“You’re new in the neighborhood, aren’t you?” she asked as she walked right past me. “My name is Jackie. I live right down the road.”
“Uh, nice to meet you,” I said, following her to the house. She headed up the steps and placed the box right next to my door. “Thanks, you didn’t need to bring it all the way up.”
“Nonsense.” She waved me off as she turned around. “A lemonade would be wonderful, actually. Could use a break.”
She took a seat in the chair that I’d put out on the porch, stretching herself as if she’d already had a long day. I didn’t point out that I hadn’t exactly invited her to stay. She seemed nice, and I could use a friend in a place full of strangers.
“Sure,” I finally said, before leaving her on the porch and heading to the kitchen. I didn’t have everything packed out, and definitely no lemonade. But there were sodas in the fridge, and I hoped that Jackie would be alright with that. I went back outside, and offered her one. She laughed as she took it from me.
“This is actually my favorite flavor,” she grinned as she opened the can and took a good, long swig.
I stood across from her, leaning against the fence, taking care not to trip over the loose floorboard I was still in the process of fixing. “Good to know. So, what can you tell me about the neighbors?”
I meant the firefighters, but Jackie tapped at her chin and peered around as if she was making sure whether there was anyone listening. She leaned forward conspiratorially before she spoke.
“Mostly young families, retired folk,” she began.” And gossip. A ton of gossip. Not that I’m one to complain, you know. Stories are always interesting.”
I nodded slowly. I wasn’t going to argue with that; she was right. To be fair, I never liked to be involved with drama, but like a lot of people, I did likeknowingabout it. I waited for Jackie to elaborate, and she seemed happy to take the opportunity to do so.
“Like across the street,” she said with a quick wink. “Jillian’s gotten a new car, and everyone knows full well there’s no way her useless husband could afford something like that. Theory going around is that she’s got someone on the side, if you know what I mean. Not judging, of course. Everyone does things they’re not particularly proud of.”
I had the feeling that she was, in fact, judging, but I shrugged. “Suppose it’s none of my business.”
“Mm, there was something I heard about you, too.” Jackie turned to me with a glimmer in her eyes. “That the boys from the firehouse have a thing for you.”
“Wow,” I laughed awkwardly. “Word sure does travel fast, doesn’t it? Honestly, I’m not sure what to do about all of that. They’ve all asked me on a date, and… Well. What do I even…”
I paused, watching for her reaction, but Jackie was simply smiling. “Oh, come now, dear. You’re young. You should be having fun while you can. Hell, I’d be ecstatic to have three handsome men fighting over me. It’s not exactly a terrible problem.”
“I mean, if you put it that way,” I said, and Jackie chuckled. “I guess I could see where things go. No harm in it, right?”
“Not even a little,” Jackie agreed. “Now, why don’t we take a peek inside that box? I could swear I heard porcelain in there, or glass.”
I looked over at the box and saw the label across the top of it. It was from my mom; maybe a housewarming gift. Knowing my mom’s taste, though, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what it was.
“I’ll get a pair of scissors,” I announced, but Jackie reached for the utility belt wrapped around her waist, producing a pair like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat. I took them from her and got to work on the box. Whatever was inside was so wrapped up in bubble wrap that I couldn’t really see what it was.
“So it’s really fragile then,” Jackie said, finishing her soda in one big swig and sitting forward to watch me free my mom’s gift from its popping prison.
“Oh… oh, no,” I muttered when I finally managed to release it. It was a god-awful seashell lamp, one made from terrible plastic that looked so cheap I couldn’t imagine that anyone would ever want it.
“Well…” Jackie let out a long whistle. “I suppose you can hide it in a cupboard somewhere.”
“I’ll have to put it out when they visit,” I sighed, “or I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“The sacrifices we make for family,” Jackie mused before she got up from her chair and stretched herself out. “I should get back to my route. See you again, alright?”
“I hope so,” I answered as I watched her walk away. Gingerly, I put the lamp back in the box and carried it inside, already wondering if I could stage some sort of ‘accidental break’ so I would never have to see it again. For now, I put the box in the back of my closet in my room.
It’s as I did so that I realized I had absolutelynothingto wear that was worthy of a date with someone like Calder. I thought of a dress I’d seen at the mall where I worked; one that I’d been eyeing for a while. It was pricey, but something told me that it would be worth it. I had some savings left that I could use. It wasn’t the most responsible idea, but right then, I didn’t care. I could always cut back on groceries and replace it.
With that thought, I left the house, deciding I’d take care of the porch later. I got into my car and drove to the mall, which was less busy than usual. That was good news. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with hordes of shoppers.
The dress I was looking for stared right at me from one of the clothing store’s front windows. It was simply perfect. I hesitated for a second, then remembered what Jackie had said. She was right. I was young, and I needed to have some fun. I had tons of time to be responsible later.
After I grabbed the dress, I headed back out to the parking lot, where the sun immediately assaulted my senses. I hadn’trealized how bright and hot it had been before spending some time in the cool, synthetically-lit mall.
I noticed a crowd forming at one end of the lot, and I was instantly curious. There was a firetruck close by, and my heart skipped a beat. I moved somewhat quicker until I was at the very edge of the crowd. I saw the uniforms, and recognized Beck’s golden hair almost immediately.
