Set the Night on Fire

by Jennifer Bernard

  Then the hammer fell.

  Benito Marquez from the Goodnight Moon B&B stopped in to inform her that Jack Drummond, the previous president, had called an informal meeting of the Jupiter Point Business Coalition for later in the week. “If you want to keep your position, you must come,” he told her. “Very important. Most people think you’ve been doing a good job, Evie, until now. You must explain to us what you’re doing. I voted for you, but now I have doubts. Our town is drawing the wrong kind of attention.”

  “I understand.”

  “If you decide to step down—”

  “No.” She didn’t even need a second to think about it. “I’m not considering that.”

  “But this must be difficult for you, no?”

  “I’m not stepping down,” she said firmly as she showed Benito to the door.

  Stepping down would be the same thing as letting Brad win. That’s why he was making such a public spectacle—because he liked the spotlight and she didn’t. He knew she’d do anything to avoid being the center of attention. He was playing her like a harp.

  And he was so good at that sort of thing. He’d been honing his public relations skills for years, while she…

  She’d been turning her sign to “moon.”

  * * *

  Sean had interviews booked solid over the next few days, but it was hard to concentrate on the eager local candidates when all he could think about was Evie McGraw and the way she’d pulled away from him and told him it was all a mistake. The woman was driving him nuts. If he was smart, he’d walk away right now.

  But he didn’t want to. He wanted more kissing, more touching, more of her smile. And he wanted to find out what had her so twisted up inside.

  That night…it wasn’t exactly what you think.

  He could drive himself crazy wondering what she meant by that. He couldn’t read her mind. At some point, she was going to have to tell him what these land mines were all about. Otherwise, he’d keep tripping over them and unintentionally blowing up their relationship.

  Not that they had a “relationship,” per se. But they had a thing. Or did they? Was she pulling the plug completely?

  “Sir?” The candidate in the Folding Chair of Death squirmed. Sean realized he’d been scowling at him as if he was responsible for the way Evie was confusing him. “Did you have any more questions?”

  “Yes.” He glanced at the sheet in front of him, which listed the basics about the candidate, Tim Peavy. Josh had done a thorough job of checking into his background. A military vet with two years of deployment in Iraq under his belt, he’d recently gotten his red card. One of Sean’s mandates was to increase the number of veterans on the crew. “You’ve been taking extra fire science courses, you said?”

  “Yes, fire science and EMT.”

  “Good, good. And you’ve been getting into shape for the physical tests?”

  “Yes.”

  “Drop down and give me some pushups. One minute. Fast as you can.”

  The kid did as told—that military training paid off—and launched into a rapid series of pushups.

  Josh, who was leaning his chair against the wall, kept the time while Sean counted. “Stop,” Josh called after a minute.

  Tim sat up, face red but grinning. “How many was that?”

  “Twenty-seven.”

  “Awesome!”

  “You’ll need to do at least thirty in sixty seconds,” Sean told him. “Forty-five sit-ups in a minute, and seven pull-ups, all performed consecutively. Hotshots have to show up fit at the start of the season, so get to the gym, the dojo, the track, whatever you do.”

  Tim’s grimace drew a laugh from Josh. “If you think that’s tough, guess how many pushups Sean here does?”

  “How many?”

  “What’s your record, Sean? Forty-three in sixty?”

  “Never mind that.” Sean gestured for Tim to sit back down. “I’m sure you can get into shape in no time. I like that you have military experience and that you’ve been educating yourself about fire science. That’s all great. Let me ask you one more question before you go. It’s going to be a tough one. When’s the last time you lied? I want you to tell me about that.”

  “What?”

  “Standard question.”

  “Yup,” Josh agreed. “Important question too.”

  Tim glanced from one to the other. Slowly his face fell. “I used to lie a lot before I joined the Army. I was into drugs. I got busted for underage drinking. I lied all the time.”

  Sean nodded encouragingly. “And now?”

