All Consuming

by Jaci Burton

  Ladder 27 gave them a ride back up to the top of the overpass, reuniting them with their team. They did cleanup and returned to the station. Fortunately, the rest of the day was uneventful, and Kal was damn glad when shift was over the next morning. He was frustrated and tired, hadn’t slept well the night before and was grouchy when he got home.

  He pulled into the driveway at the same time as his brother Jackson.

  “How was shift?” Jackson asked.

  Kal shrugged. “Saw some action. The two semis on I-95. Rappelled down and helped get the stranded driver out.”

  “Heard about that. Good rescue.”

  They went through the garage and inside the house, putting their gear away in the laundry room.

  “Not a good rescue on my part if you ask one of my team members.”

  Jackson tucked his head in the fridge and grabbed some orange juice, then pulled glasses from the cabinet and poured. “Still having issues with those two guys?”

  “Apparently. I don’t know what it is with them, but I can’t seem to do anything right.”

  Kal went to the sink to wash his hands, dried them, then got eggs and bacon out of the fridge.

  Kal and his brother stood side by side making breakfast.

  “What do you think it is?” Jackson asked. “Just a personality clash?”

  Kal pulled the bacon from the pan and laid it on a plate, then started on toast. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’ve tried to be nice, I’ve tried hard to get to know them, but they won’t give me anything.”

  “What does your lieutenant say about the job you’re doing?”

  “Nothing but good things.”

  “Fuck ’em,” Jackson said. “They’ve obviously got it out for you for no good reason. Or maybe they’re jealous that you’re doing so well after such a short period of time on the team.”

  Kal shrugged. “I’ve tried everything I can, and all I get is shit from them.”

  They carried their plates to the table and sat.

  “Then stop trying,” Jackson said. “You don’t need their approval. They don’t evaluate your performance—your lieutenant does. And as long as he says you’re getting it done, that’s all that counts.”

  Kal knew Jackson was right. He didn’t need everyone on his team to like him. But, damn, he’d never had a conflict like this with anyone he’d worked with before. He and his fellow firefighters had always gotten along. When he’d worked at the same station with his brothers Jackson and Rafe, the entire group had been like a family. There had been no personality clashes.

  He was an easygoing guy. He was friendly.

  Then again, maybe Jackson was right and he needed to let it go. As long as they could work together, nothing else mattered.

  “I smell bacon.”

  Kal looked up to see Becks, Jackson’s fiancée, coming down the stairs.

  Jackson grinned. “I knew the smell of bacon would wake you up.”

  “And we made extra,” Kal said.

  “Which is why I love you both—in different ways.”

  Kal laughed.

  She came over and kissed Jackson, went over to fix herself coffee and filled her plate with bacon and eggs. Then she took a seat.

  “How were your shifts?” she asked.

  “Kal had mean boys, so his was shitty,” Jackson said. “Mine was good. Nothing eventful.”

  Becks looked over at Kal. “What? You have mean boys on your team?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. How’s tattooing?”

  “Fabulous,” she said. “And you know you can talk to me about anything.”

  “Thanks. If I need to, I will.” He’d practically grown up with Becks. They’d all been homeless together, so she was like a sister to him. Finding her again and Jackson and Becks falling in love had been the greatest thing to ever happen to their family. And now that Jackson had finally proposed to Becks, they were getting married. Hell, both of his brothers were getting married. His brother Rafe and his fiancée, Carmen, were tying the knot next month.

  They were all growing up. It was kind of surreal.

  “So, you guys have a weekend off, which is rare,” Becks said. “What’s on your agenda this weekend, Kal?”

  “My ten-year high school reunion is tomorrow night.”

  Becks’s eyes widened. “How fun. You’re going, aren’t you?”

  “I thought I might. Hang out with a few of my friends, and hopefully catch up with other friends who don’t live close by that I haven’t seen in a while.”

  “Totally worth it,” Jackson said. “You’ll have a good time.”

  He was looking forward to it. Even though some of the people he wanted to see—or at least one particular person who he hadn’t seen in almost ten years—likely wouldn’t be there.

  They’d broken up after graduation. Then she’d moved out of state. Gotten married, or so he’d heard.

  Anyway, that was all in the past. She was his past. And as he knew, the past should stay where it was.

  But he’d still hang out with his friends, and after today’s shift, he could use a good time.

  So he’d go to his high school reunion and have some damn fun.

  CHAPTER 2

  Hannah Clark barely had enough time to dash home, take a shower and get ready for tonight’s reunion, one she’d been undecided about attending ever since she’d first read about it on social media.

  “I still don’t think this is a good idea,” she said in the bathroom while she pulled the straight iron through her hair.

  “Why not?” her mother asked. “You’ve been back for months and have hardly connected with any of your friends from high school.”

  “You know I’ve been busy setting the shop up, hiring stylists for the chairs, getting clientele.”

  “And some of your high school girlfriends are potential clientele.”

  She was not wrong. “Fine. I’m going to the reunion. I’ll make connections.”

  A cute brown-haired boy with the sweetest brown eyes peeked his head around the doorway. “Where you goin’, Momma?”

