Torch (Take It Off)

by Cambria Hebert

  “We finally managed to dim the flames on one side of the building. Most of the exterior was gone by that point so the chief and a couple guys moved in a little farther because it seemed like there was something going on we didn’t quite understand. Just as they moved closer, what was left of the building exploded.”

  I put a hand up to my mouth, gasping lightly.

  “Debris went everywhere, men went down, and the chief… he was pinned beneath a flaming piece of timber.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “It all happened really fast. I just started moving, you know? I went on autopilot just doing what I thought needed to be done. I instructed the other men to help me drag the injured guys over by the truck and administer what first aid they could. I called for backup and an ambulance and instructed the other men to just keep spraying. I knew whatever had been inside was destroyed, so the fire might be containable at that point.

  “What about the chief?”

  “He was still pinned. At first I thought he was dead… but then I saw him move, little jerks of pain because he was being burned in the fire.”

  I remembered the overwhelming fear of thinking I was going to burn to death, of the way the smoke smothered my lungs and I thought I was going to choke and expire. I remembered the way my skin felt, the intense rush of the burn, the all-consuming pain that chased away all reason. I stared down at my bandaged wrists, imagining the horror of lying there burning, knowing the pain wouldn’t stop until I was dead.

  “I grabbed an extinguisher and rushed toward the worst of the flames, creating a sort of path to his body. Then I sprayed him and the beam, completely coating everything around us. I probably shouldn’t have picked him up, but it was that or let the fire completely overtake him. He screamed when I touched him. It was the kind of scream I never want to hear again. Thankfully, as we were moving, he passed out.”

  “You saved his life,” I murmured, then looked up. “He did survive, didn’t he?”

  “Yes, he did. He suffered extensive burns, but he lived.”

  “How horrible.”

  “When I went to see him in the hospital a few weeks later, I was a little afraid he would be mad at me for saving him. I mean, because of me he was sitting in a hospital bed covered in bandages and in the kind of pain that I wouldn’t even wish on my worst enemy.”

  “Was he mad?”

  He smiled. “When I got to his room, there was a girl about the age of ten sitting on the end of his bed, reading him a book about horses. When he saw me, he told her to go get an ice cream, and when she was gone, he…”

  “He what?” I demanded.

  “He thanked me. He told me even though he was in the worst pain of his entire life and he had months of recovery ahead of him, he was grateful to be alive.”

  “How is he today?”

  “He’s doing good. He’s still recovering, but he’s come a long way. He retired with full honor and spends a lot of time with his family now.”

  “So they made you fire chief,” I finished for him, my heart swelling with pride.

  “I didn’t want the job at first, but they were persistent and the other guys they asked refused the job because they all said I earned the title.”

  “You did.”

  He shrugged and took a heaping bite of pancake.

  “You’re very humble for a guy with such a big head.”

  He laughed.

  While we finished eating, something occurred to me. “Let me guess,” I began. “You were in the process of getting a divorce when all this happened. Then your ex decided she didn’t want to be your ex after all.”

  “How’d you know?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, by the way she acted like she owned you the other day.”

  “Well, she doesn’t. Taylor and I are over. We have been for a very long time.”

  “She seems pretty persistent.”

  He snorted. “She doesn’t really want me. I don’t make that much more now than I did before my promotion. She just wanted the prestige of my title.” He rolled his eyes. “Once she got a look at my bank statement, she would change her mind again.”

  “Money isn’t everything.”

  He looked up and his face softened. “Yeah, I know.”

  “Speaking of money,” he said and reached into the pocket of his cargo shorts to pull out the card Mr. Goddard gave him. “Are you going to call him and arrange a time to talk?”

  “I don’t know what to do,” I confided, staring off across the restaurant. I noticed the blond woman now had a plate of food in front of her, but she wasn’t eating because she had her cell phone pinned to her ear.

  “Can I tell you what I think?”

  “Please.”

  “I think you should call him, meet with him later today, and sign the papers. You can take your time deciding if you want to keep the money, but at least this way it will all be in your name.”

  I puzzled over his words. “Why does that matter?”

  “Because once it’s all in your name, it’s not fair game for anyone else.”

  I leaned across the table and spoke quietly. “So you think once I take it, whoever’s trying to kill me will stop?”

  “Seems that way. Right now that money is kind of in limbo. If you die before claiming it, then it’s sort of up for grabs. But once it’s all in your name, it won’t matter if you die because the money will go to whoever you leave it to.”

