“I see.” Katie lights another cigarette and leans against the back of the bar. She takes a hearty drag and exhales a thick jet of smoke toward the ceiling.
“I guess now that I say it out loud, it’s pretty obvious,” I say. “He’s not into me at all.”
“Hmm.” Katie hums. “Not necessarily.”
I tilt my head, inviting her to say more. She takes her time with another long drag before she speaks.
“Joey’s . . . unpredictable. Kinda mysterious. He has a wild side. But he also has this really intense, serious side. Ever since the boys lost one of their own a year ago, he hasn’t been the same.”
“I was dealing with my own issues back then, but I remember Jax being heartbroken about it.”
“The loss impacted Joey the most. He was very close with Sully and his family. While the other guys are hootin’ and hollerin’ and tomcattin’ up a storm, Joey kind of . . . does his own thing. He doesn’t really chase women as much as he used to. I mean, he’s no monk. He has his one-night stands. But not as many as you’d think, based on how he looks. Joey’s . . .”
Katie pauses to think about her answer, a faint smile creeping its way into her expression. It’s like she’s remembering something fondly. I feel a pang of jealousy. Does she have a history with Joey? She finishes her thought: “. . . complicated.”
“Did you ever have a thing with him?” I ask, my stomach clenching in anticipation of her answer.
Katie snorts gently. “Oh, hell no. I don’t date firemen. Or firewomen, in case you were wonderin’.”
“Why not?” I say, as relief floods my system. I’m surprised by how much I don’t like the thought of Joey with someone else.
Katie smiles. “No changing the subject. We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you and Joey.”
I sigh. “Okay, so, he may or may not like me. He’s complicated. And . . . uh, anything else I should know?”
Katie thinks for a minute, as she wipes her hands on the front of her jeans. “Well, you already know he’s part of a silly little boys’ club. You also know that you’re technically off-limits, being the lieutenant’s sister and all.”
“And you think Joey takes that rule seriously?”
Katie considers my question. “He does, but not as much as some of the other guys. It really depends on the day. Like I said, Joey’s an enigma shrouded in a mystery stuffed in a paradox. But, if you really wanna know my opinion —”
She pauses and I nod vigorously. Tell me, wise one of the bar!
“— I think there’s something else holding him back.”
“Something else?”
“Yeah. I couldn’t tell you what though. It just seems like Joey’s afraid to let someone in.”
I ponder this for a few seconds, before Katie says, “That’s enough chit-chat for me. Time to get back to work.”
“Right,” I say. “I’ll get out of your hair.”
I thank her again for the hangover cure and we say our goodbyes.
As I leave, Katie’s words swirl in my mind like plastic bags caught in the wind.
Afraid to let someone in?
The man fights fire for a living. What could he possibly be so afraid of?
9
Joey
I’mat my brother’s place in Skokie. He’s chopping wood in the backyard, and I’m sitting in a lawn chair on his shabby little weed-covered brick patio, watching and sipping beer.
“You know,” I say, “you can buy those things pre-chopped.”
