by Jaci Burton
Now all that was left was cleanup. By the time they made their way back to the station, Kal was filthy and wiped out, the initial adrenaline rush having left his body. He felt twenty pounds heavier since he was carrying all that extra mud and water weight on his body.
He went to the shower to scrub the mud off, then put on a fresh uniform. He sat in the locker room and tried to keep his hands from shaking. It had been a tough call that could have gone sideways in an instant. It didn’t, but he had to admit that one scared him.
Calls like that were why he’d signed on to the TRT. He was going to have to suck it up and manage the stress of it all. So he went back into the main room to rejoin his team.
Everyone seemed to be wiped out, but the truck had to be cleaned up and supplies inventoried and replaced. Fortunately, they didn’t get any calls the rest of the night, so they ate and chilled out. Which gave him plenty of time to regain his bearings.
He needed some downtime to reflect on that call, on his reaction to it, on how he’d managed it. Because it had been difficult, but this was what he’d asked for.
So he was going to have to learn how to deal with it.
CHAPTER 9
Hannah had a cancellation on her last appointment of the day, which didn’t disappoint her all that much. It gave her time to pick Oliver up from school so he didn’t have to ride the bus. Her mom still worked full-time at the county clerk’s office, so they’d made arrangements for Oliver to stay at the neighbor’s house with his friend. She’d already called Becca to let her know she was picking Oliver up, and texted her mom, too.
“It’s so cool you’re here,” Oliver said when he saw her outside the school.
“I think so, too.”
After he got into his seat, he said, “You’re usually the last one home. Now you’re the first.”
“Which is why I wanted to surprise you today.”
“So what are we gonna do now?”
“Well, tonight we’re going to a movie, remember?”
“Oh, right. Can we have pizza first?”
“Of course. A friend of mine is going with us.”
“Do I know her?”
“It’s a him. And no, you don’t.”
Oliver went silent for a moment, and Hannah wondered if he was upset about her bringing a guy.
“Can I bring a friend, too?”
She smiled as she connected glances with him in the rearview mirror. She should have known he was playing an angle. “Sure.”
“Can you call Jeff’s mom and ask if he can come?”
“I’ll do that as soon as we get home.”
Becca agreed to let Jeff go with them for dinner and a movie. In fact, she sounded deliriously happy. Becca was just coming out of her first trimester of pregnancy with her second child, and she told Hannah she was looking forward to having a few hours of rest and relaxation with her husband, Tony. She said they’d probably both pass out on the sofa after dinner. Hannah had laughed at that mental visual.
Hannah couldn’t blame her for wanting to enjoy some quiet time.
When they parked in the driveway, Oliver sprang out of the car. “I’m gonna go next door and get Jeff.”
“Okay. Come right back.”
“We will.”
She shook her head and went to the mailbox to grab the mail, waving at Becca as she answered the door to let Oliver in. She went in the house and laid the mail and her purse on the kitchen counter.
Her phone buzzed. It was a text from Kal.
Movie times are 6, 7:30 and 9. What works for you? I’ll order tickets.
She looked at her phone, calculating the time it would take for pizza and getting to the movie theater, then sent a text back to Kal.
I think 7:30 works the best so we have time for pizza. And we’ll need four tickets. Oliver is bringing a friend.
Kal texted right back with: Got it. What time should I pick you up?
She replied: I’m home early today, so 5:30 is good. We can take our time with pizza.
He sent a text back: See you then.
Sounds good, she replied, then realized he’d be coming over to her mom’s house instead of meeting her somewhere. Then again, he was going to meet Oliver, so it didn’t really matter if he came here.
When Oliver and Jeff came running through the door, she sent them to Oliver’s room to play and told them to stay inside, then went to take a shower. Once that was out of the way, she got dressed and went into the kitchen to flip through the mail.
Junk mail and bills. And more bills. “Living the Cinderella life here, aren’t you, Hannah?”
She tossed the mail back on the counter, fixed herself a glass of iced tea and sat at the table to pay a few of those bills before she forgot about them, since no prince was coming to save her. It appeared as if she was going to have to save herself, which she was damned used to since she’d been doing it for years.
Being married to Landon had taught her one valuable lesson, and that was to never rely on anyone but herself. She’d been young and stupid, and she’d fallen for the fantasy of a good-looking guy who’d promised this fantastical future in which he was going to take her away from all of this and set her up for life.
Ha. He’d set her up, all right. He’d set her up with a pack of lies and nothing but disappointment. She’d never fall for that again.
She was much better off on her own.
“Mom. Mom. Momma. Mommmm.”
She blinked and lifted her head to find Oliver standing next to the table. “Yes, sweetie?”
“Jeff and I want something to drink. Can we have a soda?”
“You can have water right now and sodas when we have pizza.”
“Okay.” He climbed up to the cabinet and grabbed two glasses, then stuck them in the spigot outside the fridge and filled them with water. He started to walk off.
“Nope. Drink them in the kitchen.”
