Chapter 24

Beth had called Kyle to tell him she was going to be late coming home. He was getting supper ready when Copper started to bark. He walked to the front door, where he saw someone walking up the sidewalk towards the house. It was a lady probably in her mid-fifties. He didn’t have to guess that it was Beth’s mother. She looked a lot like her daughter. The door bell ringing confirmed his suspicions.

Kyle opened the door. “Hello, can I help you?”

The woman looked shocked. “Is Beth home?” she asked cautiously.

“She’s not home from work yet. Can I help you with something?”

She looked him over. “Uh, yeah. I’m her mother, Karen. Who are you?”

Kyle put his hand out. “Kyle Olson. I’m Beth’s boyfriend. It’s nice to meet you. Come in.” Kyle turned to go back to the kitchen, and keep Copper out of the way. From what he knew about Beth’s relationship with her parents, her mom probably didn’t know anything about him. “Beth was going to stop at the gym and the store before she came home. Did you eat supper yet?”

Karen waved her hand. “I’m fine. So, how long have you and my daughter been seeing each other?”

“It’s been a few months now.”

Karen nodded her head. “I see. And what do you do?”

Kyle could sense she was trying to size him up. “I’m a production manager at the window factory. I’m also on the fire department.”

Karen’s eye brows went up. “Isn’t that a dangerous job to take on? I mean, you know what happened to Beth’s husband, right?”

Kyle turned around, and walked closer to Karen. “I’ve heard. From what they guys tell me, he was a great man, and one hell of a fireman. He did nothing wrong. His death was an accident. We train to prevent accidents from happening.”

“And what’s to say another accident happens, and Beth loses someone else? Do you really think my little girl could handle that?”

“Mother?”

Kyle looked over at the door, where Beth was standing with a few bags in tow. Kyle walked over to her to take them. He was glad she was home.

“Hello, Beth. I’ve met your boyfriend here.” She looked him over again. “Another fireman too.”

Beth shook her head. “You’ll never understand. What brings you to my neighborhood anyway?”

Karen looked at Beth, then over to Kyle. “Could we talk in private?”

Kyle said helpfully, “I can leave for a bit. The food’s done. I’ll just turn it down in case you aren’t ready to eat.”

Beth grabbed his arm. “Don’t feel like you have to do this.”

“It’s okay, Beth. I think you two have some things to talk about. I’ll just be at the hall.” He gave her a kiss, and headed out.

Kyle thought about what Karen had said. He knew there was a risk every time he suited up for a call. He had talked with Beth about the dangers of being a fireman, and they agreed the slim chance of accident wasn’t enough to keep him off the department. Beth knew how much it meant to him to be a fireman. Kyle wasn’t sure what he wanted to do when he got to the hall, but saw he wouldn’t be alone. The chief’s truck was in the lot.

Kyle heard Butch in the office, and headed there. Butch was just finishing up a phone call, when he realized Kyle was standing in the doorway.

“Kyle, what brings you here this evening?”

“Aw, nothing much really.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Beth’s mom just showed up.”

“Ugh, that woman needs to stay out of her life. She always was bitter about Beth deciding to live here, and even more blunt about it after Josh died. Her mom wanted Beth to move back home, but Beth was too stubborn to go. She’s made a life for herself here, and I don’t blame her for not wanting to leave. I sure wouldn’t want to live anywhere near that bitch.”

Kyle let a chuckle out. “So it’s not just me? She was grilling me about the ‘what if’s’. There’s a higher chance something would happen to me outside of the department than when I’m responding.”

“I agree. What happened to Josh was the first, and hopefully the last major casualty to our department. Sure, there’s occasional injury, but the probability of death is lower than most people think. We respond to people in need, but we can’t put our own lives in too much danger to save them. Injured firemen won’t save many lives.”

Kyle agreed. The first thing they had to think about on scene was how to make things safe for them, and then address the issue they were called out for. It was part of their training to think about safety.

“What do you think I should do?”

Butch laughed. “That’s up to you. I wouldn’t want to piss that woman off, but I also don’t think she really knows what she’s talking about. You’ve got to think about you and Beth, not everyone else. Things must be going pretty well, from what I’ve heard.”

Kyle couldn’t hide his smile if he tried. “You could say that. I think moving in was a good choice.”

Butch watched Kyle. “I’m glad you two are together. I think you are a good man for her. Beth had a real hard time after the accident, but she’s really turned around. You might be part of that.”

Kyle glanced at the clock. “I should head back. I hope Karen’s gone.”

Butch laughed. “Yeah, good luck with that one. She could be your mother-in-law someday.”

Kyle hadn’t thought about that when he had thought about the possibility of getting married to Beth. He’d thought about their future, and figured they would get married. It wouldn’t be a really big wedding. Neither of them were real close to their families, they were much closer with the fire department and their friends.

Kyle bid good-bye to the chief and walked back home. He saw Copper on the step, and let him inside. Beth was by the counter, eating her supper. She looked tired.

“Hey, how were things with your mom?”

“Oh, the usual.” Beth stood up and gave Kyle a kiss. “She’s gone now. I hadn’t talked to her enough, so she thought she should pay me a visit unexpectedly. I think she hoped I was wallowing in sorrow and could convince me to leave.”

Kyle dished up a plate and sat next to her. “Has she done this before?”

Beth sighed. “Yeah, every few months she gets a bug up her butt to come bother me. I don’t really call her much anymore since she’s on my case when I do talk to her.”

“She wasn’t happy when I told her I was a fireman.” Kyle pushed his food around on his plate.

Beth grabbed his arm. “Hey. I know she can say some pretty hurtful things. I’ve gotten used to it. But what she thinks and says doesn’t matter to me. I disagree with her on many levels, and that’s one of them. I’ve been around the fire department long enough to know what a family you guys are and how much a part of your life being a fireman is. It’s part of my life now too, and I’m not willing to let that go.”

Kyle reached over and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. He gave her a kiss.

“Thanks, baby. Love you.”

“And I love you too. Finish up your supper, and I’ll show you just how much l love you.”

Kyle grinned. “Deal.”