Page 11 of Courageous Yearnings

“Nice.”

“And he said you never dated anyone at all.”

“Alec would be correct,” Reese smiled gently. “I never dated anyone really until I met Eileen – and then it took forever for me to ask her out.”

“She wanted to go on dates instead of foolin’ around?”

“I would never disrespect my wife by fooling around with her outside of a relationship. There is a lot to be said when you meet a person that interests you, and you decide to step up to the plate.”

“Nothing wrong with swinging that bat either,” Lance winked, grinning.

“True, but someday the game will be over, and you need to decide if you are ever going to run to first base – or if you will be stuck still swinging the bat, alone, and everyone else has gone home for the night.”

“Oh.”

“Have your fun, just keep an open mind… and here’s your filter.”

“Thanks,” Lance began and hesitated, looking at the chief. “Thank you for everything, actually. The talk, the advice, all of it.”

“You are very welcome.”

“And keep that mouse away from me.”

“Will do, Cortes.”

4

BLYTHE

Three months later…

Blythe was taping up boxes, shoving things from drawers into totes and every other sort of container possible because she was soooo done with this condo she had been renting.

“Homeowner…” she whispered, shaking her head and laughing softly to herself at the strange ways that life moved sometimes. This rental had fallen into her lap four years ago when she moved to the area, transferring because of the job opening at the dealership. While the condo was ‘quirky’ and ‘temperamental,’ it was home. She hated the way that sometimes the lights would flicker or the way if you used the microwave, dryer, and had the television on – it would pop the breaker – but you grew used to it.

Taking this job had been a godsend, but it brought to light other areas that needed to be adjusted as well. She needed a tax shelter for the first time in her life. As a woman who made darn good money, didn’t own any property, wasn’t married, and had no deductions, she was paying through the nose in taxes. When the interest rates dropped, car sales soared, which meant her bonus increased – she knew it was time.

She bought her first home and was using her vacation time she’d saved to move in and spruce a few things up. This morning, she had gone directly to the new house and cleaned from top to bottom. Her hands were raw from the bleach, and Lysol. She wiped down the windows and practically every surface, preparing for tomorrow. Her bed was already dismantled, and the moving truck was supposed to be here between ten and twelve tomorrow.

And she hesitated.

“What the heck is that smell?”

Something smelled strange— plasticky?

Sniffing her hands, the box she was currently packing, and looking around, she eventually shrugged. Something smelled weird, but she really didn’t have time to go digging around in things, unpacking and repacking boxes to see if something spilled. Hesitating, she walked back toward the other rooms, sniffing. It smelled stronger back here, but she couldn’t find where it was coming from.

“I’m glad to be moving out of this dump,” she chuckled to herself and smiled. “It will be nice to have the freedom to fix up my place and do what I want without having to worry about losing my deposit. Maybe I’ll get a pet or something. Oh that sounds really nice. A sweet kitty cat or a fat little puppy with floppy ears, baby chicks or a bunny?”

Oh yes, life was good.

I can’t breathe…

That single thought, combined with a blistering awareness of heat, dragged her awake almost moments later – coughing wildly. She had been dreaming that she was at work, in the middle of a meeting, and listening to all of them brag about their numbers for the month in the general manager’s private office only for her turn to arrive, yet nothing was coming out of her mouth. She tried to talk, tried to tell them that she was there and participating in the meeting, yet nothing happened. It wasn’t until she realized that her ‘work Hell’ actually felt like it that she was sitting up in bed in a daze.

The condo was on fire!

She began coughing again, only to wince and crouch down as close to the floor as possible because the atmosphere was so thick, hot, and acrid with the smoke filling the room and she couldn’t see a blasted thing!

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