“Oh Brock, I doubt it. She and Laurie have been in constant contact over the past year. I’m sure if she had residual bad feelings Laurie would know about it.”
He nodded but remained quiet.
“There’s more, isn’t there?”
“Do you always have to see everything, woman?” he asked, only partially kidding.
“Occupational hazard,” she quipped.
“I can’t decide if I want her to look like Sarah or not. If she looks like Sarah, it’ll be weird, but then if she looks nothing like her then it won’t seem real, either. Plus, I’m hoping to have a chance to talk to her about Sarah and that scares the hell out of me telling you that.”
“Why?”
“Because I love you. Sarah was long in the past and you are my here and now. And my future. But I’d still like to find out a little about Sarah and how she was when I met her. Just to fill in some puzzle pieces in my mind.” Looking at Jean straddling him with love shining in her eyes humbled him. “And I don’t want you thinking I’m fantasizing over a woman long passed that I knew twenty-five years ago.”
“Brock, I would never think that. Honey, I have my very real memories of Rick. I have thoughts, pictures, occasional phone calls from his parents, and…well, just memories. You don’t have that although you have a beautiful daughter to cherish. So I don’t mind you seeking some answers and if Emma is the one to give them to you then that’s wonderful.”
Pulling her in for a kiss, he angled his head for a deeper sensation. Licking her lips, he then sucked her tongue into his mouth eliciting a delicious moan that he felt straight to his dick. Separating for a moment, he looking into her deep brown eyes. “You are absolutely wonderful and I’m so fuckin’ lucky to have met you, lady.”
“You wanna show me how wonderful I am or you wanna help with the dishes?” she teased.
With a growl deep in his chest, he stood up tossing her over his shoulder, fireman’s style, and proceeded up the stairs. The dishes can wait. And he went about showing her just how wonderful he thought she was.
Two days later, Brock and Jean went to Laurie’s and met Emma. He had decided that he wanted her there with him. As they made their way up the walk, he could not help his nervousness. They had heard nothing but good things from Rob, Carol, and Tom. And much to the delight of the others, Jake had flipped over the petite brunette, although their blind date was not a success. They’d heard that Jake was going to remedy that immediately and could not wait to see them together at the barbeque coming this week.
But for now, it was time for Brock and Emma to meet. Walking up the front walk, Brock reached out and linked his fingers with Jean’s. She gave his a reassuring squeeze as they knocked on the front door.
Laurie opened the door, beaming, and threw her arms around both of them. “Dad, Jean. I am so glad you are here. Emma’s been wanting to meet you for the longest time.”
Taking a deep breath, Brock chastised himself. Jesus, I’ve gone into battle leading men, why the hell am I shaking just meeting Sarah’s sister? Before he had time to blink again, he was enveloped in a strong hug from a petite form with long, chestnut brown hair hanging in waves down her back. His arms wrapped around her automatically then loosened as he felt her pull away.
Looking down, he saw a beautiful woman with dark eyes and the similarity between her and Sarah was remarkable. He would have known they were sisters anywhere. But she was not identical to Sarah and he felt his apprehension lesson slightly.
The woman stepped back, still smiling and said, “I’m Emma. You must think me ridiculous…I’ve just wanted to meet you for so long.” She turned to Jean and hugged her as well. “You must be Laurie’s friend, Jean.”
Brock and Jean found themselves ushered into Laurie’s living room. She and Rob had just begun living together and the little house was still in a state of moving. Everyone found seats and Laurie served coffee, as the eyes of Brock and Emma focused on each other while trying to appear like they weren’t looking at each other.
Emma finally chuckled, saying, “Brock, I’m so sorry I keep staring at you. I’ve always looked at Laurie and just saw the resemblance between her and her mother. Now I am seeing you in her as well. It’s…well, it’s kind of neat.”
He nodded, appreciating her candor. “When I first saw her, I thought she looked just like Sarah. Then I later looked at her and saw some of my sister in her as well.”
