Up in Flames (Carlisle Fire)

Chapter 2

JERROD SAW the flash of worry cross Chase’s chiseled features, but Peter squirmed out of his chair. “I have to go,” he said, doing that little-boy pee-pee dance.

“Okay. I’ll take you.”

Peter shook his head. “I know where it is. I’m not a baby, you know.” He hurried out of the hotel restaurant and turned the corner before Jerrod could stop him.

“Excuse me just a minute.” He hurried after Peter, approaching the bathroom just as the door closed. He went inside. “Peter?” No answer. He checked the stall and found it empty. An older man stood at the sink, the only other person there. Instantly he turned and left, checking the hall outside, wondering where Peter had gone. His chest constricted with those first seconds of panic that he tamped down because he needed to be able to think.

“Is everything okay?” Chase asked when Jerrod peeked into the dining room to see if Peter had returned. He joined Jerrod in the hall.

“I can’t find Peter. He was out of my sight for two seconds.” He breathed deeply, trying to think.

“Go ask at the hostess stand. Make sure he didn’t go outside,” Chase said. “Then check at the hotel desk.” Chase went in the other direction.

The seating hostess said that Peter hadn’t passed her but that she would watch for him just in case. Jerrod hurried back to the desk, excusing himself as he interrupted the desk clerk with his request.

“A little boy, about this tall with blond hair? He passed us as we came to the desk,” the lady in the stylish suit said. “He seemed like he was on a mission.”

Yeah, one to give him prematurely gray hair. “Thank you. I’m sorry for interrupting.” He hurried away, wondering where Peter could be.

As Jerrod reached the top of the stairs from the lower level, Chase called out, “Jerrod!” He was holding Peter’s hand.

Jerrod’s panic turned to relief. “Where did you go?”

“To the potty,” Peter answered. “Those are yucky,” he declared, pointing at the closed men’s room door, “and the ones down there smell nicer.” He said it as though it was completely logical. “Can we eat now? I’m hungry.”

He walked back toward the dining room, and Jerrod looked upward, shaking his head. Something told him he was going to need all the strength he could get.

“He was washing his hands when I found him,” Chase said.

Jerrod nodded. “It figures. I’m just wound up.” With the fire earlier that had nearly cost him Peter, he was on edge. They had lost their home and most of their things, such as they were, but coming so close to losing Peter had left him feeling brittle.

“You have every reason to be.” Chase motioned toward the dining room. “I think you better get in there before Peter decides to order everything on the menu.” Chase smiled, and Jerrod nodded his agreement and headed back to the table, where Peter held his menu like he was reading it.

“Daddy, what’s gooey meat?” Peter asked seriously, then set down his menu and pointed to the item.

“That’s Wagyu beef, and it’s really fancy steak. How about we get you some chicken or macaroni and cheese?” He wasn’t sure how quickly the insurance company would come through with cash to pay for hotels and stuff, so he needed to make sure the money he had lasted, and that didn’t include fifty-dollar steaks for a six-year-old.

“Okay,” Peter said. “Chicken and onion rings?” He raised his face with those huge blue eyes shining.

“We can all share,” Jerrod said, and when the server returned, they placed their orders. Jerrod got the shepherd’s pie, the same as Chase, and soon they were all munching on rice-tempura-battered onion rings that tasted like heaven.

“What’s it like being a fireman?” Peter asked. “Do you get to ride on the big truck? Do you have a dog with spots? Do you sleep at the station? Is there a fire pole to slide down?” His eyes were huge.

Chase smiled. “Yes, I get to ride on the big truck, and there is a siren and lights. We don’t have a dog at the station. We used to, but not anymore. Sometimes I sleep at the station, but not all the time. And there is a fire pole, but most of the station is on one floor, so we don’t get to use it very often.”

“Have you been a firefighter for long?” Chase looked young, but Jerrod didn’t want to assume anything.

“Today is my second day with the team here. I trained and worked as a volunteer for two years before that, so I have some experience, but to the people here, I’m the new guy, and I probably will be for a while. The people I work with are good. I was a little worried when I first joined.”

Jerrod nodded as a familiar flutter rose in his belly. “By and large, the people here are pretty supportive,” he said as Chase met his gaze. “I always worry when I bid on a job, but so far most people don’t care about my personal life as long as I get the job done right and on time.” He hoped he understood what Chase was saying. “I did have a couple issues with a few of the journeyman electricians I hired a few months ago. They found out that I was gay…” He decided to go for the truth and see if he was on the right track. Judging by the smile and the nod, he was. Not that he was in the closet, but he didn’t like to make assumptions about others. “… and decided they were going to try to sabotage the job I hired them for.” He shook his head. He didn’t really want to go over that particular mess.

