Page 37 of Burn for Me
Collecting her coffee, she smiled at the cashier and again at the flower lady. Walking past the flowers, an idea struck. Was it unusual to buy flowers for a man?
“Excuse me, but how much for the yellow daisies?” Kitty asked the salesclerk.
Paying her the appropriate amount, Kitty left the shop with her coffee, her flower, and a bold bouquet of yellow daisies in a matching square, transparent glass vase for Gray.
Waiting for the lift to arrive, she contemplated how much better that small interaction had made her feel. The ragged edges felt a little smoother, a little less frayed. With a better handle on her emotions, she would apologise to Gray again when she got back and hope the daisies not only brought out that gorgeous smile of his but aided in her apology.
When she got back to the room, however, she found he had visitors. She recognised the older gentleman in the group as the senior officer on scene the night Decadence had burned down. She’d also encountered him a time or two after. She really liked him. She didn’t recognise the other two men with him though.
“Kitty, there you are, honey.”Gray held out a hand to her. She set down the flowers and coffee. As she took his hand, he continued, “You remember Jeff Erikson?”
“Yes, I remember Jeff. How are you?”
“All the better for seeing your lovely face,” he quipped. “And you brought me flowers, I see.”
Everyone laughed. Kitty blushed and stated, “I thought their sunniness might cheer Gray’s skies.”
Jeff replied, “Your beauty was all he needed for that.”
“Hey now. I’m still in the room, Casanova,” Gray interjected. Again, everyone got a big laugh. “Thank you, Kitty, for the flowers.” The look in his eyes told Kitty he had more to say about them later.
Jeff’s expression turned solemn and he continued, “Seriously though, I’m happier now that I can see our boy’s doing just fine.” He paused, shifting on his feet and clearing his throat, appearing a bit emotional for a moment, but then, “And it seems, from what I can see, he’ll be back to give me more grey hair in no time at all. Of that I have no doubt.”
Laughing at Jeff because the man couldn’t be serious for long, Gray gestured to the other two men.
“These other two reprobates are Kevin Links and Roger Marcus. They were working with me during the accident.”
It gave Kitty a nasty jolt to be reminded of the reason they were all there. It still had her blood running cold every time she thought about it. She would be eternally thankful it had such a positive outcome. An outcome that could so easily have been far more devastating.
Putting on her game face, she smiled at the two men.
“It’s lovely to meet you both.”
The taller of the two men, Kevin, spoke first. “Likewise, ma’am. I wish it was under different circumstances though.”
“Agreed,” said Roger. Clearly a man of few words.
* * *
Pacingthe confines of their room, they continued to rail against the fates. How is it they’d done everything right and still he continued to live, plaguing them? All they’d ever wanted was life with their love. But nothing they did made that damn fire investigator go away. Would he forever be the bane of their life? What more could they do to get rid of him? Railing turned to contemplation as they continued to pace back and forth. There had to be a way. They would figure it out. Their future depended on it.
Chapter Fourteen
Stress was her faithful companion.Constantly it gnawed at her.
Kitty was worried about getting Decadence back up and running. People were relying on her. Yes, the insurance was currently paying out so they all continued to receive a wage, but that wouldn’t last forever. She needed to get back to work. Besides everything else, it was her stress reliever.
She worried about Gray too. He still hadn't said a word about the ordeal he'd been through. She didn’t believe he was fine and that nothing relating to the incident bugged him. Surely bottling all that up couldn't be healthy. Didn’t they have policies in place that forced them to see someone, to talk about the trauma? To deal with the emotions in play?
Fear — it was a living, breathing thing inside her. When she closed her eyes at night, she relived all the agonising hours she’d gone through. Fear of the unknown – was he alive or dead? Injured or fine? And what happened when he was cleared to return to active duty? She would have to live with it daily, always wondering if that day would be the last she would see him as she kissed him goodbye.
Kitty pulled into the parking lot of the hospital for the last time. She was thankful Gray was coming home today. She loathed hospitals. Since he lived in a house, they’d agreed it would be best if she came to stay with him rather than him staying in her small flat. She would take care of him for the first few weeks.
She greeted a couple of his colleagues she recognised on her way to the lifts. His room had been a hive of activity. Colleagues popped in at random times to see how he was doing. The nurses on the floor were loving all the handsome, buff men passing through their doors. The thought of even the rather dour senior floor sister succumbing to a bit of flirting had Kitty smiling.
“Good morning, gorgeous! What’s got you all smiles today?” Gray asked, as Kitty stepped into the room.
“I saw a couple of your colleagues leaving as I arrived. It made me think of how they’ve managed to make even Sister McMillan crack a smile or two. Your bunch are complete incorrigible.”
