Page 74 of That One Heartbreak

“You sure do.” He nodded, his voice serious.

“Yes.” Addy bumped her fist into the air, delighted at that.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Kate asked him. “I know you’re busy.”

“It’s all good.” He looked solemnly at Addy. “I could use some help. Maybe they’ll listen to you more than they listen to me.”

“I’ll be super loud,” Addy promised.

Kate leaned down to brush Addy’s hair out of her face. “Be good and do everything Marley tells you,” she instructed her. “If she gets in the way, bring her over to me.”

“It’ll be fine, Kate.” Marley took Addy’s hand. And her heart did a little dance at the size difference between them. Addy skipped along as he walked her over to the equipment shed, and Kate turned to walk back to where Ethan and Carlton were sitting.

“Sorry,” Carlton said as she reached them. “Addy ran over before I could stop her.”

Kate took a seat next to him. “She’s helping with the training.”

“She’s not helping,” Ethan said. “I bet she just wanted to hang around Marley. She’s such a baby.”

“Don’t let her hear you calling her that,” Kate said. She couldn’t deal with their arguments today.

It was only two minutes before the volunteers and junior firefighters arrived, led by a sweating Tayto who jogged them into the center of the training yard. A few other onlookers had joined Kate, Addy, and Carlton on the benches, watching as the volunteers got into formation.

James grinned over at her and she realized just how tall he was getting. He was a good few inches taller than any of the other juniors. And he looked so much like his dad it made her heart hurt. She waved back.

“Your mom said you didn’t want him joining the juniors,” Carlton murmured as they were put into teams.

Kate sighed. “I still don’t, really. Paul’s dream was always for him to go to college.”

“He can do both, can’t he?” Carlton asked.

She swallowed. “He can. But I’m scared he’s going to sign up to be a firefighter straight out of high school.”

Their eyes met. Carlton pressed his lips together. “Would that be so bad?”

Yes, it would.

One of the men she loved had his photograph on the wall. She couldn’t bear for there to be two of them.

James’ team walked over to the tower and Addy ran over to him, hugging his legs. He ruffled her hair then peeled her off them, before Marley lifted her up onto his shoulders so she could be at face height with them all.

“Who’s that guy?” Carlton asked, watching as Addy giggled at being up so high.

“Marley Hartson,” Kate said softly. Addy had an oversize helmet on, and every time she moved her head it looked like it might fall off.

“One of Paul’s friends?”

“Yes.” She couldn’t even look at her stepfather. Because then he might figure it out. That she was falling for the man Paul called a friend.

That she was betraying her late husband in more than one way. And her heart felt like it was cracking.

Addy started tickling Marley’s face. He lifted her easily off his shoulders and started swinging her around to the front, growling at her in a way that made her laugh even more.

“He seems good with her,” Carlton said.

“He’s good with me, too,” Ethan told him. “He babysits for us sometimes. When mom goes out on dates.”

“You go on dates?” Carlton asked. And though there was no judgement in his voice, she felt it anyway.

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