“One of the firefighters I work with is gay, and he doesn’t take any crap, so he’s paved the way for me and anyone who comes after me. But there are a few guys who keep their distance and don’t talk to either of us very much. It’s okay—the captain isn’t going to let anyone get away with anything.”

“You’re lucky to have support.” The server brought their entrees, and Peter tucked right into his chicken. There were times when he was a finicky eater.

“I really am. I suppose you’re pretty much on your own.”

He very much was. There was no one to back him up, and the men he’d hired had gone out of their way to try to cause trouble after Jerrod had let them go, but it had backfired. Contractors talked to one another, and they didn’t want to hire troublemakers. “I feel like I am sometimes.”

“How long had you lived in the house?” Chase asked after swallowing and setting down his fork.

“I bought it two years ago after Peter came to live with me. That was a really turbulent time, and I needed a home where Peter could have his own room. Peter is my brother and ex-sister-in-law’s son. When they divorced, Johnny got custody of Peter. His mother, Gizelle, was in no shape to care for him. She still isn’t.” He cleared his throat, reminding himself not to go too far down that road because he didn’t want to speak badly about Peter’s mother in front of him.

“I see.” Chase glanced at Peter, who happily munched on one of the onion rings.

“I get a big bed upstairs,” Peter said, kind of out of nowhere, but Jerrod was relieved. “All to myself. Daddy says that tomorrow we can go shopping and get some new toys. The fire ate mine.” He seemed to be taking the fire better than Jerrod was. Maybe that was to be expected. He didn’t understand the ramifications of losing nearly everything they had.

Chase said, “Maybe we can arrange for someone to get into the rooms at the back of the house so you can access some of what survived and get it out.”

Jerrod shrugged. “That would be nice. I have no idea how long it’s going to take before we can get access. I contacted the insurance company, and they said they would be sending someone out to try to help us.” But he had no idea what they would be able to do. So far he had a billion questions with no answers, and the more he got, the more his anxiety grew.

“Petey,” someone called, and Jerrod tensed at the familiar voice. He turned as Gizelle hurried through the restaurant, her dark hair askew and eyes wild. Peter stopped eating and looked at Jerrod, completely confused. “Don’t you have a hug for your mommy?” she asked, standing next to his chair.

Peter didn’t move, and Gizelle scowled.

“What are you doing here?” Jerrod asked. “I thought you moved to Baltimore.” That had been a great day. The courts had terminated Gizelle’s parental rights before Jerrod’s brother passed away. She had been appealing that order for the past few years, and Jerrod hoped she never got anywhere.

“I decided to move back. I have friends here, and my son is here.” Gizelle existed in a world of her own drama, and she picked and chose what she believed, which she seemed to feel gave her authority over everyone else. During her marriage to his brother, Gizelle had been just as likely to dote on Peter as she was to leave him alone for hours while she spent time at the neighbors’. It had been that chronic neglect and a lack of care that had caused the termination of her rights. More than once, Gizelle had put Peter in danger to the point others had had to intervene.

“Peter and I have had a very rough day.” He tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but Gizelle was the last person either of them needed to see today. He glared at her, hoping she would simply leave.

“Can we help you?” Chase asked, his gaze not leaving Jerrod’s. “We are trying to have dinner.”

Gizelle glanced around. “I could join you.”

“I don’t think so.” While Jerrod didn’t talk ill of her in front of Peter, that didn’t mean he wanted to have a meal with her. He glanced at Chase, who seemed a little lost. He did his best to send Chase messages. “Like I said, today has been difficult.” He hoped she would take the hint, but she never had before.

She pursed her lips and set her shoulders like she was going to make a fuss. This was so not the time for any of Gizelle’s dramatic antics.

Chase stood up, and Gizelle’s gaze shifted to him, her eyes raking over him like he was a dinner buffet. He stepped away from the table, and Jerrod figured he was on his own. He didn’t want her to make a big deal of things in front of Peter, who had settled back down to finish his dinner. He was about to just let her sit down when Chase returned with the hostess.

“We have the seat you requested in the bar,” she told Gizelle. “If you’ll follow me, please.”

