by Naomi Niles
“I… Sir?” Hamish’s voice was small.
“Yes?”
“May I put on some clothes first?”
“No, you may not,” Chief Shelby replied sharply. “You will stand there naked until I have finished with my briefing. Consider this your official initiation into the force.”
To his credit, Hamish stood there for the remaining ten minutes of the chief’s briefing and suffered through the suppressed smiles and pointed looks from every fire fighter on the team. When it was done, Jackson and I were about ready to gloat when Chief doubled back and looked directly at the two of us.
“Neilson,” he said. “Burbank. My office – now.”
We exchanged a glance and followed him to his office on the opposite end of the station. We walked inside and shut the door behind us. Chief Shelby walked to his desk, sat down behind it and then stared at us for a full five seconds before he spoke.
“I wanted to let you two know that you’ve done a good job lately,” he said, much to my surprise. “I don’t know how, but someone you’ve managed to become one of the best search and rescue teams on staff.”
“Thank you so much, sir-”
“Cut the choir boy act, Neilson,” Chief interrupted. “You two may be my best fire fighters, but you’re also my biggest jokers. And that can lead to trouble. So stop the high school crap and get serious. You understand me?”
“We just thought we’d…welcome him properly to the academy, sir,” I said sheepishly.
I could see the chief suppress his smile right on time. “Save that for your personal time,” he replied. “When you’re at the station, you are always on duty. Got it?”
“Got it, sir,” I nodded immediately.
“Excellent,” Chief Shelby nodded. “Now get the hell out of my office, both of you. Oh, and boys?”
“Yes, sir?” Jackson turned back to ask.
“Give the kid his clothes back.”
“Yes, sir,” he nodded with a smile.
We headed back to the locker room in fits of laughter. Hamish was darting around trying to find his clothes. Someone had lent him a towel, but he didn’t seem overly comforted by that.
“Hamish, my boy,” Jackson said. “What a great start to your birthday week!”
He turned to us and shook his head. “I was an idiot to have believed that nonsense.”
“You were,” I nodded. “But in your defence, it’s easy to manipulate someone who’s so nervous. But you know the good news, right?”
HE looked at me suspiciously. “What?”
“You are officially initiated,” I said. “Welcome to the team.”
Jackson got out Hamish’s clothes and handed them over. “You are now a true fire fighter,” he said.
Hamish hesitated a moment and then smiled. “The hazing is over?”
Jackson and I exchanged a glance and laughed. “The hazing’s over,” I confirmed.
Hamish’s face smoothed out into relief and a moment later, the alarm sounded through the building, alerting us to a new emergency in some part of town.
“That’s us,” I said immediately, springing into action. I turned to Hamish and clapped him on the back. “Suit up, rookie, this is going to be the true initiation. We’re going in.”
Chapter Two
Mia
“Renni?” I called, looking back over my shoulder.
There was no answer. I decided to finish making the pancakes before I went in to check on her. A large square window had been placed directly over my sink, and I glanced outside with a sense of nostalgic wistfulness. I remembered when we had first bought this house. It was a tiny two-bedroom that we could barely afford, but with hard work and determination, Clint and I had managed to pay off the loan.
I popped the finished pancakes onto a flat plate and placed it on the table, next to the maple syrup and butter. Then I got the strawberries and orange juice out from the fridge and set them on the table, too. I was just about to wash the frying pan when Renni walked into the kitchen with her backpack.
I turned to her and surveyed her chosen outfit for the day. I rarely had to help her get dressed anymore. She was a self-sufficient child who liked being independent. Half the time, though, I suspected she did it because she felt it gave me a little free time here and there.
“There you are, pumpkin,” I said. “I like your outfit.”
Renni was a carbon copy of myself, which was what my mom had said ever since Renni was a year old and her features had become more definitive. She had lush hair that was a deep and uninterrupted brown, and her eyes were a pale shade of green that reflected mine exactly. She had a small button nose and ears that stuck out a bit. The only thing she had really inherited from her father was the shape of her face, which was slightly long compared to the oval-shaped face I had inherited from my own father.
This morning, Renni had chosen to wear a white t-shirt stamped all over with little pink hearts. She had paired it with denim overalls and her favorite blue sneakers. She had also attempted to do her hair, but her attempts had obviously been only semi successful. I smiled at the knots I could see, but didn’t comment immediately.
“Thank you,” she said solemnly.
She had always been an old soul. She was a small-made child, but when you spoke to her, people always assumed she was older. She just had that kind of air about her.
“Can I help with breakfast?” she asked.
I smiled. “I would have loved the help,” I replied. “But I just finished breakfast.”
“You did?”
“Uh huh,” I nodded. “Chocolate pancakes with maple syrup and strawberries. What do you think?”
Renni gave me a heartfelt smile. “Yummy,” she said.
“I agree,” I nodded. “Yummy. Shall we eat?”
“We should wash up first,” she said, eyeing the dirty frying pan in my hand.
“We could always wash up after?” I suggested.
