Page 88 of In the Air Tonight

“We didn’t when we were kids. I wanted to be Emily or Brooke like all the other girls.”

“Blaise is unique and special.”

“Until the boys start calling you Ablaze in fifth grade because you have red hair and that name.”

He rolls his lips together as if he’s trying not to laugh.

“It’s not funny!”

“It’s kinda funny.”

“Not even. They also called me Fire Ant, Fireball, Hot Pants and anything else they could think of to make me aware that my name was weird.”

“It’s beautiful, and it suits you.”

Is he saying he thinks I’m beautiful? And what if he is? I’d be okay with that.

“No work today?” I ask, eager to stop talking about myself.

“I got it in earlier. I try to quit early on nice days like this, especially when it’s about to get nasty for a bunch of months.”

“I hate the winter.”

“I don’t mind it. Gives us an excuse to chill out and do nothing after the frantic pace of the summer. My mom used to call it Crock-Pot season.”

“I like that.”

“She’d say it was time to get cozy, light the fire and watch football.”

“Sounds a lot more pleasant than winter in the city.”

“That’s gotta be a drag.”

“It really is. We walk everywhere, and there’s no way to stay warm and dry when you’re slogging through slush and ice and snow that turns black within a day. And then you add the trash piled up on the sidewalks on pickup day and the cars that fly by spraying you with ice water, and it’s a real treat.”

“What keeps you there?”

“I work in theater, and that’s the hub.”

“What do you do?”

“I manage Wendall Brooks, who’s starring inGrey Matterright now.”

“My friend saw that in New York. She loved it.”

“It’s a great show. Everyone loves it.”

“Is it a fun job?”

“It should be, but Wendall is a bit insufferable. He takes the fun out of it with his endless demands.”

“How’s he getting by without you?”

“I’m still keeping him organized and on schedule from here, but I can’t deny it’s nice to have a break from dealing with him in person every day.”

“Sounds like it would be. What’d you tell him about why you’re here?”

“I said it was a family emergency, and he shocked me by saying family comes first. I didn’t expect that at all.”

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