“Aww, Mom. We won’t spill.”
She’d heard that one before. “In the kitchen, Oliver.”
“Fine. Come on, Jeff. Let’s sit at the table and play the game on my tablet.”
They sat at the table with her while she finished paying bills. Her mom came home, so she put her paperwork away in the drawer and went into the living room with her mother.
“How was your day, Mom?”
“Good. Yours?”
“Fine. I’m taking Oliver and Jeff to the movies tonight.”
“That sounds nice. I’m going out to dinner with Carole and Amanda, then we’re heading over to the casino in Hollywood.”
“To make millions, no doubt.”
Her mom laughed. “No doubt.”
“Oh, and Kal is going with us.”
She saw the brow raise her mother made. “Oh, really? That’s interesting.”
“It’s not that interesting. He wants to see the movie.”
Her mother gave her a smile. “Honey, he wants to see you, not the movie.”
She glanced into the kitchen, but the boys were engrossed in conversation about the game and not at all interested in what she and her mother were discussing. “It’s not like that.”
“If you think that boy isn’t interested in getting you naked, then you haven’t gotten any in a while.”
Now it was Hannah’s brows that shot up. “Mom!”
Her mom looked over her shoulder, and so did Hannah. The boys had disappeared back into Oliver’s room.
“What? Look, Hannah. I may be a widow, but I still think about sex.”
“Apparently, you’re the one who needs to get some.”
Her mother shrugged. “Who says I don’t?”
“Mother. Really.”
“Yes, really. We’re all sexual creatures, Hannah. And especially you. You’re young and vibrant, and you should be getting out there, livi
ng it up. There’s no reason why you can’t have some fun. You got divorced, Hannah. You don’t need to put all the good china in the cabinet to gather dust, if you know what I mean.”
She could not believe she was having this conversation with her mother. “Yes, I know exactly what you mean, and I’ll take that under advisement.”
“You do that. Make a date with the boy for Saturday night, too, and I’ll watch Oliver. So maybe you two can fool around a little.”
She shook her head and stood. “This conversation is over.”
She could still hear her mom laughing as she made her way into her bedroom to finish getting ready.
After putting on her makeup, she stared into the closet. Pizza and movie night was super casual. She chose black capris and a cotton short-sleeved shirt, then grabbed a lightweight cardigan since movie theaters were sometimes cold. She slid on her canvas tennis shoes, brushed her hair and came out into the kitchen, looking to see where everyone was.
The boys were still in Oliver’s room. Her mom was gone as well, which meant she was probably in her room getting ready, so Hannah went into the living room and opened her phone, selecting her book app, deciding to take a few precious moments to get caught up on the romance novel she had been reading. She was only a few pages in when there was a knock on the front door, so she got up to let Kal in.
“Hey,” he said. “You look pretty.”
She thought she looked pretty basic, but it was always nice to be complimented. “Thank you. You look nice, too. Come on in.”
He walked in, and the two boys came running out.
“Who are you?” Oliver asked, looking Kal up and down.
“I’m Kal Donovan. Are you Oliver?”
Oliver nodded.
Kal held out his hand to shake Oliver’s. “I went to high school with your mom. We’ve known each other a long time.”
“Oh, I saw your picture with my mom. You were her boyfriend.”
Kal looked over to Hannah, who shrugged. “Yup. I was.”
“So you’re old like her.”
“Thanks, Oliver,” Hannah said with a wry smile.
Kal laughed.
“This is my friend Jeff,” Oliver said. “He lives next door and we’re best friends.”
Jeff smiled to show off his missing front teeth.
“Hey, Jeff,” Kal said. “So we’re going to see the new fireman movie tonight. Did you know I’m a firefighter?”
Oliver looked over at Jeff, then back at Kal. “Nuh-uh. Really?”
“Yup. And I can’t wait to see the movie.”
“Me, too,” Jeff said. “Do you go into burning buildings like they show on TV?”
“Sometimes, but we try to put the fire out as best we can first.”
“And do you save people’s lives?” Oliver asked.
“Sometimes.”
“Cool.”
True to the attention span of seven-year-olds, the boys ran off back to Oliver’s room just as her mom walked in.
Her bright smile lit up her face. “Kal. It’s so good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too, Mrs. McKenzie.”
“Please. It’s Paige.” She hugged Kal, then held on to his arms while she inspected him. “You’ve grown up.”
“And you’ve grown even more beautiful than you were the last time I saw you.”
Hannah caught that telltale blush on her mother’s cheeks. “You’ve always known just the right thing to say to make a woman feel special. Thank you.”
“Are you coming with us tonight?” he asked.
Her mother shook her head. “No. It’s girls’ night out. Dinner and then casino.”
He turned to Hannah. “Hey, that sounds fun. Maybe I’ll go with Paige instead.”
Hannah laughed. “Knock yourself out, buddy.”
“No, you’re going with Hannah.” She pushed at Kal. “Now the four of you should get going.”
