Moving Forward, page 7
With an ax, the captain broke the locked front door. Immediately they were enveloped by smoke. Though it was the middle of the day, the heavy smoke made the house hazy and dark.
“Mandy! Kit!” Greg called out. “Mandy, Kit, where you at?”
They didn’t hear anything but that didn’t mean much. The fire was loud and kids were less likely to respond than adults. Greg had seen children determined to hide, sure they were going to get in trouble for something that wasn’t their fault.
He looked to the captain for directions. Cap motioned Greg toward the right while he himself ascended the stairs.
Greg went into the living room. An old recliner had caught fire and was burning steadily, but the flames hadn’t spread to the walls yet. The tile floor also seemed to be a good barrier. Greg was so glad that the floor wasn’t wood. When he was still a probie, he’d watched a rotten floor burn like oiled pine. He’d never forgotten the sight of the victim staring at them from the other side of a blazing living room with a look of pure fear. Knowing that another firefighter was just steps behind him and would douse the recliner, Greg concentrated on finding those kids and getting them to safety.
Pulling down his mask, he bellowed, “Mandy! Kit!” After a second passed, he deepened his voice. “Girls, I’m a firefighter. I’ve come to help but you gotta answer me!” Scanning the area, he felt his heart start to beat faster. Panic was on the verge of settling in. He could not lose those girls. Not on his watch. “Mandy! Kit!”
Just as he pulled up his mask, he heard a cry.
“Help! We’re here!”
“Cap, downstairs,” he said into his radio. “I heard them.”
“Roger that. Take care, Greg.”
After taking another deep breath, he pulled down his apparatus again. “Girls, my name is Greg. I’m a firefighter and I came to get you out of here, okay?” It was hard to sound approachable when he was in full gear and had most of his face covered up. Sometimes it was the little things that mattered when trying to establish trust, especially with kids. “Yell for me again, ’kay?”
“Here!”
Thank you, Jesus. Whatever he’d said worked. It felt like his heart had just started beating again. “Keep it up! Keep yelling, okay?! I’m gonna find you!”
“We’re here! Hurry!” Their shouts eventually led him to a small metal table next to the kitchen. The girls were hiding underneath, their arms around each other.
“Kitchen!” he radioed to the captain.
When he got closer, he saw that while they looked relatively unharmed, they were absolutely scared to death. He removed his mask again. “Hey,” he said, “I’m Greg. Are y’all Mandy and Kit?” When they nodded, he felt a burst of relief. “I’m so glad I found you. Either of you hurt?”
“Kit hurt her hand but I’m okay.”
“Kit, when we get outside, I’ll take you to my friend who patches people up all the time, ’kay?” When she nodded, he smiled. “Good job. Now, first things first, is there anyone else here?”
“It’s just us.”
“Okay, then let’s get you two out of here.”
“We can’t,” Mandy said. “Momma said we aren’t supposed to leave the house.”
Hearing that made him sick, but he neatly pocketed those dark thoughts. He hated thinking about parents not looking out for their children. “I promise that your momma wants you to get out of here, honey.”
The girls exchanged glances but otherwise didn’t move.
The captain came up behind Greg. “Girls, I’m Captain DeWitt. Listen up, now. I’ve spoken to your momma. She wants you to come outside right away.”
“She does?” Kit asked. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. Now come on. We don’t have time to chat.”
The younger girl, Kit, held out her hands to the captain. He covered her up with both a fireproof blanket and part of his jacket and immediately started carrying her out.
“Now you, Mandy,” Greg said.
She stood frozen. “I’m scared.”
“I know you are, and that’s good.”
Her eyes were wide with fright, but she was still holding it together. “It is?”
“Yep. It means you’re being smart. People who aren’t ever afraid are stupid in my book. But the captain was right. We need to get you safe. Now, come on.”
She gingerly stepped toward him but froze again, giving him no choice but to pick her up in his arms and hold her tight.
As expected, she burst into tears. “Hold on. Close your eyes if you want, Mandy. We’re getting on out of here.”
He turned and went the way the captain had. But in the interim, flames were flowing across the tile. Reminding himself that he’d already made sure she was covered, he said, “You cling to me like a vine, honey.” Then he raced through the flames, not pausing until he was outside.
Immediately Dave rushed to his side and pulled the little girl from Greg’s arms. He felt her absence just as the adrenaline rush subsided.
Turning, he immediately went to Mark, who was holding a hose and spraying the flames on the second floor. “What’s going on?”
“Ask Cap,” replied Mark, “but I think I’m good here. Guessing it’s seventy percent out.”
“Tebo, take over for Oldum. Mark, come help me over here,” Captain called out.
Greg took over the hose and focused on the job at hand for the next fifteen minutes. And then it was out, nothing but smoke and ashes left.
Forty minutes after that, the girls had been taken to the hospital to be checked out, while their mother had been taken in for questioning since it was apparent she’d left them alone for several hours. And it wasn’t the first time, either.
Returning to the truck, Greg leaned back as Chip drove to the station.
