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Connections
Prologue
Dinner was over, but the table stayed crowded with plates and half-finished drinks. Matt sat at the head, beer in hand, while the talk moved easily around him.
“You’ve been suspiciously well-behaved,” Lucy said, wine tipped toward Ben. “That’s not like you.”
“I haven’t even done anything.” He swirled his whiskey. “Yet.”
“Exactly. Do we need to check for a fever?”
“She’s got a point. We’re not used to functional Ben.”
“Wow. Thanks, Matt. Always so specific.”
“Definitely seeing someone,” Danny declared. “That’s the only explanation.”
“And you’re supposed to be flipping through your textbooks,” Ben fired back, “not sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“Please. I can study and heckle. It’s called multithreading.”
“So? What’s he like? And don’t say ‘nice smile’. I want profession, red flags, and at least one bad tattoo.”
“To nosy friends who don’t know when to quit.”
“And to all the girls I tried to set you up with.”
Danny was only half-listening until Matt’s tone drew him in again.
“Hey, your dad said you had a big year ahead? Some kind of coding camp, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve got this brutal summer four-week Discrete thing first. Scholarship nonsense. Then I’m out of town for camp. Guest lectures, nonstop projects, the good stuff. And then it’s straight into sophomore year with all the hard classes. Gonna be wild.”
“So you’re really doing this to yourself.” Matt smiled. “Your dad’s proud, you know. He couldn’t stop talking about it when he called.”
“Wait,” Danny protested fondly. “Why is my dad calling his nephew instead of me?”
Before he could answer, Ben cut in. “Because Matt’s the responsible one. Obviously.”
Matt shot him a look. “Your dad just wanted an excuse to brag about you.”
“More like he wanted you to keep an eye on me.” Danny sounded more amused than annoyed. “You guys worry too much.”
“I’m not worrying. You’re staying with us. That’s just baseline.”
Danny glanced at Lucy. She just nodded.
“Had one real call last week.” Ben stretched out on the couch. “Some guy wedged under his own pickup. Took us an hour to cut him free.”
“Mine was a rooftop collapse,” Matt said. “Beam went under a roofer. He was hanging on by a harness when we reached him. Took a while to shore it before we could bring him down. Couple ribs broken, but he’ll make it.”
“See, you get all the nail-biters. I’m stuck crawling under trucks in back lots.”
“Complain all you want. I’ll trade you anytime.”
“You boys be safe out there, alright? I’m not doing your paperwork,” Lucy said.
Ben nudged Matt’s leg with his foot. “You know Matt. Everyone goes home with Captain Hartfield.”
He simply shrugged. “That’s what they pay me for.”
“Well, they better be paying you extra for that.”
“If only they did.”
“Yeah, because Matt totally needs more reasons to show off.”
“He doesn’t have to,” Danny said, matter-of-fact. “Everyone already knows.”
The conversation circled back to Ben as Lucy watched him like a hawk.
“You’ve been dodging questions all night. And now you’re smirking like it’s a game.”
“Lucy, I told you. I’m not telling you anything anymore. Not after the bar incident.”
“Of course. The bar defense. Again.”
“Because it works,” Ben replied smoothly.
“What bar?” Danny asked.
“We don’t talk about the bar incident,” Matt said without looking up.
“But—”
“We don’t talk about the bar incident,” he repeated.
“They don’t talk about it, Danny,” Lucy said, all false seriousness.
He groaned and slumped into the cushions. “This isn’t fair.”
“Life’s not fair, kid. That’s why I keep my secrets. Duct tape does the rest.”
“Pretty sure you’d duct tape me if it meant proving a point,” Matt said.
“And you’d thank me for it.”
“Can’t wait. We’ve still got time before your birthday, which means I’m clearly about to make some very poor decisions.”
Ben lit up. “You mean good decisions.”
Water ran as Matt rinsed a dish, sleeves pulled up. Order felt good: plates stacked, angles neat, the counter exactly how he liked it.
“Of course you’d be in here cleaning up,” Lucy said as she entered. “Do you even know how to sit still, or is that against the Captain Hartfield code?”
“If I sit still, I’ll just end up thinking about the dishes anyway. Might as well get it done.”
“You’re not even a little tempted to just leave it?” She reached past him and shut off the faucet. “Let future Matt deal with it?”
“Future Matt would probably be annoyed with past Matt,” he chuckled. “Besides, you and Ben already handle enough of my bad habits.”
“Oh, so you admit to having bad habits? That’s a first.”
“Don’t get used to it.” Matt wiped his hands on the towel. “Hey, when’s your spring break again?”
“Mid-April. Why? Planning something?”
“Just making sure I remember the dates. Thought we might do something, if you’re up for it.”
“We’ll see. I’ll probably spend half the time grading papers. But if I survive the month, I might let you drag me away.”
“Grading papers? You’re telling me that’s more fun than hanging out with me?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“Not luck,” he said, leaning in just enough for a kiss against her lips.
“Kissing your way out now?” Lucy slipped her arms around him and held on. “You’re bold.”
“Bold or strategic?”
“Strategic, huh? Just don’t start strategizing yourself into trouble.”
“Trouble? Not my department. That’s all Ben.”
“You’re practically a package deal. Ben came with the marriage for free.”
“Pretty sure you got the better end of that deal.”
“Alright, Mr. Strategy,” she said, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Just… be safe out there, okay?”
“You know I do,” he murmured near her ear. “Can’t have you worrying about me too much.”
“I don’t worry. I just like to make sure you remember.”
“I remember the important things.”
“Always a handful,” she said, releasing him with a small squeeze.
“You can’t hide forever, Ben!” Lucy called after him as he went for the door. “I’ll figure it out eventually!”
“Sure you will, Sherlock.”
“Seriously, though. What’s the deal? You’re definitely hiding something.”
“Your imagination, Danny. That’s what I’m hiding.”
The latch caught as Ben left, the house still warm with the energy of the evening.
“And he wonders why we don’t believe him.”
Matt didn’t bother clarifying. Lucy held back a laugh.
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Just Another Day