Wick let me smoke in his truck as he puffed on his own cigarette and exhaled out the crack of his window.

“You and Tyler, huh?” Wick said.

“Kind of … not really.”

“He’s a good kid, too. I figured you two would end up falling for each other. I could see it in his eyes.”

“Yeah?” I said, amused.

“I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. I know you’ve got other things going on, though. Probably feels like a lot on your plate.”

“It was his idea for me to stay here. And it’s just temporary.”

“Uh huh.”

“I’m not using him. He insisted, and I didn’t have another choice.”

“Ouch. I hope you didn’t say that to him.”

“No,” I said, looking down. “I didn’t.”

“You know there’s an apartment above the MountainEar, right?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“It’s vacant and new. I built it the same time I built the building, in case Linda kicked me out. I’m an old blow hard, you know. Lost my looks. She’s still as pretty as ever. Jojo would look just like her without that clown makeup on her face.”

I choked out a laugh, coughing smoke and waving my hand in front of my face.

Wick pulled into Lone Tree Village, familiar with where to go. He parked, and I stepped out, bending down. “Thanks for the ride, Wick. I’ll figure out some reliable transportation ASAP.”

He waved me away. “I’ll pick you up in the morning. Not like the shuttles run out there. Just keep busy tonight, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Jojo said the same thing … to keep busy.”

“She’s told you. I’ve been through it. It’s probably the only reason I didn’t fire your foolish ass for stumbling out into an active fire zone. That, and you’re a damn good action photographer. Even better than Jojo.”

“Thanks again for the ride.”

Wick waved to me, and then backed out, braking just long enough to see me get into the apartment safe.

I locked the door behind me and flipped on the light, sighing at the sheer size of the task. The apartment wasn’t dirty, but I was about to unpack an undetermined year’s worth of belongings of both brothers. After changing into more comfortable clothes, I returned to the living room and opened the first box. I used every cabinet, shelf, dresser, and closet to put away clothes, photo albums, sports memorabilia, books, magazines, dishes, and cooking utensils in their proper place.

Once I cleared the last box from the living room, a pair of yellow gloves under the sink inspired me to clean the kitchen. Wick had told me to stay busy, and I was still two hours from bedtime. I wiped down the counters, scrubbed the sinks, and ran a load of dishes in the washer.