The Firefighter's Christmas Reunion

by Christy Jeffries

  “What’s that brown lump supposed to be covering the last FOR SALE?” Hannah asked.

  “It’s a brownie.”

  “Hopefully, the ones we’re selling end up tasting better than that one looks.” Hannah moved into place behind the table and Isaac bit his tongue to keep from reminding her of the chili–spaghetti incident at the fire station.

  By ten o’clock, it had become apparent that none of the other volunteers who were supposed to help with their booth were going to be relieving them any time soon. If Isaac was the suspicious type, he’d think that someone had purposely planned for him and Hannah to be stuck working the bake sale together. Alone.

  Well, if they actually had been alone, it would’ve been fine. They could have talked about last Saturday night and possibly pick up where they’d left off—like they’d been about to do this morning before the Sugar Stitches had interrupted them. But he and Hannah weren’t alone. They were in plain view of the entire town, stuck right next to each other, blocked in by the barrier of tables she’d rearranged earlier. He was trapped with her behind a wall of Officer Washington’s peanut butter clusters, Mrs. Patrelli’s chocolate biscotti and Principal Cromartie’s banana-nut loaves.

  Luckily, business was booming and they were able to avoid self-conscious closeness and a lack of conversation during the constant exchange of money for sweets. And thankfully nobody mentioned their sign, although Elaine Marconi didn’t bother to stifle her giggle when she walked by.

  Around eleven, Kylie Gregson maneuvered a double stroller down their aisle. Sammy trailed her with Big Dot on a leash that kept getting tangled between the excited puppy’s oversize front paws. The kid’s eyes lit up when he saw Isaac.

  Or, at least, he wanted to believe that. As bad as it sounded to say out loud, Isaac was used to hero worship and curious attention from lots of children—it came with the job. Yet something about Sammy Gregson was different. Perhaps it was because Isaac was equally in awe of the small boy and how the child absorbed so much so quickly. In fact, Isaac usually felt lighter and more relaxed whenever Sammy was around. Most of the time, Isaac felt the need to prove he was more than just his parents’ wealth. That he could make a difference in someone’s life. Joining the military and then becoming a firefighter had provided him with that opportunity, but it wasn’t until this very second, when he saw the affection reflected in Sammy’s eyes, that he didn’t feel that compulsive need to be the best.

  Sammy seemed to simply appreciate him for who he was. The feeling stirred something to life inside of Isaac—a quiet contentedness he hadn’t experienced since those summers with Hannah.

  Not that spending the night with her again implied that they were dating or anything, let alone forging ahead with any type of serious commitment. She was a mother now, which meant she was a package deal. If they decided to pursue anything together, their decision would ultimately affect Sammy and that was something they’d both need to consider.

  Whoa. Inhaling deeply through his nostrils, Isaac commanded his brain not to get too ahead of itself here.

  “People are already lining up outside for the parade,” Kylie said as she set the stroller’s parking brake in front of their booth. “I told Sammy we could stop by and say hi beforehand.”

  “Hi, sweetie,” Hannah said, and Isaac envied the tender expression that crossed her face when she spoke to her son. What would it take to get her to look at Isaac that way? “Are you being good for Aunt Kylie today?”

  The boy attempted to nod, but the thick fleece scarf wrapped around his neck prevented him from moving his head too much.

  “Of course he is.” Kylie patted Sammy’s shoulder, her hand barely making a dent in the puffy down jacket. “But I left Drew outside at the hot cocoa stand with Aiden and Caden, and after that incident with the frozen marshmallows and the slingshot last year, I promised my husband we would get our candy cane cookies and come right back.”

  “Oooh, we sold out of those an hour ago,” Isaac said, then held up two of the cupcakes he’d carefully frosted last night. “But we have a few Red Hots left.”

