Second Alarm (Firehouse Fourteen Book 5)
Page 13
Courtney sighed and straightened, reaching back to pull her hair from Beth’s hand. “I happen to like the purple.”
“I know you do. But Fall’s here. New season, new color. I’m thinking you’d look really good with some red.”
“Red? I don’t think so—”
“Not red red. More like an auburn cinnamon. With highlights. That would really make your color pop.”
“What’s wrong with my color?”
“Nothing. Except you’ve been so stressed lately that you’re super pale. The blonde only makes you look more washed out.”
“Oh, and going red would be any better?”
“Sure. A nice warm color, nothing too drastic.” Beth started running her fingers through her hair, pulling strands in different directions. “We’ve never done a red on you before. I think it’ll look good.”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“No maybes about it. I already know what I’m going to do. Can you stay late tonight? I’ll do it then—”
“Hey Courtney, someone’s here to see you.”
They both turned toward Shelly, another stylist. There was something about the other woman’s expression that made Courtney tense, made her hands curl into fists. This wasn’t about a client, Beth knew that as surely as Courtney did.
A man stood behind Shelly, middle-aged in a dark, nondescript suit. Everything about him was nondescript. Average, unassuming. Someone you’d pass on the street and not even notice.
So why did he fill Courtney with so much obvious fear and dread? And why did Beth suddenly place a hand on her shoulder, offering her friend support?
“Miss Williams?”
“Y-yes?”
The man pushed past Shelly, a white envelope held in his hand. He stopped in front of Courtney, his face blank of all expression, and held the envelope out to her. “This is a request for a paternity test on one Noah Robert Williams. The information on where to have the test taken is inside. I would suggest you not ignore it.”
“What?” The word fell from Courtney’s mouth in a strangled whisper. It didn’t matter, the man was already walking out. Beth’s hand tightened on her shoulder and she leaned closer, peering at the envelope in Courtney’s shaking hand.
Courtney looked down at it, her eyes dazed, almost as if she didn’t see it. She squeezed her eyes closed, opened them, blinked a few times. Beth looked over her shoulder, her gaze falling on the return address so crisply printed in the corner. It was from a law firm.
“Courtney! Oh my God. What is it? Open it! What did he mean? Paternity? For Noah? Why? For what?” Beth’s questions came one after the other, the words nothing more than senseless sound. Courtney probably didn’t even hear them. She looked lost, frightened.
Scared to death.
She dropped the envelope onto the table and pushed her chair back, nearly knocking Beth over. “Throw it in the trash. I don’t want it.”
“Shelly, grab me a bottle of water.” Beth bent down next to her and placed a comforting hand on her leg. Her other hand snagged the envelope from the table and held it between them. “Courtney, I don’t think you can ignore this. You heard him. You need to open it.”
“No. No, I don’t.”
“Courtney, he sounded serious. You need to open it.”
“I can’t.”
“You have to. But I don’t understand, why would anyone want a paternity test on Noah? I thought you said you knew who his father was.”
“I did. I do.” She closed her eyes, bit down on her trembling lower lip. All the color drained from her face, leaving her pale. Her hands started shaking. Her whole body was shaking, her chest rising and falling with each short gasp. Beth worried that she might actually pass out. She’d never seen Courtney look like this, so…terrified.
She shifted in the chair, finally opened her eyes and rested her frantic gaze on Beth. “Open it for me. I can’t. I don’t want—you have to open it.”
Beth watched her for a long minute, a hundred different unasked questions flashing through her mind. Then she nodded and slowly opened the envelope, surprised to see her own fingers shaking. She pulled out a single sheet of paper, the letterhead matching the name of the law firm on the envelope.
Beth looked at Courtney once more, silently asking permission to read it. Courtney nodded, her eyes fixed on Beth as she skimmed the several short paragraphs.
“What does it say?”
“It’s a bunch of legal jargon.” Beth frowned, her eyes skimming the page once more. “Something about something called an Acknowledgement of Paternity to establish—ohmygod. I know this name. Holy shit. Oh. My. God. Courtney! Seriously? He’s Noah’s father? Holy shit, I don’t believe it.”
Courtney snatched the paper from Beth’s shaking hand and read it for herself.
Had Beth read the name correctly? She had. But she still couldn’t believe it. No wonder Courtney never talked about Noah’s father. Harland Day had been a hockey player, a local boy made good who made it to the professionals. He’d played for the Baltimore Banners up until last season, when he was sent back here to their minor affiliate in York.
There had been rumors and stories floating around about him. About his partying. About his escapades with different women. God, no wonder Courtney looked so scared. No wonder she didn’t want him in Noah’s life. Beth couldn’t blame her.
Unless—maybe he wanted to be in Noah’s life. Maybe the stories had been just that: stories.
And maybe Beth needed to stop dreaming. Needed to learn how to be more realistic, like Courtney.
“Is he really Noah’s father?”
Courtney folded the letter and carefully tucked it back into the envelope, refusing to look at Beth. “Yes.”
“You? And Harland Day? But—”
“It was a long time ago, okay? I don’t like thinking about it.”
“How can you not think about it? He’s Noah’s father!”
