Chapter Twenty-Four
Jake
Main and Emerson. The muscles in my back ache as I turn right on Emerson.
I might be on the edge of a truce with Emily, but we’re on our way to a fire at Frank’s house.
I’ve known Frank Gannon and his family since I was in the third grade, when he was our bus driver.
I was the first on the bus in the mornings and the last off at night.
Thankfully, it was the town bus, so the trips either way weren’t long.
I slow at the stop sign on Emerson. A green Cutlass rolls up from the left. Chad Whitlock. Of course it is.
His window is down, and when he sees me behind the wheel, his lip curls. He raises his hand and flips me off.
“Seriously?” Emily shakes her head.
I have the right-of-way, so I start through the intersection.
Chad guns his engine and lurches forward, cutting across my path. I slam on the brake. His tires screech as he spins out ahead of us and roars down the street.
“Unbelievable,” Emily mutters.
“If I wasn’t heading to a fire, I’d pull him over for reckless driving.” My teeth are clenched as I watch the son of a bitch disappear down the street.
“He’s still the same charming guy, huh?”
“Apparently.”
Down the next block, smoke billows toward the skyline as the traffic on the street leading to Gannon’s house is bumper-to-bumper.
In the distance, sirens blare behind us, and Emily cranes her head around. “Another firetruck and two siren-equipped vehicles.”
“Got it.” I flip on the blinker and ease to the side of the road so that the emergency vehicles can go past.
In the city, firefighters are hired as full-time workers who remain on site for their shift. But here in Brookhaven, the fire department is staffed mostly by volunteers who receive an all-points bulletin when a fire alarm gets raised.
Our department has a handful of full-time firefighters who man the station, but they call out for their volunteer cadre when an emergency happens.
“I hope they’re alright.” Emily clasps her hands together in her lap. “June was my Girl Scout leader in middle school.” She shakes her head. “That makes me sound like a jerk. It shouldn’t matter that I know them.”
“Em.” I place my hand over hers and squeeze, sending an electric current up my arm. “It’s fine. I don’t think less of you because you said it.”
I place my hand back onto the steering wheel and join the other vehicles. The last thing I want to do is make things awkward in an enclosed vehicle. Or make her feel like I’m taking advantage of the situation.
“I was thinking the same thing about Frank. He was my bus driver for years. I don’t want to find out anything bad happened to him either.”
“I know.” Emily gazes out the window. “I’m sorry I said you became a police officer for the wrong reasons. I should’ve never said that. I’m also sorry I was snippy when… Well, all the time.”
The air hangs thick between us, and it’s not just because of the hint of smoke that’s burning my nose. My heart thuds in my chest, and the words fly out before I get the chance to stop them. “Did I do something that I don’t remember to get on your bad side?”
After I pull along the sidewalk and shove the gearshift into park, I grip the steering wheel with both hands. I’m not sure I want the answer. What if her answer is that she hates my personality? Or the look on my face?
She licks her lips. “I….”
Seriously, this is not the time or place to hold a serious conversation. She bites her bottom lip and stares out the window at the crowd standing on the sidewalk.
Maybe I have it wrong. Maybe she’s always had feelings for me, and that’s why she threw out barbed insults like missiles in a warzone.
My heart skips a beat. Is she going to admit she has feelings for me? That she was rude to me because she thought, thinks, that I don’t care. I release my grip on the steering wheel. She needs to know I care about her.
“Thank God,” she sighs and shifts to the edge of her seat.
The flames above the two-story home flicker through the night sky as firefighters scurry in all directions. One fireman is perched halfway up a ladder, while spraying water through an upper-story window, while others are dragging hoses through the yard and barking orders to concerned citizens.
“What?”
“Frank and June.” She points toward the grouping of people. “They’re both outside the house.”
“Right.” I jerk my attention from her while chastising myself for being a fool. She’s focused on what matters. The safety of people she cares about, and I’m worried about….
What? Whether I can win her over or not? That’s pathetic.
“Let’s go.” I yank the door open and get out. I’m a police officer. I’m held to a higher standard by the citizens in the community. It’s time I acted like it. What would’ve happened if they were still inside, and I was too worried about where I stand with Emily to notice?
The sound of Emily’s door snapping shut is followed by mine.
I march toward the group around Frank and June. Once I reach them, I grab Frank’s shoulder and smile grimly. “I’m happy to see you’re safe.”
He frowns, and then his eyes light up. “Jake, it’s good to see you, son.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” I squeeze his shoulder before letting go and dropping my arm to my side. “Things get a little crazy tonight?”
“Yeah.” He nods as worry fills his eyes. “Unfortunately. I think an outlet on the back porch caught fire. We put the dishwasher out there because there wasn’t room in the main kitchen.”
“Was anyone else in the house?”
