Page 24 of Burning For You

“I’m not. Again, stating facts.”

He was calmly talking, not like he ever did before.

“You’re different,” she said suddenly.

“Meaning?” He took another gulp of his beer.

“Meaning that normally you’d bite my head off. The words are kind of the same, but not the tone or actions.”

“I’ve changed,” Sean said. “I spent way too many years being angry and it left me alone. I learned if you’re a dick to people, they are a dick back. I can’t change everything about myself, but I can change my delivery. Or at least I’m trying.”

So she’d cut him some slack.

“I’m happy for you, Sean.”

“Are you really?”

“Yeah. We both lived through a horrible ordeal. We’re both on the other side. Does it matter how we got there?”

“I guess not.”

“Like you said. Let’s just get through this meal. Do you remember anything about that night?”

There was no reason to push him more on his changes in life. She wouldn’t want anyone doing it to her.

“I’m not sure what there is you don’t understand. You woke up and jumped out a window and broke your leg. I came home when they were putting the fire out. The police brought me to the hospital to be with you. Don’t you remember that?”

“I do.” And the relief she’d felt when he walked in.

The confusion that followed.

Until he’d told her he’d snuck out around eleven when he thought everyone was sleeping. She was calling 911 at two in the morning. They’d said the fire might have only been going for ten minutes at that point.

Sean came into the ER hours after that. By then everything was a blur.

“Then what are you trying to find out?”

“I guess it didn’t make sense how the fire started.”

“Mom left a cigarette going. She did it all the time.”

Must have remembered that wrong.

“She did?”

“All the time. She’d suck it until there wasn’t anything left and put it in the tray. She never stubbed it out.”

She squinted her eyes, the memory flashing in her brain.

Sean was right. Her mother never did.

Maybe she didn’t notice it because she never smoked.

Her shoulders slumped. She must be overthinking this.

But that still didn’t explain the papers.

“I didn’t remember. I suppose I didn’t pay attention. Do you think maybe one of their friends came over later after we were in bed? Did you hear anything? Maybe they left one going before they left.”