"Yes, but that school meant a lot to you, too," Nicole said.
"I know what I'm doing, Nic."
"Okay, fine," Nicole said.
"I just really dislike him," Emma muttered, her gaze moving back to her object of dislike.
"Or…" Sara said, noting the gleam in Emma's eyes. "You actually like him, and that's why he irritates you."
"Oh, please," she said with disdain. "That is ridiculous."
"She's right. You have that look, Em." Nicole exchanged a nod with Sara. "Good call. I'm getting slow. I didn't pick up on that right away."
"I do not have that look," Emma said, her annoyance now centered on them. "You two are way off base. I am off men for at least a year."
"You haven't told me about your last relationship," Sara said, realizing they'd skated around that topic. "You mentioned something about a breakup…"
"It's a long story."
"Now seems like a good time to tell it. We have a half hour."
"We'd need a week and maybe a shrink to help us analyze things. It was complicated, messy, awful, wonderful and then awful again. It was too much drama, and too much emotion, and I had to get out. I was becoming this weepy girl, and I didn't like it."
Sara smiled. Emma had always taken pride in her tough edges. But she'd never been as tough as she thought.
"Let's talk about something else," Emma added. "Oh, there's Burke." She waved to her oldest brother.
Burke gave a nod and then headed toward them.
Wearing black slacks and a charcoal gray coat over a black shirt, Burke drew more than his fair share of looks on his way to the table. With his almost black hair and his blue-gray eyes Burke was an attractive man with a serious, intense edge. He had a commanding presence but he could also put people off. Sara had never felt comfortable around him. He'd been five years older than her, a gap that had seemed like a million years when they were kids. He was a good man, but she couldn't help wondering if he ever had any fun. Although, most people probably wondered the same thing about her.
"Em, Nic," he said shortly, then gave her a polite smile. "Sara. Sorry about last night. I don't think I was very welcoming."
"I understand there's a lot going on."
"Yes," he agreed, turning to Nicole. "It's good to see you out of the house."
"Actually, I'm leaving," Nicole said, getting to her feet, despite Emma's protest. "I'm sorry, Em, but I have to go. Thank you. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. You are a great sister. And Sara, it was wonderful to see you, too. I hope we don't have to wait another ten years for you to come for a visit."
"I hope not, too."
"How are you getting home?" Burke asked.
"I'll get a cab out front."
"I'll help you with that," he said, walking Nicole through the crowded restaurant.
"Your brother is always a gentleman," Sara commented.
"He does have good manners. Put your wallet away," she added when Sara reached for the bill. "This is my treat."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Well, thank you."
"Any time." She put some cash down and said, "Let's move next door. I hear the band warming up."
The dining area was adjacent to the bar and dance floor, and through some decorative pillars separating the room, Sara could see a crowd of people moving towards the small stage.
"Looks like a good crowd for the fundraiser," Emma commented. "Sean will be thrilled by the turnout. I just wish it wasn't for such a sad reason. Hopefully, we can raise some money to help out Kyle's widow and his baby son. I just wish Aiden would come. I know he's taking some heat for the decisions he made, but he wouldn't have done anything to hurt Kyle, not on purpose. I get angry every time I hear someone express doubts about that. It pissed me off that Vicky asked him not to go to Kyle's funeral, but it was better that he wasn't there, because I heard a lot of nasty comments about Aiden that day."
"I didn't realize you'd gone to the funeral," Sara said.
"Most of the family went. Kyle spent so much time at our house, my parents felt like he was one of their kids."
"I suspect your parents feel that way about a lot of kids."
"Well, they feel that way about you," Emma said with a warm smile. "Our moms were as close as we were. My mother was so sad when your mom died. We all wanted to take care of you, but you went back to school. I always wondered how you handled it. Your emails were pretty short and we always seemed to miss each other's phone calls."
"I buried myself in my class work and let the days go by," she said.
"You're a strong person, Sara."
She'd had to be strong; she didn't have anyone to lean on.
