All Consuming

by Jaci Burton

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Let’s just say it was a mistake from the start.”

  That didn’t sound good. “Sometimes that happens. Carmen, my brother Rafe’s fiancée, is divorced, and she talks to me a lot about her first marriage, about how she married too young, and she didn’t see the signs like she should have.”

  Hannah nodded. “Pretty much like that. But I got a great kid out of the marriage, so I have no regrets.”

  Kal’s eyes widened. Now that he didn’t know. “You have a kid?”

  She smiled. “Yes. Oliver. He’s seven, and the light of my life.”

  “That’s awesome, Hannah. I’ll bet you’re an amazing mom.” He couldn’t imagine Hannah as a mother. But they were both adults now. Still, she was so young to have a seven-year-old son. That must have been so tough.

  “Thank you. I try to do what’s best for him. Which is why I’m back home.”

  “How did your ex feel about you moving away with your son?”

  Hannah inhaled a deep breath, and Kal could tell she was trying to avoid the question.

  Their food arrived, so he let the topic drop—for now—and dug into his huevos rancheros. Hannah seemed to relax after that and settled in to eat her avocado toast and eggs.

  She took a sip of her juice and swallowed, then asked, “What about you? Did you become a firefighter?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been a firefighter for five years, then I transferred to the Technical Rescue Team a few months ago.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Typically high-angle or confined space rescue, but there’s a lot more that goes into it.”

  “So you don’t fight fires anymore?”

  “Sometimes, if we’re needed, but mostly it’s high-risk rescue situations where the firefighters need our assistance.”

  “Wow. Sounds dangerous.”

  He gave her a smile. “All firefighting is dangerous.”

  “Of course. And you love it, don’t you?”

  “Yeah. Always have.”

  She rested her chin in her hand and studied him. “I knew this is where you’d end up. It’s been in your blood, ever since your dad rescued you and your brothers when you were kids. And Jackson and Rafe?”

  “Also firefighters. Jackson’s a lieutenant now. He and Rafe work in the same firehouse. Our dad’s the battalion chief there. Same place I worked until I transferred to the TRT.”

  She gave him a genuine smile. “Wow. I’m so happy for all of you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “And how are your parents?”

  “They’re doing great. They moved into a new house last year. A bigger place, with an office for my mom. And a pool.”

  Hannah nodded. “She always wanted a pool.”

  He smiled. “You remember that.”

  “Of course I do. She hated the hot Ft. Lauderdale summers. She always said if she had a nice pool in the backyard, it would be more tolerable.”

  “What about your mom? Does she still live in the same house?”

  “Same one.”

  “It’s a pretty great house.”

  “It is. That’s where Oliver and I are living right now. At least until I get more settled and I can get my own place.”

  “That’s a good idea. I’m sure she’s helpful, and she probably loves having you and Oliver there.”

  “She does. She’s been there by herself all those years since my dad died.”

  “No guy friends yet, huh?”

  “She’s dated here and there over the years, but no one has stuck. I just don’t think she’ll ever find anyone she’ll love as much as she loved my dad.”

  Kal remembered Hannah’s dad well. They’d all hung out a lot when he was dating her. “I understand. He was a great guy.”

  “He was. But it’s been twelve years since he died. I’d hate for her to be alone for the rest of her life.”

  “She’s not alone right now. She has you.”

  She waved her fork at him. “Which is the exact reason I’m not making my stay permanent. It would just be another excuse for her not to go out and find love again.”

  “That makes sense, though maybe you shouldn’t be in a huge hurry to make your exit.”

  “Why not?”

  “Get your bearings again. Settle in, you know? Take your time before you go rushing off on your own. I’m sure your mom loves having you and Oliver there after you were gone for so long.”

  She picked up her coffee cup. “Now you sound like my mother.”

  “Hey.”

  She laughed. “Sorry. But you’re probably right. I just don’t want to get in her way.”

  “I don’t think parents ever think we’re in the way. If I wanted to bunk at my parents’ place I’m sure my mom would be so happy she’d probably cry. You know how they are.”

  “Yes. Happy when we leave, even happier when we come home again.”

  “Exactly right.”

  He finished eating and set his plate aside.

  “What about you?” she asked. “Do you have your own place?”

  “Sort of. My brothers and I have been living in my grandparents’ house that we renovated. Though Rafe moved out several months ago after he bought a house with his fiancée. Now it’s just me and Jackson and his fiancée.”

  “Ooh, cozy.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “It’s a four-bedroom house. They get plenty of privacy.”

  “But they’re getting married, right?”

  “They just got engaged so they’re wedding planning.”

  “And what’s the plan, if you don’t mind me being nosy? Are they going to stay at the house after they get married? Do you have to move out?”

  “I . . . haven’t given that much thought. I doubt they have, either.” But now he was thinking about it.

  “I’m sure it will all work out. Like you said, it’s a big house.”

