Page 39 of Built of Flames

“Yep. He said that was good.” Her lips quirked in a smile that held actual humor.

“You’re feeling okay, then?”

She pursed her lips then nodded. “I am. I wasn’t expecting hugs and fireworks. Actually, I don’t really know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t a worst-case scenario for a meeting.”

Mitch didn’t ask if the Chief had apologized for the way he’d treated his daughter all those years ago. He didn’t have to ask. If he’d said anything along those lines, Bella would have told him.

The older man didn’t like to be wrong and certainly didn’t like to admit it. Would he ever? He would if he ever wanted a proper relationship with his daughter again.

Bella leaned her head on the couch. “I don’t know if he’s really changed anything in the house since my mom died. Her knickknacks are still there. There was this one photo in the foyer that jumped out at me. We were at the park. The four of us. I was probably two. Mom was pushing Christo on a swing and Dad was sitting on another swing holding me. We looked like a happy family. Mom would be so sad that we’re not.”

Mitch reached forward and scooped her up and nestled her in his lap. “Your mom was the glue that held everyone together. Probably with snickerdoodles and chocolate chips. It’s hard to hold things together when you’re missing the glue.”

Bella looked up at him. “How’d you get so smart?”

He laughed and kissed her nose. “Been there, done that. First with my mom. She wasn’t around much because of the shifts she had to work, but she worked her ass off to make sure we were always close. She made sure I knew she loved me and she wanted to spend time with me.”

Bella snuggled into his chest. “She also made sure you had a safe place to be when she wasn’t working.”

Mitch nodded. This was nice, sitting together, talking. He could imagine doing the same thing decades from then. He rubbed his cheek on her hair. “Second, there was you. Once you were gone, Christo and your dad drifted. Me and your dad too. You’re the glue, Bella. Like your mom.”

“That’s definitely the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. Thank you.” Her voice was shaky as she hugged him.

He hugged her back and held her tight. She was definitely the glue and his job was to make sure he stuck close.

In The Line Of Fire

Bella wished she’d gone into the station with Mitch, but his shift had started at seven a.m. and she hadn’t wanted to go in during shift change. Too much activity and too many people.

She hoped this wouldn’t be as awkward as seeing her father, but other than Roberto, she wasn’t sure if anyone would be happy to see her. Or if some of them would even remember her.

Acting like a grownup was hard sometimes. Hiding had been easier, but Bella was ready to be a full adult. She wanted to move forward with her life, with Mitch, and she couldn’t truly do that without putting the past in its place.

Helping the department investigate fires was the best way she could think of to take those forward steps.

Reconnecting with Mitch had started a sequence of steps that had changed the direction of her life. For the first time in a long time, she looked forward to the future without the dread of the past hanging over her.

The firehall was a two-story building. The trucks and equipment along with a few offices and a gym took up the first floor. Upstairs were the conference rooms, the kitchen, the dorms and the rec room. She’d head up there first.

Climbing the stairs reminded her of her last exit. When she’d been too devastated to even feel the pain of forcing her body to limp down. She’d been such a mess. Today, she would present a much stronger picture.

“Hey, lady. Where are you going?”

The barely concealed sneer had her identifying Kent Speers even before she turned around. He was Christo’s age and had been hired on around the same time as her brother. His dad had been a firefighter too.

And that was as far as the commonalities went. Kent thought he was God’s gift. He’d asked Bella out one time. Thankfully, she’d had a boyfriend at the time so she hadn’t had to make up an excuse. He was wearing street clothes, so he wasn’t on shift. Hopefully on his way out.

“Hello, Kent.”

“Isabella Martinez? Is that you? Looking mighty fine, girl.”

With the added leer, it was totally offensive, but she ignored that. Instead, she turned and walked up the stairs. Of course, he didn’t let her go easily.

“You back in town? Hoping to get hired on? We’ve already got the estrogen quota covered.”

She deliberately didn’t answer the questions. “Charming as always.”

“You know it.”

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