  “They look great, Isaac,” Kylie started. “But I’m navigating a three-foot-wide stroller through a maze of tourists and we have to stop every twenty yards to unravel the dog, who took an unfortunate liking to the hand-carved bear on Commodore Russell’s log sculpture display. So I’m going to need something already wrapped up that I can cram into the pouch behind the seat. Oh, and some paper towels if you have them so we can go clean up the wet stump back there at the Wooden Grizzly booth.”

  “Thanks for adding one more to your brood today, Kylie,” Hannah said as she handed over a stack of napkins. She looked at Isaac with one side of her mouth slightly quirked up. “We’ve been taking turns watching the boys until Luke and Carmen get back from their honeymoon.”

  Okay, so that was another explanation as to why she’d been too busy to get in touch with him after the wedding. Judging by the way she’d responded to his near kiss this morning, he knew it wasn’t because her attraction to him had cooled.

  “We better go, Sammy.” Kylie unlocked the stroller and made a wide U-turn, her front wheel almost taking out Scooter Deets, who was bargaining for a lower price with the huckleberry candle vendor. The older man had his hand cupped over his ear and it would only be a matter of time before the saleslady grew tired of having to repeat herself and ended up giving him a candle for free.

  “We’ll save you a seat at the parade,” Sammy called out over his shoulder before being tugged away by Big Dot.

  Isaac lifted a hand to wave, but it froze in midair when he saw Hannah’s horrified expression. He was pretty sure the last thing she wanted was to have her ex-boyfriend—and kind-of-sort-of current lover—sit with her family at the town parade.

  It wasn’t like it was his fault that her son wanted him there. If Sammy kept insisting on putting the two of them together, then Isaac couldn’t very well say no, could he?

  Chapter Fourteen

  “It’s got to be thirty degrees outside,” Isaac said to Hannah over Sammy’s head. “I know we’re supposed to be celebrating the start of ski season, but whoever decided that having a parade in December to kick off the festivities was clearly not thinking of the Sugar Falls High School marching band.”

  It was bad enough that Hannah had been suckered into working side by side with Isaac at the bake sale booth all morning, but sitting between him and Sammy on the cold concrete curb to watch the parade go by was pure torture. And not just because the high school’s horn section sounded like they all had numb lips.

  Big Dot was curled up in Isaac’s lap and, while she should be glad that her dog wasn’t howling along with the unfortunate rendition of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” like Kane Chatterson’s basset hound, the entire scene was just a bit too cozy for Hannah’s taste. A bit too familiar.

  The holidays were a time to be with family and loved ones. When she’d been in Ghana, jumping through legal hoops and signing those adoption papers, all she could think of were the happy memories she was going to create for Sammy. All the shared experiences she remembered from her own childhood. Summers on Lake Rush, traditional turkey dinners at the Gregson family’s table, Christmas with her dad dressing up as Santa and her mom playing the piano and teaching the kids old-fashioned carols. And how she’d bring some of his country’s traditions to celebrate with the rest of their family.

  From the time their plane had landed in the States, things hadn’t quite worked out according to plan. They’d arrived too late to spend any time on the lake this year. Sammy’s first Thanksgiving had been at a hotel buffet in Twin Falls since they’d had to check in early for Luke and Carmen’s wedding. And Christmas? Well, Hannah wasn’t sure what that’d look like this year with her mom’s health. But it was safe to say that she’d never envisioned sitting outside in the freezing cold, next to her ex-boyfriend who was currently teachi
ng her son the tune to “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.”

  “Are you going to come to my holiday pageant at school?” Sammy asked Isaac, and Hannah felt her throat close so she was unable to vocalize an objection quickly enough. “It’s next week. Mrs. Kamil said I could wear my kente shirt since we’re supposed to look fancy when we sing on the stage.”

  She shot Isaac a panic-stricken look and prayed that he would be too busy to accept the invitation.

  Instead, he had the audacity to wiggle his eyebrows at her before replying, “We’ll see.”

  Maybe if Hannah’d acted eager for him to be there, Isaac would’ve done the opposite and declined. After all, he had a reputation for moving on after he got what he wanted, like the typical spoiled kid who only longed for what he couldn’t have.