  He took a swig of his coffee, then set it down. “Well, you know, it’s something I hadn’t considered before now. Newlyweds will want privacy. Jackson and Becks and I just haven’t talked about who’s going to keep living at the house, who’s going to move out.”

  She frowned. “I didn’t mean to interject an opinion there. It’s really not my business. That’s your family’s home.”

  “No, but you bring up a valid point. The home passed to my mom after my grandmother died. My brothers and I renovated it, so none of us own it. It makes sense for Becks and Jackson to live there after they get married. Then again, they might want to get their own place. With Rafe and Carmen in their own house . . .”

  Now that Hannah had brought it up, he wasn’t sure what to do about the living arrangement. He was going to have to talk to Jackson.

  “Look, I’m sorry I said anything.”

  He popped his head up. “Why?”

  “Because I feel bad. I wasn’t suggesting you should move out.”

  He smiled at her. “I know you weren’t. But it’s not a bad idea. It’s something Jackson and I need to talk about.”

  “Which is none of my business. I don’t even know—”

  “Me? You don’t even know me? Come on, Hannah. It’s not like that. We know each other.”

  “But really, we don’t. We’re not high school kids anymore. You’re not the boy who left for college, and I’m not the girl who cried over losing you. We both moved on a long time ago. We’re adults, with jobs and responsibilities. We’ve lived ten years of our lives without each other. We’ve had experiences and losses and triumphs.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “Uh-huh. That’s true. But did your entire personality change in those ten years?”

  She frowned. “Well, no.”

  “Neither did mine. I might be older, and maybe I bulked up a little in muscle, but I’m still that
same funny guy who used to lean against your locker in between classes.”

  She studied him for a few seconds before answering. “Maybe. Maybe not. I just think life experiences change us. That we get a chance to mature, make choices that we might not have made ten years earlier.”

  “You’re probably right.” Now it was his turn to study her while he finished his coffee. Physically, she’d definitely matured. Her body had filled out. She’d gotten curves, her face was fuller and she bore the look of maturity in her eyes that only painful life experience could give someone. That part he understood. But the underlying characteristics of who she was as a person? That part he didn’t think had changed. She was still Hannah, the girl he’d known since she was fourteen years old, the one he’d met because their lockers had been next to each other. They’d shared English, history and math classes freshman year. They’d connected right away because they’d both been smart and athletic and they’d both liked to laugh. He didn’t think those parts of her had changed.

  “How about we find out if we’re still the same people?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “Go out with me, Hannah.”

  She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth, considering before she answered. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you can’t ever go back.”

  “I’m not talking about going back. I’m talking about going forward. You’re single, I’m single, we already know we liked each other in high school. So let’s see if we still have the same things in common, if that chemistry is still there.” He already knew the chemistry was still there. He’d felt it last night.

  “I don’t know, Kal. We’re different people now.”

  “So you keep saying. I say we’re the same.”

  “And I have a child.”

  He grinned. “I like kids.”

  She sighed. “You’re making this difficult.”

  “When it should be easy. You want to have fun, right?”

  “I guess. Though I don’t really have a lot of time for fun things. I work a lot, sometimes late. And then I have Oliver to take care of.”

  “Okay. So when you can carve out a little time, let me take you out. I’ll bet your mom wouldn’t mind watching Oliver while we go to dinner or a movie. Or we’ll bring him along.”

  “On our dates.”

  “Sure. I like doing kid things.”

  She squinted, as if she didn’t quite believe him. “You make me really want to test this theory, see if even you believe what you’re saying. Having a child around isn’t always fun and games.”

  He laughed. “I realize that. And if you don’t want me to meet Oliver right away, I’ll respect that.”

  “Let me think about it.”

  “Okay. You let me know what you decide.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “In the meantime, it’s a beautiful day. What would you like to do?”

  “What would I like to do? I’d like to spend the day at the beach. What do I have to do? Laundry. And cleaning. And grocery shopping. And Oliver’s friend is having a birthday party this afternoon, so we have to shop for a present, then I have to drop him off. I have responsibilities, and I don’t have time to play with you today.”

  He could tell Hannah’s plate was full and she was stressed. “I understand. We’ll do it some other time.”

  “Sure.”

  He paid the bill and they walked outside. She turned to face him.

  “Hey, thanks for lunch. It was fun to catch up.”

  This felt a lot like a permanent goodbye. He wasn’t about to let that happen.

  “How about we go out Friday night?”

  “I work Saturday and it’s my longest day.”

  “Then let me take you out Saturday night.”

  She sighed. “Kal, I’d like to but—”

  “We’ll do something simple and easy. Nothing fancy.”

  It took her a few seconds to answer, and he thought during those seconds she was going to say no. If she did, that would be it. He wouldn’t press her.

  “Fine. We’ll go out Saturday night.”

  He couldn’t hold back his smile. “Great. I’ll text you.”

  “Okay.” She started to turn away, then stopped. “Thanks for asking me.”

