20. Ami
Chapter twenty
Ami
The room is buzzing. Everyone’s packed shoulder-to-shoulder, waiting for the final announcement. My heart is pounding in time with the murmurs around me.
Any second now, we’ll know who won the last race.
I scan the crowd for Aunt Maggie, but she’s not at the front with the other candidates, and she’s not by the bleachers either. That’s strange. If anyone would want to stand front and center when they read the results, it’s her.
She’s still furious with me for siding with Ethan, and I can understand why. I made the choice I believed in—still believe in—and she has every right to disagree. But I pray she won’t stay mad forever. We’ve fought before, but we always find our way back to each other.
“Barry!” I tap the shoulder of the man next to me. “Have you seen Aunt Maggie?”
He nods toward the back. “Think I saw her heading toward the kitchen a few minutes ago.”
“Thanks,” I say, weaving out of the crowd.
I’m halfway down the hallway when shouts break out behind me. Two men rush past, faces tight.
“What’s happening?” I grab the arm of the last man sprinting by.
“The kitchen—it’s on fire!” he calls over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner.
The words hit like a slap.
Aunt Maggie.
She’s in the kitchen.
I don’t think—I just run, dodging people who are moving in the opposite direction. The closer I get, the thicker the smoke becomes, curling into the hallway in gray, acrid waves. My lungs burn with the first breath.
“Aunt Maggie!” I shout, coughing as the smoke scratches my throat raw. No answer. My heart hammers. Is she already out? Or—no. Don’t think it.
Someone yells for the fire department. I fumble for my phone and hit Ethan’s number.
He answers on the third ring. “Ami?”
“Where are you?” I demand.
“I just stepped outside to take a call—what’s wrong? You sound—”
“There’s a fire at the community center. In the kitchen. Aunt Maggie’s in there. Please—get here fast!”
“I’m right here. I’ll be in the building in under a minute. Get to safety—my crew and I will handle it.”
He hangs up, and I force myself forward.
“Aunt Maggie? Are you inside?” I call, my voice tearing with urgency.
“Ami?” Her voice is faint, muffled by the crackle and roar. Relief slams into me. She’s alive—but trapped.
“I’m here!”
“The fire’s blocking the door. I can’t see anything! Go, honey—go outside!”
“I’ve called for help. Just hold on!” My voice wavers. I don’t know how long she can.
The air is thick now, visibility dropping to a smoky blur. People are shouting somewhere behind me, but the sound is distant, muffled by the rush of blood in my ears.
Suddenly, Barry’s hand clamps around my arm. “Ami, you can’t stay here—you’ll get hurt.”
He pulls me toward the exit, and I stumble after him, choking on the smoke until we burst out into the cold night air. The main lawn is swarming with people, all craning for a view of the building.
Sirens wail closer, the flashing red lights slicing through the dark. Ethan’s truck screeches to a stop right behind the fire engines.
I run to him the second he’s out of the cab.
“Are you okay?” he demands, his hands gripping my shoulders.
“I’m fine—but Aunt Maggie’s still inside. She’s in the kitchen, and the fire’s blocking the door.” My voice breaks. “Please, Ethan—get her out.”
“You’ve got my word.” He pulls me into a quick, fierce hug before turning to his crew.
The firefighters uncoil the hoses, powerful streams of water hissing into the flames. Ethan and two of his men vanish into the building.
Every second stretches like an eternity. Smoke pours from the windows, curling black against the night. I strain to see through it, my nails digging into my palms.
Please.
Please let them be okay.
Then—movement. Two figures emerge through the haze.
Ethan, half-carrying Aunt Maggie, both of them coughing but upright. The crowd erupts in cheers.
“He saved her!” someone shouts.
I’m already running. “Aunt Maggie!”
I wrap my arms around her, feeling her sway unsteadily. “You’re safe,” I whisper, blinking back tears.
“Take her to the ambulance,” Ethan orders one of his crew.
I watch her go, my chest loosening for the first time in minutes—then I turn to Ethan and fold into his arms.
“Thank you,” I choke out. “I thought I was going to lose you both.”
“It’s okay. She’s safe, you’re safe. That’s all that matters.” His voice is warm and steady, a rope I can cling to in the chaos.
By the time the fire is contained, the building is mostly intact—just smoke damage and a ruined stove. Aunt Maggie is treated for smoke inhalation and cleared to go home. I insist on staying with her that night, even when she tries to wave me off.
In the morning, she surprises me.
“Ethan, I am truly thankful you saved my life,” she tells him when he stops by to check on her. “We haven’t been on the best terms, but you didn’t let that cloud your judgment. Now I understand why Ami stood by you.”
I don’t say a word. I just let relief wash over me.
We still don’t know who won the election. The announcement had been moments away when the fire broke out, and the night ended without a single word about the results.
Somehow, right now, that feels secondary.
But when I head over to Ethan’s later with a tin of cookies—Aunt Maggie’s idea—the sight that greets me on his front lawn is… unexpected. Half the town is there, thanking him, praising him for his bravery.
“They’ve been coming all morning,” Ethan says with a grin when he pulls me inside. “‘Thank you for rescuing Maggie even though she’s your rival,’ ‘this town needs more people like you’…”
“Well,” I say, smiling, “they’re not wrong.”
“I didn’t do it for them. I did it because it was the right thing.”
And my heart swells at the quiet certainty in his voice.