“And he didn’t even know about Noah until a few weeks ago! I don’t know why he’s doing this. It makes no sense—”
“But isn’t this a good thing? I mean, it looks like he wants to be named as Noah’s father. That means you can get him to pay child support and help—”
“No!” Courtney jumped from the chair and started pacing around the small room, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle. They had an audience now: Shelly and Diane and Jackie crowded together in the doorway, their expressions ranging from concern to blatant curiosity.
Courtney paused her frantic pacing, glanced at the women huddled in the doorway, then turned back to Beth. “I don’t want his money. I don’t want his help. I don’t want anything to do with him and I don’t want him in our lives.”
“But why? Wouldn’t this help—”
“Because he accused me of sleeping with someone else when I first told him I was pregnant. He kept insisting, over and over and over, that the baby wasn’t his. That it couldn’t be his.” Courtney made an angry swipe at the tears running down her face. “So I told him it wasn’t. I told him I wouldn’t have it and that was it. I never saw him again.”
“Oh, Courtney.” Beth hurried over to her and pulled her into a comforting hug. Several more pairs of arms joined them, offering words of comfort and consolation and support. Beth didn’t know how long they stood there, huddled together. She pulled away, wiped her own face, her mouth trembling with a watery smile.
“Okay, no more of this. Shelly, you and the others get back out there. Diane, can you take Courtney’s next appointment?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“I can take my own appointment.” Courtney tried to object but Beth waved her off before shooing everyone out of the room. “Beth, I can take—”
“No, you can’t.” She grabbed the envelope from the table and held it out. “You need to get this taken care of first.”
Courtney stepped back and shook her head. “No. I want nothing to do with that.”
“Courtney, you can’t ignore it.”
“Then go talk to his father.”
“Beth, I told you, I don’t want—”
“This isn’t going to go away, no matter how much you want it to. You should at least go talk to him. Maybe there’s another way. Maybe there’s some way to work this out so you’re both happy.”
Happy? Did Beth really believe this would end happily? She had to, one way or another. Courtney deserved it. Out of everyone here, Courtney deserved it the most.
She stared down at the envelope in Beth’s outstretched hand, eyeing it with distaste and fear. Then she reluctantly took it, a look of stunned surprise crossing her face. Her hand tightened around the letter, partially crumpling it. Then she raised her head and looked at Beth, fear clear in her eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Go talk to him. It’s the only thing you can do for now.”
She hoped Beth would take the advice, hoped it would work out better for her friend than it had for her.
Not that talking to Adam would help in her situation. How could it? There was nothing to talk about.
Chapter Seventeen
Adam stretched his legs out and rested his head against the back of the bench. Warmth from the evening sun bathed his face as faint orange light seeped between his closed lids. Echoes of light traffic coming from the interstate behind the station floated through the air, nothing more than a faint hum occasionally broken by the louder roar of a diesel engine.
He had come out here for peace and quiet, for a chance to just clear his mind and get away from the bickering going on in the kitchen. He wasn’t interested in the hockey game they were watching on television. Wasn’t interested in deciding what to have for dinner or where to go this coming weekend.
Wasn’t interested in anything except trying to clear his fucking mind until he stopped seeing a shy smile whenever he closed his eyes.
Why the fuck did his mind insist on dredging up images of Beth every time he closed his eyes? Every night when he went home, every night when he fell asleep. Every fucking time he turned on his computer and thought about logging into the chatroom. He never got past entering his username and password, told himself it was because he wasn’t interested in hooking up, that he just needed a break for a little bit.
Tried to convince himself it had nothing to do with the gut-wrenching fear of seeing Beth in there. Of knowing that she might be looking for her own hook-up.
One that didn’t include him.
He sucked in a deep breath and wrapped his hands around the edge of the bench. Wood, hard and rough, dug into his palms, almost painful.
Still not enough to get those fucking images from his mind.
What the fuck was wrong with him? Why the fuck couldn’t he stop thinking about her? He shouldn’t be giving her any more thought than what he spared his other hook-ups. So why was he? Why hadn’t he been able to think of anything else for the last two weeks?
Because of the way she left him. That had to be it. He’d never had that happen before, not like that. She’d gone down on him, sucked him off, and then just…left.
His mind balked at the vulgarity and he wasn’t sure why because that’s exactly what happened.
Except it wasn’t. Not really. Not in Beth’s case. She deserved more than vulgar references, more than the lewdness of a casual memory.
But why? What the fuck was so different about Beth? Why had she gotten to him? It didn’t make sense.
And that’s what worried the fuck out of him.
“You’re going to get splinters if you don’t let up on that bench.”
Adam jumped at the quiet warning. He released his hold on the bench and sat up, darting a quick glance at Mikey. Great, just what he needed. Didn’t she know he wanted to be left alone in peace and quiet so he could wallow in his own misery and self-pity?
Obviously not. Or, if she did, she didn’t care. She stepped closer, leaned down and swatted his leg. “Why do all of you guys always insist on sitting in the middle and taking up all the room? Scoot over.”
