached to push back a strand of hair, her earrings flashed.
She didn’t disappoint. Little pink butterflies hung from delicate lobes.
David flicked a butterfly. “Cute. I like them.”
Now her face matched her shirt. “Thanks. How are you doing, Toby?”
The big guy smiled and shrugged. “Good enough.” He slapped David on the shoulder. “I’ll go take care of the chores, then. Have a good da– I mean, dinner.”
David arched his eyebrow. That wasn’t a slip of the tongue. He’d make Toby pay for that.
“So,” he turned back to his little heart stopper, “hungry?”
“Am I ever.” She walked with him out of the bay.
The sun left a thin line of dusky red in the sky, barely visible beyond the downtown buildings. A hum penetrated the silence as they walked across the street and onto the sidewalk in front of her shop, and then the streetlamps blossomed to life. The sight of her doorway deco
rated with Easter decorations made him smile.
“How was shop today?”
“Slow.” She kicked a pebble. It skittered across the sidewalk and down the small steps. “But that’s a Monday for me.”
David laughed. “I almost forgot it was Monday. Been so busy, I’ve lost track of time.”
“You didn’t forget about our dinner.”
His stomach answered for him. “Yeah. Well, I apparently have a reminder about that.” Heat touched his ears as she giggled.
They crossed the small street and ambled their way toward Jack’s Express Cafe. David was in no hurry, despite his stomach’s determination to rub a blister on his backbone. Maggie apparently wasn’t in a hurry, either. Every other step, she bumped lightly against his arm, sending that delectable scent up to him.
She broke the awkward silence. “Sarah told me you’ve gotten an apartment. Where?”
The door chimed as he opened it and ushered her inside. Clattering dishes and talking customers mingled with the aroma of good cooking in the small building. “The Lake Grove Apartments.”
She chose the nearest booth and slid onto the purple vinyl, her back to the door. “That’s pretty ritzy, isn’t it?”
“Not really that much. Mainly studio apartments. I like it, and it’s close enough to work, yet far enough away that I don’t hear work.”
Maggie smiled at his statement. “Hear work? I never thought about it that way, but I guess that would apply. So,” she opened a menu, “what are you ordering?”
David left his menu on the table. “Deluxe country fried steak plate. The best there is.”
Maggie put hers aside. “Okay. I’ll match you.”
He raised his eyebrow. The little woman dared to eat as much as him? “Dessert?”
“Of course. Double decker chocolate fudge banana split.”
She planned to kill him with sugar. “Bring it on, then.”
A teenage waitress came by. “Need to hear the specials?”
“Nope. Two orders of the deluxe country fried. Sweet teas. And load the mashed potatoes.” He regarded Maggie. “Too much?”
