Page 13 of Rescued Dreams
“Yeah, Chief James wanted to talk to me. He said there might be a spot for lieutenant open in the department soon, and he wanted to give me a heads-up just in case.” He shifted, a little nervous almost. “Not sure who’s getting fired or what.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough if he felt like he had to give you a heads-up.” She’d been deflecting attention and questions since moving here.
His cell phone chimed in his pocket. He smiled at the screen and replied to a text.
Her heart squeezed in her chest. “New girlfriend?”
Great. She was blurting out everything today. Amelia winced while he wasn’t looking at her.
Ridge lifted his gaze from his phone. “No, it’s my sisters. Kane and Maria showed up in town, and Kane’s staying at my house. They’re making something for their dinner, and they needed to know where I keep the apple cider vinegar.” He shook his head, smiling.
That was more than either of them had ever said about their personal lives. “Oh, that’s nice.” So, no girlfriend?
When she’d broken it off with him—not that it ever really got going—she’d had the feeling he was holding off introducing her to his family. Probably waiting until she passed muster, some kind of test to make sure she was good enough for his people.
They’d never made it that far.
He’d made his little sisters seem like a big deal in his life, and she wanted to meet them. But that was exactly why she shouldn’t. They had to keep things surface level, casual. Professional now. Getting to know each other outside of work brought a boatload of things she didn’t want to address.
Like where she lived.
And who she was.
Plus everything else.
“I need to talk to the chief about something, so I should do that before everyone else gets in.” Amelia took a step back and moved around him.
“Is everything okay, Amelia?”
“Sure.” She glanced back, trying to smile—hoping he believed it. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
She’d only spent forty-eight hours trying to rest. Giving up and going for a run instead. Nearly getting run over by a crazy driver over by the greenbelt path. Eating potatoes with every meal because it made her feel better. And trying to fix the leak in one of the bathrooms in the big house.
Amelia knocked on the chief’s door and, when he answered, stepped inside.
Chief James looked over from his computer monitor. “Good. You have the paperwork?”
“No, I don’t, Chief.” Amelia stood in front of his desk with her hands clasped behind her back. The worst part of all of this was that this chief was the first one she’d ever respected, and now she was letting him down.
He laced his fingers together on the desktop. “And if I call Benson FD and ask for a copy?”
She caught the look in his eye.He knows.She was certain he’d already called and found out—which meant he’d know if she lied. “They won’t have it, but I’m sure they’ll tell you an interesting story.”
“They did.” Macon nodded.
“I took the lieutenant’s test in Benson and I passed. I would never lie about that.” She respected the job far too much, despite the leaders she had worked under, and her father, who had tried to raise her as a child. Or any guy she’d made the mistake of falling for.
Another great reason not to get too deep with Ridge. She would find out the truth about him, something she never wanted to know. It would ruin everything to learn he wasn’t who she wanted him to be. The man she believed he was. If he turned out not to be a good guy, she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle it. But if she fell for him, then there was no way he was decent. Her life didn’t work that way.
The chief shrugged just a little. “I need to have the paperwork to prove it, and while they have firefighters who say they heard you took it, no one can find a record that you ever passed the lieutenant’s exam. Thankfully you qualified as a firefighter in the first place in Last Chance County, because I at least have that.”
She’d worked here for six whole months before moving to Benson because she couldn’t take it anymore.
She’d moved back for the same reason. Because she’d hoped things were different here with the former chief dead.
Macon continued. “There were some other things mentioned as well.”
“I don’t want to hear them. Not again.” She fought to maintain her composure, clenching her fingers behind her. “I came here for a clean slate, and I’ve more than proven myself as a firefighteranda lieutenant.”
