Page 132 of Fire and Icing

“You might as well.”

I give her a moment to pout. It appears all I’m doing is disappointing the women in my life by leaving them.

“I’ve got an opportunity I want to tell you about,” I say.

“Oh! Is it with the fire department? They saw how amazing you are and they just had to promote you even while you’re the rookie?”

I smile. It’s pretty obvious where my confidence came from. My mom has an inflated sense of my value.

“It’s not at the station.”

I fill Mom in on the gig and how Gavin approached me and offered for me to record a demo.

“Well, that’s amazing, Dustin.”

“I know. It’s really something. I’m torn, though.”

“Because you don’t know if you can be a firefighter and a country music star?”

“I highly doubt I’m going to be a star.”

“I bet that’s what Taylor Swift said too, back in the day when she sang country.”

“I highly doubt that’s what Taylor Swift said. I think she aimed for what she got.”

“Well, you sing better than she does, so watch out, Nashville!”

I smile again. “Mom. Let’s take this one thing at a time. I definitely want to pursue this opportunity, at least to see how far it can go. The thing is … Emberleigh.”

“I just love that girl.”

“Me too.”

I can’t honestly believe I just admitted my feelings for Emberleigh out loud to my mom.

She squeals. “Oh, Dustin! This is the best news ever. What a W! So, what does Emberleigh have to do with you going to Nashville?”

“She’s sort of like you, come to think of it.”

“That’s simply wonderful. In what way?”

“Her world is this town.”

“Now, Dustin, are you dissin’ me?”

“Not at all. I just realized you two are similar. You found your place in the world and you don’t intend to leave it.”

“Why should I? All my friends are here on Marbella. All my children used to be here until you got your wild hair and movedto Tennessee. I love the ocean. Our life is good. You don’t mess with perfection.”

“Emberleigh feels the same about Waterford as you do about Marbella. And I don’t blame her. She’s spent her whole life here. It’s her home. And now, I’ve got to talk to her about this opportunity.”

“Well of course you do. A good relationship is built on open communication. Sometimes you fight or disagree, but you always come back to one another because that’s what matters most. Your dad and I had to decide where to live when you were just a toddler. He was spending more time on the mainland for his therapy practice. He suggested we find a house in Ventura so we could lessen his commute. I wasn’t having it. I grew up on Marbella. He did too. I had no intention of raising my children anywhere else. We came to a compromise. It’s not ideal. Your dad takes the ferry to work three or four days a week and he works remotely the other days of the week. We’ve been able to keep our home and our life here. We worked it out. You will too.”

“Thanks, Mom. I needed that assurance.”

“Love, huh? You fell in love. I can’t believe it.”

I knew she wasn’t letting that go.

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