Page 33 of Burned By Fire

15

EMBER

“Would you get your head out of the clouds?” Liam says, nudging my elbow.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I say with a pout, even though I’m fairly certain I do. It’s almost the end of the shift, and I’m excited about my date. I’m meeting Sol at Antonio’s for a romantic Italian dinner. At least, I hope it’ll be romantic.

“Have you told him how you feel?” Liam asks.

“It’s complicated.”

“How? You like him and you’re sleeping together, so he obviously likes you.” He shrugs like everything is that simple.

“We’re sleeping together literally. We’re not having sex,” I say.

“You must’ve at least done some heavy petting by now.”

I blush hard. Liam’s so easy to talk to, but I haven’t given him the full details of my relationship with Sol. The warm fuzzies I get when thinking about him fade out all my rationality, but he’s looking for a long-term commitment. The idea of being that person for him scares me, even though my heart is telling me it would kill me to see him with someone else.

“A lady never tells,” I say, wishing my face wasn’t burning up.

“You might not be having regular sex, but I think you’ve done it at least once. Your expression betrayed you.” He smiles smugly. Luckily, I’m saved by the alarm.

We both spring into life and head to the changing room. Once ready, we climb into the fire truck and speed out of the firehouse.

Dylan already has his brief in hand and is scanning the information. “There’s a house fire over on Broadway. Two people are confirmed inside, but we don’t know the cause of the fire.”

My heart beats fast in my chest. “Where on Broadway?” I ask. Please don’t let it be my mom’s house.

Dylan scans the paper. “Number forty-four.”

The contents of my lunch rises up my throat, and I think I’m going to hurl.

“Isn’t that your old house?” Liam asks.

He’s dropped me off there before, so that’s why he recognizes the address. I’ve been so stubborn since my mom kicked me out. I haven’t called her in over a month. Unease comes in waves, and I fight back tears of regret.

I nod to Liam, unsure I’ll be able to get the words out evenly.

“I want you to hold back. You look pale. I don’t think you’re up to coming into that house,” Dylan says.

My sadness turns to determination. “I’ll be okay. This is my job and I want to help.”

Dylan grabs my arm through my thick coat, looking deep into my eyes. “You don’t have to do this. We can handle it.”

“Please don’t leave me out. I may be a new firefighter, but I always follow the rules. I’ll keep a calm head and I won’t do anything irrational.”

He studies me for a few more seconds. “Okay. You and Liam take the back door. Aiden and I will take the front. Is there anything we need to know about the property that might be helpful?”

I’m grateful he’s trusting me to do my job. “The gas mains can be switched off from the box down the left side of the house.”

“Excellent.”

We arrive on the scene, and Mrs. McCally, the neighbor, comes rushing over. “Ember. I’m so glad to see you. I heard shouting upstairs before there was an explosion downstairs. I’ve told your mother a thousand times not to leave the stove unattended.”

Her theory is a likely one, but we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. “Has anyone left the house? We were told there are two people inside.”

“I didn’t see anyone leave. As far as I know, your mom and that retched boyfriend of hers didn’t come outside.”

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