“I called this meeting so Stef and I could say hello. We’re your new officers.” Abe Quinn addressed all three shifts from Engine 2. The firefighters who came back for it or in on their days off would accrue comp time. “I know some of you, but not all. I’m Captain Abe Quinn.” He gave them a friendly smile. “I’m glad to be here.” He nodded to Stef. “And Lieutenant Stevens will head up Group 3.”
“Fuckin’ A.” This from Bull Ransom, who glared across the table at Abe. A big, beefy man with hands like baseball mitts, his snarl made his plain face ugly.
Abe took a bead on him. “Firefighter Ransom, keep the inflammatory comments to yourself. And avoid vulgar words.”
“I wanted to be Lieutenant.” His tone stayed belligerent.
“You weren’t recommended by your superiors.”
“I wasn’t, so broads like her could get the job. The way this department promotes women, like that broad Jensen and now her sucks.” Julie Jensen, a member of the Sisters of Fire, had been captain at Abe’s old house.
“Do not ever refer to a woman as a broad in my presence or at this fire house. And I worked with Jensen and she’s top notch.” His expression turned cold. “And never bad mouth her or Stef in my presence. In the firehouse at all.”
Jerry Hopewell, about forty, with dark hair and kind eyes, nudged him in the shoulder. “This isn’t the time and place for a discussion like that. If you got a problem, take it up with the brass.”
“Thanks for pointing that out, Jerry. And it’s accurate. Stef and I start after Labor Day.”
Ransom fumed but said no more.
Tommy had had enough. “I think she’s a good addition to the crew at Engine 2.” Though she’d broken his heart when she cut off their relationship, even after he told her he was falling in love with her.
“Agreed.” Abe again.
Ethan Goodfellow, a tall lanky man with eyes and hair black as night, leaned forward. “For the record, Ransom, I take your comment about promoting minorities as a slam toward me, too.”
“Why?”
“If she was appointed because of her sex, and I’m not saying she was, then I was chosen because of my race.”
Tom added, “Yeah, but you’re a guy, Ethan.”
The others laughed.
“Damn right.” Hell, Ransom didn’t even care if he made an ass of himself.
Abe lazed back in his chair. “Be careful, Firefighter Ransom. You’ve had a lot of marks on your record. I know for a fact that Joe Redman told you one more report against you and you’re out.”
“Ha! The union will have something to say about that, won’t they Santiago?” Who was a union rep.
“We’ll have a lot to say, Bull. Like we did when you smeared me.”
“I’ll file a lawsuit if they come after me and you’ll have to support it.”
“On what planet?” Luiz Santiago’s deep rich voice warmed with anger. He was strong and stocky and fit. “We support who’s right.”
Stef sat up straight. Her dark hair was tamed today and her blue eyes focused on Ransom. “I’ve had enough of this. Can we go on to the next thing, Abe?”
“I’ve had enough, too.” He focused on Tom. “Tom, we’re glad to see you here.” To the group he said, “Lieutenant Mancini will be back to active duty on 9/11.”
“So soon?” It slipped right out of Stef. It made him sad.
“Three weeks is a long time off.” He gave her a small smile. “But thanks for the concern.”
“Now, back to my captaincy. I have a few new rules to put in place, too.” He put the Rules Book in the center of the table. “Be sure to take a look today.”
After Abe finished, the crew was dismissed. Stef hung back and Tom went out to the other room to wait for her. When she exited the office, she seemed startled. “Tom.” She sighed. “You didn’t have to stick up for me.”
“We all did, in case you didn’t notice.”
“Yeah. That felt good.”
“And I think you’re wrong in breaking us off, but I’m still your friend.”
She shook her head. “You gotta be meaner, Tommy.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
They walked out together and separated with nothing more said between them.
Tom got in his snazzy Lotus Esprit, which he could drive now, because the doc had taken the boot off two days early. He’d missed the car that he’d bought after being stalked. Before he could start the engine, his phone buzzed. He checked the caller ID. Oh Lord, please let this be good news.
He clicked on.
“Hello, Mr. Mancini. This is Jim Jamison.” His doctor. “I called to tell you the DNA results are back and your paternity was confirmed. You are the father of Ms. Hartzig’s child.”
His heart clutched in his chest. “Um, thanks Doc.”
“You’re welcome. Enjoy the news.”
Enjoy the news? This was the nail in the coffin for his relationship with Stef.
Still, a kernel of joy formed inside him. He was going to have a kid!
* * *
Stef stared blindly at the manicurist who was massaging her feet. She was a small woman who’d greeted them warmly but didn’t say much after that.
Next to her, Vanessa said, “Darling, this is supposed to be a celebration of your promotion. Why so glum?”
“I’m not glum. I told you that I got one of the worst misogynists on my group and how to handle him preoccupies me.”
“Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
“Yes, Mom.” She squeezed her mother’s arm and smiled.
“You sure you don’t want a manicure? You don’t have to have polish.”
“It’d be wasted. Fire leaves crud under my fingernails, despite the gloves.” Long ago, Stef knew that her mother had come to terms with her being a firefighter. But her dad had died still fearful of her job.
