Page 12 of One Little Spark

She captured his gaze. “Look, I get that you’re slightly pissed off at me and, to be honest, that’s fair. I backed you into a corner and forced you to let me live here.”

He just stared at her. It was true, and he still hadn’t forgiven her for making his life difficult, but really, he was in survival mode. The farther from Hazel he stayed, the better for both of them. Of course, he couldn’t tell her that.

“I knew Jory would feel a thousand times better about me moving out if he knew you would be here to keep an eye on me. The truth is”—she looked down at the pizza on her plate—“maybe I’m a little bit nervous about living on my own as well. It’s silly but there it is.”

She bit her lip. “I’m not out of control like I was, and I sure as hell don’t drink like that now. I never want to go back there. But I do worry about being on my own.” She glanced up at him. “I… There are a lot of things that I would do differently if I could, but I can’t. Living on my own is just another step on the road to proving to Jory but more importantly to myself, thatI can be a responsible adult and succeed in life. I know it in my heart, but I do get a bit…unsettled sometimes. Me living here, well, it makes me feel better. Baby steps, you know?”

What the fuck was he supposed to say to that? He cleared his throat. “It’s okay. I mean, yeah, I’m pissed, but if it will help you get your feet under you, then it’s all good. But it would’ve been nice to have a heads-up this was your plan.”

“It wasn’t. Seriously. When Mom suggested it, the idea just clicked with me. Everyone feels better when you’re around. You’re a steady and calming influence on all of us. So, thanks for that.” She got up, walked over to him, and kissed him on the cheek. Then she reached behind him to open the cupboard, but she was struggling with the latch.

“It sticks.” He turned, lifted it a bit, and pulled. Then he handed her a glass.

“Thanks.” She went back to the table and poured her beer into the glass. She sat back down and took a big bite of pizza.

Aiden stared at the pizza in his hand. He’d lost his appetite. He’d been so pissed off and worried about himself that he hadn’t really thought about anyone else. Jory was his best friend. He should have offered to have Hazel move in well before now to help Jory out. Instead, he’d put up a fight. He needed to do better.

And Hazel. She wasn’t as tough as she seemed. It made him like her more, which was…problematic but, still, he needed to just suck it up and be the reliable, if boring-sounding, friend she needed right now. Fucking sucked like nothing else.

Chapter Six

The crash woke Hazel with a start. She sat bolt upright in bed, her hand on her chest. Where the hell was she? Heart racing after being jolted out of a sound sleep, reality slowly dawned. She was at Aiden’s place, her new home.

The cadence of her heart eased, until her room lit up with a flash of lightning with thunder following on its heels. The whole house shook. Rain, finally.

She eased out a long breath and started to lay back down when she heard another crash, this time from inside the house, along with a lot of cursing.

She hopped out of bed and opened her bedroom door to the hallway. She crept over and looked down the staircase. Aiden was sitting on the bottom step, trying to get a wicker basket off his foot. She’d left it there upside down and he must have put his foot through it in the dark and crashed into the wall.

“Shit,” she mumbled as she went down the stairs. “Are you okay?”

Aiden glanced over his shoulder at her and glared. “Fine.” His voice was clipped.

“I’m really sorry. I was so tired after unpacking everything that I just left the basket next to the staircase. I figured I would take it back to Mom’s in the morning.”

“Uh-huh.” He said nothing else, just kept pulling at the basket until he finally freed his foot.

“Really, I am sorry.”

“Yeah.” He started pulling on his boots. The house lit up with a lightning flash again, and then the thunder rolled. Hazel shuddered. She was glad she was inside.

“Wait, where are you going? It’s the middle of the night.”

“The lightning set off the trees on the outskirts of town bythe apartment complex. It’s all-hands-on-deck. I’m heading to the station and then out to the fire.”

“Is everyone okay? Should I come along? Do they have ambulances going as well?”

Aiden stood up. “I have no idea.” He grabbed his raincoat.

“Maybe I should come with you.” She stood watching him put on his slicker.

“I don’t think—" His cell phone went off, and he hit the screen. “Jor, man, I’m on my way.” There was silence but it was interrupted by a bright flash and a loud peel of thunder. He looked up at Hazel and locked gazes with her. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Okay. Be there as soon as I can.” He hung up. “Go get dressed. Jory said to bring you. The fire has hit the apartment complex. We need everyone they can get.”

Hazel turned and ran back up the stairs. Eight minutes later, they were on the way to the firehouse. “Won’t the rain stop the fire?”

Aiden shook his head. “Usually, a rain like this will help stop the fire from spreading, but it won’t put it out. It’s only been raining for about a half hour. That’s not enough time to make all the undergrowth wet. That will burn. I’m not sure how it spread to the building. That will keep burning because the fuel inside the building is dry. With a lightning strike, if that’s what it was, there could be lots of sparks, which is maybe how the building caught fire.”

They pulled up beside the firehouse. “I’ve gotta go with the guys on the second truck. They’re waiting on me. You take my truck and follow us over. Stay well back and find the other medical people.” He started to get out but then turned back. “Hazel, please be careful.”

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