Page 122 of Firecracker

He ran down two flights of stairs to his dad’s old tool bench in the basement and grabbed one, hearing the muted conversation from the living room. Hopefully Mom wasn’t interrogating Arden.

He adjusted the fill level in the tank, flushed again, and boom, fixed.

He washed his hands and returned the screwdriver before heading into the living room. “All fixed,” he announced.

“Thank you!” Mom shook her head, but smiled. “I appreciate it. Now I don’t have to pay a plumber.”

“No problem.” He sat beside Arden on the love seat. “I don’t mind helping, Mom.”

“I know. Are you enjoying being back in Chicago?” Mom asked Arden.

“I really am. I love Chicago. I didn’t even realize how much I missed it until I was back. It’s nice to be around family and friends again. Although the only family here is Jamie.”

“Well, if you need a mom-cooked meal or help with anything, you just come on over,” Mom said.

“Oh, that’s so sweet of you. Thank you.”

“We were just at a baseball game,” Tyler said. “Our annual Guns versus Hoses game.”

“The Hoses won,” Arden added. “Tyler got two home runs.” She turned and met his eyes. “You played great.”

Pleasure expanded in his chest. He shrugged modestly. “It was a team effort.”

Mom’s avid gaze darted back and forth between them. Hopefully she wasn’t going to start talking about grandchildren. “Guns versus hoses.”

“It’s so funny, the rivalry between the firefighters and the police.” Arden chuckled. “Both such admirable professions, but they pretend to hate one another.”

“Not sure it’s all pretend,” Tyler muttered. “I think those guys really do believe we just sit around watching TV all day.”

Arden’s laugh was low and musical. “And you think they spend their day driving around and stopping for donuts.”

He grinned.

“You do pretend to hate each other,” she said. “But I also heard that you and Tremon and Dody started your charity organization together.”

“Ah. Tremon’s wife was talking to you.”

“Yes. So apparently the police and firefighters do work together as a team when there’s a need.”

Tyler snorted. “The only reason cops are allowed on scenes is because the firefighters are busy, and someone needs to direct traffic.”

She laughed. “I love all these jokes. But you know what? When it comes to popularity, firefighters always win. Lots of people hate cops, but nobody hates firefighters.”

He met her eyes and his heartbeat quickened. “Eh, it’s true. Despite the rivalry, we do work together when shit hits the fan. We all respect one another.”

Mom’s forehead creased and she watched them with a weird expression. “I keep hoping Tyler will change his mind about going back to college and do something else.”

Arden’s head tilted. “Why would you want that? He loves what he does so much.”

“Um. Well. Firefighters don’t earn that much money.”

“I think it’s more important to do something you love,” Arden said quietly, leaning into him so her shoulder pushed against his. “And Tyler really does love his job.”

Mom’s face tightened. “I guess he does.”

“He’s good at it too,” Arden added. “His coworkers and his superiors really respect him.”

“How do you know that?” He looked down at her with amusement and surprise.

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