Marcus took us over to his house, leaving poor Ol’ Dolly to stew about us “durn kids not having respect for elders”.

He apologized for the mess, it was neat as a pin, and let us crash in his spare room, though I planned on nabbing the overstuffed sofa.

Wendy grabbed the first shower, and I faced off with Marcus. “So, how’s mom?” he asked.

“She thinks you’re a banker. Why don’t you call her?”
“It’s Dad who doesn’t want me to call.” It was true, so I let it hang in the air.

“So, you a pyro, huh?” he ventured.
“I guess.”
“I know something you can burn.”
“Marcus I..”
“Yeah, it’s too soon after a tragedy, I mean Wendy’s Mom..”
“No, it’s not that, it’s just… I almost got caught. Mom’s covering for me; we ran, and..”
“It’s cool. But I’d pay you.”
“What?!”
“Yeah! Think about it, paid to do something you LOVE .” He let the idea float between us.

“Shower’s free!” called Wendy. “What’s up? You look like you swallowed a bug!”
“I offered you both a job!” Marcus pandered to Wendy’s greedy side.
“Great!” she smiled.