Chapter 12
12
KARA
S he had just finished her shift, and after a long day of firefighting another small wildfire that had broken out, all she wanted was to unwind and let the weight of the fire, the smoke, and the adrenaline fade from her shoulders. The familiar neon sign of The Ridge flickered against the evening sky, and Kara pushed the door open with a sigh of relief.
The low murmur of conversation and the faint clink of glasses filled the air as she stepped inside. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light, and she scanned the room. She spotted Scotti and Ember sitting at their usual booth in the back corner, each with a drink in hand.
Kara walked over, her footsteps slower than usual, worn down from the day’s work. She was grateful for the company, but something lingered in her chest, a weight that hadn’t quite lifted. As she reached the booth, Scotti grinned up at her, eyes sparkling with mischief, while Ember gave her a more reserved nod.
“Look who finally decided to show up,” Scotti teased, shifting over to make room. “How’s the hero feeling today?”
Kara slid into the booth, tossing her jacket over the backrest. “Tired. Exhausted, actually,” she said, taking the offered drink from Scotti. It was a gin and tonic, sharp and crisp, and she took a long sip, letting the cold liquid slide down her throat.
“Another one of those near-death rescues, huh?” Scotti prodded, her grin never wavering. She was always the first to ask about the details, and Kara had grown accustomed to her pushy, playful questions.
Kara leaned back in the booth, letting her shoulders relax for the first time since she’d left the station. “Yeah, something like that. The fire was pretty intense, but we got it under control. No one got seriously hurt.” She paused for a moment, tapping her fingers against the glass.
Ember, who had been silently listening, raised an eyebrow at her. “You look like you’re still carrying it, though,” she observed. Kara glanced at her, meeting her dark eyes for a beat longer than she intended.
“Just tired,” Kara said quickly, but Ember wasn’t buying it.
“Right,” Scotti cut in with a knowing smirk. “Tired or not, I’m more interested in hearing about your night .” She leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table. “Come on, Kara, spill it. How did it go with Mallory?”
Ember threw her hands up to cover her ears. “You know I’m not convinced Mallory would want me of all people to be hearing this—matter of fact I’m not sure I want to hear it either!”
“Don’t worry, I won’t scar you, Ember. No reenactments tonight!” Kara laughed in reply.
“Spoilsport,” Scotti sulked, pulling a face in Ember’s direction.
Kara shifted in her seat, running her hand through her hair, trying to figure out how to phrase it. “It was good,” she started, though the word felt too small to capture what she was feeling. “We talked. A lot. More than I expected.”
“More than you expected?” Scotti repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Isn’t that what you wanted? To, you know, connect with her? So how’d it go?”
Kara let out a breath, her fingers drumming against her glass. “Yeah, I mean… we did connect. But it’s different with her, Scotti. She’s not like the other women I’ve been with. She has… baggage. And I get it. Hell, I have my own baggage too.”
Ember, who had been silent up until now, gave Kara a long, assessing look. “It sounds like you’re starting to care for her,” she said quietly, her voice thoughtful.
Kara winced slightly. She wasn’t sure why she had mentioned it, but Ember’s words hit too close to the truth. She did care. In fact, she was starting to care more than she was ready to admit. “Yeah, I guess so,” she muttered. “But I don’t want to push her too hard. I’m just… figuring out how to take it slow with her.”
Scotti scoffed, tossing back her drink. “Taking it slow?” she repeated, her voice incredulous. “Kara, come on. You’ve never been one to take things slow. You go for what you want, and you get it. Look at all the women you’ve had before—hell, half the town knows your name. You want Mallory? Go get her.”
Kara shifted uncomfortably in her seat, but she didn’t have an answer to that. She knew Scotti was right in some ways—she had always gone after what she wanted, unapologetically. But Mallory wasn’t like the others. Kara had been pushing and pulling with her, trying to figure out how much space to give her while still moving toward something deeper. And now, more than ever, Kara realized she couldn’t force Mallory into anything. It was up to Mallory to decide how fast this relationship would move, and Kara had to respect that.
“I know,” Kara said, her voice quieter now. “I want her, Scotti. But I’m not going to mess it up by rushing her. If I push too hard, she’ll just shut down. I need to give her space.”
Ember’s voice broke through the tension in the air. “I get it, Kara,” she said softly. “But be careful not to pull back too much. There’s a balance between giving someone space and letting them slip away. Don’t wait too long to make your move. You don’t want to miss your shot.”
Kara looked at Ember, the weight of her words settling into her chest. She was right. Patience was important, but so was action. She couldn’t sit on the sidelines forever.
“I’m not waiting too long,” Kara said with a slight smile. “I’ll figure it out. I just need to give her time to trust me.”
Scotti grinned and raised her glass in a mock toast. “Well, whatever happens, Kara, I want all the juicy details when you do seal the deal.”
Kara laughed, though the tension in her chest didn’t completely lift. She was navigating new territory, and that made her more uncertain than she liked. But she had made her decision: She would be patient with Mallory. She would wait for the right moment, and she would be ready to take that leap when Mallory was ready.
As the conversation turned to other things, Kara couldn’t help but feel the weight of the moment settle in her chest. She wanted Mallory, yes, but more than that, she wanted to build something real with her. Something that wouldn’t fade like her past relationships. Something that had the potential to last. And for that, she was willing to wait.
There was a lull in the conversation as Scotti left the table, heading to the bathroom; Kara watched her leave before returning her attention to Ember.
“While it’s just the pair of us,” Ember began, her tone gentle, “Obviously you know the history between me and Mal. Part of the reason we didn’t work out was me not giving her grace to come to grips with the reality of our work. At the time I had no idea the fallout would leave her as scarred as she is now.”
