I pulled out my phone to catch up on my notifications from the past hour. I hadn’t heard from Evelyn since this morning, so I texted her to check in.
William was watching her throughout the day, but I still liked to check in with her myself. Evelyn was always on my mind. I went to bed last night replaying our encounter before dinner. That woman had no idea what she did to me. I wanted every part of her in the worst way possible.
She was beginning to come out of her shell, and the last thing I wanted to do was show how eager I was to be with her. I knew I had to follow her cues, and I was more than okay with that. She was putting her trust in me, and I would be a fool not to appreciate that.
Ever since the night she decided to take a chance on me, we had been spending all of our free time together. Almost every night before heading to our rooms, we would lie in bed and talk until one of us got tired. Sometimes we would lose ourselves in each other and end up making out in her room like a bunch of teenagers. I had never felt this close to someone or had a connection to someone that just felt right.
It was easy to forget everything we were facing when it was just us in that room. Even when the past tried to drag her back, we worked through the tough moments, stripping each other bare for the other to see. Together, we were safe.
When I looked down at my phone, three dots pooled at the bottom of our text message. I waited with a smug smile for her response. One of the items on her list had been to read a romance novel, and she crossed that off the list ten times over since she discovered Janae had the same reading taste. Evelyn was deep in a book the other night as we lay side by side in bed, so I asked her what it was about. Her face lit up as she told me everything she had read so far and her predictions for the ending.
I wanted to see that spark in her all the time. While I tended to lean towards sci-fi and thrillers when it came to books, there wasn’t much I wasn’t willing to do to see her smile like that. After an impromptu visit to the bookstore, we were now readingTo Catch a Sinnerby Lucy Wilson-Tagoe together, and I had a feeling she was skipping ahead.
How many chapters did you read ahead?
The screen brightened as a call from Chief Bradden appeared. This was a surprise. We’ve been here six weeks already, and I haven’t received one call from the firehouse or the department.
“Chief, how are you?”
“Woods. Got a minute?” The chief's voice was serious, and worry flooded my chest as I sat back in the office chair.
“Is everyone okay at the house? The tone of your voice has me worried, Chief.”
“Everyone is well. The house isn’t the same without you. But that’s not why I called.” Clearing his throat. “There’s been some allegations made against you. There are claims of misconduct.”
“What? You know me, Chief. You’ve never had to worry about me.”
Ten years. I’ve been a firefighter for ten years, and I’ve never had so much as a uniform violation on my record.
“There is a claim that you’ve been inappropriate with a rescue.”
Shit.
“That isn’t what happ?—”
“I cannot believe you.” Chief Bradden's voice roared through the phone, cutting me off. “I expected a ‘no’ full stop.”
“Chief, I would never take advantage of anyone. This story is bigger than that fire.”
“There will be an internal investigation. They will call you to HQ for a hearing. I just called to tell you before the word got out.”
His voice was resigned, and I was too angry to articulate my disappointment in him.
“Thank you.”
He ended the call. Bringing my fist down on my desk a few times, I tried to relieve myself of this frustration. My reputation was ruined. It didn’t matter that I was trying to do the right thing or that this thing between Evelyn and I bloomed from friendship to more.
Snatching my keys off the side of my desk, I made my way to the elevator. Punching the basement floor button leads me to theparking garage. My body vibrated with all the pent-up feelings I had since being here. I was holding on to a lot of anger and resentment for my father and the way things turned out. Being back here in the place where it all started has me facing down my demons.
Now my life was exploding in New York, and everything I’ve worked for, all the good that I had done for my community, was going to be dissected and quartered over a boardroom table because circumstances dictated that I shouldn’t be with Evelyn.
I needed to clear my head.
I drove with no direction,cruising through the streets of Oakland Ridge. Somehow, everything was exactly the same but different. Oakland Ridge wasn’t the average small town. Sure, it was small, having a population of 12,000 people. But it was also one of the wealthiest towns outside of Atlanta. Our school system has been rated one of the highest in the country. Gentry Co employed thirty percent of the townsfolk. The majority of the people who live here have lived here for generations, like Mrs. Johnson.
Odette’s may have been located on a back road, but it wasn’t because Mrs. Johnson couldn’t afford a different location. She wanted to stay connected to her roots, knowing what I know, she could’ve opened twelve new locations if she wanted to. Somehow, my aimless wandering had led me here, Odette’s Soul Food Kitchen.
Smooth Jazz played from the restaurant as I walked up to the entrance. The outdoor area was littered with a few families, and the indoor dining area seemed to be empty. Looking around the room, I tried to spot Mrs. Johnson. When I couldn’t find her, myfeet led me to the kitchen. Mrs. Johnson was standing there with a scarf over her head in a stained apron, removing the stems from some greens. She paused what she was doing when she saw my face.
