Chapter 11
Violet
“I’m so sorry I interrupted your evening.” My entire body was numb, my mind barely processing anything at this point. At least I could take comfort in knowing my little boy was safe.
“Why do you think you interrupted my evening?” Steel asked from the driver’s seat.
I slowly turned my head, studying his stoic figure. We’d both been quiet after being allowed to leave the scene. My poor carcass of a vehicle would be towed to some unknown lot. On my phone were two dozen pictures I’d already sent to my insurance agent.
It was almost as if the entire incident hadn’t occurred.
“One of the guys told me you were headed to some bar?”
He laughed, although the sound was devoid of emotion. We were both a little numb. “I don’t normally frequent bars. Ziggy’s is a restaurant and a bar, with the best hamburgers in town.”
“Hmmm… I’ll keep that in mind.”
I’d never felt as alone as I did right now.
Of course I had my little boy and a wayward puppy that had managed to slither his furry butt into our lives.
I also had a surge of people wanting to talk to me including reporters.
I’d been barraged with questions and since I’d felt so out of control, I’d spouted off about being here for a magazine.
Of course, they’d wanted details. The worst part was that I’d mentioned the company name.
Maybe it would mean nothing and they’d move onto another story.
Mine was only so juicy. Ordinarily, and under very different circumstances, I would strongly suggest using the free press to the benefit of the upcoming promotion.
Yet the situation was uncontrollable. One day in Missoula and my beloved Cherokee had caught fire.
Poof.
It was gone.
Yes, of course, I had insurance and we were alive and without a scratch on us, but that didn’t take away the fear or the anxiety about how to handle getting around Missoula. It wasn’t like I’d seen any public transportation.
A heavy weight had been placed on my shoulders in agreeing to this nightmare and I was about ready to cave into my emotions.
That wasn’t like me. But how was I going to juggle everything?
While Steel’s offer was sweet, kind, and very genuine, I had a feeling he would be none too happy with me when he finally learned the truth.
Plus, I wasn’t the kind of woman who desired to be beholden to anyone.
I’d even thought about blurting out my reason for being in town. Oh, yeah, that would have gone over so well. I’d almost let it slip to the reporters.
“Mom. I’m hungry.”
“Oh, shit,” I said then slapped my hand over my mouth, fighting giggling, the response completely inappropriate.
That put my son into a fit of laughter, which given the circumstances took a little weight off my mind. He wasn’t damaged by the fact his mother’s vehicle had been torched, only upset that some of the pup’s toys had been destroyed.
Somehow in my insanity of going back to the Jeep while it was still burning, I’d managed to grab a few items, including some dog toys.
But not the food. We had limited food in the house, only what I’d grabbed quickly the day before.
“What’s wrong?” He was having a difficult time himself not laughing. Maybe cackling like a loon was so I wouldn’t start crying, which I’d almost done for the cameras only minutes before.
I’d obviously given myself permission to feel jovial because I couldn’t stop. In a few seconds, I was doubled over, trying my best to maintain some sense of decorum and failing.
He chuckled right along with us, constantly looking in my direction with concern in his eyes. Obviously, as a smokejumper, he’d seen crazy victims before.
“I grabbed some things from the Jeep, but not our food.” My stomach ached and I held my arms while I had an entire swing of emotions.
Tears formed without being able to stop them and a racking sob gave away my state of mind.
“We have a box of crackers, a few slices of cheese, and some lunchmeat along with a loaf of bread. That’s it. ”
Within a second, my sweet boy who I thought didn’t need his mother any longer had his arms wrapped around my neck from the back.
“I’ll protect you, Mom. You don’t need to be strong. I’ll do that too.”
Both Steel’s eyebrows knitted together, his smile fading as he obviously tried to figure out what was wrong with the crazy girl.
“I know you will, baby. And here I was thinking you’d need me for a little while longer.”
“Nope,” Damon said with heavy emphasis. “I’ll be eight, which means I’ll be the man of the house. I’ll take care of everything.”
While wiping my eyes, I bit back yet another chuckle. My kid was often the only reason I was able to smile. “Everything?”
“Yep.”
“That means you’re going to need to get a job,” Steel offered.
“That’s okay. I can find something I can do. I’m really strong. Aren’t I, Mom?”
“You are very strong. Yes,” I answered and was struck by how normal it seemed to be talking this way. After a car fire. With a basic stranger.
