Page 6 of The Heat Between Us

A beam cracks somewhere above us, and I flinch, pressing closer to Lewis. His hand moves to my back, rubbing gentle circles.

"It's okay," he murmurs. "We're okay."

The tenderness in his touch surprises me. This man—this stranger—is risking his life for me, comforting me even as we face the very real possibility that we might not make it out alive.

"Why did you really leave Chicago?" he asks suddenly. "You said expectations, but there's more to it, isn't there?"

The question catches me off guard. Here we are, possibly in the last minutes of our lives, and he wants to know my story. But maybe that's exactly why—if these are our last moments, why not be honest?

"My parents are both high-powered attorneys," I explain, my voice raspy from the smoke. "Corporate law, the kind where you make rich people richer. They had my whole life mapped out—prep school, Northwestern, law school, then join the family firm."

"And you didn't want that," Lewis says. It's not a question.

"I wanted to help people who actually need it," I say. "Not corporations trying to dodge regulations or billionaires hiding assets from their spouses."

I pause, thinking about the look on my father's face when I told him I was leaving. Disappointment and confusion, as if he couldn't comprehend why anyone would choose Cedar Falls over Chicago or small-town clients over wealthy ones.

"When I told them I was moving here to start my own practice, they said I was throwing my life away," I continue. "My mother actually asked if I was having some kind of breakdown."

Lewis laughs, the sound surprisingly warm in our dire circumstances. "So naturally, you decided to prove your sanity by running into a burning building on your second day in town."

Despite everything, I find myself laughing too. "When you put it that way, maybe they had a point."

Our laughter dissolves into coughing as a fresh wave of smoke washes over us. Lewis pulls me lower to the ground again, where the air is just a tiny bit better.

"What about you?" I ask when I can speak again. "Have you always lived in Cedar Falls?"

He nods. "Born and raised. Left briefly for college, but came back when my dad got sick. He's better now, but I realized I didn't want to be anywhere else. Cedar Falls is home."

"That must be nice," I say softly. "Feeling like you belong somewhere."

Lewis looks at me thoughtfully. "You'll belong here too if you give it time. Cedar Falls is good at taking in strays."

"Is that what I am? A stray?" I'm not offended; there's something oddly appealing about the idea.

"A stray lawyer," he says with a smile. "The town's never had one of those before."

Another crash, closer this time. The flames have nearly reached us, consuming the last of the boxes that had been stacked against the wall. The heat is intense, making it hard to think.

"Tell me something good," I say suddenly, needing a lifeline to hold onto. "Something that makes life in Cedar Falls worth it."

Lewis considers for a moment. "The sunrise over Miller's Pond. In the summer, it turns the whole lake gold. I go fishing there sometimes, just to watch the light change."

I close my eyes, trying to picture it. "That sounds beautiful."

"It is," he says. "I could take you there sometime. When we get out of here."

The simple promise—a future beyond these flames—brings unexpected tears to my eyes. Or, who knows, maybe it's just the smoke.

"I'd like that," I whisper.

We fall silent for a moment, listening to the fire consume the room and the distant sound of firefighters working to reach us. They seem so close, yet so far away.

"If you could do anything after this," Lewis says, breaking the silence, "what would it be?"

I consider the question. "Eat the best cheeseburger in town. Then sleep for about a week."

He laughs. "Madeline's Diner has the best burgers. But Max—he's one of my teammates—would argue it's Lou’s Diner."

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