"Twenty-three years. She worked there for four years before transferring to St. Andrews."
"You're on the wrong track, Harrison."
"We'll see. So, I heard one of your brothers is playing a gig tonight for the smokejumper who died."
"Yes," she said slowly, hoping he wasn't planning to go. It was bad enough she had to deal with him on the job. She really didn't want to spend her off time with him.
"Are you going?"
"Yes, of course. Kyle, the man who died, was very good friends with my brother, Aiden. They worked together for a long time."
"So how many brothers do you have, Callaway?"
"Five brothers and two sisters."
"Big family. How many are in the fire department?"
"Too many to count if you include first and second cousins."
"Family tradition, huh?"
"Yes. Speaking of family… She glanced at her phone a text message from Nicole flashing across the screen. "I need to make a call."
"Maybe I'll see you tonight," he said.
"Maybe not. I'm sure there will be a big crowd."
His smile broadened. "Not a problem. You're a stand out, Callaway."
Her nerves tingled at the look in his eyes. "Look, Harrison, I'm not interested in any kind of a relationship with you that isn't one hundred percent professional."
"Did I ask you for anything else?" he countered.
"I know when a man is interested in me. You need to stop. I am single now, and I intend to stay that way."
With that proclamation, she left the classroom, hoping that she hadn't just made a complete fool of herself by assuming he was interested in her when he really wasn't. But she hadn't imagined the sparks between them. She knew what heat felt like. Max Harrison was one fire she was going to stay away from.
* * *
Emma got into her car and punched in Nicole's number on her phone. "What's up?" she asked when her sister came on the line.
"I nee a break, Em. I was wondering if you wanted to go out and get a drink or something. Ryan is actually home and I need to get out of here."
"Sure," she said, surprised that Nicole would actually consider leaving the house without Brandon. "I'm going to the Dunne fundraiser later tonight. Sara and I are going to meet for dinner before that. Why don't we make it a threesome?"
"Are you sure Sara won't mind?"
"Of course not. She was asking about you yesterday. It would be fun to have some girl time. I have to stop by work. Can I get you in about an hour?"
"I'll meet you at Mom's. I have to run a couple of errands first. Thanks, Em."
"For what?"
"For saying yes," Nicole said. "I know I haven't been a very good sister lately."
"Don't be crazy. You've had your full hands full. I totally get that. I'm thrilled you're actually going to take some time for yourself."
"Is Aiden going be at the fundraiser tonight?"
"I don't know."
"I hope he goes. He needs to find a way to make peace with what happened."
Emma smiled to herself as she set down her phone. Aiden and Nicole were a lot alike. Neither one of them could accept the unacceptable with resignation. They fought until they couldn't fight anymore.
* * *
Aiden had just turned down Nicole's street, when he saw her car going in the other direction. Maybe that was a good thing. He wanted to talk to Ryan alone.
Ryan greeted him with a tired smile. Tall and lean with light brown hair and dark brown eyes, Ryan wore navy blue slacks and a white button down shirt, part of his pilot's uniform. Ryan had been flying since he was fourteen years old. It was his greatest passion – after Nicole.
"Can't say I expected to find you on my porch," Ryan said. "I heard the family had search parties out for you."
He gave him a dry smile. "I'm sure they did."
"Come on in. If you're looking for Nicole, she just left."
"That's fine. I want to talk to you."
As Aiden entered the house, he saw Brandon playing with Legos on the floor of the living room. "Hey, Brandon," he said loudly. The kid didn't even turn his head.
"Don't waste your breath," Ryan said. "Brandon wouldn’t acknowledge you if you were standing on your head in a clown's costume. Believe me, I've tried. Do you want something to drink?"
"Sure."
Aiden followed Ryan into the kitchen taking a seat at the counter while Ryan opened the refrigerator door. "Vegetable juice, orange juice, milk, water."
"I'll take some orange juice," he said.
"Coming up." As Ryan poured the juice, he said, "So what did you want to talk about?"
"Just wanted to check in and see how things are going."