Renni contemplated that for a moment. “Better to do it before,” she said.
I smiled at her adult-like manner as she stepped towards the kitchen table and dragged a chair to the sink so that she could get up on top of it to wash her hands.
“I can wash the frying pan, too,” she said, reaching out for it.
I thought about turning her down, but I knew how much she liked to help. She had always been a caring girl, and that attribute had only heightened after Clint’s accident.
“Alright,” I agreed, handing her the pan.
I stood by the sink and watched as she scrubbed it clean. She had observed me over the years and mimicked my movements exactly. Once the pan was clean, she handed it to me to set on the drying rack.
“Is there anything else?” she asked.
“I think that’s it for now,” I told her. “Time to eat.”
Renni nodded, and I helped her down from the chair before she dragged it back to the table. I sat down opposite her and gave her a small wink. “You all ready for school?” I asked.
“Yup,” she replied. “I put my notebook and my colored pencils in my backpack, and I brushed my teeth real good.”
“That’s my girl,” I smiled. “I see you did your hair, too.”
Instinctively, Renni’s hand went up to her head. She glanced at me. “It’s a little bumpy up there,” she said sheepishly.
I suppressed the urge to giggle. “Would you like me to help you with it?” I asked, leaving the choice up to her.
She smiled. “Yes, please.”
I nodded and headed to my bathroom for a comb to run through Renni’s hair. When I got back to the kitchen, she was breaking up a pancake into little pieces with her hands. That was how she ate her pancakes. First she tore it up, then she added the maple syrup over the pieces, and then she picked up her fork.
I moved my chair a little, so that it was placed right behind her, and unwound her hair from the knot she had made with her rubber band. Her long brown hair came loose and cascaded down her back. I had kept her hair shor
t as a baby, but after Renni had turned two, she had decided that she wanted long hair like mine. I was proud of the fact that she had a mind of her own.
I gave her a little kiss on the top of her head before I started combing out the knots in her hair. It was amazing how she had managed to do all of them in one sitting. I smoothed out her hair as painlessly as possible and when it was silky straight again, I leaned in and looked down at Renni.
“Would you like a simple ponytail?” I asked. “Or maybe some braids?”
She was craning her head upwards to look at me. I resisted the urge to bite her little button nose. “Braids, please,” she replied excitedly.
“You got it,” I nodded, turning my attention back to her hair.
Renni was halfway done with her pancake when I finished her hair. Now it hung in two neat little braids over both her shoulders. She looked so darn cute that I was forced to give her another little kiss before I turned to my own breakfast. I served myself some yogurt and then ate it with the strawberries. By the time I was finished, Renni was, too.
“I can wash your bowl, too, Mommy,” she said, reaching for my dish.
“No, darling, you don’t have to.”
“I don’t mind,” she said generously.
“How did I get so lucky?” I smiled, handing her my dish.
I watched as she dragged over the chair, got up onto it, and started washing our plates. I took a moment to appreciate the sight. I rarely had the time to just stare at her lately. The firm kept me so busy that I found myself losing out on time. It seemed like just yesterday that Renni was a chubby little infant with tufts of uneven hair growing in patches around her head. Now, she was a fully functioning little person with thoughts and opinions of her own. It floored me every time I thought about it.
We spent the ten-minute drive to Renni’s kindergarten talking about the leaf project her teacher had assigned the class for that week. I pulled up outside the quaint little school and helped Renni out of the backseat.
“It’s okay, Mommy,” she said gently, without taking my hand. “I can manage by myself.”
“Yes, of course,” I nodded, suppressing a smile.
It was just like Renni to speak like that. She often parroted phrases that adults used, or more specifically, phrases that she heard Vanessa and I using. She unbuckled her seat and got out of the car without a problem. Then she grabbed her backpack and checked to make sure her shoelaces were tied. She had learnt to tie them over a year ago, and she did a better job than I could have.
“Have a great day, angel,” I said, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“You, too, Mommy,” he replied. “I hope you save that man.”
I wrinkled my brows. “What man?” I asked.
“Seth Danube,” she said, without missing a beat. “The man you said was innocent. You said so last night, when you were talking to Aunt Vanessa.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I thought you were asleep.”
“I was falling asleep.”
I laughed. “I see,” I nodded. “Well, thank you, sweetheart. I hope I can save him, too.”
“Here’s a kiss for good luck,” Renni said. She gave a peck on the cheek and headed into her school, her backpack over one shoulder. I waited till she had disappeared into the building before I got into my car and drove to the office.
We shared the building I worked in with a bank. The project innocence firm I worked with was located on the second floor, and I took the elevator upstairs. The second floor had been divided into several different rooms. I didn’t have an office of my own. Rather, it was a large room cramped full of desks for the three other lawyers I shared it with. Helen was at her desk when I walked in.
“Morning, Helen,” I greeted.
“Good morning,” she nodded.
