Sisters of Fire, Book 6
TO TRUST AGAIN
“I’m going to miss you so much, honey.”
Jordan held onto Brooke like he had when he was little and leaving for camp. “I don’t have to go, Mom. I can stay home for the school year.”
Over his younger brother’s shoulder, Grayson shook his head. “Me, too. I can still go to school closer. Elmwood College will take me this late.”
“No to both of you. But the offers warm my heart.” Brooke stepped back. “Now scoot. Anything you forgot to pack I can send to Italy.” Where he’d be studying architecture his senior year.
“I’ll be home at Christmas.”
“Maybe sooner for me,” Gray promised.
“We’ll see.”
“Love you, Mom.”
They watched Jordan go through security, her heart twisting in her chest. Please let him be all right.
“Now,” she said, turning to Gray. “Let’s get you a cab back to UCLA.”
Gray’s eyes misted. “It sucks leaving you alone. Dad wouldn’t approve of both of us taking off.”
“Dad would definitely approve. He’d want what’s best for you, as I do. We fulfilled all his wishes, so we have to move on.” Those had included scattering his ashes across the Pacific, which he loved to fly over.
“Not too fast though.” Gray adored his dad, and after a year, still mourned deeply over his death. “I’ll call once a week.”
“For a while you might. Then it’ll taper off so don’t worry about that either. I have a life, Gray, even though dad’s gone.”
“At least you’re better than you were a year ago, but I know Dad can’t be replaced in your heart.” Both boys had always resembled her and Zach, but it seemed that gradually Gray looked more like dad. He added, “I love you, Mom,” and walked out the door to grab transportation.
Brooke battled back tears. Eventually, she calmed, found her own gate and caught the redeye back east. She slept most of the night. When she arrived in Syracuse, she was in good enough shape to drive down to Crystal City and got to the fire academy in time for her ten o’clock meeting. Though she dreaded it. Could anything be more boring than fire engineering?
But the department did need to train in new systems that would meet the standards put in place by New York State. Brooke had no choice but to be on board. She’d meet with Patrick Patel, a rep for Fire Engineering Incorporated, which moved their headquarters to Elmwood recently.
With graciousness and feigned interest, she walked into the chief’s office.
“There she is,” Joe Redman said cheerfully. “Fresh off the plane, I think.”
She smiled at Redman. “Well, I did drive back from Syracuse, too.” She turned to the rep. But the man in the chair who’d been talking to the chief wasn’t Patrick Patel. Her heart began to gallop in her chest.
“Cord, this is Brooke Cartwright. Brooke, Cord Remington, the CEO of FEI.”
He stood.
Finally, she regained her composure. “Cord, nice to see you again.”
Always an attractive man, he still had dark wavy hair, now shot through with strands of gray. His eyes were mesmerizing, almost silver, with dark rims of black.
“You too, Brooke. I understand you’re a Battalion Chief.”
“Yes.”
“You two know each other?” Redman asked.
“Yes. Decades ago.”
“We can catch up later.” Cord spoke with a strong, clear voice while hers came out shaky. “Let me tell you what services we provide.”
They sat. Cord talked, but Brooke didn’t hear anything but sound of the blood pounding in her ears…
It was twilight and Cord pulled her close to him on the front stoop of her small house. He smelled of the outdoors. “Time’s up, already.”
“I know. It goes by fast.” She kissed the hands that held hers.
“When can I see you again?”
“I’ll text you.”
His eyes glowed like mercury. “Honey, I’m getting sick of this dallying.”
“So am I.” A voice came from behind them. “At least I would be if I’d know about all this.”
Brooke froze, then she managed to turn around. Her husband Zach stood on the sidewalk in his pilot’s uniform of crisp white hat, navy trousers and white shirt.
Zach was home early from a trip.
“I want to know one thing.” Her husband’s voice was full of hurt and outrage. “Did you sleep with him?”
“No.”
“Then you have to choose, Brooke. Him or me…”