“Why don’t we tackle dinner first, young man,” Steel suggested. “How about pizza?”
“Really? Mom never lets us order pizza. She makes it sometimes but it’s not like ordering from our pizza place. We did have pizza on my birthday last year. That was because the kids didn’t come to my party. But that was okay. Mom and I watched a movie and we had ice cream too.”
I shifted in my seat, a little uncomfortable my child was telling all our dirty little secrets. “Yeah,” I said when Steel didn’t respond. “We need to make our budget stretch.”
Especially now.
“My treat,” he told me as he pulled onto the street where we all lived.
“No. That’s not right. You saved my life. I think it would be appropriate if I made you dinner.”
“Well, I’d love that, but from what I heard, unless you can whip out something gourmet with bread and cheese, then I’ll take a raincheck. Fair enough?”
How terrible was it of me to feel entirely comfortable around him? Right now would be a very good opportunity to tell him why I was here.
But why ruin an evening after the crap of the day? I wasn’t in the mood to argue or banter. I honestly didn’t think I had it left in me.
“Okay. I’ll make it up to you though. I insist.”
“That’s fine,” he said, grinning. “I might hold you to it.”
As soon as he pulled up to the house, I thought it strange that I almost said it was good to be home. This definitely wasn’t my home. But at least I could breathe a little easier when behind closed doors.
We piled inside and he seemed more annoyed than before while looking around the living room.
“What’s wrong?”
“I could kick Jasper’s…” He stopped himself before offering a curse word, especially since my son was watching him closely. “Tushy for leaving you with such a mess.”
“That’s okay. We can work with it. Baby, what do you want on your pizza?”
As usual, my son had to make a big deal out of deciding. “Um. Pupperoni and cheese. Lots of cheese. Sausage. Onions. Green peppers. Ummm…”
“Mushrooms?” Steel asked.
“Yuck. No mushrooms.”
“How about pepperoni, since pupperoni is for dogs?” My suggestion brought a huge smile.
“Duh,” he said with a hard snap of his head.
“Okay then. I’ll order.” Steel winked.
“Why don’t you go wash up, babe?”
With a sharp salute, which I had no idea where he’d gotten it from, my son spun around and walked military style into the kitchen with his sidekick following him.
“Children,” I said while shaking my head.
“They’re pretty cool. But don’t tell him I said that.”
I zipped my lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”
He’d yet to dial a number when we heard a loud shriek followed by laughter. In a panic, I flew into the kitchen, stopping immediately when I realized what was seeing.
My child was playing in a huge two foot high arced stream of water, Zorro dancing around his legs as my child and half the room were being sprayed because of a broken faucet.
Could this horrible day get any worse?
“I’ll find the shut-off valve and get a wrench,” my savior said from behind me.
* * *
Exhaustion settled over me like a cheap, coarse blanket, scratching my skin and providing little comfort.
I wasn’t tired because of joyous activity or even a solid day of physical work or exercise.
I was drained all the way through my core from the horrific experience and my mind was working overtime about how to get out of the mess fate had been happy to drop me into.
At least I’d already heard back from my insurance agent, although she’d warned me that given the volume of claims, mine would take some time to process.
Even to get a rental car unless I wanted to fork out bucks on my own. It might come to that, but until I was well on my way with the project, I was hesitant to spend any excess money.
Which meant I had to rely on my next-door neighbor’s decency for a little while.
I stood in the doorway of Damon’s room, happy that my son had enjoyed his day. He hadn’t been able to stop jabbering at the dinner table, consuming three huge pieces of pizza. He’d giggled every time I’d caught him sneaking a rounded ball of sausage to his new ‘best friend.’
How had things gotten so out of hand so quickly?
With Zorro’s tail thumping and his big brown eyes peering up at me from his perch on Damon’s leg, I sensed what the dog was trying to tell me.
That he’d take care of my little boy through thick and thin.
There was no way I could disrupt their happiness.
None.
Biting back a sigh, I closed the door and headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Thank God, in addition to my sexy neighbor being a true hero in saving my life, he was also a qualified plumber and had even for kicks and giggles fixed a shelf inside one of the cabinets that had threatened to collapse.
As soon as I stepped into the room, my mind flew to several places that I should consider forbidden.
Including seeing him without a shirt one more time.
Which I hoped to do for the calendar. I could also envision different looks, from him wearing jeans with the fly open to chaps with nothing under them.