She had been working with Costner and Company for seven years, four years longer than me, and she had been somewhat of a mentor to me throughout my time there. She was fast approaching her fifties, but she had the right attitude about it. She was the kind of woman who measured age based on worthy achievements, so she was quite content with her lot.
“Any new developments?” I asked, taking the seat beside her. “How’s our guy doing?”
“He’s nervous, naturally,” she replied. “But I think I managed to calm him down a little the last time we spoke.”
“Which was?”
“A few days ago,” Helen admitted.
“I want to meet with him today,” I said. “Now that we have the court date, we can better prepare him for what’s to come.”
“In the meantime, I’m still working on character testimonies for Seth,” Helen said. “I managed to wrangle in Leslie Danube.”
“Leslie Danube?” I repeated. “Seth’s ex-wife?”
“That’s the one,” Helen smiled. “I finally managed to get in contact with her.”
“And, she’s willing to be his character witness?”
“They were married for ten years,” she nodded. “And, the divorce was far from contentious. In fact, they exchange Christmas cards each year. When I called her and explained the situation, she was more than happy to be of service.”
“Hmm…”
“What?”“Seth’s not going to be happy that we got her involved.”
“Well he doesn’t get a say in this,” Helen said firmly. “I told him we’re going to do everything possible to help him, and that’s just what I’m doing.”
“I know,” I nodded. Then I took a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair.
“You’re stressing again, aren’t you?” she asked, eyeing me carefully.
I leaned back in my seat. “We have to get him off, Helen,” I said. “He doesn’t deserve to be behind bars. He’s a good man who was wrongly convicted, and that happens too often now a days.”
“I know,” Helen nodded. “But don’t you worry, he’s got us in his corner. And, we’re going to fight for him.”
I nodded, reinvigorated by Helen’s words. I thought of the little good luck kiss Renni had given me a short while ago and felt comforted by the sweet purity of the gesture. I would take strength from what I could and fight like hell to make sure my client walked free.
Chapter Three
Sam
“You guys are just coming in?” Jackson asked, to our replacements. “What a bunch of slackers.”
Donohue was one of the older members of the team. He was pushing sixty and starting to look it, but he had the presence of safety about him and was still one of the best fire fighters we had. He shot Jackson a look.
“What did you do today?” Donohue asked. “Pulled a cat out of a tree?”
Jackson kept the mischievous grin on his face. “I did actually…but only because the owner was hot.”
I laughed. “You find Mrs. Benedict hot?” I asked. “Interesting, I didn’t know you were into seventy-year-old women.”
The men burst out laughing as Jackson aimed a hard punch at my arm. I ducked out of the way and headed outside, with him following close behind.
“Thanks for that,” he scoffed.
I winked at him. “Anytime,” I said, ignoring the sarcasm in his tone.
“Where’d you park?”
“Around back. Is that you up front?”
“Yeah,” Jackson nodded as we came to a stop outside the station. “Good day, huh?”
“It was,” I agreed. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask, how are things going with the bar?”
His smile widened instantly. “Fucking great, man,” he said instantly. “I have high hopes.”
“That’s great news,” I said, clapping him on the back. “Congrats.”
“You should be congratulating yourself, too,” Jackson said generously. “You’re part owner.”
“Please,” I brushed off. “All I did was make a small investment.”
“It was the investment that made the difference between canning the idea and going ahead with it,” Jackson said. “I couldn’t have got th
e bar off the ground without you, man.”
“You’re not going to kiss me, are you?” I asked. “Because if you do, I’m going to have to take my investment back.”
He laughed. “No, but seriously,” he continued. “I’m grateful – you didn’t need to invest.”
“I know that,” I nodded. “But I wanted to. We’ve been through thick and thin together. We went through fire academy together, we started out as rookies on the force together, we were even hazed together.”
“Oh trust me, I remember.”
“What would be the point of all that if I didn’t step up when you needed help the most?” I said, with a reasonable shrug.
“You’re a good man, Burbank,” Jackson said, and his dark eyes were filled with gratitude. “I really appreciate it.”
“I got it,” I assured him. “You don’t have to keep thanking me.”
“Okay, good,” he laughed. “It doesn’t come naturally to me.”
“I’m aware,” I smiled.
“Why don’t you come by the bar later tonight?” he suggested. “Everything’s pretty much up and running, we even have a crowd in the night. You can see what you invested in.”
“Sounds good,” I nodded. “I’m heading over to Pete’s place now, but I’ll stop by after.”
“Your mother is staying with Peter and Madison, isn’t she?” Jackson asked.
“Yup,” I nodded.
“How’s that going?”
“It’s going pretty well, actually,” I said. “It’s strange having her back after such a long absence. But honestly, there are days when it feels like she never left at all.”
“Good for you, man.”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Anyhow… I’ll see you in a couple of hours, then?”
“You can count on it,” Jackson nodded. “It’s an open bar for you, drinks are on the house.”
“Now, I’m excited,” I said. “What’s the talent like?”
“Oh, don’t worry,” he said immediately. “There’s plenty of sexiness to go around. The women love my bar.”