The Firefighter’s Woman 2 Read online

  Morning rolled around, and Evan opened his eyes to a debilitating migraine. He winced and groaned against the sunlight streaming through his office window. The night before, he’d pulled into his drive at home only to back out and head to the station on a call. This time it wasn’t a fire, but one of the residents of the town had locked himself in the bathroom and couldn’t get out. Evan didn’t need to be the one to go, but he figured he wouldn’t sleep anyway. Afterward, he had stayed at the station and slept on the cot he kept in the corner of his office. The thing was not comfortable in the least.

  Blueberry pancakes, bacon, and sausage hit his nostrils, making his mouth water. So Tony had come in for his early shift even after working at the restaurant until late. His cooking here was a rarity, and now that Evan’s appetite had returned, he decided to take advantage of it. He just prayed the damn guy would keep his opinions to himself.

  After popping a couple of pills in his mouth and washing it down with day old Pepsi, he stumbled to the bathroom and cleaned up a little. Too weak and sleepy to shave, he ignored the stubble about his chin. Ignoring the look Tony gave his wrinkled, slept-in attire, Evan took a seat and filled his plate.

  “Coffee,” he demanded, having no capacity for manners this morning.

  In silence, Tony poured him a cup and retuned the pot to the stove. Several more men wandered in, and soon the stacked pancakes and platter of meat was empty. Tony beamed like a mother hen. Evan grumbled.

  “So,” Tony began when they were alone again, Evan in too much pain to get up.

  “Don’t start,” Evan muttered.

  Tony held up his hands. “Wasn’t going to. Just thought you might be interested.”

  “In?”

  “In where she is this morning.”

  He didn’t answer. Let him think his advice from the night before had been taken to heart. With nonchalance, he sipped his coffee and popped the last bite of bacon into his mouth. “Whatever.”

  Tony shrugged. “Okay.” He stood, gathered up the dirty dishes and stacked them in the dishwasher. A couple years ago the guys had pitched in to buy it since none of them wanted the chore of washing them by hand and the washer wasn’t in the budget. That kept Tony from complaining for help because he was happy to cook every meal. The cleanup was a different story.

  George lumbered in late. “Anything left? Baby kept us up all night, and Sharon is catching some sleep while she can. I’m so hungry.”

  Tony shook his head. “Have a seat. I’ll whip you up the condensed version.”

  Finished with his breakfast, Evan prepared to leave. On a yawn, George stopped him. “Oh, hey, chief. Sorry, didn’t see you there. I guess Tony told you the news about Marlena leaving town—”

  “What?” Evan shouted. He looked at Tony, who shrugged. Evan had wanted to play it cool, but this was not just some dinner meeting. “She just met that woman last night. She’s decided already?”

  “Decided?” George interjected. “She’s more than decided. In fact, what is it, seven-thirty? Her plane probably already took off. Sharon heard from Shana late last night that Marlena planned on catching the six o’clock flight out to New York. Apparently, those folks were so impressed that they wanted to bring her out there to show her up close and personal what they have to offer. Not sure about the details, but hell, she might not even come back to Forest’s End. I mean, she doesn’t have any family here or anything to hold her.”

  No family and nothing to keep her here. George didn’t know the blow he’d just dealt Evan. To his foggy, sleep-deprived brain, he was just passing along the local gossip like everyone else did. Evan turned away from the table and left the kitchen without a backward glance. His head was still pounding, but that didn’t matter. He needed to get to New York.

  When he reached his office, he dug out his phone and, with one hand, dialed Marlena while, with the other, tugged on his shoes. She didn’t answer on the first call, so he tried again. Over and over he dialed in the truck on the way to his house. Mentally, he located his duffel, which he’d stuffed under the bed, and tried to remember if he had done laundry when he’d discovered he was down to his last boxers.

  At his house, he was relieved to find he had done laundry, only now recalling that he’d stripped and thrown everything in the washing machine after that last fire. He was good. Bag packed, he dialed Marlena again. This time, she answered.

