Page 77 of Finding Home
Deep breaths, Chloe. Keep it together.
“Everett,” Brinley says. It feels like the entire world has stopped. Like sound is muffled and nothing moves as I stare at her, and my knees give. I grip onto her, trying to stay upright.
She guides me to the stairs and helps me sit.
“There’s a house fire up in the hills. I guess one of the summer families decided to come for Christmas. James was in the area working on a house and texted that he heard that Everett’s stuck on the third floor,” she says solemnly, and my hand covers my mouth as I try to stifle my sob. The last thing I need to do right now is crack with Lila here. I need to stay strong for her.
Brin takes my hand and squeezes. “I’m going to stay here with Lila, we’ll have fun. You go check on him.”
I take a deep breath, trying to muster all the strength I have. The thought of something bad happening to Everett while at work has come before, and I’ve worried about how it would absolutely crush me after I’ve given him so much of myself.
Lila calling my name pulls me from the start of my spiral and gives me the boost I need. I wipe at my face and force a smile before pushing off the stairs and heading into the living room to find her.
“Sweetheart, you remember my friend Brinley, right?” I ask, and she nods, looking confused. “I’ve got to run out quickly, so she’s going to stay with you. She’s an excellent fort builder, taught me everything I know!” Fake enthusiasm coats my voice, but I hope Lila doesn’t pick it up.
She hugs her stuffed bunny to her chest and tilts her head. “Can I come with you?” she asks, and my heart nearly breaks.
I shake my head. “No, sweetie, I’ve got to go alone. But I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I see Lila wants to fight me on this, to ask more questions, but Brin steps in.
“I think we can make this a really cool fort! Maybe have some tunnels inside and different rooms.”
Lila’s still hesitant as she regards Brinley, but she nods, and I kiss her forehead before grabbing my purse and keys and rushing out the door.
Thankfully, the snow has melted a lot in the last two days and the sun is baring down, keeping it from freezing at the moment. I rush towards the more expensive part of town where most of the tourist houses are, just east of the lake. I never got an address from Brin, but hopefully I’ll catch the lights and sirens and find the house.
I have no idea what I’m going to do when I get there. I’m not a firefighter. I have zero training. They’ll have it all blocked off, not letting the nosy people of the town get too close. But the thought of being on the other side of town knowing Everett’s in trouble has me wanting to puke. I’m only five minutes from the house before I’m pulling off to the side of the road and bending over as I empty my stomach.
I take as many deep breaths as I can, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand before I get back in my car and continue driving. I’m on the street behind Brinley’s house when I catch sight of the lights flashing and the flames from the fire.
Tears start rushing down my face. I can’t lose him. This man made me go and fall in love with his grumpy ass, he can’t leave me like this. Not right now.
I park and push out of the car and rush as close to the trucks as I can, hoping to see someone I know. Ryder seems to be managing the men from outside the house, which Everett should be doing as chief, but for some dumb reason, he’s stuck inside the house.
I hear Everett’s voice crackle over their radios. I can’t quite make out what he’s saying except the words vent, south side, and wind. Just then, a burst of air cuts through, and one of the men swears.
“Ryder,” I call, and he turns, looking for where his name was called from. When he spots me, his eyes go wide.
He jogs up to me. “What are you doing here?” he asks.
“Brin told me Everett’s stuck.”
I wipe at a tear, and he shakes his head, not saying the information’s wrong, but showing how frustrated he is with the situation.
“There was a little girl on the third floor, he went in after her himself. Wouldn’t let one of us. Pulled rank.”
If I wasn’t so scared or even pissed, I’d laugh, because that’ssofucking Everett. I know that little girl reminded him of Lila and the thought of his own daughter being stuck scared the shit out of him. He wasn’t going to let that happen.
“How’s he doing?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. It’s freezing, and I left the house without a jacket.
“We’re trying to find a way out for him. He got the girl out, she’s already been taken to the hospital, but there was a back draft that took out the stairs. We have to find a way for him to get to a window so we can pull him out.”
I don’t know much about fires, but the words back draft fill me with fear and the fact he can’t get off the third floor right now has me nearly on my knees.
I wipe at my tears again and steel myself. I prepare for the potentialfight I’m going to get into with Ryder right now at the request, really the demand, I’m about to make.
“I want to talk to him,” I say, my voice strong and steady, very far from the fragile way I’m feeling.