“No. Just me and the misses. We were able to get out and call the fire department.”
Emily speaks with a teary-eyed June as I ask, “Pets?”
The man on the ladder focuses his attention on the section of the house above what most likely holds the dishwasher, where the faulty wiring caused all our issues. He leans across the ladder and holds the firehose into a space in the roof.
“No. We had an old terrier until last year, but she died. We were thinking about getting a younger one or another type of breed, but hadn’t because we needed to rewire the back porch first. Thank God we waited.
And clearly, we needed to move faster on the faulty wiring. ” His features are filled with guilt.
From the outside, it appears that they’re keeping the fire from spreading. Thankfully, the nearest town is only ten miles away, so their department was able to join ours in record time.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” I say as I watch firemen scurry around the yard. “Shit happens.”
His eyes narrow. “Watch your words.”
“Sorry, Sir.” I chuckle and press my lips together. “I apologize for cursing.”
“Sorry.” He rolls his eyes and steps back. “Old habits die hard. I still remember you as a six-year-old boy on his first day of school. Not a twenty-something-year-old man. I heard you’ve joined the police department. Took old man Nolan’s place?”
“Yes, I did. I’m glad to be back. I didn’t realize you remembered me from kindergarten. You weren’t my driver until what? Third grade? Fourth?”
“Third, but before that, June worked as a waitress at Jolie’s. Your mom used to bring you in there.” Whoever is running down the ladder leaves the non-pumping hose looped around one of the rungs and yells at someone on the ground.
“I remember going to Jolie’s every Sunday for dinner. They had the best roasted pork with gravy and mashed potatoes. And the desserts….” My mouth waters as my stomach grumbles. I used to love that place. “I’d give my left nut for a piece of Jolie’s chocolate cake right now.”
Frank grabs my arm. “You don’t know?”
“What?”
Emily turns her body away from me as she talks animatedly with June and the other town’s women who’ve come to offer their assistance. Her ponytail bounces along the nap of her neck. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
I swallow hard. The pull to ask her out is nearly dropping me to my knees. Okay, maybe I wouldn’t give my left nut up for anything. I’d like to use it again in the future.
“Brookhaven Market carries Jolie’s desserts.”
“Good to know.” Emily loved their triple chocolate cake.
Someone yells at the firefighter who’s nearing the bottom of the ladder. The man tips back the visor on his helmet. Kaleb grins and puffs out his chest. It appears that they’ve gotten a handle on the fire, and my best friend is a cocky asshole who never made it to Callahan’s.
I scan the building. The house is currently uninhabitable, but the structure appears to remain solid.
“Officer Jake Thompson.” Amanda, the girl I dated back in high school, slings her arm around my waist and pulls me toward her. “I can’t believe you’re back in town.”
I cringe as memories of the last time she asked me to hook up flood my memory. But the thoughts aren’t of her. They’re of Emily choosing Spencer over me.
“Hello, Amanda.”
She rests her head on my chest and bats her eyelashes while looking up at me. “It’s always so boring around here without you.” Her bottom lip pokes out as Emily’s eyes dart over us and then away just as quickly as they landed on us. “Why haven’t you looked me up yet?”
I should’ve dumped her before I learned she was cheating. Back when she insulted Emily over what she wore to my graduation party. Emily looked stunning even though her dress wasn’t skintight. She didn’t need to show her tits and ass to outshine everyone else.
Not long after that, I caught Amanda cheating on me with the bank owner’s son. That one didn’t last either. Turns out there were others she’d been seeing behind my back even longer. Loyalty and commitment have never really been Amanda’s thing.
From what I heard, the weekend she wanted to hook back up with me over the Christmas holiday, she was dating someone else. Thankfully, I didn’t give her the time of day.
I want someone with integrity. Someone who’s kind. Loving. Someone like Emily. No. Not someone like Emily. I want Emily.
“I’ve been busy.” I step out of her grip, which causes her bottom lip to poke out even farther. She’s not five years old, but at any second, I expect to see her stomp her foot because she’s not getting her way.
“Too busy to take me out? You know I’ve always shown you a good time. You remember how good we were together back in high school, right?”
“Now’s not the time for this conversation.” I’d prefer to never have this conversation.
“Jake.” Emily’s voice is sharp as her eyes meet mine. “I’m going to grab my purse from your car. Thanks for the ride over.”
“Ugh….,” Amanda groans. “You again? You’re such a baby. Always following Jake around like a lovesick puppy. You should be embarrassed.”
“Amanda,” I growl, causing her to jump. “That’s enough.” I step toward Emily, who raises her hands as if to ward me off.
“Go on. I’ll get a ride home with Kaleb.”
“I–”
“Again, thanks for the ride. I’ve got it from here.” She spins on her heel and is gone before I get another word out.