Page 21 of Ink and Ashes
“Working on a new project, Uncle Will?” Liv asks, popping the cap off and taking a sip.
He looks down at himself, chuckling. “Building a new deck, believe it or not.”
Liv and I glance sideways at each other before we both laugh and say, “Not.”
Ever since he retired from firefighting, he has a constant new task on the go. He completely renovated the main floor of this house the year after he stopped, and the second floor the year after that. He’s done odd jobs for people around town, but every year since he quit, he’s been saying he wants to build a new deck—the only thing that reallyneededto be done in this house. He’s become the king of doing everythingexceptthe task that actually needs to be completed.
“I’m serious. Go look.” He gestures to his outfit. “I’m gonna get changed.”
I move toward the back door, shocked to see that the deck actually is being redone.
I laugh to myself. It’s about fucking time.
My parents bought this house right after they got married, when my mom was pregnant with me. It’s a three-bedroom, three-bath farmhouse-style home with a gorgeous front porch and a high deck that looks out over the large backyard. It has light-blue siding with dark-grey accents and a dark-grey roof.
The first floor holds a large living room, dining room, one of the bathrooms, and the massive kitchen—the biggest room in this house, per my mom’s request. Heading upstairs, you find another bathroom, two guest bedrooms—which were my and my sister’s rooms growing up—and the master bedroom with a three-piece ensuite bath.
Walking out the sliding glass door to the backyard, you land on the deck. The yard looks out over the Monashee Mountains, and it’s complete with a huge garden and a gazebo with a fire pit.
It’s a perfect family home, and I can’t imagine my parents ever moving.
My dad comes back downstairs at the same time that Cass, Sam, and Beau enter the front door.
“Honey, I’m home,” Cass announces, knowing that a family dinner is never complete without Cassidy Caldwell.
Dad greets them in the foyer, bringing them into the kitchen. Mom pulls them each in for a hug as she finishes setting everything up on the table. Dad grabs three more beers out of the fridge and we all take our seats for dinner.
Where I stayed in Ember Grove my whole life and learned on the job, my sister Cassidy did her EMT training in Kelowna and worked at a larger department down there for a few years before moving back. She left right after she graduated high school, then moved home about five years ago. She came back an even bigger know-it-all than she was when she left, and she continues to be our best paramedic.
Then there’s Samantha Robbins, Cassidy’s best friend since kindergarten and current paramedic partner. They grew up attached at the hip and continue to be completely inseparable. She followed her to college, they worked at the same station in Kelowna, and then moved back here together. They’ve been each other’s favourite person since they learned the other’s name, and I doubt that will ever change.
“So, how are things going down at the station?” Dad asks as we eat. “The fires out yet?”
“BCWS has them under control. First one’s still burning, but the second one was put out this morning. We’re heading out tomorrow to check for hotspots.” I lean back in the chair, shaking my head. “Don’t even get me started on the rest, though.”
His brows pull together. “What’s up? Problems with the guys? I thought everyone was getting along with the new guy—what’s his name again?”
“Oliver Sharpe, or Ollie, as we all call him. But it’s not him who’s the problem.” Liv chuckles. “It’sHolllaaand.”
Dom, Beau, Sam, and Cass all burst out laughing.
“Give it a break,” I groan, sick of the constant teasing they’ve been dishing out to me since she started coming around. I mean, sure, Holland’s a gorgeous woman, and in another life, I’d be extremely attracted to her.
But this isn’t another life, and she’s really just a giant pain in my ass.
“Who’s Holland, sweetie?” Mom asks, looking to me.
“She’s a reporter—” Sam starts, but I cut her off.
I take a sip of my beer. “Not a reporter.”Great, now I sound like her. “Investigative journalist.”
“Hmm, she sounds fancy,” Mom says with a smile.
“Oh, she is. And she’s fine as hell,” Cass shares, only adding to my agony.
“Cassidy, language,” Dad scolds, but he’s laughing.
“She’s not wrong. She might be the hottest woman I’ve ever seen,” Beau adds.