“All right.” Vanessa sipped her champagne. “This is delicious.”
They’d gone to the most elite salon in town which served the bubbly. Her mother got all dressed up in a matching skirt and peach blouse that offset her ash-blond hair, and Stef wore a gauzy two piece thing.
“It’s my favorite brand,” Vanessa said. “By the way, don’t forget to make a manicure appointment for your fifteenth reunion.”
Stef moaned. “I’m not going to that.”
“It’s a significant one. And you haven’t had any since your tenth. You went with Harry.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Stef…”
“All right, I’ll think about it.”
“Is your relationship with Tom still off?”
“Yes. Especially after my promotion. I have to have an impeccable record to lead the group with that jerk on it.”
“Don’t let that guy do that to you. Make choices based on what’s best for you.”
“He’s not doing it to me.” She wiggled her toenails. “If he sees these, it’ll drive him nuts.”
Stef had chosen pink polish for her toes, her mother a bright red. She refused to have them use clear polish because of Ransom.
“Nothing I can do to change your mind about Tom?”
“Why would you Mom? You never even met him.”
“I’ve seen the joy on your face when you talked about him.”
“Be that as it may, I got too much on my plate.”
“I’ll stop asking, then.”
“That’d be best. Are we still going back to your place for lunch?” They didn’t want to walk into a restaurant trying to protect their feet.
“Yes. I made one of your favorites—brie with apples, a vinaigrette salad and those crusty rolls you like. As I said, we’re celebrating.”
“We are. Thanks.”
Just as they pulled into Vanessa’s driveway, Stef’s phone rang. “It’s Tom.”
“Take the call. I’ll go inside and get lunch out.”
She waited until her mother exited the car. “Hi, Tom.”
“Stef.” No warmth in the word. He used to say it with smoochy affection. “I wanted you to know that the DNA tests came back and I am the father of Lila’s baby.”
Her throat clogged. Her heart sped up. The opposite news wouldn’t have changed anything, but she honestly didn’t want this for him. “Are you happy?”
“I’ll love having a kid in my life. But not with Lila. I wanted it to be you.”
“I’m sorry, Tom.”
“Yeah, me too. Goodbye Stef.”
“Goodbye.”
* * *
Tommy knew this was going to be tough. His grandmother would cry with joy over the baby coming but be sad for the circumstances. He walked into their living room wearing a fake smile. “Hi, Grandma. Do you have a few minutes?
Her eyes twinkled at him. They were blue, like his, and her white hair offset them. “Of course. For my boy.”
Grandpa came into the room. “Can I sit?”
“Sure.” Tom was glad the older man was here.
“Nana, I hope you won’t think less of me, but I’ve fathered a child out of wedlock with Lila Hart, who you’ve never met. I didn’t know about all this until recently.”
Grandma took a bead on him. “That must very hard news for you.”
“In some ways, it is. To be sure of my rights, I got a lawyer and she engineered how to force Lila to take a DNA test. I got the results yesterday.”
Grandpa’s brows rose. He didn’t know this part.
“I’m the dad.”
She put her hand to her heart. “A little baby.”
“Have you talked to Lila about what will happen now?” Grandpa asked.
“Not yet. She’s coming over later. But she’ll be here before we go to the Labor Day picnic at Tim’s house, so that’s still on.”
“And you’ll talk about custody?” Grandpa asked.
“Yes. I’m getting joint custody. I told her I’d pay for everything but she had to give me that.”
“Good for you, boy.”
Grandma’s brows furrowed. “What kind of girl is the mother?”
“Not very nice, Nana. We broke up six months ago.”
Grandpa crossed himself.
His grandma said, “Then it’s very sad that she’ll be your baby’s mother.”
“I know. But I will have the child in my life.”
They both nodded.
“Are you upset about this?” he asked them.
“How can I be upset by having a baby in our lives again?”
Tommy deflated. He’d been tense and worried. “I’m glad to hear that.” They talked a bit more, then he stood. “I have to go out for an hour but I’ll be back soon.”
“Go ahead. I have some baking to do for today.”
“Hmm. What are you making?”
“I’ll surprise you.”
“All right.” He kissed both their cheeks and left the room. He was off now to meet the guys.
* * *
Adam Stark had asked for a meeting this morning. It was unusual for him to instigate a Brothers of Fire get together. They met at Dennison Park under the gazebo. It was early so the park was quiet.
The brothers arrived right at eight. Adam had brought coffee and donuts for everyone.
“Holy cow, Adam. What happened to you?” Tommy asked the question.
“This meeting isn’t for me, buddy, though I’d like an update on everybody first. You go last, Tommy.”
“Why?”
“Because I called the meeting for you. You need advice and I don’t trust myself to be giving it to you.”
“Huh!”
Tim said, “How many of us are still in counseling for the stalking?”
“Not me,” Adam said. More sessions had not been for him.
“I’m still going with Ava. You two?” he asked Jarek and Noah. They gave a resounding yes.
“Let me start the update.” This from Noah. “Life is good. The only problem is the boys are starting to get jealous of the expected baby.”