Adam’s sigh was filled with impatience, letting her know he wasn’t in the mood for company. Mikey didn’t care because she lowered herself on the bench next to him then shoved him to the side with her hip.
“Mikey, I’m not in the mood.”
“No shit. And too bad.”
Adam grunted. Fine, whatever. She could sit there all she wanted. That didn’t mean he had to talk to her.
“I’m surprised to see you out here. Figured you’d be in the back, studying.”
“I needed a break.”
“For the last two tricks?”
“I’m studying at home.” Except he wasn’t. He wasn’t doing anything at home except sitting there, staring into space.
“The test is in a month.”
“I know.”
“Are you going to be ready for it?”
“I’ll be ready.” Adam tilted his head to the side and fixed her with a steady glare. “The question is, will you be ready?”
“Me?” Mikey shook her head, her ponytail swinging behind her with the motion. “I’m not taking it.”
“Why the hell not? I thought you were.”
“Changed my mind.”
“Fuck, Mikey. Why? You’d ace that exam. And you’d make a great lieutenant.”
She shrugged and looked away but not before he saw the frown cross her face—or the contradicting smile that briefly lifted the corners of her mouth. “Maybe next year.”
“Bullshit. What changed your mind? You were all gung-ho about it six months ago when the notice came out.”
“Shit happens. You know that. And I didn’t come out here to talk about me—I came out here to talk about you. What the hell are you moping around for?”
“I’m not.”
“Yeah? My turn to call bullshit. What’s going on?”
“Nothing is going on. I’m just trying to clear my mind, get ready for the test.”
“Yeah, sure you are. You know you’re not fooling anyone, right?”
“Ask me if I care.”
Mikey laughed and shook her head. “Why do I have the feeling the problem is that you care too much?”
“Not me. You know better than that.”
Mikey pinned him with a glare, her mossy green eyes steady, seeing too much. Silence stretched between them, long enough that Adam started to squirm. He looked away, breaking the intense eye contact, wondering what Mikey had seen when she watched him so closely.
Afraid she saw too much.
“You’re right. I do.”
Adam stared straight ahead, his gaze focused on the bare trees lining the ramp leading out to the road. “You do, what?”
“Know you better than that. We all do. Hell, Adam. How long have we all worked together? There aren’t any secrets here. You know that.”
“Great. Wonderful. That doesn’t mean I need anyone all up in my business. Including you. Even if there are no secrets.”
“Actually, there’s one secret nobody knows about yet.”
Adam heard the hesitancy in her voice, sensed the confusion in her words. He looked over at her, saw the way her brows were pulled low over her eyes, noticed the way she chewed on her lower lip, as if she was worried about something.
Adam told himself not to ask, tried to convince himself he didn’t care. This was just Mikey, being melodramatic—no doubt to get him to open up and talk.
Except Mikey didn’t do melodrama. Mikey was the steadiest and most even-keeled person he knew.
“Okay, fine. What secret is that?”
A faint smile flashed across her face. “I’ll tell if you tell.”
“Yeah, right. Bullshit. Nice try but it’s not going to work. You should know better—”
“I’m pregnant.”
Adam stared at her, not sure he heard the whispered words correctly. She had to be joking. Had to be pulling his leg. No w
ay was she serious. This had to be nothing more than a ploy to get him to open up.
Only she didn’t look like she was joking. She looked…worried. Excited. Scared.
“Are you fucking serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Adam. Really. You think I would make a fucking joke about something like this?”
“No. I—no.” He pulled a deep breath in through his nose and quickly released it. “Is, uh, is this a good thing?”
“Yeah.” Mikey frowned, nodded. Held still for a long second and nodded again. “Yeah, it’s good. Unexpected, though.”
“Good. Good, then. Congratulations.” He draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a quick hug.
“Yeah, thanks.” She pulled away and leaned forward, tucked her hands under her legs and stared straight ahead. “Nobody knows yet. Not even Jay. You can’t tell a soul. I mean it, Adam. I don’t want anyone to know yet.”
“Mikey, you have to tell them. You can’t keep working—”
“I’m only two months along. The doctor said I was fine, that I can keep working for a little while longer. And SOP says I can stay out in the field until I’m six months along.”
“Bullshit. We both know that’s not safe, I don’t give a flying fuck what standard operating procedure says.”
“Yeah, I know. I, uh, I’ll probably go on light duty next month.” She turned back to him, her face serious. “I mean it, Adam. You can’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t.”
She studied him for a quiet minute then finally nodded, satisfied that he was telling the truth. Another minute went by then she grinned and nudged him in the side. “Okay, I told you my secret. Now tell me what the hell is going on with you. It’s about that girl you’ve been seeing, isn’t it? Beth?”
Adam opened his mouth before he had a chance to decide what to tell her. Was he going to deny it? Or was he going to open up about it?
He never got a chance one way or the other because the alarm blared to life, a loud screech that broke the silence around them. They jumped from the bench in unison, ran inside as the dispatcher’s disembodied voice announced a dwelling fire. Adam scrambled into his gear and raced for the engine, climbing in behind Pete as Mikey raced around to the other side. Dale put the engine in gear, pulling out with a roar as Pete hit the siren.