  “You’re right.”

  “I know,” he said smugly, sitting back in his chair.

  “Can I borrow your cell phone?”

  After he handed it over, I dialed the number on the card. Mr. Goddard picked up on the third ring. “Hello, this is Katie Parker. We spoke yesterday?”

  “Yes, of course, Miss Parker. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, thank you. I’m calling to see if we could arrange a time to sign those documents we discussed?”

  “Of course. Would this evening work for you? I have a conference call this afternoon.”

  “Sure. Would six o’clock work for you?”

  “That would be fine. Would you like to meet here at the hotel? There is a lounge right off the lobby.”

  I agreed and then hung up the phone, handing it back to Holt.

  “I’m supposed to meet him later at his hotel.”

  “So we have all day, then?”

  “Seems like it.”

  He grinned and made a call of his own, arranging for us to go somewhere.

  “Who was that?” I asked after he requested the bill from the waitress.

  He gave me a sly smile. “My mother.”

  I felt my mouth drop open. He reached across the table and used his finger to snap my jaw closed. “You’re going to catch flies.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I can’t go meet your parents!”

  “It’s just my mom. Dad’s at work.”

  “No!”

  “Why not?” he asked, reaching for his wallet. I snatched the check out of his hand and stuck my tongue out.

  “I’ll pay.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Fine. You pay. I’m going to pull the truck around. My mother’s expecting us.”

  Before I could argue further, he was up and pushing through the exit doors. I let out a frustrated sigh and pulled some cash out of my purse. Anxiety made my hands shake as I counted out the correct amount of change. I wasn’t ready to meet his mother. I couldn’t understand why he was forcing this. We weren’t even dating… We were… Well, I didn’t know what we were, but it didn’t seem like we were at any kid of stage for me to be meeting the parents.

  The waitress came back over as the shiny red truck slid to the curb. I handed her the money and told her to keep the change, then stalled by taking another sip of my juice. Over the rim of my glass, my eyes connected with the blonde in the booth.

  She was no longer on the phone and she was watching me with an odd sort of glint in her eyes. Uneasiness obscured my thoughts as I returned the juice to the table and stoo
d. I didn’t look back as I left the restaurant, but I swear I felt her eyes follow me until I was out of sight.

  20

  His parents lived near an inlet, which provided a year-round view of the sea. Their home was a single-story ranch home made up of light-brick exterior, arched windows, and mature landscaping lining the property. The concrete driveway led along the side of the house up to a two-car garage with a walkway leading to the red front door.

  Instead of pulling up the driveway, Holt parked out front, at the edge of the street along the green lawn’s edge.

  “This is a lovely home,” I said, looking out my window at the small palm trees that grew in the front. The house was neat and tidy. You could tell it was lived in but it was well maintained by people who cared about it. “I shouldn’t be here,” I objected for the millionth time.

  “You got somewhere better to be?” he asked, arching a dark brow.

  He had me there. I had nowhere to be. At least until six o’clock tonight. “I don’t understand why you’re pushing this.”

  He turned away from the steering wheel, leaving the engine running so the air continued to cool the interior of the cab. He lifted my hand out of my lap and held it. “If you feel like I’m forcing you do to something you don’t want to do, then say the word. I’ll take you home.”

  Home.

  Where was that exactly? With him?

  My silence must have unnerved him because he sighed. “I know we haven’t known each other very long and your life is pretty upside-down right now.”

  I nodded for him to continue.

  “But I want you in my life. Now and after things calm down.”

  “What are you saying?”

  He smiled. “I’m saying I already know what I want. Who I want. I don’t expect you to know right now. I don’t even expect an answer. I just wanted you to know how I feel.”

  He wanted me. All that longing I felt before swelled up inside me again, making it hard to breathe. I think I wanted him too. I didn’t want to have to say good-bye to him.

  But I might have to.

  If the person out there who wanted me dead had anything to say about it.

  How could I promise him a future when I wasn’t even sure I would live through today?

  “Holt, I—”

  “Hold that thought. We’ve been spotted.”

  Panic shot through me and I stiffened, glancing out the back window, looking for some kind of dark car like the one that ran me over or the silver BMW of a lawyer who might have lied.

  But there were no other cars on the street.

  “I think that was a bad choice of words,” Holt muttered, placing a kiss to the back of my hand. Then he pointed out my window.

  A tall woman with short, dark hair and a smile stood on the sidewalk. When I turned to stare at her, she waved at us and motioned for us to come inside.

