Page 4 of One Little Spark

“Hey, Haze. How was your shift?”

“The same as usual.”

“You sound tired.”

Hazel sighed. “I am wiped out. I’m on my way home. What’s up?”

“I was hoping you could help Mom at the concession stand today.”

“Oohh, Jory, I just can’t. I’m too tired. I need to sleep for at least a dozen hours. Can’t you help her?”

“I’m going to, but today’s game is going to draw a big crowd. It’s the charity event of the year, and Phoenix is standing in for his brother, which puts him up against Wilson, his archrival from high school. All of Cherry Valley is gonna turn out for this one. At least everyone we went to high school with. There’s no way she’ll be able to handle the cash and the cooking all on her own. I’ve gotta help with the supplies. It really needs three people.”

Hazel sighed again. “Jory, can’t you find someone else? I’m exhausted.”

“You wouldn’t be if you weren’t picking up all those extrashifts.”

She flexed her fingers on the steering wheel and gritted her teeth but stayed silent. She didn’t want to fight with her brother. She was too damn worn out and there was no doubt she would say something she would later regret.

“Fine. Come to the stand tonight, and we’ll talk about you wanting to move out. Mom needs our help. She can’t do it all on her own.”

Hazel’s head pounded and her knuckles were white on the steering wheel. Her brother had always known how to push her buttons but, lately, he’d gone for gold. She needed a break from Jory and her mother. Living in Mom’s basement wasn’t helping. Her mother never intruded exactly, but just knowing that her mom was in the house was enough to set Hazel’s nerves jangling. It was sapping her last nerves. She just needed a place where she could be alone, and no one would comment if she didn’t clean her room or do the dishes. She knew her mom and Jory worried that she would slide back into her old life, but dishes in the sink did not mean she was out of control. Sometimes, dirty dishes were just dirty dishes.

“Fine. I’ll be there.” Damn him. Jory was good at making her feel guilty, too. She couldn’t leave her mother in the lurch. What kind of kid would do that? But, sometimes, it was just so fucking frustrating to not have her own life. She wanted her own place with no one to look after but herself. Was that so wrong? She was twenty-fucking-eight! She deserved to live her own life.

She made a sharp right turn, leaving her normal route home. She was too wired to sleep just yet, plus her mother would be there. She couldn’t face talking to her just now. Hazel made a left and then another right. Minutes later, she pulled up in front of Aiden’s house.

It was a cute little place with its neatly cut grass and porch swing. It was the type of place she’d like to own someday. Shesnorted as she got out of the car. Not at the rate she was going. She needed to pay off her student loans and car loan first before she could even think of buying a house and, even then, with house prices these days, it would take a miracle.

She knocked on the screen door, opened it, and then walked in. “Aiden?” she called.

“Up here,” came the immediate response.

Just being in the man’s orbit calmed her frustration, and she relaxed for the first time all day. And then a small burst of excitement went straight to her belly. The rumble of Aiden’s deep voice always did that to her. It had since she’d turned sixteen. She ran lightly up the stairs and walked across the landing to the main bathroom.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself,” Aiden said as he glanced over his shoulder at her. He was on his knees, laying tile. He flicked his dark curls out of his insanely dark eyes and smiled at her. “What’s up?”

“I need your help.” She bit her lip. He’d gone back to focusing on the tile so she could openly admire him while he worked. He was well-built thanks to hours spent working out at the firehouse when he was on shift. His broad shoulders tapered into narrow hips. He’d tossed his shirt aside, and the spit in her mouth dried up as the muscles rippled on his back as he worked. She knew from years of being around him he also had a six-pack that was unbelievable.

“What do you need help with?” he asked, shooting her another glance over his shoulder.

“My brother.”

He grunted.

“Seriously. Jory is out of control. He wants to keep an eye on me constantly. I mentioned moving out, and he lost it.”

Aiden sighed. “He’s just worried about you. And yourmom, for that matter.”

“Yeah, well, he needs to worry about himself. He has no life because he’s constantly trying to look after us. I love him, but he’s killing me.”

She leaned against the door frame and caught her reflection in the mirror above the sink. She was in desperate need of a shower. Her long blond hair was in a messy bun on top of her head, and there were big, dark circles under her pale blue eyes. Great. She looked like shit in front of Aiden once again. She hadn’t thought about that part when she’d decided to ask him for help. Too late to do anything about it now. Besides, Aiden had seen her look like shit many times over the last couple years. She hung out with him and Jory on a regular basis.

“I already spoke with your brother this morning. He’s gonna ease up. Just give him a bit of time.”

“Sure he is.” She knew her brother enough to be skeptical. “Did he tell you he was?”

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