Falling for the Fireman by Allie Pleiter

Author:Allie Pleiter
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2011-11-02T23:00:00+00:00

“I think you like my mom.”

Chad thought he’d finally gotten Nick to the point where he’d discuss yesterday’s fight, but as conversation-halting statements went, Nick had chosen wisely. He knew it, too.

Not that Chad wasn’t an easy target. Sleeplessness had sapped his energy, leaving him without enough clarity to get through the day with a surly, uncooperative Nick. They’d done an hour of washing equipment and small talk, but today wasn’t just about hard labor or killing time. He was supposed to be helping Nick sort through the storm of his emotions.

Chad pretended to search the kitchen for coffee creamer while his mind scrambled for the right reply. When had kids become so complicated? “Your mom is a nice person who cares about a lot of people, including you.” He set a root beer and a bottle opener in front of Nick as they sat at the firehouse kitchen table. Chad was grateful none of the firemen were around to see him be verbally cornered by an eighth-grader. “Besides, everybody likes her.”

Nick popped the cap off his root beer and folded his arms across his chest. He was silent, but the unspoken “You don’t think I’m gonna fall for that, do you?” radiated from him. The dark colors he always wore looked wrong against his light skin, and seemed to clash with the bright palette of Jeannie’s world. Nick had his mother’s expressive eyes under all that unruly blond hair—the best features of both parents? His strong chin wasn’t Jeannie’s but he had her charisma already, despite the brooding wardrobe. His father must have been a good-looking man. Nick looked as though he’d grow into the kind of rugged young man high school girls swooned over. He hoped it would be the class president good guy type, but Nick’s current choice of apparel hinted too much at the dark, bad boy type.

Chad sat down opposite Nick and stirred his coffee. Time for the direct approach. “We’re not here to talk about your mother. We’re here to talk about what made you punch Scott Collins yesterday. And why there are matches in your locker.” If he was going to be direct about things, he might as well put all the issues on the table.

Nick pushed back in his chair, hands crossed over his dark gray T-shirt. “I hate when she calls me ‘Nicky.’”

Chad wasn’t going to let Nick detour this conversation, no matter how hard he tried. “Duly noted.”

“Like I’m some kind of five-year-old.” The boy had a point, but not the point in question.

“Tell her.” He took a sip of coffee. “Right after you tell me what’s going on with you in school.”

“She likes you, you know.” Nick leaned forward to spin the bottle cap on the table. From somewhere behind him, Chad heard Plug wander into the kitchen, and Nicky’s body language immediately softened. “I heard her talking on the phone to Mrs. Reed about it, saying how she didn’t know if she wanted things to get complicated, whatever that means.

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