  His past behavior currently had her scratching her head about why he was so eager to be around her today. She’d slept with him last weekend, so why wasn’t he moving on now? And why was she allowing herself to dwell on what Isaac was thinking when she should be enjoying the festivities with her son? Probably because her son seemed so determined to include the guy in everything they did.

  Fortunately, the clouds soon parted and the sun was blazing down by the time the parade ended, making the weather much more tolerable. Since Monica had come to relieve them at the booth and take over for the afternoon shift, Hannah was able to get some circulation back into her legs by standing up and walking around the outdoor vendor booths in Town Square Park.

  Sammy walked right behind her, holding on to Big Dot’s leash, which didn’t stop the pup from diving between Hannah’s feet every few yards. After a few pointed suggestions that Isaac probably had things to do and shouldn’t feel obligated to walk with them, the frustrating man increased his efforts at friendliness by offering to hold on to the puppy so Sammy could run ahead and join some of his Cub Scout friends by the thirty-foot-tall spruce on one edge of the park. There was going to be a tree lighting ceremony tonight, and kids were making handcrafted ornaments to hang on the long pine branches.

  “Are you guys staying for the concert?” Isaac gestured toward the band setting up on the opposite end of the park, near the gazebo.

  “I wasn’t planning on it. I have a ton of papers to grade before winter break and Choogie Nguyen invited Sammy for a sleepover.” She saw the interest spark in Isaac’s eyes and she didn’t want him to get the idea that she was going to be all alone this evening. Not that Hannah would mind a repeat performance of what they’d done in that hotel bed, but she wasn’t willing to risk all the messy emotions and conversations that would take place afterward. She’d been lucky she’d dodged them for this long. “I mean, I doubt Sammy will make it through the whole night, so I’ll probably be picking him up early. But I thought it might be a good idea for him to spend time with another family that’s a bit unconventional, like ours.”

  Isaac nodded. “I think that’s a great idea. It’s tough being a kid who doesn’t necessarily look like everyone else in a new place and wonder where you fit into all of it. It’s definitely not the most comforting feeling.”

  Hannah paused, then turned to look at Isaac, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her old wool coat. She’d always been interested in knowing more about his parents, but they’d been going through a very drawn out divorce back then and she’d gotten the impression that he didn’t want to discuss any of it. He’d also rarely brought up his biracial heritage, and Hannah had followed his lead because she’d told herself that none of that mattered. But in reality it did.

  As an adult, especially one who’d lived in another country, she was now more aware of being the only person in a crowd who looked different from everyone else. But she’d been too caught up in her own feelings about her history with Isaac to appreciate that he could be an additional positive influence on her son. “What was it like for you when you came to Sugar Falls that first summer?”

  He looped Big Dot’s leash in his hand, shortening her lead, and clicked his tongue at the dog before resuming their walk. “It was definitely different than New York City or the boarding school I went to. But I had a double whammy going for me because not only did I look different than many of the kids, but I also came from a different financial background and lived on the East Coast, which made me even more of an outsider. Luckily, I had Uncle Jonesy, who was already well-known and respected here. Kind of like Sammy has you. Luckily, even back then, Sugar Falls tended to be more progressive than other towns I’d visited, so that was a point in my favor.”

  “You also had your own speedboat. I remember that being a point in your favor, as well.”

  Isaac’s fingers squeezed hers, and she wondered when they’d joined hands. Or if anyone else in the crowd of people walking around them had noticed. “I sure thought it was. But all of that kind of bit me in the butt when I decided to move here for good.”

  “All of what?”

  “My family’s money. My reputation. Everyone always assumes that the world has been handed to me on a silver platter. What they didn’t know was that my mom was constantly drilling in me this need to rise above all of that and succeed on my own merits.”

