“I’m sorry.” Her heart clenched, reminding her of her own father and how sudden his death had been. “What did he do? Your dad?”
The smile that tilted the corners of his mouth told her everything she needed to know.
“Ah.” She nodded. “He was a firefighter, too.”
“For almost thirty years. Never got to be a chief, though. That was his dream. He would have loved it here in Butterfly Harbor.”
“Oh?”
He must have heard the disbelief in her voice. “Oh, yeah. The slower pace, the quirky characters. No offense.”
“None taken,” Frankie said and meant it. “Our characters would be the first to claim the quirky moniker.” That he actually seemed to understand the charm of her town thawed the remaining ice around her heart. He really was a nice guy, for an unwitting job thief.
“I can still feel him around me. It’s funny. The first time I saw this job opening was on his birthday. I didn’t pay too much attention at first, but when I mentioned it to my mother, she thought it was a sign.”
The last thing Frankie wanted to talk about was how he got or why he took this job. She might have come to accept his being here, but that didn’t erase the sting of being passed over in favor of him. “Are you going to talk to your mom today?”
“Doubtful. She’s in Greece? No, the Balkans. Somewhere, I don’t know.” He chuckled. “Hopefully she’s having a good time. The holidays are tough for her. My dad always made a big deal of them. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s. He loved this time of year. And the one thing he did, every holiday, was watch and nurse a big pot of sauce to get through the season.”
Frankie watched him lean over and inhale the aroma of garlic, herbs and tomatoes. There was a peaceful expression on his face, as if that pot of sauce held all the answers in a very confusing world. Something inside her jolted, the sight of this big, masculine, showstopping visage of a man taking the time and patience to honor his father’s holiday legacy. “Maybe—”
The dispatch alarm blared. She dropped her knife. Roman flipped off the burner, covered the pot and followed her into the bay as the announcement blared overhead. “Smoke reported at 2453 Willow Springs Way.”
“Roger. BH engine one responding,” Frankie hollered. “Request mutual aid assistance and ladder truck from closest responders.” Frankie pulled out her cell and triggered the mass volunteer text.
“That wasn’t a secret code for more shopping, right?” Roman asked.
“No. It’s Shirley Desmond’s place. She takes care of her invalid husband and has a special-needs adult daughter.” She practically jumped into her boots and pants, dragging them on.
By the time she threw on her jacket and helmet, two cars had pulled up outside. Deputy Fletcher Bradley and Sebastian Evans, owner of the Cat’s Eye bookstore, hurried in. “That was fast.”
“We were both at the diner,” Sebastian told her as he suited up.
“I don’t want to wait much longer,” Frankie said to Roman.
“You three go.” He nodded. “I’ll meet you there with whoever shows up next.”
“You know where you’re going?” Frankie shouted as she climbed into the engine.
“I’ll find you. Go. Stay safe.”
Frankie flashed him a smile. “Yeah. You, too.” This time, Frankie hit both the lights and siren as she pulled out of the bay.
CHAPTER NINE
“HOW’S YOUR MANDY DOING, Sebastian?” Frankie called over her shoulder to where Sebastian was sitting in the back. She wasn’t trying to distract herself, exactly. More like centering herself before they rolled up on someone’s life being significantly altered.
“She’s doing great,” Sebastian said. “I’ve heard nightmare stories about teenagers, but so far so good.”
“I’m going to pretend the teenage years don’t exist,” Fletcher declared. “I’m not sure I’ll survive it with Charlie. Paige might, but not me.”
Frankie rolled her eyes. If there was a more proud father in Butterfly Harbor than Fletcher Bradley, she wasn’t sure she’d met him. And that was saying a lot. Charlie wasn’t his biological daughter, but he’d slipped effortlessly into the father role almost from the moment Charlie and her mother, Paige, had hit town. In a lot of ways, but especially in how Fletcher was with his little girl, he reminded Frankie of her father and herself. There wasn’t anything he didn’t think his little girl could do, and he encouraged and supported her 24/7.
“Well, I haven’t survived the teenage years yet,” Sebastian offered.