Page 70 of Clean Out of Luck

Wade

Four daysafter the false fire alarm at The Serendipity, I’m at work, sitting on the couch while I check text messages. We had one phone call for a cat stuck on top of a roof and another for a small kitchen fire. Those kinds of calls are kind of fun because no one gets hurt, no one suffered a tragic loss, and instead, someone learned a valuable lesson about not leaving their stove on when they leave the house.

Scrolling through my texts, I head to the ones I haven’t answered. I have a picture from my dad showing me their Alaskan cruise. And then Mom sent me a new recipe for croissants she wants to try when she gets back. I send them quick replies, then open the next unopened text.

PHOENIX

I might come back for a quick visit. The case is wrapping up nicely. And they think I’m already showing a lot of promise for the assistant DA position in Serendipity Springs.

That would be several months sooner than anticipated.I’m not surprised. Phoenix is a bulldog when it comes to work. He’s good at what he does, and he’s not afraid to apply himself until he’s thebestat what he does.

WADE

Are you going to tell Scarlett you’re coming back?

PHOENIX

And spoil the fun of a surprise? I don’t think so. Besides, she might avoid me.

This will not end well. Scarlett is not a fan of surprises…and when she’s been enjoying a little time to herself, she’s probably not going to be happy about her interfering brother showing up as a surprise. And what if she’s on a date with someone? That would end even worse. And I don’t want to see Scarlett’s feelings hurt, so I’m going to do my best to dissuade him.

WADE

Remember that one time you surprised Scarlett when she was having a sleepover with her friends?

PHOENIX

And she got even by tying a fake rattlesnake to my back bike tire?

WADE

My favorite part was you thinking there was a rattlesnake running loose on the streets of Serendipity Springs.

But my point is to be prepared for the consequences.

PHOENIX

Like the time you teased her about her sun hat, and she bought an even bigger one and wore it every time she saw you?

I chuckle at that memory.

She was a freshman in college and had bought a sun hat that was almost as wide as her shoulders. I made a teasing comment about it, like the annoying twenty-two-year-old I was, and then the next time we went out together, she showed up with a hat of even more ridiculous proportions. I didn’t know they made hats that big, honestly. I’m not entirely sure she didn’t get it custom made just to tease me. The point is, Scarlett won’t make a big fuss in the moment. She’ll get even later. Sometimes, it will be a fun joke. But sometimes, you really have to watch yourself. She’ll get you when you least expect it.

The door to the lounge area swings open, and Jack and Linus walk in.

Linus has a grin on his face and is holding something in his hand. It looks like a notebook of some sort with spiral binding.

He has it held tight against his chest like it contains some secret information.

Whatever it is, I don’t think I’m going to like it. He and Jack look too pleased with themselves.

“Hey, you know how Bill couldn’t decide what photo should be the cover for our new calendar this year?”

Ah, yes. Bill, the fundraising manager for the fire department. Every year, he spearheads a local fireman calendar to help raise money.

One of our most revered and loved traditions.

Whoever is the cover model also gets to be the month of July. Linus has been a cover model before and so has Bill…talk about a conflict of interest. But usually, we vote on who should be on the cover. I haven’t heard about the vote for this year. I didn’t think they’d even gotten enough photos yet.

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