Page 5 of Phoenix Rising

Everett walked out of the office before saying over her shoulder, "Try not to get any stains on those files,Ms.Thompson."

The sound of her heels echoed down the hall.

“It’sCHIEF,”Becky corrected her loudly, but Lucinda Everett didn’t pause.

Dr. Everett is a brat, huh? Absolutely, incredible.

Becky wasn't some old person who couldn't accept change. Her whole position rested on the power of change! She was the first chief of an all-female firehouse. She was the fucking epitome of change. She would fucking show this Everett.

She walked back to her desk and grabbed the doctor's file, trying to get the memory of her intoxicating scent and the way she had looked in that designer skirt suit out of her brain.

2

LUCINDA

Lucinda Everett looked out the car window.God, it is hot in America. How do people live like this?Only layers and layers of trees greeted her. She wasn't used to nature surrounding her like this. She had grown up in London and very rarely left unless it was to travel to Paris. The best of the best hospitals didn't often frequent the countryside.

Phoenix Ridge was very different compared to London. The sky didn't have that dull-gray hue she was accustomed to seeing every day. It was bright and clear, thousands of miles of blue sky no matter which direction she looked. It felt daunting. She was no longer caged by pubs, office buildings, or tourists. Just sky, trees, and hot air. Lucindawondered if she would evolve to like it or if she would stay the same cold and drab woman she had always been.

Well, she didn't think she was cold, but all of her past girlfriends did.

Ice queen, they called her.

"So, we'll be meeting the city council tomorrow at 9 a.m.," Aleria Rhodes said, checking her rear view and side mirrorsagain, even though there was no one even following them on these dirt backroads. Her glasses were pressed impossibly close to her eyes. Her salt-and-pepper hair was swept out of her face.

Lucinda would think she was handsome if it wasn't for the absolutely abhorrent way she drove. Or the fact that she had already asked her if 9 a.m. worked for her three different times. She was a nervous wreck, which she guessed made her the perfect person to be city manager. She also never stopped talking. Rhodes had picked her up from the airport and talked the full thirty minutes to the fire station. She didn't enjoy small talk, but she nodded politely.

"Yes, that works for me. Already in my calendar." She tucked her dark curls out of her face to hide her annoyance.

"We'll be coming up to downtown just around this bend. Thank you again for dropping off that paperwork to Chief Thompson." She glanced at her from the side of her oval glasses.

"It wasn't a problem." Aleria nodded as the car rolled over a hill, revealing the small city of Phoenix Ridge. Skyscrapers were centered in the city's hub. Her shoulders eased at the familiar look of the city, hoping her luxury apartment would be just as pleasing as her one in London. The suburbs had started to make her nervous about what she had signed up for.

"So what made you want to move across the pond?" Rhodes said the phrase with an exaggerated English accent, like something out ofMary Poppins.

She found that every American liked to practice their general British accent when she spoke. Almost like they were saying, "What do you think? I could pass for a local!" She ignored it mostly, but it had already happened three times that day.

‘Ello governor!

Bad weather, innit?

Lucinda sighed and smiled politely. "Just needed a change. I want to travel, you know? See the world."

What she didn't say was that she had just broken up with someone, her job was stifling her, her parents were constantly in her house asking when she would get married, and honestly, she just wanted to feel the sun against her skin.

Rhodes checked her mirrors before turning onto Main Street. "Well, you came to the right place! Phoenix Ridge is really starting to get popular. Heard we might get a reality TV show and everything."

"Really? What would that even be about?"

"I'm hoping about that bakery that just opened up on James Avenue. I would love to know how the sausage is made!" Rhodes chuckled.

Lucinda thought that was a terrible idea for a show, but who was she to judge?

Lucinda looked out the window and saw all the people enjoying the beginning of summer. The streets were full of shops, breweries, and grocery stores. Nothing too different from home. She did notice, however, that the people smiled here. They stopped their neighbors on the street with a coffee in hand as if they had nowhere to be. They had the luxury of time. Working in the hospital, Lucinda often felt like she only had the last two specks of the hourglass sand left.

"Oh, this place just opened!" Rhodes pointed at a bistro on the corner. A glaring red sign that read “Cattle Battle”hung above the door. Lucinda had never heard the words "bistro" and "battle" in the same sentence together.

"They have the best chicken and waffles," Rhodes continued.

---