Page 38 of Hearts Like Hers

He’d started with her in the department allthose years ago when they’d been probies together. Why didn’t he get it?

“It’s a miracle you got any of ’em out,Carpenter. Focus on that. That fire was a beast. I’ve never seen anything burnso fast. Fucking balloon construction,” he muttered.

Kate wasn’t buying it. But that word, “hero,”continued to pop up over the next few weeks, in cruel misnomer. She couldn’tseem to shake it, no matter how hard she tried. The local news was no help,running a feature piece on the rescue with her as their centerpiece, regardlessof the fact that she’d refused to participate or give them so much as a quote.

In the days after her release, investigatorsruled that the fire had originated in the master bedroom and was likely theresult of an abandoned lit cigarette. Drug paraphernalia had also been found ina cluster nearby, and the tox screen on Higgins had him more than a littlehigh. Didn’t mean he deserved to die. She’d spent hours in front of her laptop,Googling the guy, combing through his social media pages to learn more abouthim. He’d been a sprinter in high school, winning the district meet. He postedoccasional photos of the kids online and apparently made a mean pot of chili.She couldn’t decide whether humanizing him made it easier or harder to livewith. Not that she could have pulled herself away.

Once she’d been discharged, she visited Renand Eva, taking them stuffed animals and ice cream. Eva had smiled up at Katefrom her hospital bed, her brown eyes sparkling even in the midst of all thathad happened to her. How was that possible? She’d shed some tears, sure, butoverall, the kid was hanging in there. “Are you really Wonder Woman?” Eva askedone day as Kate sat alongside her hospital bed.

“Nope. I’m just Kate, your friend.” Shehanded Eva a napkin to catch the dot of ice cream threatening to dribble downher chin.

“You look like her, and Wonder Woman savespeople. You do, too.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“I do,” Eva said, with confidence. The wordstore through Kate’s heart, causing her chest to ache. She didn’t remind Evathat she’d been unable to save their father. Thus far, Eva hadn’t mentioned hisloss more than a handful of times, but perhaps the reality hadn’t had a chanceto sink in. Eva seemed to be working through it, still taking in theinformation. Kate knew better than to push, choosing to keep her fingers offthat bruise. “You’re going to be okay, you know that? Both you and Ren.”

Eva had nodded, considering the words. Thecorners of her mouth turned down with worry. “Maybe.” The little girl staredhard at the bedsheet she clutched tightly in her free hand. “But Dad’s notcoming back.”

And there it was.

Eva didn’t cry as she said the words butseemed tired, melancholy. It was in that moment that Kate realized Eva’sunexpected strength. She was a fighter, but she didn’t deserve this. No kiddid.

Kate had never thought of herself as anemotional person and was usually adept at swallowing her own feelings for thesake of keeping a level head and dealing with whatever situation she faced.That quality had always served her well. Emotions just got in the way. But thismoment was different, and the tears entered her damn eyes whether she wantedthem there or not.

“No, Eva, he’s not. I’m really sorry aboutthat. He loved you very much, though. Always remember that.”

Eva nodded solemnly and handed Kate her icecream. “I don’t think I want any more.”

“That’s okay,” Kate told her, and set thedish to the side. Eva snuggled into her blanket and faced the wall, done withtalking.

Thinking back on that moment now gutted Kateas she remembered the sad resignation on Eva’s face. She pulled out her phone,prepared to call and check on the kids, see what kind of progress Jennifer overat DHS had been able to make, when a knock on her door interrupted herprogress. Expecting Gia or Isabel or another one of her neighbors, Kate wasshocked to see her brother standing outside her apartment. She glanced aroundbehind him trying to assemble the pieces that had brought Randy to her door somany hours from Slumberton. Happiness to see him trumped all investigation,however.

“Randy?” she asked quietly, and allowed himto pull her into a tight hug while she rode out the surprise. He wore a redbaseball cap that hid his fluffy curls and made him look so much cooler thanshe was used to. They’d never in their lives gone so long without seeing eachother, and damn, he was a sight for sore eyes. “What the hell? How did you gethere?”

“Drove. Same as you.” He beamed at her andshe remembered the power of his smile. He was the kind of person whose smilewas genuine, honest. She loved that about him. “Wanted to see where you shackedup.”

She squinted in amusement. “I think thatmeans something different than you think it means.”

Randy shrugged good-naturedly. “Are you goingto invite me in? I drove a hell of a long way.”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course,” she said, steppingout of the way, unable to wipe the smile off her face. After a brief tour ofthe space, they settled into the living room, and he got to the real reason forhis visit.

“So, you were just out for a spin acrossstate lines?” Kate asked with a quirked eyebrow.

“I guess I was just worried about you,” Randysaid quietly. “You’re not the type to just run off for weeks at a time, youknow? I wouldn’t be doing my job as big brother if I didn’t make sure you wereokay.”

She nodded, knowing she’d have chased afterhim, too. “I know. Just needed to catch my breath, regroup from—”

“All the attention?” he finished for her.

“Yeah. Too much going on back home, and Icouldn’t breathe.” She gestured behind her. “I was actually just about to calland check on the kids.”

“They’re doing better, from what I hear.” Hesat forward on the couch. “They found the mom, who seems to be stable enoughwith a house and a job, about two hours from here in Santa Barbara. She’s notbeen entirely helpful.”

It didn’t surprise her that Randy would knowthe details. She was confident all of Slumberton had passed the informationaround three times over.

“But she’s going to take them, right?”

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