Page 12 of Firecracker

Of course her first night in her new home, her mind wouldn’t shut off, and when she did drift off to sleep she was startled into heart-pounding wakefulness by her dreams… terror-filled dreams of trying to get to Michael to save him and not being able to, over and over. She’d been having that same dream in various forms off and on for months. She probably had enormous bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, thankfully now hidden behind sunglasses.

Somehow she sensed Tyler’s attention on her, even though he too lounged in a chair opposite her in a casual pose. Her skin tingled everywhere.

“So are you looking for a job, Arden?” Mila asked when they had daiquiris in hand.

“I will be.” She made a face then sipped her drink through the straw. “Not sure what kind of job, though.”

“Were you working in Phoenix?”

“No.” She peered into her drink and stirred the ice cubes around. “I have a business degree, but when we moved to Phoenix, my husband was playing professional football. He made good money, so I didn’t need to work. I did some volunteer work, though.”

Mila nodded.

Arden’s stomach tightened as it did whenever she thought about her financial situation and the need to find a job. Quickly. Except a business degree from six years ago with no work experience other than organizing charity events wasn’t going to help much with that. She took a few deep breaths, trying to relax the tension that gripped her. She needed to just live in the moment. It was a beautiful day, and she was here with her brother and his friends sitting beside the beach drinking a delicious cocktail. She had a cute, albeit somewhat dilapidated, apartment, but it was a place to live and it was comforting to have Jamie living right in the building so she didn’t feel totally alone.

“Heeeeeey!” a loud male voice cut through the conversation the others were having about the Cubs season.

Arden looked up to see a man about the same age as the rest of them, dark haired like Tyler, about five nine and stocky. He wore Ray-Ban sunglasses with neon green arms, a blue T-shirt that saidDo not be alarmed, this is a kindness, and a pair of baggy board shorts.

“Hey, Norton.” Tyler gave a casual wave.

Jamie reached over to bro shake Norton’s hand. “Hey, buddy. Have a seat.”

“Hi, Jamie. Hi, Mila.”

“Hey, Norton, how’s it going?”

“Good.” Then Norton’s gaze fell on Arden. “Hel-looooo.” He pushed up his sunglasses and smiled at her.

“Norton, this is my sister, Arden. She just moved into the empty apartment in our building.”

Norton frowned. “You told me you weren’t renting that apartment out until you were finished renovating it.”

Jamie’s mouth opened and then shut. Arden felt the atmosphere around them shift to bordering on uncomfortable. “Well, uh, yeah, but Arden needed somewhere to stay right away. She just moved here from Phoenix. I warned her that it would be under construction, and she was okay with that.”

Norton turned his attention back to Arden, extending a hand. She smiled and shook it, uncertain of where the sudden tension came from. “Nice to meet you, Norton.”

“Likewise.” He smiled, his gaze moving over her in a way that was more awkward than creepy. But his smile seemed sincere. He dropped a backpack onto the deck and took the empty seat next to her. “So. Arden. Besides being sexy, what do you do for a living?”

Arden choked on a laugh. “Uh. Funny, we were just discussing that. I’m unemployed right now. Got any leads on a good job?”

His eyes widened. “Hell yeah. I can put a good word in for you where I work. The girls in HR are all hot for me.”

She rolled her lips in briefly, trying not to look over at Tyler and Jamie seated across from them. “Where do you work, Norton?”

“At Guardian Mutual. I’m a desktop support tech.”

“Oh. Cool. You and Jamie must have a lot in common.” She bit her lip and now chanced a look at her brother, who grinned.

“Yeah, we’re both tech dudes,” Norton agreed. “Except he’s rich and I’m…not. But hey, I’m working my way up the ladder.”

Arden nodded.

The waitress arrived again, and Norton gave her a long up-and-down look. Arden couldn’t blame him; she was lovely, wearing a tiny pair of shorts and a bikini top. The girl smiled brightly at Norton. “What can I get you, handsome?”

Norton’s eyes brightened. “I’ll have a piña colada, please.”

The girl’s eyes flickered. “Sure thing!”

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