The ice now broken, the four talked for a couple of hours, finding the past had bonded them but the present gave them new memories. Brock hesitated asking about Sarah, but Emma began talking about her anyway. She shared the good times and the ones that were not so good. Brock developed a deep appreciation for Emma and Sarah’s parents for keeping the family intact even through Sarah’s pregnancy and then helping to raise Laurie.
“I wish I could have known them,” Brock said honestly, rubbing his hands together.
“They were wonderful and would have loved you too.” Emma sat for a moment as the group was silent, and then added, “But life works out in ways that we don’t always expect.”
The conversation turned lighter then and he found out Emma was staying at the hotel until she could find a house. She was meeting with a realtor later in the week. Brock had her promise to call him if she needed anything since he lived over the laundry at the hotel.
Finishing their coffees and with promises to see each other at the barbeque in a few days, Brock and Jean walked back to his truck. His step was lighter and his heart seemed to have lifted. Looking over at Jean, he saw her smiling at him.
“What’re you smiling at?” he said, pulling her close as he assisted her into his truck.
“I haven’t seen you this…lighthearted since I met you,” she replied. “It’s nice.”
Giving her a quick touch on the lips, he walked around to his side and climbed in. He glanced over as they were driving and saw a faraway look in her eyes. Reaching across the console, he asked, “You okay, sweetheart?”
She smiled but he noticed it did not quite reach her eyes. Concerned, he pulled the truck into the parking space nearest his apartment. Hopping out, he assisted her down and then led her quickly up to his apartment. Once in, he pulled her down on his lap and asked, “What’s on your mind? You were very quiet earlier.”
“I was just thinking about what Emma said. How life doesn’t always work out the way we expect. If you had woken up earlier that morning, Sarah would have never left. You and she would have raised Laurie together and we wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation. Or if Rick had taken his lunch break at his regular time instead of doing one last job, he wouldn’t have been killed and again, you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“That’s a lot of ‘ifs’ sweetheart.”
She laughed ruefully. “Yeah, that is kind of heavy isn’t it?”
“Well, it was a heavy kind of morning,” he replied, his fingers moving through her silky hair.
She found the masssaging feeling of his fingers doing their magic and she began to relax. “I tell students and parents all of the time that we have to take life as it comes. Yes, there are things we can change, but we can’t go back and change the past. We have to take what happens and move forward. I suppose I need to listen to my own advice.”
“That’s right. There’s no knowing that Sarah and I would have been compatible or stayed together forever. She might have hated being a teenage bride married to a soldier. Just like you and Rick would have had your own problems. So we can’t look back at the ‘what ifs’. I’m thankful to know Laurie now and to have Sarah’s sister accept me as part of the family.”
Pulling her in for a whisper soft kiss, he looked deeply in her eyes and said, “And Jean? Right now there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than here with you.” Seeing the concern in her eyes melt away, he leaned in to kiss her again. This time with all the passion and love he felt.
Chapter Eight
The week was long, with another r
andom fire to put out. Jake and Tom showed up once again at the fire station to talk with Mac, who invited Rob and Brock to join them.
“You got anything new from the Arson Investigator?” Jake asked, settling down in Mac’s office.
“The incendiary devices are simple. It looks like some kind of material soaked in gasoline. Nothing fancy and any person can easily get their hands on it.”
“Do you have any suspects?” Brock asked. The other men in the room had grown up in Fairfield and knew many of the town residents.
Tom raked his hand through his blond hair in frustration, shaking his head. “We’ve thought of teens. Even talked to Brad Evans and some of his friends.” Knowing Rob’s teenage sister was dating Brad, he quickly added, “We didn’t suspect Brad of course. But he knows all the guys in town and thought maybe he’d heard something.”
Jake added, “Since one of the buildings that burned was the old shack that held some of the summer football equipment for the high school, the guys are really pissed. I think they’d tell us if they heard something.”