Greg noticed that the lines of worry around Chip’s mouth had eased. “Did you do okay?”
“Yeah. One step at a time.”
“Good. Glad to hear it.”
“Cap said you did a good job with those girls. Took some coaxing, huh?”
“They were scared.” He shuddered, thinking of how they were determined to mind their mother no matter the circumstances. “I’m glad they’re all right.”
“Me, too.”
When they were almost back at the station, Chip said, “Fighting fires feels different than I thought it would.”
“How so?”
Slowing down so he could make the turn, Chip glanced his way. “It’s better, because I love actually helping our community. But it’s worse, too, you know? Sometimes I just feel so helpless.”
Greg knew exactly what Chip was saying.
“I was just thinking the same thing.” Giving it some more thought, he added, “But today was a good day. We saved two little girls, yeah?”
“Yeah.” Chip smiled for the first time. “Thanks for your help earlier.”
Greg nodded, but he couldn’t help feeling he should be thanking Chip for the very same thing.
Chapter 9
Kristen was really starting to wish she hadn’t agreed to go shopping with Chelsea. They’d met at their friend Kaylee’s bowling party for her twenty-fifth birthday. They’d ended up on the same team and by the time they came in second place, they’d become fast friends.
Now she was even happier she knew Chels since she was one of the reasons she’d said yes to Greg about attending the party. After she’d started second-guessing herself, she made the mistake of calling Chelsea to discuss what she was going to wear.
That had turned into a discussion about clothes, which had led Chelsea to do a thorough inspection of Kristen’s closet, which led to Kristen’s realization that 90 percent of her clothes were for working at the garden center—or for actual gardening. Her most recent cute outfit had been bought two years ago.
After Kristen admitted that she had nothing to wear to the party, Chelsea happily suggested they go shopping together.
Now they were in Home Town Closet, Chelsea’s favorite boutique on Main Street. Kristen had driven by it lots of times but had never gone in.
It had taken only ten minutes to wish that she’d stayed away. All the outfits seemed to be girly and formfitting. Kristen was normally at peace with her figure, but the clingy dresses seemed to accentuate every unwanted bulge. Unfortunately, Chelsea, who was slimmer and far more petite, looked great in everything.
Feeling more uncomfortable by the minute, Kristen started thinking of excuses to leave.
“I should get on back to the store. Marty is there alone. There’s no telling what trouble has found him.”
“You have your phone, right?”
“Right.”
“Then I bet he’ll call if he’s really in a bind.”
What could she say to that? “I suppose.”
“Come on, stop worrying about work.” Chelsea held up a navy sweater with bows holding the shoulders and sleeves together. “What do you think?”
“That I’d be in real trouble if one of those ties came undone.”
Chelsea chuckled. “Oh, stop. I bet this is real cute on. It would be great on you, since you’ve got that light tan and your arms are so toned.”
“You think so?” It still looked awfully delicate.
“I know so.” Handing the hanger to Kristen, Chelsea smiled. “You should try it on.”
Kristen held it up in front of her. “The V-neck is kind of low, don’t you think?”
“Uh, no. It’s not scandalous or anything. Besides, you’ve got enough going on to fill it out.”
She supposed she did, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that, with that neckline, the top of her surgical scar would probably be visible.
She put it back on the rack. “I don’t think so.”
Chelsea frowned. “Really?”
Desperate, Kristen pulled out a pink crew neck cotton-and-silk sweater. It looked boxy and loose. “This might be better.”
“Yeah, if you were doing sorority rush in winter. Don’t you think it’s a little prim for women our age? And, sorry, but I didn’t think you wore pink much because of your strawberry-blonde hair. Or do I have that all wrong?”
“You don’t. I forgot about my hair.” Placing the sweater back on the rack, Kristen said, “Maybe we should just forget this. I’ve got plenty of clothes at home. I can probably make my usual jeans and T-shirts look okay.”
Chelsea looked concerned. “We can do what you want, but I don’t get why you’re hesitating so much. What’s going on?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I know you’re still gun-shy, but Greg is a good guy. Anderson’s shared a lot of stories about him. Greg might seem like a player, but I feel certain that he’s not going to push you to do anything you don’t want.”
“I’m not worried about that. I think he’s great. Besides, we’ve decided to just be friends.”
“Then what are you worried about?”
That she was going to want to be more than just friends. That eventually he’d discover just how flawed she was and want to break things off. And that if he did, her heart would be broken.
But to admit any of that was embarrassing. “I don’t know.”
“Come on. You do. We might as well talk about it.” When Kristen hesitated, Chelsea asked, “Does Greg not know about your heart surgeries?”
“He knows. But I have a pretty significant scar on my chest. I don’t want it to be so noticeable.”
“I can understand that.” Chelsea nodded, then looked down at the rack again. “Oh! Look. How about this?” She held up a silk blouse. It was black and at first glance looked deceptively staid. But, while the front neckline was modest, the back draped far lower. The silk was also woven in such a way that all her curves were going to be on display.
Before she could help herself, Kristen reached for the hanger. “This is gorgeous.”