Gizelle seemed totally confused and completely taken off guard. Chase sat down and smiled as Gizelle had little choice but to follow the hostess to another part of the hotel. “Thank you,” Jerrod said softly.

“Was that really my mom?” Peter asked. He hadn’t seen her in a couple of years, and Jerrod had to agree that Gizelle hadn’t been taking very good care of herself. She had changed quite a bit.

“Yes. It was.”

“Oh,” Peter said as he set down his spoon. “Does she love me?”

Jerrod found Chase watching him closely. “Yes, she does, in her own way. But your mom isn’t able to take care of you, so that’s why your papa asked me to look after you when he died.” Thankfully, Peter seemed to accept that answer.

Chase was obviously curious about the rest of the story, and while there was plenty to tell, Jerrod wasn’t going to say anything in front of Peter. He wanted Peter to keep whatever happy memories of his mother he had, rather than hear stories that would sour them.

“Do you have a mommy too?” Peter asked Chase.

“Yes. Mine lives in Arizona with my dad and sister. I see them a few times a year when they come to visit me or when I can go see them. It’s a long way and takes a lot of time to get there.” Peter nodded like he understood.

Jerrod finished up what he was eating, glancing occasionally at the door, worried that Gizelle would show up again.

“Can we go outside?” Peter asked.

“When you’re done with your dinner,” Jerrod answered before turning to Chase. “I need to let him run off some of his energy or he doesn’t sleep very well.” He ate the last of his food and took care of their check. He thought about paying for Chase’s as well, but he already had his bill in hand, and dutch treat seemed to be the way to go. After all, this wasn’t a date. Jerrod wouldn’t mind if Chase asked him out sometime, though he figured that guy had probably had enough after the run-in with Gizelle.

After they paid their bills, Jerrod took Peter by the hand, and they left through the side exit to avoid the bar and Gizelle. To his surprise, Chase went along with them. “I live a few blocks that way,” Chase offered. “There’s a small back-lot park just over there.”

“Can we go?” Peter asked.

“Sure,” Jerrod answered. “Don’t cross the street unless I’m with you,” he said as Peter ran ahead. “He has so much energy sometimes. But I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Is that really his mother in there?” Chase asked. “Why doesn’t she have custody?”

“Gizelle basically abandoned Peter and my brother when Peter was about three. She went off for a couple months to God knows where and then came back like nothing had happened. Johnny took her back that first time, but she did it again, and this time she left Peter alone in the house. It was bad, and Johnny decided to divorce her. Gizelle fought for custody, but she lost.” Jerrod noticed the disbelief in Chase’s expression. “I know, it was a miracle in this state.” He cautioned Peter to wait for them. “She got him on weekends, but she went off with her friends and left Peter locked in the house, asleep. Just left him. The only reason we found out was because Mom stopped by and found Peter alone. Johnny then petitioned to have her parental rights terminated, and when Gizelle disappeared one more time, the petition was granted.” It was so sad. “I can’t figure out how she could do any of that. Johnny died in an accident two years ago, and he named me guardian of Peter. Now Gizelle shows up occasionally, and she’s appealing the termination order.” Sometimes it seemed it would never end. Apparently with her appeals, he didn’t have to do anything, but he always responded to make sure the court knew his position.

“And after all that….” Chase paused at the corner, where they caught up with Peter. The three of them crossed the street, and Peter raced ahead again and then back before skipping up ahead once more. “I take it Peter has no idea.”

“No. I don’t want him to think his mother abandoned him. He hadn’t seen her in a long time, and it’s likely she’ll disappear again.” God, he hoped so. “I never tell her anything about our lives or where we live. Basically she’s a stranger to Peter, and I think that’s best.”

Chase stopped on the sidewalk. “You’re one hell of a man. That’s all I can say.”

Jerrod’s eyes grew warm, and Chase licked his lips as their gazes met. For a second he thought Chase might lean closer and try to kiss him. Just the idea had Jerrod’s pulse racing and raised the summer evening temperature to scorching.

“Daddy, are we close to the park?” Peter asked, and the moment popped like a soap bubble. Jerrod blinked, and Chase turned away. “Mr. Fireman, are we almost there?”

“Just a few more blocks,” Chase answered, his voice rough. Then they began walking again. Jerrod would have wondered if it had all been his imagination except for the hitch in that deep voice. Chase cleared his throat, and Jerrod held out his hand. Peter took it, and the three of them continued on to the park, with Jerrod’s head spinning slightly the entire way.