  “I’m in a meeting, and you’re disturbing me.”

  “This early?” He sighed. “I need to talk to you. I’m coming to New York.”

  “Like hell you are!” She lowered her voice and began to whisper. “Don’t mess this up for me, Evan. We’re not together. The sooner you accept that, the better for both of us. I guess you’ve heard that I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime. I did not need to look back in order to jump on it.”

  “So is that the kind of woman you are?” he demanded. “The kind that will put career above all else?”

  “Don’t even go there, you jack—” She curbed her language no doubt for whoever was nearby. “I’m just following your example, Evan.”

  “Come on, Marlena.” He swerved into the next lane to avoid an old woman driving at least twenty miles below the highway speed limit. A sign overhead said he was just five miles from the airport. “I don’t understand why you’re being so hard about this. I left. I’m sorry. I’m back and trying to make it right. Can’t you cut me some slack?”

  “Ask your mother.”

  “You said that before. What do you mean by that? I know she is snobby. Hell, sometimes she acts like she’s too good for me given my choice of profession, but you learn to ignore her. What did she say?”

  Marlena blew out an impatient breath. “It’s not what she said, you bastard. It’s what you said. Good-bye.” The line went dead.

  Evan sat there stunned for a few moments and then speed dialed his mother. He didn’t know why he’d never spoken to her after Marlena had hinted she’d had something to do with her rejection of him. Maybe it was because his mother got on his nerves as well, always reminding him how he was letting the family name down by being a common firefighter. Funny, he’d always thought, along with most other people, that men and women in his field were heroes. To call them common was insulting to them risking their lives every day.

  His mother didn’t answer at home or on her cell. On impulse, he decided to check her favorite club. He was just a short way from the airport now, but if he didn’t find out all the facts, his trip might be for nothing. Better to talk to his mother first and then fly off after Marlena. No doubt her present meeting was just one of many until she and her business associates settled on what they were going to do. Aside from the turmoil their relationship was in, he was proud of her, and he’d tell her so the minute he spoke with her.

  Chapter Ten

  Just as Evan had suspected, he spotted his mother’s Benz in the parking lot of her favorite Abend country club. He knew if there were enough uppity folks in Forest’s End, there would be one there, and his mother would have been the first to join.

  When he paused just inside the door, at least three women spotted him and began heading his way. Only one was around his age, but the two older women no doubt had daughters they were looking to marry off. These people lived in the dark ages.

  “Evan,” one of the older women called out when she saw that the other two would be first at his side. “I was just talking about you to your mother. A fine young man, I said to Claudia, a perfect match for my Becky.”

  Evan considered telling her sorry, he was only into black women, which would shock her. But he wasn’t. Just one African American beauty in particular. “How are you, Mrs. Coleman? Please tell me where I can find my mother.”

  “I’ll take you straight to her.” The younger woman hooked her arm with his. For the life of him, Evan couldn’t remember her name. Not that it mattered. He just wanted to talk to his mother, get the facts, and get his ass on a plane to meet Marlena. These women should know by now he was not interested in the debutante type. He never had been. The day he’d met Marlena, she’d been like a breath of fresh air. On a whim, he’d drawn her into conversation when she’d cleaned his mother’s house, and with that sweet face and sweet personality, he’d fallen in love.

  She had accused him of thinking she wasn’t good enough for him. Did he harbor feelings like that deep down? Is that what had given him the push to leave when he knew even then that he loved her? Right now, he couldn’t imagine his life without her, so maybe he was at fault somehow, beyond walking out.

  After some moments, he realized the woman at his side had been chattering away to him, and he hadn’t been listening. He knew why he’d never remembered her name. She never shut up long enough for him to assimilate whatever she said. He brought her to a stop and unhooked his arm.

