“Frank and June.” She points toward the grouping of people. “They’re both outside the house.”
“Right.” I jerk my attention from her while chastising myself for being a fool. She’s focused on what matters. The safety of people she cares about, and I’m worried about….
What? Whether I can win her over or not? That’s pathetic.
“Let’s go.” I yank the door open and get out. I’m a police officer. I’m held to a higher standard by the citizens in the community. It’s time I acted like it. What would’ve happened if they were still inside, and I was too worried about where I stand with Emily to notice?
The sound of Emily’s door snapping shut is followed by mine.
I march toward the group around Frank and June. Once I reach them, I grab Frank’s shoulder and smile grimly. “I’m happy to see you’re safe.”
He frowns, and then his eyes light up. “Jake, it’s good to see you, son.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” I squeeze his shoulder before letting go and dropping my arm to my side. “Things get a little crazy tonight?”
“Yeah.” He nods as worry fills his eyes. “Unfortunately. I think an outlet on the back porch caught fire. We put the dishwasher out there because there wasn’t room in the main kitchen.”
“Was anyone else in the house?”
“No. Just me and the misses. We were able to get out and call the fire department.”
Emily speaks with a teary-eyed June as I ask, “Pets?”
The man on the ladder focuses his attention on the section of the house above what most likely holds the dishwasher, where the faulty wiring caused all our issues. He leans across the ladder and holds the firehose into a space in the roof.
“No. We had an old terrier until last year, but she died. We were thinking about getting a younger one or another type of breed, but hadn’t because we needed to rewire the back porch first. Thank God we waited. And clearly, we needed to move faster on the faulty wiring.” His features are filled with guilt.
From the outside, it appears that they’re keeping the fire from spreading. Thankfully, the nearest town is only ten miles away, so their department was able to join ours in record time.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” I say as I watch firemen scurry around the yard. “Shit happens.”
His eyes narrow. “Watch your words.”
“Sorry, Sir.” I chuckle and press my lips together. “I apologize for cursing.”
“Sorry.” He rolls his eyes and steps back. “Old habits die hard. I still remember you as a six-year-old boy on his first day of school. Not a twenty-something-year-old man. I heard you’ve joined the police department. Took old man Nolan’s place?”
“Yes, I did. I’m glad to be back. I didn’t realize you remembered me from kindergarten. You weren’t my driver until what? Third grade? Fourth?”
“Third, but before that, June worked as a waitress at Jolie’s. Your mom used to bring you in there.” Whoever is running down the ladder leaves the non-pumping hose looped around one of the rungs and yells at someone on the ground.
“I remember going to Jolie’s every Sunday for dinner. They had the best roasted pork with gravy and mashed potatoes. And the desserts….” My mouth waters as my stomach grumbles. I used to love that place. “I’d give my left nut for a piece of Jolie’s chocolate cake right now.”
Frank grabs my arm. “You don’t know?”
“What?”
Emily turns her body away from me as she talks animatedly with June and the other town’s women who’ve come to offer their assistance. Her ponytail bounces along the nap of her neck. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
I swallow hard. The pull to ask her out is nearly dropping me to my knees. Okay, maybe I wouldn’t give my left nut up for anything. I’d like to use it again in the future.
“Brookhaven Market carries Jolie’s desserts.”
“Good to know.” Emily loved their triple chocolate cake.
Someone yells at the firefighter who’s nearing the bottom of the ladder. The man tips back the visor on his helmet. Kaleb grins and puffs out his chest. It appears that they’ve gotten a handle on the fire, and my best friend is a cocky asshole who never made it to Callahan’s.
I scan the building. The house is currently uninhabitable, but the structure appears to remain solid.