  “I have a party tonight, honey.”

  “Can I go?”

  Her mother smiled at Hannah’s son, Oliver. “No, sweet boy. Tonight we’re going to Aunt Heather’s house, so you can play with Isaiah.”

  Oliver’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I’ll go pack up some toys.”

  Hannah looked up at her mom and smiled. “Clearly hanging out with Isaiah trumps going to a party with his mom.”

  “Hey, you’re not a match for a much more sophisticated nine-year-old boy.”

  She laughed. “True. Thanks for taking care of Oliver tonight. And tell Aunt Heather hello for me.”

  Heather was one of her mother’s coworkers and best friends who just so happened to be only five years older than Hannah. Since Hannah had lived out of state for so many years, her mom had sort of adopted Heather as one of her own.

  “She says you’re welcome to come. You’re missing lasagna night at her house.”

  “Damn.” She loved Heather’s lasagna. She’d make a point to stop by there with Oliver sometime next week.

  Since her divorce, she’d felt so unsettled. And so damn scattered and busy. Moving back to Ft. Lauderdale had been the right decision; she knew that. She needed her family after that mess with her ex-husband, Landon. And since he’d never cared about Oliver anyway, she hadn’t forced the child support issue and he hadn’t contested the move out of state. Sure, money would be tight, but at least she was free of him, and so was Oliver.

  Now she and her baby boy could both start fresh. That’s what really mattered.

  After finishing her hair and makeup, she went into the small bedroom that was now hers, the same one that had been hers when she was a child. When she was little, it had seemed enormous. Now she rea
lized how small it was. Still, it represented freedom to her, and she’d been so grateful to her mother for letting Oliver and her stay here until she could save up enough money to get her own place. The tiny bedroom was fine. And Oliver loved his room, which was larger than the one they’d had at their house in Georgia. Plus, he had her mom, who doted on him.

  She pulled out the awesome dress she’d found on sale at the discount store. It was a gorgeous black party dress, still had the tags on it, and she’d only paid ten dollars for it. Such a bargain.

  It was a simple design, but it was her size and clung to her body as if it had been made especially for her. She added a long silver chain and her hoop earrings, and the silver heels she’d borrowed from her mom.

  She turned around and looked at herself in the full-length mirror.

  How long had it been since she’d dressed up like this? Years, probably. She couldn’t remember. Landon had never wanted to go out anywhere except the local bar, and he’d mostly done that alone or with his buddies. A nice dinner to him had been the buffet in town. Which was fine, but occasionally it would have been fun to dress up and go out.

  But he’d never thought about her desires, or her needs. Only his own.

  She shrugged and tossed thoughts of Landon aside. That part of her life was over, had been for a while, actually. Now she had a clean slate.

  Tonight, she’d see old friends and have a good time. She sat on the bed and opened up her old yearbook from senior year. Her mom had dredged that dusty thing out from who knows where. The attic, probably. She flipped through the pages, smiling at photos of her friends, horrified by some of the shots of herself and her goofy faces. Still, she laughed because she’d just been a kid.

  Her heart thudded when she landed on a picture of her and Kal Donovan. Underneath, the caption read, “Cutest Couple.” Kal was behind her in the picture, his arms wrapped around her, her body resting against his. She looked so happy, so in love. She traced the picture with her fingers, remembering how sweet Kal had been, what that first love had felt like. The butterflies in her stomach whenever she saw him walking down the hall toward her. The sensation of his hand resting on the small of her back, the little shivers she always felt along her spine.

  And his smile. She’d always loved his smile.

  She shook herself away from the past. Again, she’d just been a kid—a silly teenager. What had she known about love back then?

  Or even a few years later when she’d married Landon?

  Oliver burst into her room and threw himself on the bed. “Grandma and I are gonna leave soon.”

  She put her arm around him. “You have fun with Isaiah tonight. Eat some lasagna for me.”

  He laughed. “I will.” He looked down at the picture. “Who’s this guy?”

  “This is Kal. He was my boyfriend in high school, when I was a teenager.”

  Oliver studied the picture. “Before Daddy?”

  “Yes. Before Daddy.”

  He scrunched his nose. “Did you like him a lot?”

  “I did. But then we broke up after I graduated from high school. Then I met your daddy, we got married and we had you, my shining star.” She cuddled him close to her.

  “Momma. Too much hugging.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry.”

  Oliver hopped off the bed. “See you later.”

  “I love you.”

  He waved on his way out of her room. “Love you, too!”

  She sighed, realizing her sweet, warm, cuddly baby boy was growing up, becoming independent. A good thing for him. But she missed all the cuddling they used to do when he was little.

  So much change in her life. So much failure. The end of her marriage, closing her shop in Georgia, moving back home. She was starting all over again. She sighed once more, closed the yearbook and got off the bed, determined to blow off these feelings.

  Starting over wasn’t a bad thing. In her case, it was definitely the right choice. The right choice for Oliver, too.

  And tonight wasn’t the night to think heavy thoughts. She’d already done enough of that.

  Tonight she was going to have some fun.

