I swallowed. “Hey Chief, it’s Pepper DeLuca. I was calling to see if Rhett was around.” Had had gone back to work early? Started prep to return to full duty and didn’t want to tell me?
“Oh, no, he’s in Birmingham for the assessment. Didn’t he tell you?”
No. No he had not. What the hell kind of assessment was he taking? Some kind of specialization class that would mean more danger? More risks?
I swallowed down the bile in my throat. “Oh, I guess I got the dates wrong. Thanks, Chief.” I hung up before he could say anything else.
Rhett was lying to me. If not outright, then most certainly by omission. It was the start of everything all over again, exactly like before.
Livid, I tossed my phone onto the counter and slammed the refrigerator door shut. Fine. If this was how things were going to be, maybe I needed to rethink this whole second-chance business before I got in any deeper.
Seventeen
Rhett
I leaned against the doorframe of Chief Holloway’s office, feeling more like myself than I had in months. My shoulder moved easily when I crossed my arms—no more of the lingering pain that had dogged me since surgery. I was just about cleared for full duty.
“So that’s it then?” I asked. “Everything’s done?”
Holloway looked up from his paperwork, a half-smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “All the boxes are checked, MacAvoy. You aced the written, crushed the assessment, and the oral boards...” He shook his head. “Well, let’s just say you made an impression.”
“A good one, I hope.”
“You did everything right.” He shuffled some papers on his desk. “Now we wait. Probably another week or two before we get official confirmation.”
I nodded, relief washing through me. No matter what happened, I was glad to be finished. I just hope I got what I hoped to out of this whole process. “I appreciate you pushing me to do this, Chief. Wasn’t sure I had it in me after everything.”
“Never doubted you for a second.” Holloway leaned back in his chair. “Seems like this time off has been good for you. It hasn’t escaped anybody’s notice that you’ve been spending an awful lot of time at your old house.”
“I’ve been rebuilding the porch. Something I promised Pepper I’d do a long time ago. Finally made the time.”
I couldn’t wait to see her. Being away the past few days had sucked. I’d hated having to cut her off when she’d called, but I’d been right in the middle of things down in Birmingham. I could’ve called her back, but she’d have wanted to know where I was and why, and that felt like a conversation better had in person. Maybe tonight when she got off, after I’d knocked out the steps and the railing. Then all that would be left was paint once she chose a color.
My boss gave me a knowing look. “Don’t think a porch is the only thing you’ve been rebuilding. You two giving it another shot?”
I thought of all the meals and the laughter and the lovemaking. She hadn’t let me stay the night, but it had been so much more than I’d expected when she insisted we take things slow. “Yeah.” I couldn’t stop the grin. “I think we can get it right this time.”
“Good to hear. I hope it works out. But you might want to rethink some of your tactics.”
What the hell did that mean? “Sir?”
“She called up here a couple days ago.”
My stomach dropped. “Pepper called the station?”
“Looking for you. Seemed surprised when I mentioned you were in Birmingham.” He studied my face. “Didn’t tell her you were going, did you?”
“Shit.” I pushed off from the doorframe. “I didn’t want to jinx anything. Wanted to wait until it was all finalized to bring it up.”
“Women don’t generally appreciate being kept in the dark, Tater.” Holloway’s use of my firehouse nickname softened the blow of his words. “Especially that one.”
“Yeah.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I better head over there.”
“Good call. And MacAvoy?” I paused at the door. “Finish that damn porch before you do anything else. Woman’s waited long enough.”
I nodded, already mentally calculating how quickly I could get to Pepper. I’d spent too many years keeping her at arm’s length. The last thing I needed was to give her another reason to doubt me.
Should I go to the house or find her at the diner? She wouldn’t appreciate our business being aired in public, so better to go to the house and work until she got off. Then I’d come clean and tell her everything.