“Already?” This from Tim.
“Yeah. They’re real attached to Chloe. When I told them the baby is a girl, they were mad. They wanted another brother.”
“How are they feeling about the wedding in a couple of weeks?” Adam asked.
“They’re ecstatic about it.”
“That’s a good problem to have,” Jarek put in. His voice was wistful.
“Wishing for a little one of your own?” Tim teased him.
“Um…” His face reddened. “We’re having one.”
Hoots and hollers all around.
“When?” Adam asked, feeling a bit jealous. He didn’t know why because the last thing he wanted was to have a baby in his life.
“In about eight months.”
“Was it planned?” Tommy asked. Sometimes the kid had no tact.
“No. We’ve only been married six months. But I’m thrilled. It’s Lacey’s reaction I didn’t expect.”
“She upset?”
“She’s delighted.”
Tim lifted his cup. “Well, congratulations.”
They all toasted.
“So Ava goes back to work what, tomorrow?” he said transferring the conversation back to the others.
“Yeah, the day after Labor Day. It’s a staff only one.”
“She excited?”
“In most ways. But somewhat embarrassed. The whole school will know what Paul did.” He shook his head. “Poor Ava.”
“She’s strong, though.” Adam again. “I admire that in a woman.”
“Speaking of women, how’s Olivia?”
“We’re getting along great. It’s Beth who’s driving me nuts.” He couldn’t believe what a force she still was in his life.
“Still?”
“She was better for a while. Then she called about Tom’s accident. She was worried.”
“That’s sweet.”
“She also wanted to bring me dinner. I wish she’d leave me alone.”
“Do you, Adam?” Tim again.
“I do.” He looked at all of them. They were his friends. “I guess I wish the divorce never happened, but now that it has, I want to move on.” He faced Tommy. “Let’s talk about you now. I brought a pad and paper to make a list for you.”
“What kind of list?” Tom asked.
“Of what boundaries you’ll need to give Lila if the DNA test comes back positive.”
“It did. Two days ago.”
“Talk about burying the lead,” Jarek said.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Adam wanted to know.
“I was waiting till we got together. An email announcing it didn’t seem right.”
“How you feeling about that?” Noah asked.
“Mixed. I’m afraid Lila will try to take over my life now.”
“Which is why we’re here, even though I didn’t know about the test.” He held up the pad. “We’re gonna plan a strategy for how to handle her. She won’t be able to run roughshod over the Brothers of Fire.”
* * *
The doorbell rang at Tom’s house. He’d phoned Lila, asked her to come over; he was prepared for this meeting, thanks to his friends.
Lila stood on the deck. Her expression was smug. “Hello, Dad.”
“Hello, Lila. Let’s sit out here.”
They sat at the table off to the side. “Still haven’t told your grandparents?”
“I did. They’re fine with everything. Happy about a baby coming into our lives.”
“We should have told them together.”
He just shook his head. “I’ve got some things to say. First off, why did you wait seven months to tell me you were pregnant?” That was the first thing the guys had pointed out.
“I didn’t know I got knocked up for a while. Then when I suspected it, I was mad at everybody.” She peered over at him. “I could’ve gotten an abortion till four months, but I chickened out. Finally, I decided to give it up for adoption. It didn’t dawn on me to come to you first.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t think you’d want to know.”
“For the record, I’m very glad you didn’t get an abortion.” He cleared his throat. “Next, I have some rules.”
“About what?”
“What I’m willing and not willing to do.”
“All right. But you know, I don’t have to agree to anything you say.”
“You do if you want me to foot the bill for this pregnancy, labor and delivery.”
“The court would make you.”
“No, they’d make me pay child support which I’d do no matter how bad you behave.”
She made a disgusted sound. “I’ll at least listen.”
“First off, we’re not a couple.”
“We’ll be a family.”
“The child will be my family. Not you. Got that?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “Whatever.”
“I’ll have contact with you to go to prenatal exams. I’ll be there at the birth, but you need to get a coach other than me because I won’t do that.”
“Hell, Tommy.”
“How are you paying for prenatal visits now?”
She looked away.
“Lila?”
Nothing.
“Don’t tell me you’ve gone six months with no doctor’s visits.”
“I’ve gone to the free clinic a few times.”
“Well, I’ll find you an obstetrician and I’ll pay for the visits. As I said, I’ll also pay your expenses for everything if you behave.”
She watched him.
“After he or she is born, I expect joint custody. Again, if you don’t sign papers saying that I’ll—”
“I know, I know. You won’t pay for anything.”
“Last, there’ll be no surprise visits to my grandparents or to me or at the firehouse. And every time you come here you’ll get my permission.”
God, even to his own ears, he sounded ridiculous. But the guys said she needed these restrictions and they knew better than him.
Again, she gave him the silent treatment. He stood. “You can go now. When I have an OBGYN appointment, I’ll let you know. And don’t contact me beforehand, Lila. I won’t be harassed by you.”
Outmaneuvered, she stood, walked to her car and got inside. He watched her go. He hoped he accomplished what he set out to do, but you never knew with her. He’d have to stick to his guns.