  Hannah gulped. She’d been guilty of that exact thing, but she bit back an apology as he continued. “When I came for the fire chief interview, everybody in town remembered the boat and my dad’s private jet. Nobody was interested to find out that I’d built houses for the needy, or served soup at homeless shelters or protested for clean water initiatives, along with everything else that would look good on a college application.”

  “Is that why you did all that volunteer work? For a college application?”

  “That was a low blow.” He released her hand, and while she should’ve been relieved that they no longer had that physical connection on display, she hated the fact that she’d been just as guilty when it came to making assumptions about him.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound like that.” She reached out to reclaim his hand. At first his fingers were stiff, much like his jaw, but he didn’t pull away.

  “If you want to know the truth, I actually did it—and still do it—because it makes me feel good to help others. To know that I made a difference.” He paused. “This girl I used to know taught me about giving back to the community.”

  Hannah’s breath caught in her throat. There was no doubt that she was the girl he was referring to, but it was still too soon to talk about what else they’d learned from each other back then. Maybe they should stay focused on what happened to them after that fateful summer.

  “So I’m guessing you kept up with the volunteer work while you were at Yale?” she asked.

  “Yes. And afterward, obviously. I was actually planning to join the Peace Corps after graduating, but at the last minute decided to enlist in the Army.”

  “Wait. Nobody ever told me you were in the military. Although, I pretty much stayed away from any news about you at all. Whatever happened to you always wanting to be a doctor?”

  He shrugged and she wondered if he remembered those late-night talks they used to have about their career paths. The ones where he’d give her a ride home and they’d stay in the truck talking for hours. “I don’t know. Being a doctor was a way to appease my mom because I knew that going to med school would buy me time and allow me to help others before she began pushing me to take over one of the biotech or medical supply companies she’d acquired. But when my parents finally split up, I decided that there was no way I would follow in either of their footsteps and drag out the inevitable. The idea of healing people still appealed to me, but I wanted to be a first responder, to get out to the scene instead of waiting for someone to bring the injuries to me.”

  “You never did like waiting.”

  He smiled. “I went through the medic program and it was way more rewarding than anything I’d ever done, but it still felt as though a piece of me was missi
ng. All I could think about was how much I’d loved hearing Uncle Jonesy and Scooter talk about the volunteer fire department. I wanted to give that a try—but when the Army spends that much money on your training, they don’t like to reclassify you. So after my four years were up, I went into the National Guard and attended the Fire Academy at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. I’m still in the Reserves.”

  “How do you manage all that? Being the chief and all the volunteering here in town and then the National Guard on top of it all? Don’t you have to go away for training all the time?”

  “Once a month. In fact, I go next weekend, but don’t worry. I’ll be back in time to take you to the Snow Ball.”

  Her knit ski cap must be covering her ears. “To the what?”

  “The Snow Ball. Apparently, Sugar Falls has one every December to celebrate the founding fathers’ first winter on the mountain.”

  “I know what it is. What makes you think I want to go with you?”

  “Don’t you want to go?”

  “I...uh...sure. But, like—go together?”

  “Yes. Together. Like a real date. And this time, we’ll finish whatever we start on the dance floor.”

  * * *

  Other than the night of the VFW dinner dance, Isaac couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a formal date. When he’d first moved here, he’d gone out a few times with an ER nurse he’d met in Boise, but their conflicting work schedules caused things to quickly fizzle out. Since then, there’d been a few tourists who’d made it clear they were only looking for a vacation fling, yet something just hadn’t felt right about taking another woman around the town that held so many memories of Hannah.

  Since he was off duty the night of the Snow Ball, he’d foregone the city truck and was navigating his own SUV—his father had had the luxury edition model delivered to fire station the day Isaac became chief, so that everyone in town would remember that Henry Jones’s son didn’t need the job—down the dirt driveway toward her family’s cabin. Pulling into the driveway, he tried not to look past the log structure toward the boatshed by the river. Steeling himself to avoid any topics that had to do with their past, he got out of his car and strode to the front door, determined to focus on their future.