"Not well." Ryan set the juice in front of Aiden. "But Nicole will give you a different spin."
"How so?"
"She'll tell you that Brandon is improving, that she can see a light in his eyes, that he's coming out of his dark world."
"And you don't believe that's true?"
"I haven't seen it. I think she just wants it so bad to be true, that she's starting to believe her own spin."
"Positive thinking can be good," he said.
"But not delusional thinking. At some point, she may have to face reality. Brandon may never get better. We may never get our son back." He shook his head as if he couldn't believe he'd just said the words out loud. Then he let out a long sigh. "It sucks."
"Yeah, it does," he agreed, taking a sip of his juice. "But you and Nicole will get through it. You're both strong, and you love each other."
Ryan's gaze shifted slightly. "I'm not sure Nicole even knows I exist anymore, except when it comes time to pay for more therapy. That's where I seem to be the most valuable."
"That's not true."
"Hey, you haven't been around. So don't tell me what's true."
Aiden could see that Ryan was getting wound up. "Take it easy. I'm not judging you. I'm just worried. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Short of finding us a miracle cure, I can't think of anything," Ryan said tersely.
"Maybe you'll still get that miracle," he said, wishing Ryan had more of Nicole's positive attitude. Then again, maybe Ryan was being more realistic and Nicole was just unwilling to accept the truth.
"I hope so. I should get back to Brandon, not that he'll care, but I told Nicole I'd try to engage him in activity."
"Where was Nicole headed?" Aiden asked.
"She said she was going out with Emma, which shocked the hell out of me. She has really isolated herself from anyone who isn't connected to Brandon's treatment program. I'm glad she's going to step into the outside world for a few hours. Maybe it will give her some perspective." Ryan replied, as they headed to the living room.
"You should take a break together. What about a long weekend away? I'm sure Lynda would babysit."
"She's offered, but Brandon does best with Nicole. He doesn't interact with her, either, but she's still some sort of a safety net for him." Ryan paused as they entered the living room. Brandon was engrossed in his building blocks. "He likes to match stuff up," Ryan said. "When he finds a pair of the same shape and color, he actually looks happy for a split second. Some kind of minor victory, I guess."
Ryan moved around the couch and knelt on the ground next to Brandon, careful not to get too close to his son. "How about I help you build something, Brandon," he suggested.
Brandon didn't respond.
Ryan picked up some pieces and started putting them together. "We could make a truck or a dinosaur," he said. "Maybe you could help me, Brandon. Can you find me a piece like this?"
Brandon's gaze remained focused on the pieces he was rearranging.
Ryan held the piece closer to Brandon, so that it was practically under his nose. "Can you find one that looks like this, Brandon?"
Brandon's fingers stilled on the block he was playing with, and his gaze lifted ever so slightly. Then he went back to work on what he was doing.
"It's okay. I'll look for it," Ryan said.
Aiden had to admit he was impressed that Ryan's voice held no trace of the frustration and anger he'd shown when they were talking in the kitchen. He might be going crazy on the inside, but he wasn't showing that to his son.
"Do you want to help me build something?" Ryan asked, directing the question toward Aiden.
He smiled. "You know, that might be the best offer I've had today." He joined them in front of the fireplace. "But I'm building the dinosaur. You stick with the truck."
"Forget the truck, I'm going to build a plane," Ryan said with a trace of a smile.
"Well, we'll see whose is better," Aiden said.
"Always the competitor."
"That comes from having seven siblings," he said, digging into the box of Legos.
"Your family has been very supportive," Ryan said. "I don’t know what we'd do without him. Jack and Lynda, Emma and Shayla all babysit, and Burke watches out for Nicole when I'm out of town."
"Good old Burke," he drawled.
Ryan gave him a speculative look. "You two fighting already? You haven't been home that long."
"Long enough."
"Are you going to tell me what happened to Kyle?"
"I can tell you what everyone thinks happened."
"How about what you think?"
"My memories are blurry."
"Well, I'm sorry about Kyle. He was a great guy. You blaming yourself for that?"
"It's hard not to."