  “It’s behind me. I don’t want that life. That’s why I joined up. I needed to stay out of trouble.”

  Sean glanced at the sheet of paper before him. Based on what Josh had found in his background check, everything the guy said was true.

  “I’m not that person anymore,” Tim said. “I’m married. We’re trying for a kid. I want to make something good out of my life.”

  Sean nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. He’d been in that exact spot about thirteen years ago. He loved hiring guys like this—guys who’d had a rough start in life but wanted something better.

  “I get it,” Sean told him. “I just wanted to hear what you had to say. I’m looking for men—and women—with character, not just skills. It’s not easy to be honest about your faults or your past. But on a crew like this, we have to trust each other. And that means telling the truth. To yourself and to the other guys. That’s what makes us a team, not just a bunch of people working together. You understand?”

  He nodded eagerly. “I do. I do. That’s what I want. I want to be part of a team doing something good.”

  “It’s some of the hardest work you’ll ever do,” Sean warned. “Can you handle sixteen-hour days?”

  “For two weeks straight?” Josh added.

  “Uh…”

  “Cutting paths in the dirt? It ain’t all that glamorous. You’re scraping the line down to mineral so there’s nothing there to burn. You do that over and over again, hour after hour, until your back aches and your hands feel like claws. And then there’s always the chance that the fire you’re trying to stop will jump that line.”

  “You ever been chased by a three-hundred-foot tall, half-a-million acre monster?” Josh asked.

  “Well, I was in the Army, so…”

  They all laughed. Sean’s phone vibrated with an incoming text. He glanced at it briefly to make sure it wasn’t one of the higher-ups with something urgent.

  The text was from Evie. I finally showed my mom the photos from the airstrip. They’d like to invite you to dinner tonight. Will you come? Please?

  She wasn’t pulling the plug. Their “whatever it was”—still was. When Sean looked up, his changed expression must have shocked the wannabe hotshot.

  “I’m in. I’m in, aren’t I?” Tim looked over at Josh for confirmation. “He’s smiling. Am I hired?”

  Sean grinned. Why not? “Subject to final approval, welcome to the Jupiter Point Hotshots.”

  * * *

  After the last interview, as Sean and Josh unloaded a shipment of tents, Josh said, “I got a call from Finn. He wants to fly us out to LA so the screenwriters can interview us.”

  “No.”

  “Come on, Magneto. Free trip to Hollywood. Models, actresses, Kardashians. We could take a side trip out to San Gabriel. I have friends in the fire department there.”

  “I don’t have time for a vacation in LaLa Land. The fire season’s only a few weeks away. That’s if it doesn’t start early, which most people are saying it will.” He tossed a box to Josh, who caught it easily and swung it onto the shelf.

  “Which is why it’s a perfect time for a break. Once summer hits, it’ll be nonstop.”

  Sean squinted at his friend. “Why are you so into this movie thing?”

  “For the chicks,” Josh said promptly. With a bandanna tied around his head to keep his shaggy mop of hair away from his face, he looked like a pirate.

  “Bu
llshit.” Sean knew perfectly well that Josh’s “player” facade was mostly an act. “Can I ask you something? During the burnover, did anything come into your mind about what you wanted to do afterward?”

  “Sure. Emma Watson. I told you guys.”

  “Something not related to women. Like for me, I knew I had to come back to Jupiter Point.” Sean checked the back of the van, saw no more boxes, and closed the doors with a slam.

  “But you came back for a woman.”

  Sean’s jaw dropped. “The hell I did. I came back to prove them all wrong. Show them I wasn’t a punk kid anymore.”

  Josh was watching him closely. “Prove it to who? The McGraws?”

  “No. Well, yes, them. And everyone else.”

  He scrubbed a hand across the back of his neck, suddenly nervous at the thought of seeing the McGraws for the first time since he’d left. He could probably use some moral support. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Evie.

  “Josh, what are you doing tonight? Feel like a home-cooked meal?”