Rob spoke up saying, “I still want to keep my eye on Hank. He was such a prick that night Brock and I found him in the squad truck.”
Brock agreed. “He was pissed at me for sure.” Looking at Mac, he added, “I did exactly what you said, Chief. I acted real easy going and after a while he figured I wasn’t going to be keeping tabs on him and he went back to his old behaviors.”
Mac leaned heavily back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck to relieve the tension headache building. “Jesus, Joseph, and Mary,” he said under his breath. “I should have fired him earlier, but I had no proof.”
“Dad, you couldn’t have just fired him. You did the right thing by giving him enough rope to hang himself.”
“How’s the mayor been?” Tom asked.
“Ah, he’s been pretty silent. I noticed the incident never made it into the Fairfield Times,” Mac said. “But he never said anything to me. He knew his son had fucked up, so he’s kept wisely away from me. I just worried about that young girl he had in there with him. Hell, her sister was naked and having sex with the prick while the younger one was right there.”
“I think the alcohol played a big part in that scenario,” Jake added. “He’s had alibis for every fire.” Looking at his partner Tom, he asked, “Don’t you think that’s strange?”
Tom smirked, nodding his agreement.
“Strange? How?” Brock asked.
“None of us are around a lot of people all the time. There are lots of innocent people who can’t give an alibi, because they were alone. It’s not a crime to be alone. But no matter when the fire occurred, he was conveniently with someone.”
Tom added, “And now the mayor is insisting that we’re just harassing his son, since he’s not officially a suspect.”
“So your hands are tied in continuing to question him?” Mac asked, eyes narrowing in frustration.
“For now,” Jake replied. “But don’t worry, we’ll get whoever is doing this. Maybe it’s good that Hank thinks we are backing off. If it isn’t him, we’ll focus on who it could be. If it is him, somehow, he’ll get complacent and make a mistake.”
Brock sat silently for a moment as the men continued to discuss matters and looked at the others in the room who had offered him friendship immediately. He had friends in the Army, but had lost many in the war or to distance when they discharged and moved away. Fairfield offered something more. Something permanent. Something tangible. And something that he wanted to continue.
Standing as the meeting ended, they all promised to meet at the barbeque that Rob and Laurie were hosting that weekend. With a few jokes at Jake’s expense about his infatuation with Emma, they parted ways.
Getting out of the pickup truck, Brock walked around to the passenger side and plucked Jean from the seat setting her down on the ground. Her smile lit his world and he wondered, not for the first time, how lucky he was to have found her at a time in his life when he had begun embracing loneliness out of necessity, not choice.
She turned to get the dish of food from the cab and he admired her ass in the green sundress she was wearing.
Jean felt his eyes on her and twisted around. “Are you checking out my rear end?”
Glancing around to see that they were alone, he patted her ass, saying, “Sweetheart, seeing you coming is a sight for sore eyes. But seeing the back? Well, let’s just say that gets my pants tight every time.”
Laughing, she swatted at him as she handed the dish into his waiting arms. Standing on her tip-toes she placed a kiss on his lips, giving them a little lick. Hearing his growl, she winked. “And that’s to keep your mind on what to do with those tight pants when we get home.”
Holding the dish with one hand, he patted her ass once more, this time with a little more force. “Oh, I know exactly what we’ll do when we get home. You keep this up and we may not make it to the barbeque.”
Linking fingers, they walked through the house and into Laurie and Rob’s back yard. Greeting everyone, he hugged Emma as she came over. His gaze landed on Jake who quietly maneuvered right behind her. Chuckling as he and Jean made their way to some chairs, he whispered, “Looks like Emma has a shadow. Notice how Jake manages to be right behind her every time she is introduced to another man?”
Jean smiled and whispered back, “Do you think she’ll be interested?”
“Jake’s a good man. And not the kind of man to just go after any woman, so I know he’s definitely interested.”