“I know that, Ember. I wouldn’t still be friends with you if I thought you had hurt her on purpose, that’s not like you.”
“Thank you, though that wasn’t quite what I was trying to get at. You want her. She wants you. Scotti is right that you shouldn’t let her walk away from what you have together. But you need to be careful, Kara. Don’t rush this. You can’t push Mallory too hard, especially after everything that’s happened between you two. She’s not like the women you’ve dated before. She can be brave, but she needs you to help her be brave, help her see that the connection between you is worth facing her fears.” Ember clocked Scotti heading back in their direction and leaned back in her chair. “Well I’ve said my piece, I truly hope it works out for the both of you.”
Kara sighed, resting her head back against the booth, looking out across the bar for a moment. She could feel the weight of Ember’s words sinking in, trying to find their place in her mind. The urge to follow her instincts—to push forward, to make things happen—clashed with the quiet voice inside her that told her to slow down, to let Mallory take the lead.
“Am I rushing her, though?” Kara asked, her voice low, more to herself than to Ember. She looked over at her friend, whose dark eyes were fixed on her, unblinking, as if she were reading every thought in Kara’s mind.
Ember hesitated for a moment before answering, her gaze softening. “I’m just saying… don’t make the same mistake you’ve made before. Sometimes, the most intense chemistry isn’t always the best foundation for a relationship. You need to let Mallory come to you, on her terms. She’s been hurt before. Let her decide when she’s ready to open up.”
“I just don’t want to screw it up,” Kara admitted quietly, the words feeling heavier than she expected.
“You won’t,” Ember reassured her, giving her a small smile. “But you’ve got to trust her and trust yourself. Let Mallory lead when she’s ready. And if she’s not ready yet, then… be patient. And remember, patience doesn’t mean waiting forever. Just give it time.”
Kara took a deep breath, her resolve slowly hardening. She knew Ember was right, but part of her still wanted to take the reins, wanted to be bold, to make things happen now. The conflict simmered inside her, but she nodded, accepting Ember’s advice even if it didn’t come with the certainty she craved.
Scotti, upon returning to the table, sensed the shift in Kara’s mood and lightened the air with another playful tease. “So, are you going to let Mallory keep you on the sidelines, or are you going to take that leap? Because I think we all know you’re dying to find out what happens next.”
Kara grinned despite herself, the fire of determination flaring once again in her chest. She didn’t have all the answers, but one thing was clear: she wasn’t going to give up without trying. The question was no longer whether Mallory was the right person for her—it was how far she was willing to go to make it work.
“Guess I’ll figure it out, won’t I?” Kara said, her voice steady, even if her heart was still racing. The ball was in her court now. All she had to do was find the courage to play it.
Kara sat back in the booth, a glass of whiskey recently delivered in front of her, the amber liquid catching the dim light of the bar. The laughter of Scotti and Ember still echoed in her mind, but her thoughts had drifted inward, away from the banter and teasing. The decision was made now, her resolve slowly settling in, but it wasn’t as simple as she had hoped.
Patience.
That was what she needed to show Mallory. The word had a bitter taste at first, a feeling of restraint that Kara wasn’t used to. She had never been the type to sit back and wait for things to unfold, to let someone else dictate the pace of a relationship. But Mallory wasn’t like anyone else. Mallory was different, and Kara knew it deep down. She wasn’t just another woman to chase, another conquest to win. Mallory had layers—layers that Kara had only begun to understand—and those layers needed time, space, and gentleness.
Ember’s words from earlier ran through her mind, still ringing with a quiet truth. You’ve got to let Mallory lead when she’s ready. It wasn’t advice that came easy to Kara. She wasn’t the type to wait around for permission. But when she thought about Mallory, about how she had let her in just a little, how she had kissed her, how she had let the walls down in small moments—Kara knew she couldn’t rush that. She couldn’t be the one to push Mallory past her limits. Not after everything she had been through.
Mallory’s history with relationships wasn’t something Kara could ignore. She had seen the way Mallory pulled away, how quickly she closed herself off, and Kara knew that a part of that was fear. Fear of being hurt. Fear of trusting again. Fear of letting someone else in. Mallory was scared. And if Kara wanted to have a chance with her, she had to be patient. She had to prove that she could be trusted. That Kara wasn’t like the others.
As much as Kara wanted to take control, to move things forward quickly, she knew that wasn’t the right path. She couldn’t rush Mallory; it wouldn’t work. The last thing she wanted was to ruin the fragile bond they had started to build. So, she’d wait. But she wouldn’t wait in silence, locked in the limbo of indecision. Kara would be present. She would give Mallory the space she needed, but she would make sure Mallory knew she was there, ready and willing when the time came. She wasn’t going anywhere. She wasn’t giving up on them.
As the night drew to a close, Kara finished her drink, the liquid warm and smooth in her throat. She placed the empty glass on the table and stood, stretching as she prepared to leave. Scotti and Ember were still talking, but Kara had already started to feel the pull of the night outside. The cool air would clear her mind, help her think.
Before she left, she took one last look at her friends, her resolve firming. She knew what she had to do. She had to be patient. She had to respect Mallory’s boundaries, even if it meant waiting longer than she wanted.
As she stepped out into the night, the cool air hitting her face, Kara took a deep breath, letting the crispness clear her head. She was ready for this—ready to be the kind of person Mallory needed, the kind of partner who could wait, who could give her the space she needed to heal and trust again.
It wasn’t going to be easy. She knew that. But Mallory was worth it. And Kara was willing to wait, no matter how long it took.