  15

  Between the drama of Sean’s disappearance thirteen years ago and the even more exciting drama of his return, Evie worried all day long about what dinner would be like. Suzanne agreed to come as an extra buffer, and when Sean asked if Josh could come along, she jumped at the chance for more distraction.

  But she shouldn’t have worried. One huge advantage of growing up in the McGraw family was that politeness always ruled. In classic McGraw fashion, the Dean greeted Sean and Josh with distant courtesy, as if the events of thirteen years ago were simply too uncouth to mention.

  Her brother Hunter would be laughing his ass off.

  Molly McGraw was having one of her good days and remembered Sean right away. She even teased him about his macaroni and cheese obsession. Even though Sean seemed uncomfortable at first—maybe unsure of his welcome—he relaxed as soon as he realized no one was going to bring up the past.

  Nope, not in this household.

  After the Dean said grace, Evie cut up her mother’s meatloaf into manageable pieces and tried to think of a neutral topic. Nothing at all came to mind. Not the gallery, not the JPBC, nothing to do with Jupiter Point at all.

  She shot a pleading glance at Suzanne, who looked especially sunny in a daisy-printed sundress. “You owe me,” she mouthed, then turned to the Dean.

  “Uncle Fred, I was wondering what you thought about the new partnership between the community college and the observatory? It has amazing potential, don’t you think?”

  Evie’s jaw dropped. Every time she dismissed Suzanne as a boy-crazy social butterfly, her cousin surprised her.

  “I’m very hopeful,” the Dean answered. “I’ve told them they can count on my help.”

  That was another classic McGraw trait. Her family might not be great with conflict, but when it came to community service and doing their duty, no one could find fault with them.

  She’d tried her entire life to do that. But what if there was something inside her, something stubborn that she’d never be able to completely control? Something that was keeping her from delivering the endorsement everyone expected?

  Every time she looked over at Sean, that wild part of her howled like a wolf in the wilderness. Everything about him called to her. His messy dark hair, the insane delineation of his physique, the polite way he listened to her father, the secret glance from those deep-green eyes.

  When the community college topic petered out, Josh Marshall stepped into the silence. He told a funny story about the first time he’d tried to run with his pack on during training. He had no problem with the run, and in fact felt lighter at the end than when he’d started out. That was when he realized he’d left it unzipped and all his gear had fallen out along the way.

  Everyone laughed except Suzanne, who had apparently decided to look at Josh as some kind of wayward child. “I hope you picked everything up.”

  Josh fixed laughing gray eyes on her. “Of course not, that’s what the hose honeys are for.”

  “The what?”

  “He’s teasing.” Evie jumped in before Suzanne could explode from outrage. “From what I’ve seen, he does that a lot.”

  “Yup,” Josh agreed. “Never take anything I say seriously, unless there’s a fire. Then you should do exactly what I say, without question. Actually, maybe you should always—”

  “Where is Hunter these days?” Sean interrupted, addressing his question to the Dean.

  “Hunter has been working in Los Angeles.” Evie’s father adjusted his spectacles on his nose. “He works for a record company. I looked it up on the Google and apparently it’s one of the top companies in that field. He’s planning to move back this summer, happily. This family could use some good news.”

  Evie winced at that little dig. Her family might not like conflict, but it had a way of sneaking up on them anyway. When an awkward silence stretched on, she jumped in herself. “I can’t wait for Hunter to come home. And I’m really excited to meet his new girlfriend. She’s a famous pop star. Starly Minx, have you heard of her?”

  Sean and Josh both looked impressed, but the Dean pinched the bridge of his nose, a familiar gesture that told Evie he wasn’t happy with something. Starly’s fame or profession, most likely. But being a McGraw, he just changed the subject and addressed Evie. “By the way, have you seen this week’s Gazette around? What’s the point of paying extra for home delivery when they keep neglecting to deliver it?”

  Oh crap. Evie had confiscated her parents’ paper because of Brad’s op-ed. Sure, it was a cowardly thing to do, and pointless too. They were going to find out sooner or later; she preferred later.

