Burning Love

0.3

Entering my studio apartment after a twenty-four hour shift felt amazing. My apartment complex was once a motel converted into studio apartments, so on the third floor all the way at the end of the hallway, I felt very safe.

I closed the door behind me, locked all three locks, and placed my bag by the door before walking over to my kitchen sink and washed my dishes from the day before. I heard my phone ringing from my back pocket. I turned the water off and wiped my hands dry before pulling it out and pressing it against my ear.

"Hello?"

"So? Spill sister, any attractive firefighters you're gonna sink your claws into?" Eliza's voice was teasing, she's clearly already had her coffee.

I rolled my eyes, "This is a place of work, Eliza, not a speed dating restaurant. Isn't Riley dating yet? Get in on his middle school drama!"

She sighed, "Riley isn't giving me anything that I haven't heard from the other moms in our book club, you know that! I'm so desperate for drama that I'm even asking Donavan if he's crushing on anyone in kindergarten." There was a slight whine in her tone.

In twelve years, she's had four kids. Riley is twelve, Drew is eight, Donavan is five, and little Anabelle is two. I hadn't seen Anabelle in person yet because flying back and fourth from Louisiana ain't cheap.

I miss Momma's Thanksgiving dinners.

"Is Anabelle forming sentences that make any sense yet? She may have something from daycare." I joked, walking over to my daybed and plopping down on it.

"Unfortunately, all she talks about is painting. I have a feeling Walter and I are going to be putting out a second mortgage for our house just so we can send her to a decent college. Don't tell the boys, but unless they get sports scholarships, I don't think they're going off to college." Eliza spoke low into her phone, and I rolled my eyes.

"I went to college, Momma and Daddy didn't have to pay for me to go. I got a full ride! Just make sure they study."

"You're a genius who graduated high school when you were sixteen, and you could have gone off and become a doctor, but instead, you stayed in town and did online school and became a teacher for one year before you ran off to Chicago and became a paramedic."

I rolled my eyes again, "Here we go."

"No, you had so much potential and you wasted it on a guy who completely fucked you over. I'm not going to let you forget that. You could have been a resident by now." Eliza ranted, and I let out a long sigh.

She was right. I didn't need to hear about my stupid decisions, though, especially after my first day at my new job.

"Do you want to hear about the Captian who has the same dirty blonde hair and striking blue eyes as the man that made me miss out on a decent life?" I asked, which made her shut her mouth immediately.

"Captian? That's a good ranking. What's his name?"

I chuckled, "Well, his name is Matt Casey, and we only had like, a blip of a meeting because I was too focused on kissing their asses using mommas Mexican Cornbread Cassarole recipe. He seems like a nice guy, though." I grabbed my TV remote from the coffee table and started flipping through channels, tucking my legs under me.

She laughed, "I love you with my whole heart, but you need to sink your claws into someone before Momma comes up and starts giving you lessons on seducing a man."

Barking out a laugh, I settled on a random movie channel before laying on my back and staring up at the ceiling, "I miss you guys so much."

"You should come down for Thanksgiving this year, now that you have a permanent position instead of being a...what did you call it?"