White Pine Firefighters 2 - Heat Of The Moment by Adam Carpenter

Author:Adam Carpenter [Carpenter, Adam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Tucker

Black guitar case gripped in his strong left hand, leather jacket tossed over his back, a scruffy-faced Tucker O’Connell had the appearance of a man with some place to be. His quick pace and mismatched clothes indicated he was either running very late or was trying to avoid having to explain where he was going and who he was meeting. He was home and was eager to get out.

“Tucker, do you have a minute?” The easy answer should have been no. But the needy look coming from his mother as she stood in the door frame between the living room and front entrance, meant no was not an option. Plus, she was blocking his way.

Setting the guitar case down near the front door, Tucker turned back and saw not only his mother but his father, Chief Devon O’Connell, and from the all indications they wanted to have “a talk.” Jaws locked, forces joined, words ready on the tips of their tongues. Clearly it was a conversation all of them had been avoiding since the unfortunate events that transpired first at the jail, then days later at the municipal building. Even though Tucker hadn’t stayed that day for the verdict, indeed it had been decided that his advertised performance had been removed from the Hibernation Festival’s program.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Where are you going?”

“Just gonna go play some music,” he said wearily. “Maybe

head to the park. You know, they can’t stop me from doing that on just any ordinary day. I always thought the band shell offered great acoustics.”

“Outside? It’s rather cold out,” his mother said. “It’s good for my fingers, gives them more of a snap against the strings.”

“I see,” she said, clearly not.

“Tucker, can we do this without you halfway out the door?” his father asked. “You don’t seem focused.”

He was all set to protest like an insolent, know-it-all teenager, but he quickly realized he was nearly thirty and a grown man who had lived on his own, quite successfully, for the past ten years. Which meant they were equals, right? No, not within the confines of his childhood home, and not when his father had been called in the middle of the night to bail out his son. So Tucker took a seat on the straight-backed chair, his parents taking up on the floral sofa in a show of unity. He tried to keep his expression neutral, not wanting to betray how ridiculous this all was. Wasn’t his life his to live? Why did they have to sit him down in a presumption of judgment?

“Tucker,” his mother began, “Are you happy?”

Okay, that question surprised him. “Um, happy? Why do you ask?”

“Because you don’t seem so,” she said, “not since you arrived home. A remember a boy who loved to smile, used to charm everyone. And yes, I realize the quiet of White Pine is not exactly Hollywood Boulevard, but it is your home and we want you to feel welcome. We want to give you something to smile about again.

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