  “Uh…thanks for your help, but I think I can find my mother. I don’t want to take anymore of your time. Judging from the direction we are going, I assume she’s on the green. I’ll find her.”

  Before the woman could rev up again, Evan took off, walking at a sharp clip he knew she wouldn’t be able to match without running. If nothing else, the women here conducted themselves in a dignified manner at all times.

  After searching around for a while, he spotted a caddy, one he was sure wouldn’t latch onto him, and he questioned the boy. In luck, Evan discovered his mother was on the third hole, and approaching her moments later, he found her surrounded by her usual entourage. Evan sighed.

  “Mother,” he called when he was within hearing distance.

  She swung around, and her face lit up. “Evan, darling. This is a pleasant surprise. Why didn’t you call me to let me know you were stopping by? I would have—”

  He took her arm, nodded to her fr
iends, and guided his mother some steps away from the others. “This isn’t a social visit, Mother. I have questions I want answers to. Honest answers.”

  She patted his cheek. “So serious. You always look like your father when you make that face, God rest his soul.”

  “Mother!”

  “What is it, Evan? You haven’t asked me any questions yet.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her, alert to any inflection that would tell him she lied. “Did you or did you not say something to Marlena after I left Forest’s End to make her think I left because she wasn’t good enough for me?”

  She waved a hand in exasperation. “Oh that old news, Evan. She’s out of your life. There’s no need to bring that ugly phase up again.”

  “Ugly phase? You can’t be serious.” He felt his mood darkening by the second. This was why he didn’t spend a lot of time around his mother. She drove him insane and didn’t listen to a word he said. “Marlena was more than a phase, as you put it. If you recall, I told you I loved her. You said it was lust. I assured you I was old enough to know better.”

  “Pish posh, son. Water under the bridge.”

  “Mother, answer me. I want to know the truth.”

  She wiggled out of his grasp and turned slightly away. “I might have mentioned…something…”

  “Like?”

  “Well, you have to admit, Evan. She wasn’t good enough. She didn’t have a high school education. She’d dropped out for whatever reason they do, and she was cleaning my house, for goodness sake. A woman like that is beneath you. Even if she has improved her life now, which she ought to, it doesn’t matter. She’s not on your level.”

  Evan flared his nostrils. He clenched his hands at his sides and bit down on his tongue for a moment or two to keep from shouting and letting everyone else into their conversation. “And did you share this bigoted opinion with her?”

  “Bigoted! Really, Evan. You’re insulting.”

  “Did you?”

  She huffed. “I might have made one or two comments.”

  Evan paced away from her, tramping heavily in the thick green grass. He drew in and blew out breath after breath, but nothing calmed him. Considering what his mother said, he thought of how Marlena would have taken it. Likely, she would have been hurt, but the woman he loved was strong, even then. She wouldn’t have let his mother dictate whether she was a worthy person or not. Marlena would have felt their relationship was between them and no one else. Of course, he hadn’t defended his position by leaving. Had she come to the conclusion that he felt the same as his mother when he’d walked out on her, telling her he thought they needed time apart? How could she not? And yet…

  He strolled back over to his mother who stood waiting for him to calm down. She’d done much the same in her stubborn way when his father flew off the handle. Nothing changed his mother’s opinions, even anger from his father and him. He supposed he got his own stubborn ways from her—like a dog with a bone that refused to let go.

  “One last question,” he said.

  She raised delicate eyebrows.

  “Marlena mentioned a note or something with my handwriting on it. For personal reasons, she knew my handwriting very well and could identify it anywhere. What would she have seen while talking to you that would convince her I felt the same as you?”

  At this question, his mother paled. Evan figured he’d hit on a significant part of the story, one his mother did not want to share. He’d keep her here all night if he had to. She would tell him what the hell had gone on between her and Marlena.

  Her head dipped. She pressed her chin into her chest and clutched her fingers together. Evan wasn’t impressed with the whiteness of her knuckles or her slight tremble.

  “Mother?”

  “It was a check.”

