Page 55 of The Fire
“But that’sone thing,” I insisted. “Cooking is something I’m good at. I’m not competitive with other things.”
“Oh. Uh huh. Like baseball, back in the day.”
“Exactly!” I said triumphantly. “I didn’t give a shit about baseball! I only played because—”
“Because your dad made you. I know. Everyone knows. Literally, everyone in the entire town, because you never stopped saying it.”
“Because it was true!” I said, stung. “I never practiced, I never cared if we won games—”
Jamie jumped off the chair. “It ever occur to you that you might have been better at it if youhadgiven a shit?”
“No! Because then…”
“You would’ve been sadder if you lost?”
I scowled. “That’s the least-flattering interpretation of events that you could possibly—”
“Just sayin’.” Jamie winked as he passed me on the way out of the room. “You don’t like to do things you’re not immediately good at.”
“Wait!” I demanded, following after him. “That’s not true. I amnotthat kind of person.”
“What kind of person?” Jamie said without stopping.
“I don’t know! Shitty. And lazy. And caring about my image. I mean, I don’t evenhavean image.”
“I didn’t say you were shitty. Or lazy, either,” he called over his shoulder. “You just hate admitting when you’re wrong, and you hate to lose.”
“I do not hate admitting I’m wrong,” I insisted… possibly proving his point.
Jamie snorted. “Okay,” he agreed easily.
“What doesthatmean?” I demanded, grabbing at his shoulder.
He spun around and stared down at me, surprised. “It meansokay. If you say so, Parker. I barely know you anymore, after all. Right?”
“Right,” I said immediately. Then I frowned. “Right?”
Jamie shrugged and turned back toward the kitchen. “I think I have another tarp in the garage for my room. I’m gonna look for it, then I’ll call Si.”
He disappeared down the hall, but I stood where I was for a minute.
Jamie Burke could cut me to the quick like no one else, and apparently he still possessed that ability, even after all this time. Why did his opinion still matter so damn much?
He was wrong, anyway. It wasn’t true that I only did easy things. Not atall.Moving back here hadn’t been easy. Leaving had been even harder.
In fact,easywas Jamie’s MO Take, for example, this house, and… and… and… the fact that he was literally still working the same job he’d had in high school.Hewas the one who drifted along, who didn’t break out of his routine until a tree literally fell through his house.
I nodded once and grabbed a chicken wing from the table as a prize for reaching this conclusion, then I went back to rescuing books.
Jamie found me a few minutes later, after I’d put the last few books in the walk-in closet. “All set?”
“Yeah,” I said, straightening. “I think I got most of the big stuff. Wanna do your room next?”
Jamie shook his head. “Not much in there I care about.”
“But your clothes!”
“Clothes are in the dresser on the far side of the room and in the closet. They’ll be fine.”
