Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“Then, I want to talk to him,” I replied as I plastered a cheery smile on my face.
Cohen tightened his jaw, but he turned and stalked off, leading me away from the apparatus bay to take me to his boss.
If I was going to get what I wanted, I had to turn up the heat. So much was at stake, and I didn’t plan to be stopped any time soon.
Chapter 4
Paolo
Silence filled my office as I leaned back in my chair, propping my boots up on the edge of my desk. Between all the fires going on and having two kids at home, I didn’t experience all that much peace and quiet. It was a miracle that today at the station had been pretty uneventful, and I hoped that I could make it through the rest of this shift without any craziness.
My eyes strayed to the framed family photo on my desk, my chest aching a little at the sight of my late wife, Katie. She was smiling, glowing as brightly as the sun shining in the sky above her. When I took that picture of her, we had no idea that she was about to be diagnosed with the cancer that would end her life a year later. Our kids, who were playing in our backyard behind her, didn’t know that they were about to lose their mom and be left with a grieving, lost single dad.
The years that followed were tough on us all. So many burnt meals, tears, and bittersweet moments. But we made it through together. Now, Elena was fifteen, and Lucas was twelve.
They were growing up too fast, and I was struggling to catch up with everything. All I wanted was a happy family and a safe community, and that meant putting in work every day. But I wouldn’t change what I did or who I loved for anything.
Per usual, my silence was broken by a knock on my door. With a sigh, I swung my boots off my desk.
“Come in,” I called out as I straightened up in my seat.
The door swung open and Cohen walked inside with a glare on his face. Uh oh. I only saw that look on his face for specific things that bothered him. Before I could open my mouth to question him, another person walked into my office, but she wasn’t just any person.
She was the woman who had fainted right in front of my eyes last night.
I rose to my feet as she approached me, my eyes jumping from her head down to the boots she wore. It looked like she was fine, which was a relief. When her eyes rolled back and she fell, I feared something was wrong with her.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her.
At first, her forehead creased as a confused look appeared on her face. After a moment, her eyes widened in realization.
“Oh, right. The nurse said the fire chief brought me to the hospital,” she said. “Thank you for doing that. I’m perfectly fine now.”
I offered her a polite smile and nodded, feeling glad to hear that.
“Good to hear. Did you need something?” I asked as I glanced over at Cohen, who didn’t look as friendly as he typically was to strangers.
Zoe looked over at Cohen, her nose wrinkling a little at him before she turned back to me.
“Yes, I wanted to talk to you. I’m Zoe Collins. I’m a journalist for The Blue Ridge Times, and I’m working on the arson case,” she explained to me as she reached her hand out.
Oh, boy. A journalist. I didn’t particularly have anything against them, but some of them could be trouble. They were professionally nosy.
Some of the more relaxed, newer guys like Matty and Gabe wouldn’t mind her being around. Honestly, they would probably like the attention. Most of the others could go either way, but the one I was concerned about was Cohen. Media people rubbed him the wrong way, and one particularly driven one was among us.
“Paolo Russo,” I introduced myself as we shook hands.
“Russo. Italian?” Zoe asked as she lifted an eyebrow with a smile on her face.
That smile. My heart hammered in my chest at the sight. It kind of reminded me of Katie’s smile. Bright and bold.
I didn’t get a great look at her last night, but now that she was right in front of me in the light, I realized just how beautiful she looked. Her auburn hair streamed down her back in waves, and her green eyes were captivating and curious.
A sudden pang of guilt forced my eyes away. It had been a while since Katie died, but we had been married for years. We shared so much together, and it was hard trying to move forward without her. Especially in a romantic sense.
I hadn’t dated since she passed, and I didn’t know if or when I would.