  “That’s your mother?” I asked.

  “Yep. See, she’s not that scary.”

  I laughed. “Fine, let’s go.”

  As he came around to help me leap from the cab, I began to worry about my appearance. I was wearing very little makeup, my hair was loose and likely crazy around my shoulders, and I was dressed really casual in the pair of jeans Holt bought me and a loose-fitting tank top.

  “You look beautiful,” he whispered as if he somehow knew about my inner worry.

  She was waiting on the sidewalk when we approached.

  “Holt!” she exclaimed as he gave her a big hug. “So happy to see you today!”

  “Hey, Mom. Thanks for letting us stop by.”

  She smacked him in the stomach. “You know you’re welcome here anytime.”

  Then her eyes turned to me. They were that icy light blue, just like Holt’s. “You must be Katie.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She laughed and flung her arms around me in a warm, welcoming hug, rocking back and forth a little before she pulled away to look at me again. “You are positively gorgeous!” she exclaimed. “And so tiny! Holt here is three times your size!”

  “Mom,” he groaned and rolled his eyes.

  “You have a lovely home,” I said, gesturing to the house.

  “Thank you. It’s hot out here today. Must be at least a hundred degrees in the shade!” She linked her arm through mine and led me to the front door. “Do you like lemonade?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “No more of that ma’am business. You can call me Pam.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at Holt and he winked. The inside of the house was blissfully cool and very spacious. There was a tiled entryway that led into a great room with a traditional fireplace, wood floors, and wide windows. Pam led us through that room and also through the dining room, which was beside the kitchen.

  “Take a seat,” she said, finally releasing my arm and pointing to the barstools by the island. I didn’t sit down, though. I went straight to the back doors that overlooked a wooden deck and the yard. The yard led straight down to the water where there was a dock for a boat.

  “Nice, isn’t it?” Holt said, stepping up behind me. I had the urge to lean back against his chest so he would wrap his arms around me. I might have if I wasn’t aware of his mother watching us.

  “Absolutely,” I agreed.

  “So, Katie, Holt tells me you’re a librarian,” his mother said, drawing me away from the view.

  “Yes. I like books.”

  “Me too!”

  The conversation turned to books and literature as we drank lemonade and laughed together about Holt’s lack of book knowledge. He did, however, offer many opinions on the movies based off the books we talked about.

  His mother was open and friendly with an easy smile and a kind eye. I felt at ease and welcome in her home, and it made something in my chest tighten. Not really in a bad way, but a good one.

  I excused myself to go to the bathroom, hoping to take a moment and corral the emotion that seemed to bubble up on me at a moment’s notice lately. Since I didn’t really have to use the facilities, I moved over toward the window, staring out into the side yard.

  Being here in this house, it just made everything worse. It made that ache inside me—the longing for something more than I thought I wanted—worse.

  One day at a time, I told myself, inhaling a deep breath.

  After today, after I signed those documents, I could start rebuilding my life. I could start making some decisions and really thinking about what I wanted.

  As I thought, movement out the window caught my eye. It was a car making its way up the street. There was nothing really unusual about a car driving down the street.

  Other than the fact it was a dark sedan.

  Flashes from almost being run over assaulted me. I glanced back out the window, hoping to get a better look at the car, but it had already moved out of sight.

  You’re losing it, Katie, I told myself.

  Maybe after tonight I would take a vacation and just relax. I would certainly be able to afford it. Once I felt a little more in control, with my emotions in check, I headed back to the kitchen, only to pause at the sound of a new voice.

  “Well, where is this girl you haven’t shut up about since you pulled her out of that fire?”

  “She’s in the bathroom, Dad.”

  “Probably took one look at your mother and is trying to shimmy herself out the window and run away,” he said good-naturedly.

  “Ed!” Holt’s mother gasped, but then she giggled. “I did not scare that girl. In fact, I really like her. She’s a timid little thing, but I think time will fix that.”

  Did that mean she wanted me to stick around a while? I looked at the family photos lining the hall. Many of them were of Holt as a child, grinning toothlessly into the camera. They looked like such a happy family, with wonderful memories.

  “Give me ten minutes with her,” Holt’s dad replied.

  “Dad,” Holt warned. “She’s been through a lot. Go easy on her, would you?”

  “I�
��m just joking, son.” He laughed and I stepped out of the hall in time to see him slap Holt on the back.

  “Katie,” Holt said, stepping away from his parents and taking my hand. “This is my dad, Edward.”