  “I don’t know why you even bother with home delivery anymore, Uncle Fred.” Suzanne poured herself another glass of lemonade. “Most papers are online and—” Halfway through that sentence, Evie tried to kick her but couldn’t quite reach. She mouthed a panicked plea for help to Josh. He elbowed Suzanne in the side. “Ow!” She broke off and glared at Josh. “That was my rib you almost cracked.”

  “Sorry. Old firefighting injury. My arm spasms sometimes.”

  Suzanne narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “Don’t you work with a chainsaw?”

  “Yes. It’s a real problem. Especially in the shower.”

  Sean, in the midst of swallowing, covered his mouth. He looked awfully close to bursting into laughter and spewing lemonade across the table.

  Oh Lord…this dinner was totally going off the rails. On the bright side, Molly McGraw wore the biggest smile Evie had seen in while.

  Suzanne pointedly shook her head at Josh and turned back to the Dean. “As I was saying about reading the news online—”

  Evie shot to her feet. “Anyone want dessert? I made a shortcake. Suzanne, want to help me?”

  “I’ll help.” Sean rose to his feet and, despite her very obvious efforts to get Suzanne’s attention instead, he followed her into the kitchen.

  “What are you doing?” she hissed at him. “I don’t want Suzanne telling the Dean about the online edition. He’s lived without it so far.”

  “I know what you’re doing.” He cupped her elbows and drew her closer. “You’re trying to keep your father from finding out about Brad’s op-ed. Do you seriously think that’s going to work? He’s going to find out, one way or another. Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to just tell him about it?”

  “No.” She tried to tug away, but he clasped her even closer.

  “Hey. I’m not the enemy here.”

  “I know. I know. I just…what if he starts asking questions? And he will. Not that he wants to. If he wanted to, he would have done it by now. He’d much rather avoid the topic, of course. But once he hears what everyone’s saying, he’s going to want to know more.”

  The closeness of Sean’s body made it hard to stay upset. In his white dress shirt and gray trousers, he looked so handsome she wanted to eat him up. He’d probably dressed nicely in deference to her parents, not to make her pant
ies fall off, but she couldn’t help her reaction to him.

  “Honey, did you ever think that you’re maybe going about this wrong?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That the more you keep something secret, the more it can hurt you?”

  He ran his hands up and down her back. She inhaled his scent, pine woods and freedom. What would it be like to be that free? “It’s not that simple. I don’t want to hurt my parents. It’s about them, not me.”

  “Sweetheart, what are you so afraid of? Do you think anyone’s going to blame you for what happened with Brad? You were fourteen.” They were talking in urgent whispers now, aware that anyone could come in from the dining room at any moment.

  “You don’t understand.” She pressed the heel of her hand into her forehead. “It was my fault too. Maybe it was all my fault. I don’t know. At the time, he said that it was. Aunt Desiree thought so too. Maybe he was right and I’m not being fair to him now. I’m keeping him hanging just like I did before, and—”

  A surprise sob hiccupped from her mouth. This was more than she’d said to anyone. Ever.

  “Hey. Hey, hey.” He wrapped his arms around her and cradled the back of her head against his chest. “Come on now. What is this crap you’re telling yourself? How did you keep him hanging? I feel like I’m in the dark here. I don’t know how to help you.”

  “Evie? We’re waiting,” her father called.

  She tore herself from the circle of his arms. “I can’t talk about this here.” She grabbed the strawberry shortcake off the kitchen counter. “Can you grab the whipped cream from the fridge?”

  “This is a McGraw family habit, isn’t it? Just when things get interesting, you run for cover.” He opened the refrigerator and retrieved the whipped cream. “I’m going to take Josh home and then I’m coming back to get you. We’re going to talk. Tonight.” Sean brandished the can of Reddi-Wip in her direction.

  His firm tone gave her a little thrill. More than a little, actually. “You’re kind of bossy.”