“I think it would be perfect for you. At first glance it looks low-key and simple. And then, pow!”
Kristen laughed. “I kind of like that.”
“You’re going to look stunning.” Eyeing Kristen critically, she added, “You can wear a pair of skinny jeans and some sandals or even heels.”
Kristen held it up to the mirror and blinked. It was sexy and pretty but not too froufrou. She felt prettier just holding it up to her collarbones. “You really think this is me?”
“Well, yeah!”
After wincing at the price tag, Kristen started thinking of what she could wear with it. The answer, of course, was everything. Tonight, she’d wear her good jeans, black low-heeled boots, and silver hoops. If she had a dressier occasion, she could pair it with slacks or a skirt. She could even wear a blazer over it. “Fine. What about you?” When Chelsea hesitated, Kristen added, “Please don’t say nothing.”
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to get that navy sweater with the bows on the sleeves.”
“I don’t mind it at all. Anderson is going to love it.”
A dreamy look floated over Chelsea’s face. “Yeah, he is.”
Kristen smiled, but inside, it was hard not to be jealous of Chelsea’s good fortune. She and Anderson had been high school sweethearts, broke up for a decade, reconnected, and were now married. It hadn’t come easy for them, but their closeness was a thing of beauty. No matter where they were, they could barely take their eyes off each other.
Anderson was always touching his wife, too. Playing with the ends of her golden hair, pressing his hand to the middle of her back, reaching for her fingers, pressing kisses to her temple. Which meant, of course, that Chelsea’s soon-to-be-almost-bare arms weren’t going to be left alone all evening.
“You’re going to look beautiful. I can’t wait to see you in it.”
“You, too.” She smiled sweetly. “Kristen, I’m looking forward to seeing you all dressed up!”
“It’s been a while. I hope I remember how to put on eyeliner,” she teased.
“Want to get ready together? You’re welcome to come over. Jack has a sleepover tonight.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got a couple of things to do at the shop first, so I’ll get ready at home.”
“Okay. But if you change your mind . . .”
“If I change my mind, I’ll give you a call.”
“Fine.” Looking at the price tag on the sweater, Chelsea squared her shoulders. “Let’s check out before I decide I should be spending my money on Jack.”
Kristen smiled. There was no better mom than Chelsea. “Deal.”
* * *
• • •
Hey, how are you?” Greg said as he took the empty space next to her on the couch in Chip’s apartment.
Kristen chuckled. “You asked me that half an hour ago.”
“It was over an hour ago.”
“What?” She couldn’t believe so much time had passed.
“Not only that,” Greg replied, “but I’ve been trying to get this seat next to you for the last fifteen minutes. I finally had to bribe Anderson to pull Chelsea away so I could claim a spot.”
“I have no idea what you mean. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just trying to spend some time with you.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah. Ah.” He draped a hand over the back of the couch. The position brought him closer . . . and also treated her to a whiff of his cologne—and the reminder that she wasn’t nearly as immune to him as she was trying to pretend.
The truth was that Greg was everything she’d ever wanted in a man. He was attentive, funny, and just cocky enough to give off a sheen of confidence. He also spoke his mind, which she found incredibly attractive. A man who didn’t play games? That was amazing.
For her, there was nothing worse than a guy who was so closed off she was left in the dark about what he wanted—or who was so focused on getting her to go out with him again that he acted as if everything she said was interesting or witty.
Greg, on the other hand, had been easygoing and relaxed. They’d found a lot of things to talk about, none of it too serious. Maybe they really could be good friends.
After they ate, Greg started talking shop with his coworkers, leaving her the perfect opportunity to sit next to Chelsea and meet a few other people.
So, things had gone far better than she’d expected, and time had flown by.
“My gosh, Greg, every time I looked your way, you seemed happy to be hanging out with the guys.”
“And you seemed happy to be hanging with all the women. I was trying to let you do that.” He cracked a couple of his knuckles. “Sorry. I’m trying not to sound like a jealous fool, but you’re gorgeous and that silky top you’re wearing is dangerously sexy. I’ve been half-afraid that some guy was going to catch your notice and you’d change your mind about not wanting to date anyone seriously.”
“I wasn’t teasing, Greg. I’m really not ready to date anyone right now.”
“Sorry.” He lowered his voice. “I like you, and even though we’re doing this friend thing, I still feel like you’re putting up defenses. Then, a couple of minutes ago, I noticed a couple of the guys act like maybe they had a chance. And maybe they do—it’s not like you don’t have a choice. It’s just that that would really suck for me, you know?”
That had been a heck of a speech. She wasn’t sure what to tackle first, but she decided to start at the end. “First of all, I’m not available. I told you, I don’t want to date. So, if somebody did put some moves on me—which would be really rude, by the way—I wouldn’t have any trouble shutting them down.”
“I didn’t mean to suggest that you couldn’t take care of yourself.”
“Also, Greg, if you really did want to spend more time with me, all you had to do was ask.”
“Without coming across as possessive and needy?”
She chuckled. “Not at all.”