"You have good instincts and you know how to fight fires Aiden. I'm sure you did everything you could to get your men out safely."
He really wanted to believe that, but he needed some facts to back up the theory. While grabbing a handful of blocks, he glanced over at Brandon. While they'd been talking, Brandon had lined up blocks two by two, but he didn't appear to be interested in building anything with them.
Ryan followed his gaze. "Brandon is obsessed with pairs. I guess his brain is working something out. I can't imagine what. I wish I could help him."
The pain in Ryan's eyes was intense. No matter what Nicole thought, Ryan had not given up on his son. Whether or not he'd given up on Nicole was another matter.
Chapter Eleven
"This is great," Emma declared, glancing around the table. "My big sister is out on her own in probably two years, and I'm with my best friend, who I haven't seen in a decade. I'm so glad we're all together."
"It is nice," Sara said, exchanging a smile with Emma.
After meeting with Kevin Callaway and discussing bids for a kitchen remodel, she'd spent the afternoon looking at kitchen cabinets, sinks and appliances. She was going to gather the information and leave it with her dad. If he wanted to dump it in the trash, that was up to him, but she would have done her part. Now she could relax and just enjoy herself.
"I can't believe we let so much time go by," Emma said.
"I feel badly, too," she said. "But we were busy growing up."
"That's true," Emma said, sipping her mineral water. She'd already proclaimed herself the designated driver.
Sara glanced over at Nicole, thinking she was being awfully quiet. Nicole was one of the nicest people she'd ever met. She didn't have Emma's sharp edges, or Aiden's reckless spirit, or Burke's commanding presence, but Nicole had a deep well of generosity and kindness that just drew people to her. She'd always thought of Nicole as a big sister, someone she could ask for advice when she was confused or floundering. Right now, it seemed like Nicole was the one who was floundering.
"Are you okay, Nicole?" she asked.
Nicole gave her a weak smile. "I'm sorry I'm not great company. I seem to be distracted a lot these days. Please don't take it personally."
"Of course not. I wish I could help."
"I have a lot of people who are trying to help," Nicole said. She sat up straighter in her chair. "It's just going to take time that's all, but I'm going to get my son back, and everything will be good again."
She nodded. Emma had as much Callaway spirit as the rest of her siblings, but she seemed to be facing some pretty big obstacles.
"I wonder if I should call Ryan," Nicole added, glancing down at her watch.
"Ryan is fine," Emma said. "He can take care of his son for a few hours. You need to relax. You should have some more wine."
"I've had enough wine. I'm not a single girl like the two of you." She gave a slightly wistful sigh. "I can barely remember those days."
"That's because you weren't single very long," Emma said. "You fell for Ryan hard and fast. One look, and he was the one."
"He was the one," Nicole echoed.
Sara wondered if there wasn't just a little too much emphasis on the word
was
.
Emma suddenly stiffed, her mouth turning down in a frown, as her gaze fixed on someone at the other side of the room.
Sara shifted in her chair so she could see who Emma was looking at. The focus of her attention was a good-looking man wearing dark jeans and a gray sweater. "Who's that?" she asked.
"Max Harrison," Emma replied, her lips tightening. "He's a cop, a very annoying cop. He's working on the investigation involving Sister Margaret."
"How is he annoying?" Sara asked.
"He thinks he knows everything when he knows nothing."
"Sounds like every guy I know," Sara said with a smile.
"True, but he gets under my skin. I ran into him earlier today at St. Andrew's. He had the nerve to suggest that Sister Margaret might have been responsible for setting the fire, that she might have had some beef with the administration."
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Nicole interrupted. "I didn't hear about this."
"There was a fire at St. Andrew's last night," Emma replied. "And Sister Margaret is apparently missing. But I know she did not set that fire."
"That would be crazy," Sara agreed. "She loved that school."
"Exactly what I told him, but he didn't seem inclined to take me at my word."
"I'm sure he's just doing his job," Nicole said. "He might be more objective than you."
Emma frowned at her sister's criticism. "I have found no evidence to support his theory. If I had, I would keep an open mind."