Page 77 of Burn With Me

“Lucas Grant, how come we haven’t talked to you in almost a month?”

She isn’t mad, but she’s right. It’s unusual for me to go this long without talking to them on the phone.

“Sorry, Ma, I’ve been busy getting settled in,” I tell her as I look over my shoulder to back out of the driveway.

“Tell me all about it! How is work? Are you settling in? How is the rental? Are you unpacked?” she rattles off when I hear my dad in the background.

“Good lord, sweetheart, you need to breathe, and you need to let him answer one question at a time.”

I laugh. “Hey, Dad, how’s it going?”

“Good, good, now tell us all about it before your mom gets mad at me for interrupting.”

A smile spreads across my lips. I didn’t realize how much I missed talking to them with how busy I’ve been. “Work is good. The guys on and off my squad have been great. I’ve been working closely with one of the fire investigators for the city, so that experience has been nice. Sam and I moved into the rental, and I met someone.”

I’ve wanted to tell them about Amelia since day one, but I was nervous. Like if I put it out there how much I liked her she wouldn’t like me back. It’s silly, but it’s how I felt.

They’re so quiet that I have to look at my screen to make sure they’re still there. “Hello?”

“Who is she? Tell us all about her. You never tell us about anyone you date. Is she the owner of the dog in the picture you sent us?”

A smile takes over my face as I tell them about her. “Her name is Amelia. She’s Sam’s sister’s childhood best friend. That’s how I met her. She owns and runs an aquaponic farm and supplies fresh produce to the local stores and restaurants in the area, and she helps run the farmers’ market. And yes, the dog is hers. She’s great, you’ll love her.” I pause and admit something out loud for the first time. “She’s the one, Ma.”

My mom sniffles, and my dad says, “We can’t wait to meet her. She sounds great, and we’re happy for you. It makes sense why we haven’t heard from you.”

I can tell that he means it.

“Well, that and I’ve been doing some fire investigations and helping Amelia with her farm when I can.”

“When can we come out and meet her? Soon? Is it too soon for that?” my mother asks.

“Mom, you guys are always welcome. I’ll never turn down a visit, so whenever you guys plan something, just shoot me the dates,” I say as I turn into the firehouse right next to Sam.

“Okay, Luke. We’ll take a look at our calendar and let you know.”

“Everything is good on your end?” I ask as I turn the truck off and hop out.

“Yeah, the weather is nice. We’ve been golfing and playing tennis,” my dad tells me.

“Good, I don’t want to cut this short, but I’m just walking into work, so I have to go. I’ll call you in a couple of days. Let me know when you decide to come,” I say.

“Bye, sweetheart. We miss you and are looking at plane tickets now and will let you know what we pick.”

“Sounds good. Love you!”

“We love you too! Tell Sam we said hi!”

I hang up and walk toward the room I share with Sam when we’re here. “My parents say hi.”

“I wondered who you were talking to this early in the morning. You just left Am, and it’s the morning, so there’s no way she would be that chatty,” he says with a laugh.

Opening the door, I say, “I told them about Am, not that I’m basically living with her, but I told them about her.”

“So your mom will be here in what? Three days? Oh man, does that mean she’ll stay with me at the rental and cook for me?” He rubs his hands together in excitement. “Oh yeah, this is going to be good.”

“I don’t know when they’ll be here, but I’ll offer them my room at the rental. But I wouldn’t be shocked if she talks my dad into coming within the next week or so.”

“I’ll set up the spare room in case you decide to stay with us at the rental. Are you going to tell them you’re living with Am?”

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