She sipped her water as the waitress set down their check, her gaze moving idly around the room. She saw Burke again, this time talking to an attractive brunette. "Who is your brother talking to?"
Emma glanced over her shoulder. "That's Hannah Abrams. She works in dispatch."
"Are they a couple?"
Emma immediately shook her head. "No, she got married last year. It was too bad. She would have made a nice sister-in-law, but I think she and Burke only went out a few times." She paused. "Burke hasn't been with anyone seriously in a while. He was engaged about five years ago, but his fiancé was killed by a drunk driver." Emma's gaze filled with sadness. "Burke was working that day. His truck responded to the scene."
"Oh, my God," Sara said, horrified by the thought.
"It was beyond awful. Ever since then, Burke's serious side has gotten darker. He's overprotective when it comes to family. That's why he walked Nicole outside. He checks in on everyone all the time. I think that's why he's so angry with Aiden. He wants to help him, but Aiden won't let him, and as usual they're butting heads."
"They always seemed competitive growing up."
"That hasn't changed. In some ways it's good. They push each other to be better. But sometimes that competitive drive stops them from just being brothers." Emma put some cash on the table and said, "Let's check out the bar. I think the band is going to start soon."
They made their way through the growing crowd. There were a few tables in the bar but most people were standing on the dance floor. Sean and his band were setting up. Sara recognized Emma's little brother right away, although he wasn't so little now. He wore faded jeans and a light green t-shirt. His hair was much longer than his brothers, curling down past his neck. He definitely had a rock star vibe about him.
"Sean is super talented," Emma said as they paused in the middle of the room.
"I can still remember him walking around your house with a guitar."
"Drove me nuts," Emma said with a nod. "He wasn't playing songs back then, just hitting chord after chord."
Sara laughed. "I remember. I guess all that practice is paying off."
"It is. I'm going to get you a drink and me some more sparkling water. Save me a spot."
Before she could tell Emma she didn't need another drink, her friend had disappeared into the crowd.
Sara glanced around the room, wondering if she'd see any other familiar faces from her past. Almost immediately her gaze came to light on Aiden, and her heart skipped a beat. She really hadn't thought he would show up. Then again, Aiden had never been short on guts.
There were dozens of people between them, but when his gaze locked with hers, everyone else faded away. Her breath got stuck in her chest, and a wave of heat ran through her. It was crazy to be attracted to someone who'd already rejected her once. Hadn't she already learned that painful lesson? So, why the same crazy, world-tilting reaction whenever she saw Aiden? He wasn't a super hero. In fact, right now he was probably one of the most hated men in the room.
He moved towards her, and she silently willed for someone to get in the way. She needed to get herself together, to remind herself that she was not a teenager any more, and he was not her high school fantasy.
But he looked really good in jeans and a black knit top under a black leather jacket.
They were not in high school anymore, but he was definitely still fantasy material.
When he stopped in front of her, she forced a casual expression on her face. "I didn't think you were coming."
"Changed my mind a half dozen times. Let me know if you see any knives headed towards my back."
"So far, all the daggers are just looks," she said, aware that people were watching them, and she didn't think she was the one drawing attention.
"Great."
"Did you get my message about the investigator?" she asked. "She's going to call you tomorrow morning."
"I got it, and I appreciate the help."
The crowd around them shifted, moving her closer to Aiden, so close she could smell the musky scent of his aftershave. Her breasts teased the front of his chest, sending another tingling surge down her spine. She drew in a shaky breath. "It's warm in here."
He gave her a knowing smile. "It always seems to be that way when we're together."
"I think it's all the people in the room, Aiden."
"No, you don't."
His gaze caught hers, and something passed between them, something real and honest and very hot.
She was in trouble. She was having a hard time fighting her own desire. No way she could fight him, too
.
Then again, she'd misread his intentions once before. She couldn't do that again.
The microphone crackled, and she was relieved by the interruption. She dragged her gaze away from Aiden's to look at the stage.
