Page 92 of Her Silver Fox Firefighters
“All we’re missing right now is a rainbow,” Chloe says. “Right over there…”
I follow her gaze across the garden and the road, far beyond the houses and the buildings of Ember Ridge, well above the trees and the mountain lines, where the ridge meets the bright blue sky with its fluffy white clouds.
“I have my rainbow right here,” I tell her, placing one palm over my chest.
I have everything I want, and more than I ever imagined I would.
A couple of months later,the concept of normal has fully returned to our day-to-day lives.
I come back from the diner, my feet aching a little, to find Dax, Leo, and Beck sitting on the porch, comfortably resting on the rattan sofa, waiting for me.
“Now this is a sight I love coming home to,” I say as the sun sets lazily off to the west, the sky a watercolor mirage of reds, oranges, and pinks while autumn sneaks its evening chill into the air. “My three men, waiting for me.”
They all get up and come over, taking me in their arms and kissing me until I lose my breath. I laugh lightly, surprised by the intensity of their affection, but I also sense a tension underneath. I feel it in their tight shoulders. I hear it in their voices.
“Last day at the diner?” Beck asks as I take a seat on the matching rattan chair next to the sofa.
Leo pours me a glass of apple juice. I feel a tad heavier than usual, my baby bump huge and my feet cramping until I’m comfortably seated.
“Yes, sirs. Melinda cried a little,” I reply and nod at the gift bag on the glass table in front of us. “Gave me a parting present.”
“I smell pie,” Leo says.
“Your nose never disappoints,” I say and laugh.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re done with the diner. After the kiddos are born, and when you’re ready to get back to work, the sheriff’s department awaits,” Dax says, beaming with pride.
I give him a confused look. “Wait, what? I thought they weren’t filing charges against me.”
“No, no, it’s not about Marcus or the work you did for him,” he chuckles softly. “They have an opening in their computer crimes department, and given your experience, your knowledge, and your skills with a computer, it only made sense.”
“You’re still worried about the legal issues surrounding Marcus Bennett?” Leo asks, sounding surprised. “Carlos made it clear that you were deemed a victim and a witness in the entire case. Our testimony, Chloe’s testimony… they cleared you already.”
“Right,” I reply, briefly lowering my gaze. “Sorry, my fight-or-flight instinct still kicks in at the worst possible time. It’ll take a while.”
“Trauma generally does,” Dax says. “We’re just here to reassure you that you’re going to be okay. The case has already been closed. His associates were arrested, and some have already been sentenced while others are awaiting their trials. The evidence you provided was instrumental in all of that.”
“Speaking of sentencing, how did Jocelyn fare?” I ask.
Beck sighs deeply. “She got time served. She was disbarred. I’m pretty sure she moved out of Ember Ridge. We haven’t seen her in town. No one has.”
“I want to say that I feel sorry for her,” I mumble. “But I don’t.”
“Neither do we,” Dax says. “She got what was coming to her.”
After the motel incident, we all agreed to let sleeping dogs lie for a while, to focus on us, on building our home, our life together. We haven’t spoken much about the outcomes concerning Marcus’s cohorts or Jocelyn.
“So I’ve got a job waiting for me at the sheriff’s office, huh? Seriously?” I am already swooning over the prospect. “All the shady work I did for Marcus… I was sure it meant the end of my career. I was prepared to bus tables at the diner for the rest of my life, to be honest.”
Dax shakes his head. “You’re too talented to waste away like that. Melinda and Jim will find another girl to take your place, I’m sure.”
Chloe will soon be opening a law firm in Ember Ridge. “Chloe is going to need some help redecorating that space she leased for her law office,” I say.
Beck leans forward, giving me a worried scowl. “I’d better not catch you hauling furniture around, missy. Nor should you be inhaling any of those paint fumes.”
“I was actually hoping that the three of you might be willing to help her,” I reply with a delicate smile. “Carlos is still in physical therapy. It’ll be another month or so before he’ll be cleared for heavy lifting.”
“It’s killing him that he can’t do it all,” Dax chuckles dryly. “But he’s too proud to ask us for help.”