  He frowned. “Come again?”

  She spoke louder, her chin coming up. “It was a check. Remember the check you wrote for Marlena when she did that extra work for me? The work in the garden, even though it wasn’t a part of her job description? You said you wanted to be the one who paid her.” His mother cringed. “I saw the…the feeling in you when you said it. Like she was something special. You gave me the check written out except for the amount because I wasn’t finished with all I needed her to do. You said you would leave it up to me to decide on the payment so long as you footed the bill.”

  All of a sudden the clarity of what his mother had done hit him square between the eyes. She didn’t need to give him the details. He could guess. His mother had used that blank check, along with her poisonous words against Marlena, to bring her down.

  “Let me guess,” he said with bitterness. “You wrote in an exorbitant amount and said it was my pay off to leave me alone. Is that it? And even when she didn’t accept the money, you still believed she wasn’t a good person.”

  “Oh, she took the money, all right,” his mother corrected with a look of justification in her eyes. “Snatched it rudely out of my hand and walked out. See? That proves what kind of woman she is, doesn’t it?”

  Evan felt sick to his stomach. He didn’t address his mother’s question, but rather asked one of his own. “How much, Mother?”

  She smirked. “Five thousand.”

  Evan had enough money in his personal bank account to live on with comfort for a good long time, years actually. He didn’t bother much of it beyond his salary firefighting, so he had to admit, he didn’t watch as close as he should about what money went out beyond his regular bills. Soon after he’d written that check, he’d been offered the position in New York, and after that, he had broken it off with Marlena.

  If his mother hadn’t given her the check yet for the work she’d done, no wonder she thought the check was a payoff. She must have figured he thought she would chase after him or even think up a scheme to make him marry her. The way his mother had it, Marlena was nothing but a gold-digger. Yet, five thousand dollars was hardly gold. The sum was an insult as a payoff.

  Now that he knew the truth, he had to talk to her. He didn’t want her believing for a second that he would do such a despicable thing. The money meant nothing to him. She deserved that and so much more.

  “Mother, let me say this, and I am leaving. If things don’t work out between Marlena and me, and it’s because of your words and actions, you can consider yourself childless. I didn’t demand that you accept Marlena. I asked that you respect my decision, but you didn’t.” He glanced around at the friends she always hung with, people who would stab her in the back in a heartbeat. He’d overhead it on many occasions, but kept his mouth shut so she wouldn’t be hurt. “I hope they can be everything you need because you don’t need me. Good-bye.”

  “Evan,” she shouted behind him as he walked away. He didn’t turn around or stop. What his mother had done cut him deep. The two of them had never been close, even when his father had been alive, but this situation had driven a wedge even further between them. Honestly, he didn’t think the relationship would recover, no matter what happened with Marlena. Regret already stirred in his heart, but he was resolved. His mother should be proud.

  Chapter Eleven

  Evan was ready to rip his hair out. Did Murphy’s Law have it out for him or what? The earliest flight he could get to New York was several hours later than he’d arrived at the airport. And then, by the time he’d located where Marlena was meeting with the Executives of Crunch—because no one had informed him of who they were before he left Forest’s End—it was only to find that she had left New York to return to their home town.

  Frustration knew no bounds inside him, and yet the beast hadn’t gnawed on him enough because now his fucking plane had electrical problems and had to be canceled. All the passengers were rescheduled for a later flight. Exhausted beyond endurance, Evan had elected to grab a night in a hotel and fly out the next day. He had called Marlena, but she must have turned her phone off. If he didn’t know any better, he would believe that fate was against them getting together.

  At long last, he was back in Forest’s End, but instead of heading to Marlena’s apartment, he returned to his house to freshen up and eat something. Since he had raced half cocked across the country with barely a thought to someone holding down the station while he was out, he figured it best to check in at work. So far, he was doing a lousy job as fire chief, and it wouldn’t surprise him if soon his superiors came down on him.