Page 106 of Second Act
He laid his hand over one of hers. When she instantly opened her fingers and wrapped them around his, pleasure washed through him. She had accepted his comfort.
Her phone pinged, and she released his hand to check it. She closed her eyes for a moment and he braced himself, but the news was good. “Thank God, it’s not the clinic that’s on fire,” she said. “It’s the bodega next door. The smoke is coming through a vent in the wall we share with them, and that’s what set off our alarms. Tiana and Caleb got the animals out, and the fire department’s there.”
She slumped into Hugh, burying her face against his shoulder, saying in a muffled voice filled with relief, “The fire could still spread to the clinic, but the animals are safe.”
He held her as the limo bounced over potholes and swayed around corners, her body cradled against his. He closed his eyes, soaking up the feel of her in his arms, while all the things she’d said to him earlier crashed around in his brain. He wanted to believe her about their future, but all he knew for certain at this moment was that he lovedher almost beyond bearing, and he would do anything in his power to help her through this crisis.
After a few minutes, Jessica sat up and swiped at the moisture on her cheeks. She glanced out the window. “We’re almost there.”
As soon as she spoke, he saw the strobing flash of emergency lights and heard the rumbling of the big fire truck engines. Before the limo came to a full stop, Jessica had the door open and was climbing out, wobbling for a second on her high-heeled sandals as she got her balance on the water-slicked street.
When Hugh exited on his side, she was already talking with a man and woman behind the police barriers on the opposite sidewalk. A line of crates and animal carriers stood on the cement beside them. Despite the conflagration throwing angry flames high into the dark sky, the winter air sent needles of cold through the thin cotton of his shirt. As he strode across the street, he shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket. When he reached Jessica’s side, he draped the jacket over her shoulders, hoping his body heat would provide some protection for her bare arms.
She looked at him with a startled expression. “Thanks, but I have to go into the clinic,” she shouted over the cacophony of sound as she slipped the jacket off and held it out to him.
He ignored the clothing suspended between them. “What are you talking about? You’re not going in there.”
The street was churning with the controlled chaos of fire trucks, emergency vehicles, firefighters, and police, all washed in the scorching light of the furious flames pouring out of the building next to Jessica’s clinic. The street and sidewalks reflected the blaze, making it appear as though even the ground burned.
She tossed the jacket at him and started toward the police barrier. “Geode’s still in there. They couldn’t find him before the firemen made them leave.”
“Geode?” Hugh looked at the huge, angry flames and thick, black smoke pouring out right next to the clinic, and his heart twisted in fear.
“Our office cat. He has the run of the clinic, so he’s hiding somewhere.”
“You mean the streak of orange fur bolting out of your office when I walked in?”
“That’s the one,” she said before she ducked under the barrier and into the street.
Hugh dropped his jacket and vaulted over the barrier.
“Are you going to stop her?” one of the vet techs shouted.
“I sure as hell am,” Hugh yelled over his shoulder.
He jogged after Jessica, catching up with her as a fireman roared, “Lady, you can’t go in there. There are oxygen tanks that could explode.”
His chest went hollow with terror. Dear God, he hadn’t even thought of that.
“I know, but there’s still an animal in there,” she called back as she kept going. “And I’m the owner.” When she noticed Hugh beside her, she shook her head and yelled over the din, “You heard what the man said.”
The fireman stepped in front of them, his bulky suit creating an effective blockade. “It’s too dangerous,” he bellowed.
“The clinic is not on fire yet,” Jessica yelled back. “I have to get my cat.”
The fireman shook his head. “Try it, and I’ll have the cops lock you in a police car,” he threatened.
It would break Jess’s heart if the cat died, but Hugh still felt a surge of relief. She would be safe, and he wouldn’t be the one who prevented her from rescuing Geode.
Jessica whirled away from the fireman and headed down the street in the opposite direction from the bodega, skidding a little as her flimsy sandals hit a patch of icy slush.
Hugh grabbed her elbow to steady her. “We should go back to the sidewalk.”
She shook her head and tugged her arm out of his grasp as she kept going. “I’m not abandoning Geode unless the building is in flames.”
Hugh took a long stride and put himself in front of her, forcing her to stop. “You heard what the fireman said. The oxygen tanks could explode.”
“It’s only smoke right now, but it will kill Geode if I don’t get him out,” she said, steel in her voice. When she looked up at him, her jaw was set. “You’re wasting precious time. Get out of my way.”