  “Thanks for saying yes.”

  She smiled at him in a way that made his gut feel like he’d been punched. Hannah had the kind of a smile that could stop traffic. Bright and beautiful, making her eyes sparkle.

  He’d always known when she was happy, because he could see it in her eyes. Like now.

  “See you Saturday, Kal.”

  She walked away, and he stood there watching her, feeling stupid happy.

  It was just a date. Nothing to get excited about. But there he was, excited as hell because he had a date with Hannah on Saturday.

  He grinned, grabbed his keys out of his pocket and headed for his truck.

  CHAPTER 5

  Hannah finished applying the last foil on a particularly difficult double color on a client, so all she had to do was wait for that to process. While the client sat under the dryer, she updated some appointments for next week and returned a phone call for a client who wanted to change the time for her haircut.

  Then she went into the back of the salon to rest her feet and catch up on how this week’s sales had looked.

  She rented out space to other stylists, which was going well.

  Delilah Watson was the reason Hannah had ended up opening up this salon when she’d returned to Ft. Lauderdale. Having to close her salon in Georgia had hurt Hannah, both emotionally and financially. She figured she’d wait to open a salon once she got back here, maybe work for someone else until she could get back on track.

  And then she’d reconnected with Delilah, and Hannah had been thrilled to find out that Delilah was doing hair in another salon. Getting stylists was one of the biggest problems for a salon owner. Delilah had been awesome with hair in high school before she’d ever gotten her license, and when she told Hannah she worked six full days a week, Hannah asked if she’d be willing to come with her.

  Delilah hadn’t hesitated. She said the owner of the salon she worked at was a total bitch and she’d leave in a heartbeat. Having an incredible stylist ready to go meant she could get her business up and running. She’d found the location, and they had clients the first week.

  Hannah had since added another stylist, and a manicurist was starting next week, which made her very happy.

  Her friend Delilah came into the back room.

  “You and me both, girl,” Delilah said, pulling up the chair next to her. “I was about to die if I didn’t sit down.”

  Delilah was a force. Beautiful, with short spiky blond hair and tattoos down one arm, she was petite but talked with a loud voice, and where Hannah was introverted, Delilah was super outgoing. But they’d bonded over their love of the world of Harry Potter in middle school and had been friends ever since. They’d lost touch for a while after Hannah left Ft. Lauderdale, but once she moved back, she’d run into Delilah at the grocery store and their friendship had kicked right in once again.

  “It’s been a long day, for sure. But a good day. I’ve been busy.”

  Delilah nodded. “Same here. You’ve got a killer location. Much better than that last shop I was at.”

  Marguerite, the other stylist, came in to grab a drink from the fridge. “I agree. This is the best spot. Easy to get to, and traffic brings in walk-ins. I love it here and so do my clients.”

  Hannah smiled. “I’m so glad. We love having you here.”

  “Thank you. And you’re much nicer than the last salon owner I worked with. She was terrible. Always giving me orders like she was my boss, telling me I had to work late, clean up, wash all the towels.”
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  Hannah frowned. “You just rented booth space, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. But that woman, she didn’t seem to understand that all her stylists were independent. I was happy when Delilah told me you were looking for people.”

  “Hey, I was glad to get you out of there,” Delilah said. “Maybe once she loses all her stylists she’ll figure out she’s the problem.”

  Marguerite laughed. “I doubt it. She’s not what I would call self-aware.”

  Hannah shook her head. “I ran into that problem with salon owners before I bought my own shop. They think stylists work for them. If you’re not paying them a salary, they don’t.”

  “Either way, we’re happy to be here with you, where you treat us like equals,” Delilah said. “And where we all pitch in to keep the place clean.”

  Hannah smiled. “You’re both so great. I’m so thrilled to have you here with me.”

  “And we get Josephine on Tuesday,” Marguerite said. “You’re going to love working with her.”

  Their new manicurist was Marguerite’s cousin. Hannah had interviewed Josephine and even had her do a mani/pedi on her. She’d done a thorough and beautiful job. Delilah knew her as well and had used her services before. It was important to Hannah that all the stylists got along, because she’d worked in shops before where personality clashes caused conflict and tension, and clients always picked up on that. She didn’t want that in her shop.

  She was confident that wasn’t going to happen here.

  When her client was done, Hannah rinsed and styled her hair. It turned out great, shades of blond highlights in her beautiful light brown hair. The client was delighted, and Hannah was satisfied it had turned out well. And the client booked a follow-up appointment, which was even better.

  Since that was her last client for the day, and both Delilah and Marguerite had finished up as well, they put towels in the laundry and cleaned up the shop. After the women had left, Hannah waited for the towels to finish, then turned out the lights and locked up, happy to be finished earlier than she expected. She called her mom to see if she wanted Hannah to pick up dinner for Oliver and her. She told Hannah she already had dinner planned, so Hannah drove home.