“She’s pushy, isn’t she?” Kal asked.
Hannah rolled her eyes. “You have no idea. Boys, it’s time to go.”
Oliver and Jeff ran out, Hannah grabbed her cardigan and her bag and they headed out. Since Kal had his truck, she suggested they take her car, much to the boys’ disappointment since they wanted to ride in the truck.
“It has a regular back seat,” Kal said to Hannah. “With seat belts. I promise it’s safe.”
“Come on, Mom,” Oliver said. “It’s a cool truck.”
“It looks like a souped-up version of a road monster.”
He laughed. “What? It’s a black truck with appropriately sized tires and all the prominent safety features. I promise it won’t make weird noises or anything.”
She supposed she was used to her small car, so Kal’s truck seemed huge to her.
“Please, Mom?” Oliver asked.
“Fine. Go on and get in.”
Kal grinned, opened the back door of the truck and helped the boys climb inside. He made sure their seat belts were buckled, then opened the door for Hannah and held his hand out to help her climb in.
She had to admit, the truck was very nice on the inside. All the gadgetry and nice soft seats, and since it was humid out, the air-conditioning was a great relief. There were even vents blowing in the back for the boys, who were busy playing together on Oliver’s tablet and completely ignoring her and Kal.
He climbed in and buckled up. “Okay?”
She smiled. “Perfect. Also? Nice truck.”
“Thanks. Hungry?”
“Starving. Let’s go eat some pizza.”
He grinned and put the truck in gear, then backed down the driveway.
She’d initially had reservations about doing this, but now she was looking forward to it. Plus, she was hungry, and she loved pizza. The pizza place was kid friendly with arcade games to keep Oliver and Jeff busy, as well as a nice seating area where the adults could sit but still keep an eye on the kids. All in all, kind of perfect.
They ordered their drinks and pizza, then found a table with a great view of the arcade, so Hannah let Oliver and Jeff wander off.
“I’ve never been here before,” Kal said.
“No reason for you to, since it’s mostly an adults-with-kids kind of restaurant.”
“It looks fun. Want to play some games?”
She laughed. “At the moment, I’m happy being off my feet and drinking my soda. If you want to play, by all means go and join the boys.”
“At the moment, I’m happy sitting next to you.”
His statement warmed her. “Thanks. I like having you here next to me.”
“How was your day?”
“Crazy busy. But my last appointment canceled, so I got to pick Oliver up from school.”
“That was nice. I mean, not the canceled appointment, but it was good you got to pick him up and spend more time with him. I’ll bet he was excited to see you.”
“He was, actually. Though probably more excited to see Jeff.”
Kal shrugged. “Hey, he’s seven. Hanging with his friends is everything.”
She looked over to the play area to see Oliver and Jeff nudging each other while they played an arcade game. Her little boy was growing some long legs. It used to be he was barely tall enough to reach the controls. That wasn’t the case anymore. She sighed. “They grow up fast.”
“He’s a cute kid, Hannah. He looks a lot like you.”
She dragged her attention from Oliver and looked at Kal. “You think so?”
“Yeah. He has your eyes and your smile.”
That made her happy. She’d compared their baby pictures a few times and tried to gauge who he looked like. Her mom said he looked like her, but she wasn’t sure. “That’s nice to hear. Thanks.”
She took a sip of her soda, then asked, “What did you do on your day off today
?”
“Went to the gym and worked out, then washed the truck and did some grocery shopping.”
“How very domestic of you.”
He laughed. “It was my week to buy groceries. We take turns.”
“I see. So you all make a global list and then one person buys?”
“Usually. Though sometimes we’ll run out of something in the middle of the week, or someone will want to make something specific for dinner and they’ll pick that up at the store. But yeah, it’s one list and we all use it, then we take turns buying. It works out.”
“Like a commune.”
“Funny. Actually, more like a family. We all share duties.”
“Was it always like that? When you were growing up?”
“Yeah. We each had a chore list. Mom made sure it was split evenly. Someone had to empty the trash, one of us had to unload the dishwasher, stuff like that. And then we’d all argue over who had more work to do.”
She didn’t have any siblings, so she didn’t know what that would have been like. It had always been her parents and her, and she’d been assigned chores when she was a kid. But she’d had no one to share the chores with, to argue with.
She glanced over at Oliver. He had chores to do as well, but no one to fight with, to play with other than his friends. She wished she could have given him a sibling, but it hadn’t taken her long to figure out that Landon wasn’t the best father figure and she didn’t want to bring another child into the picture.
“It must have been great to grow up with siblings.”
His lips curved. “Depends on the day. Most times we got along, especially when we lived on the street. Then we depended on one another for survival, especially me since I was the youngest. After we got adopted and we adapted to family life? It didn’t take long for the fights to start.”
“Real fights?”
“Nah. Just how boys squabble. It meant we had gotten comfortable. Mom said it meant we were happy. And that we should knock it off before we ended up stuck in our room staring at the four walls.”