Sean stepped up to the microphone. "Thanks everyone for coming," he said. "This is a special night. We're playing for a man who was a really good friend to a lot of us in this room and for me he was like a big brother. In fact, Kyle is the first one who encouraged me to stay true to my dreams, and those dreams always included this guitar. He's gone, but he won't be forgotten. Tonight is for Kyle. Enjoy."
Sean played the first chord, leading the band into action.
As she listened to the music and watched the band play, Sara was very aware of Aiden standing just behind her. She could feel his breath moving the hair on the back of her neck. Occasionally, she thought she could feel his hand resting on her waist, but she was afraid to look back.
Where was Emma? She could really use a drink right about now. Actually, drinking was probably a bad idea. Too many vodka cranberry drinks had sent her into Aiden's arms the last time.
Fortunately, she didn't have to talk, didn't have to do anything but listen to the music. Sean was even better than she'd expected, not just as a musician, but also as a singer. His tone was silky smooth, husky and romantic on the ballads, and sharp-edged on the faster numbers.
After another trio of songs, the band took a short break, and she had no choice but to turn around. Fortunately, Emma was heading her way.
"Sorry, I got sidetracked," she said, handing her a glass of wine. "I kept running into people. I'm glad you came, Aiden."
"I couldn't seem to stay away." He took a breath. "Maybe I should have."
Burke pushed through the crowd. "I need to talk to you," he said to Aiden. "Let's go outside."
"No."
Burke's gaze turned to steel, but Aiden didn't waver.
Sara could feel the tension emanating from the two men. They were brothers, but right now they seemed more like enemies.
"You two need to talk," Emma said.
"Stay out of it," both men said in unison.
Emma gave them both a scathing look. "Fine, I'm out of it. I'm going to see how long the line is for the restroom. Sara, do you want to come?"
"Absolutely," she said, eager to get away. As they moved through the crowd, she saw Aiden and Burke finally move toward the front door. It looked like Burke was going to get the conversation he wanted.
* * *
"Talk to me," Burke ordered as they hit the sidewalk outside the restaurant.
Aiden sighed. Having shared a room with his older brother for fifteen years, he knew all of Burke's moods, and this one was the worst. Burke was a fixer. If something was broken, he had to be the one to fix it. Maybe it came from being the oldest of eight kids, or maybe it was just inherent in Burke's personality, but he couldn't stop trying to solve every problem in the world, even those that didn't concern him.
"I've told you that I don't know what happened to Kyle," he said. "I had a concussion. I lost some of my memory. You can check with the doctors if you don't believe me."
Burke stared back at him, weighing his words. "Why didn't you tell us that a long time ago?"
"Because I didn't feel like talking."
"So you don't remember anything?"
"Bits and pieces. A lot of it is blurry. I know we were having trouble with the radios. Information was sketchy. The winds were changing. The fire was growing faster than anyone had anticipated. And then we were caught. Our exit routes were blocked by fire. Obviously, some of the team believed I waited too long before giving the order to retreat, that I pushed the men too hard, that they were too tired when it came time to run for their lives. You read the reports, I'm sure. I'm betting you even talked to a few people," he added.
"A few," Burke admitted. "Some of your better friends support the fact that it was an accident. Others are not so generous. Hawkins has been running his mouth all over town. Everyone loved Kyle, so it's difficult for some to see the situation clearly."
Burke was being more generous in his assessment than Aiden had anticipated.
"So what are you going to do, Aiden? Are you going back to Redding next year?"
"I don't know. The Chief suggested I consider other options during the off-season."
"You're going to let him run you off when it's not clear you did anything wrong?" Burke asked, anger edging his voice.
"If my crew has lost confidence in me, how can I go back?"
Burke met his gaze, and for the first time he saw understanding in his brother's eyes. Firefighters had to work together. They entrusted each other with their lives. Once that trust was broken, it was almost impossible to reclaim.
"I want you to defend yourself, Aiden. If you don't remember what happened, then tell people that. Don't just shrug and walk away and let them say whatever they want. It's arrogant and frustrating and it just pisses people off."