Agreeing, she added, “It’s time for Emma to find a home here among friends and family. She and Jake would be perfect together.”
After the food and drink had been consumed, the friends sat around a huge fire-pit talking and sharing stories. The summer air was still warm but a slight breeze had the couples snuggling. Jean scooted her chair as close to Brock as she could and sat with his arm pulling her in tight.
“Emma, you’re going to have to come to the annual Fourth of July town picnic and fireworks over at the Riverside Park,” Carol said. Then she looked at Brock and realized he was new too. “Brock, I almost forgot you’re new to town also. You and Jean must come. We get a huge group like this together and enjoy a picnic, games, and then there are fireworks after it gets dark.”
“Oh, he’ll be there all right,” Rob answered. “We firefighters have to be on call.”
“You won’t be able to go to the picnic?” Jean asked, regret sounding in her voice.
“We wouldn’t miss the food,” Rob joked. “But for the fireworks, the crews have to be stationed around to make sure nothing happens.”
“Is that a problem?” Brock asked.
“Nah, it’s mostly to be there just in case something goes wrong. But we do have to watch out for kids,” he added. “They like to sneak in their own fireworks and then someone ends up burned.”
“I can’t wait,” Emma gushed. “Just what I was looking for when I decided to move here.”
Rob leaned over toward Brock and quietly said, “Mac will want us to be extra vigilant that night. It’d be a good time for whoever is setting these fires to slip off and set another one.”
Nodding his understanding, he leaned back into Jean, wrapping his arm around her once more.
“Trouble?” she asked quietly.
“Nah. Just a little shop talk.” Her eyes sparkled in the firelight as he gave her a quick kiss. “We’ll head home as soon as you say, sweetheart.”
“Why, Mr. Sinclair. Are you trying to seduce me?” she whispered.
“I don’t know. Is it working?”
Laughing, she nodded. “Oh yeah. It always works.”
“Good to know I’m not losing my touch with you,” he joked. Sharing another kiss, they settled back once again to enjoy the fire and friends.
The heat was intense and Brock struggled with the equipment as he faced his first large fire. Rob was next to him, offering encouragement and assistance, as the two of them worked well as a team.
“Stand back farther,” Rob advised. “Once you know that no one’s in the building, you can put more space between you and the fire.”
The two held onto the fire hose, directing the stream into the burning building. This one was in an old warehouse that, while empty, was attached to a row of stores with occupied apartments above. The residents had been removed as a precaution and were now watching with concern to see that the fire would be extinguished.
The men from two fire stations were battling the flames and with relief, Brock was finally seeing progress. As another crew took over to check the site, Rob and Brock walked back to the fire truck and peeled off their outer coats. Gratefully taking the bottles of water offered, they drank first and then poured some over their faces to remove some of the sweat and soot.
Mac strode over, anger written on his face. “This one was too bloody close,” he growled, referring to the proximity of the apartment building.
Jake made his way from the crowd, interviewing those who had been in the area at the time the fire started.
Mac looked over, saying, “Let me guess. No one saw or heard anything. Not a bloody thing.”
Jake nodded. “The only one saying anything is the mayor.”
“Mayor Carter is a big-mouth, political prick. He keeps quiet when his son is arrested and rides our backs when the case hasn’t been solved,” Mac bit out.
Tom joined them after questioning a few more witnesses. “Don’t have too much, but we may have a lead. One of the men who lives over the stores says his wife doesn’t like him to smoke indoors so he walks over to the edge of the building to have his smokes. Says he saw a little, blue car coming from the alley.”
Brock asked, “Do you think he may have started it with his cigarettes and doesn’t want to take the blame?”
“Thought about that, but he showed me where he stands, and there are a shit-ton of butts on the ground. He’s not neat, but it does corroborate the story of where he may have been standing. And if that’s his corner, then he’d have a good view.”
Fireworks Over Fairfield Page 7