  CHAPTER 3

  Music was pumping when Kal walked into the hotel lobby. He could hear the loud beat all the way out here, which meant there was a definite party atmosphere inside. He was so ready.

  There was a table outside the ballroom. He recognized Vicky Hayward and Tom Hart right away.

  Tom stood and shook his hand. “Kal Donovan. How long has it been?”

  “I’d say around ten years or so?”

  Tom laughed. “You got that right. How’s it going?”

  “Good.”

  Vicky handed him a sticker with his high school photo. “Wear it proudly, dude.”

  Kal looked at the photo and winced. He looked like a dork in his senior photo. His hair was wild and unkempt. He’d tried to look oh so cool for the photo and failed miserably.

  “Thanks, Vicky.”

  “Hey, don’t worry, man,” Tom said. “None of us looked all that awesome ten years ago.”

  “But he sure looks fine now,” he heard Vicky murmur as he walked away.

  That made him smile as he strode through the ballroom doors.

  It was dark and atmospheric, with balloons in purple and gold school colors attached to every table and around the room. Music from their graduation year pumped into the room, and there was a bar at the far end, which was where Kal headed.

  He knew he’d find Eddie there.

  “Buddy,” Eddie said, wrapping his arms around him and giving him a bear hug. “Knew you’d show up.”

  Kal ordered a beer and leaned against the bar. “Where’s Veronica?”

  Eddie swiveled and pointed to a table by the wall. “Over there with Tina and Jess.”

  “The cheerleader table still going strong, I see.”

  “Inseparable since high school. You know how it is. Kind of like you, me and Jorge.”

  “Where is Jorge?”

  “Texted me last night. Said he had a late flight from San Antonio, but he should be here.”

  “I can’t wait to see him.”

  “Me, too, man. It’s been too long. Come on, let’s go grab a chair and catch up. I keep missing you at the gym.”

  They headed over to the table. “I go early. You go late.”

  “Hey, some of us keep regular business hours, not like you firefighters. I start work at seven. My workouts have to wait until after five.”

  “I get it.”

  “Kal,” Eddie’s wife, Veronica, said with a smile. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  He hugged Veronica, as well as Tina and Jess, who introduced him to their husbands.

  Then he took a seat, looking around the room to see if he recognized people. Everyone was older, of course, and some people had changed so much he had no idea who they were. He had to ask Eddie, and even Eddie didn’t know a few. Whereas some people hadn’t changed at all.

  “Hannah’s here,” Veronica said, looking down at her phone. She got up from the table. “I promised her I’d meet her at the entrance. Be right back.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Jess said.

  “Me, too.” Tina followed them.

  Kal’s heart did a little jump at the mention of Hannah’s name. His high school girlfriend. His first love. Hell, the only woman he’d ever been in love with.

  Eddie nudged him. “Hey, your girl is here.”

  Kal managed a tight smile. “She hasn’t been my girl in a long time.”

  “True. Did you know she’s divorced now? And living back here in Ft. Lauderdale? I heard Veronica talking to her a few times on the phone.”

  Oh, shit. “No, didn’t know that.”

  “Yeah, she’s been back a few months now.”

  Apparently, there was a
lot he didn’t know. Then again, why should he know anything about Hannah? They hadn’t been in touch since they broke up. Since he’d gone away to college, leaving her behind.

  Was she still angry with him? Did she still hate him? Or had enough time passed that she didn’t care anymore?

  He watched the door, and it was a long few minutes before he saw Veronica and the other women come through. But then his attention shifted at the sight of a beautiful, raven-haired woman in a black dress.

  He had to feel his tongue with his teeth to make sure he hadn’t swallowed it when he caught sight of Hannah. The dress clung to her curves, and she had plenty of those. Ten years had added to them, making her even more beautiful than she’d been before. Her hair hung in long, straight lines across her shoulders, looking like midnight silk, making him want to reach out and run his fingers through it to see if it felt as silky as it looked. And her lips were painted a shocking red that just dared some guy to kiss that lipstick right off her mouth.

  Fuck. Me. He was in deep trouble, because every memory he’d ever had of Hannah McKenzie had just come rushing back to him, making him wonder what kind of dumbass he’d been to ever let this woman go. And as she approached the table, their gazes locked, and she shot him a look that was just as uncertain as he felt right now.

  “Hey, Hannah,” Eddie said, going over to give her a quick hug. “Glad you could make it.”

  “Me, too.”

  She said hello to Tina’s and Jess’s husbands, then turned to face him.

  Kal didn’t know what to say, but he couldn’t very well stand there like some jackass and say nothing, so he went over and gave her the most awkward side hug ever. “Hey, Hannah.”

  She felt stiff as a board as she returned the same awkward hug. “Hi, Kal.”

  “I just heard you moved back.”

  “Yes. Not too long ago.”

  Veronica put her arm around Hannah. “She’s getting settled in. She already has a new salon, and she’s hired two stylists. She’s doing great, aren’t you, Hannah?”

  Hannah managed a smile. “Yes. Great.”

  Kal could tell Hannah was uncomfortable, which was probably his fault.