Page 37 of Hot Chicken

I collapse in a heap, my hair a wet, tangled mess about my face. I’m sure my skin is a deep scarlet after that. It doesn’t take much exertion for me to look like a tomato.

Matt returns to bed after discarding the condom and washing up. He swipes his fingers through my unruly hair until he can find my nearly unconscious face. “Too much?”

“You or what we just did?”

“Both.”

“No,” I splutter. “You’re perfect.” Deep breath. “It’s all perfect.”

He leans in, kissing me on the corner of my mouth. “I don’t know how this is going to work. We can talk tomorrow. But I’m all in, Ellie. My fire department calendar is a permanent, rotating schedule that gives me a ten-day break every three weeks.” He’s clearly in much better shape than I am. I couldn’t complete more than a five-word sentence. “It’s going to be tough in between, but I’ll come home on my-”

“I love you.”

“You do?” There is a mix of relief and wonderment in his voice. How could he not know?

“I’m so in love with you, Matthew Hightower.” There. Eight words. I got out eight words before surrendering to sleep.

Chapter 31

Matt

Three months later

“Man, is it six thirty yet?” Jason yawns.

We’re taking a quick water break alongside the highway where we’ve been trying to contain this brushfire that popped up during the night. It’s been a long, dry summer in Sycamore Mountain. Despite the many posters around town urging people to be mindful of the conditions, it’s impossible to control passersby who toss their cigarettes out the window.

Matt and Trevor continue to work on reducing the vegetation at the perimeter of the fire while Jason and I have been spraying water and fire retardants to extinguish it. We managed to get a few hours of shut-eye before the alarm sounded, but we’re all exhausted and ready for A shift to take over.

“I see the cavalry,” Jason says with a grin, pointing over my shoulder.

Our replacements thankfully arrive right on time. I need a shower and a bed.

“Hey, Matt. Your brother is trying to reach you,” Dave says as he approaches. “The phone was ringing the moment we walked in this morning.”

Shit. My mother.I hadn’t had time to consider anyone would be trying to reach me in the middle of the night. “Did he say what was up?” I ask, climbing up into the engine to search for my phone.

“No. Just that he was trying to get in touch with you.”

“Thanks.” I walk to the SUV the replacement crew had arrived in to wait for the rest of C shift to join me so we could return to the station. Hitting Harrison’s name in my contact list, I lean against the vehicle and try to calm my racing heart. Had Mom managed to get out despite the night nurse? Or worse, was she hurt?

“Hey, Matt. Thanks for calling me back.”

“I called as soon as Dave told me you’d tried to reach me at the station. We’ve been working a brush fire for hours, so I haven’t had my phone on me. I didn’t bother checking to see if you’d left a voicemail. What’s going on? Is Mom okay?”

“Yeah. She’s fine.”

“Then what-”

“It’s Ellie.”

I bolt upright, my heart sinking at the mere notion she’s in trouble. “What’s wrong? Is she okay?”

“No. Pops died. Apparently, she found her grandfather’s lifeless body when she went to check on him. He’d only been out of the hospital for a few days. Jo said they’d discussed placing him on hospice, but they thought he had a little more time. But somewhere along the way, he caught pneumonia. It was more than his body could handle.”

I slump down the side of the SUV, landing on my ass. Leaning my head back against the tire, I clutch my chest. My poor girl. The thought of her dealing with this alone. “I just talked to her yesterday morning. I knew he’d been sick again, but she said he’d come home, so I thought he was doing okay. When did all of this happen?” I’d texted her good morning right after I arrived at the station. I was surprised when she called me right back. We didn’t normally have conversations at six in the morning. But the call was interrupted by one of many fire and medical calls that kept us hopping throughout the day. I never had a chance to speak with her again after that.

I think right after you spoke with her. Jo said she called him at about six thirty yesterday morning.

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