Page 96 of Things You Save in a Fire

“Like what?”

“Anything. Anything distracting.”

“There is actually something I need to share with you.”

“Share?”I asked. That would be distracting. Firemen didn’t share.

“It’s relevant to our positions here.”

“Our positions?” I didn’t look back. “You mean me, the desperately overqualified and yet somehow underrated newcomer—and you, the rookie who wants my job?”

“Yes.”

I looked out the window. “Bring it on, pal.”

“First of all,” he went on, “I want you to know that I know that you are a better firefighter than I am.”

That caught my attention.

“I know it,” he went on. “Everybody knows it. If it were up to me, I’d just back out of this whole situation and let you have your rightful place.”

“Great,” I said.

“But I can’t.”

“It’s not up to you?” I asked.

“Not entirely.”

“Who’s it up to?”

“That’s what I want to talk to you about.”

“Okay,” I said. “Talk.”

But he hesitated. “I’m about to tell you something I’ve never told anybody.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t,” I said.

“I think I want to. Have wanted to for a while, actually,” he said.

“You’ve been wanting to tell me your biggest secret for a while?”

“Someone, at least. But when I started thinking about who I could trust—you were at the top of the list. Actually, youwerethe list. Just the whole list.”

The whole list? I squinted at him. “Parents?”

“Not for this.”

“Sisters?”

“Nope.”

“Friends?”

“You’re my friend, aren’t you?”

“Friend-slash-enemy.”

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