Page 6 of Her Silver Fox Firefighters
I’m worried about anyone who tries to take Marcus down. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? He’s dangerous, Chloe. He’s connected, and he’s got an entire department protecting him.”
“Yeah, well, my parents are high-ranking in city hall,” Chloe replies. “They’ve dealt with this kind of crap before. Let’s not forget, my mom was a defense attorney before we moved to Devon.”
“I really hope they get what we need to end this. It’s been a nightmare.”
“You’re safe now. That’s all that matters.”
I should feel safe. Sometimes, I do, especially when I glance out the window and catch glimpses of my neighbors. There’s definitely something about them that gives me a sort of much-needed inner peace, whichis why I’m baking them cookies.
“I’ve been reading the news out of Devon. There’s been a rise in drug-related deaths, hasn’t there?”
“It is getting worse. The cops keep saying they’re on top of it but?—”
“We both know they’re not,” I say, and exhale sharply.
“I wish I had better news,” Chloe says.
“Actually, I do have some good news. I was looking through the classifieds section in theEmber Ridge Tribuneearlier, and it turns out that there’s a job opening at Melinda’s Diner in town. Didn’t you say that place has the best pecan pie in the county?”
“And the best loaded fries, too. You’d definitely enjoy working there. Miss Melinda is a very sweet woman. You should call them and see if the job is still available.”
“I already did. I have an interview the day after tomorrow.”
“Yay! Look at you, picking yourself up and rocking it!”
Picking myself up? Sure. There was no other way for me to go. Rocking it? I’m not entirely sure about that. There are nights I still cry myself to sleep. I wake up sobbing and sweating bullets sometimes. Once in a while, I take a look in the mirror and fail to recognize the woman looking back at me.
“It’s going to be okay,” Chloe says, as if she’s somehow able to pick up on my doubts before I can even voice them. “It’s hard at first, and lonely as hell, but I’ve known you since we were kids, Olivia. The stuff you went through, everything you managed to overcome… I have all the faith in the world in you, babe.”
“Thank you, Chloe. I appreciate it.”
As the sun sets, I step out of the house with a box of freshly baked cookies. They smell fantastic, and I feel pretty confident about what I’m going to do. It’s my opportunity to offer a genuine thank you and hopefully overshadow the previous debacles.
The sun sinks lower in the west, a melting red penny against the dark woodlands stretching beyond Ember Ridge. To the south, stony mountains rise on the horizon, keeping the entire area delightfully cool, even in the summer.
I walk over to Dax, Leo, and Beck’s place, admiring the honeysuckle that’s in full bloom. Their lights are on. They’re home, likely resting up from their twenty-four-hour shift.
I reach for the lion-shaped brass knocker, but the door opens unexpectedly before I have the chance to knock, and I damn near drop the cookie box. I manage not to fumble this third encounter, though, as Dax greets me with a surprised look in his gray-blue eyes.
“Olivia,” he says.
“Hi, Dax. I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“You? Never. Come on in,” he replies and takes a step back.
And just like that, I find myself on their turf. It’s a big house, two levels with an open floor plan. The walls, painted a soft off-white, are hung with framed photographs of the three men from their years in the Marines and as firefighters—many are official portraits of them in uniform.
“Thank you,” I say, and hand him the box. “I baked these.”
Dax raises his eyebrows and stares at the box before he takes it. “For us?”
“It’s the least I could do given the alarm incident and, well, yesterday’s mess.”
“You really didn’t have to,” he replies, the hint of a smile testing the corners of his mouth. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“It kind of felt like I did. Please, take them. They’re baked with a lot of spirit and care,” I say. “It would mean a lot to me if you would accept them.”
I hear the clatter of pots and pans from the kitchen, then Leo’s and Beck’s voices overlapping. It sounds like they’re having a rather loud and heated conversation. Dax chuckles softly.
