Home Fires (20 page)

“A smoke house can be pretty intense, especially for a little kid,” Mike assured her.

“I couldn’t see. The smoke blinded me.”

“Smoke rises. That’s why we tell people to stay low to the ground. If you’re ever caught in smoke, get down on your knees and crawl.”

Exactly the words she’d heard so long ago.
Get down on your knees and crawl.

“That’s what my dad and the fireman both said. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen.” Rose grimaced.

“Has Mikey told you any of his fire stories yet?”

“Fire stories?” She glanced uncertainly at Mike. “I don’t think so.”

“Come on, Terry, she doesn’t want to hear that stuff.”

“Sure she does.” Terry turned to her. “Don’t you, Rose? One of them is my all-time favorite.”

Mike groaned. “Not that again.”

“Sorry, but you’ve got my curiosity aroused.” Rose challenged him with a smile. “There is no way you’re getting out of this.”

He let out a sigh. “It wasn’t much, not really.”

“Tell her about the maid,” Terry prompted. He turned to Rose with a wide grin. “The fire started in a house not far from here….”

“One of those three-million-dollar summer homes down by the lake,” Mike added.

“The owners weren’t in town, but some of the staff was. The cook noticed smoke coming up from the floorboards. But instead of calling 911, she ran and got the housekeeper—”

“You’ve got it all wrong. It wasn’t the cook, it was the housekeeper,” Mike broke in.

“They took a look around, tried to figure out if there actually was a fire, but they couldn’t tell for sure. So, instead of calling 911, they decided to get a third opinion. They got in the car and headed downtown—”

“You’re getting it all wrong,” Mike interrupted. He turned to Rose. “They knew there was a fire, but they were afraid to call it in on their own. So they went downtown to find the chauffeur. It took a while before they finally found him….”

“You’re not serious?” Rose’s face was a mask of bewilderment. “They actually left the house without calling in the fire?”

Mike nodded. “Smoke was rolling out of the basement windows by the time they got back. They went inside and tried to phone 911—”

“I love this part,” Terry interrupted with a wide grin.

“But they couldn’t dial out. The phone lines were burned clear through,” Mike finished. “Lucky for them, the neighbors had already noticed the smoke and called in the fire.”

Rose shook her head in disbelief. People’s lack of common sense never ceased to amaze her. “What about the house? Did it burn to the ground?”

Mike shook his head. “We managed to save it. We were on scene with the trucks shortly after the call. There was considerable damage inside the house, but it could have been a lot worse.”

“No thanks to the housekeeping staff,” Terry said. “And people wonder why insurance rates are so high.”

A low rumble of thunder growled across the lake. Flashes of heat lightning streaked across the night sky.

“Looks like it’s finally going to rain,” Rose said. “Maybe this heat wave will break.”

“I don’t think so.” Mike cocked his head as if to catch a scent of the heavy air. “It’s coming in fast but it won’t be more than a sprinkle.”

The rain started a few moments later. As he’d predicted, it wasn’t enough to soak the ground, but it did push them inside the cabin—after Mike and Terry made a mad dash for Rose’s car and put up the convertible top.

“If it wasn’t so hot, I’d start a fire,” Mike said as she came out of the cabin’s bathroom, toweling her hair dry. He handed her a glass of wine and poured himself another beer.

Her gaze darted to the firewood stacked neatly near the hearth. There had been more wood outside, covered with a tarp. “Obviously you believe in being prepared.”

“Mikey’s a real boy scout,” Terry said with a knowing grin as he picked up his coffee mug and took a careful sip.

“Darn right I believe in being prepared. I ran out of wood last winter and got caught out here with no heat.” Mike snorted as he settled down in the cushy leather chair. “I don’t plan on going through that again.”

Rose chuckled to herself. The hearty dinner seemed to have warmed his insides and the beer had loosened his tongue. She listened as he started to share more of his fire stories. The sauna that overheated with the married couple inside—the married couple not married to each other. A former volunteer from the fire department who, in order to save himself the embarrassment of phoning 911 and having the whole town hear the page toned out, called a few fireman friends to request they bring a truck and help him extinguish the chimney fire roaring at his own house. The fireman who got so excited when the fire call came in, he backed the fire truck right into the side of the garage, effectively putting it out of commission for the next several weeks.

And when the fire stories began to lose steam, the family sagas started.

“Hey, remember when?” Terry prompted.

Rose nestled down in utter contentment, thoroughly enjoying herself as the two brothers swapped memories of their annual summer family camping trips up north, of ritual fishing trips with their mom and dad each fall, of spring break vacations to Florida and their grandmother’s house. Back and forth Mike and Terry traded recollections, each seeming to try and outdo the other with his storytelling skills. Only when she finally noticed Mike’s eyelids beginning to droop did she start thinking about going home.

“I think he’s asleep.” Rose nodded in Mike’s direction. His head was back against his chair and his eyes were finally closed. “I should go.”

“You don’t have to leave yet,” Terry protested.

She stood up from the couch. “He must be worn out from working all these fires. Besides, the two of you are going fishing tomorrow.”

“Want me to wake him up so you can say good-bye?”

“Let him sleep. Tell him I’ll call tomorrow.”

“I’ll walk you out to your car.”

She grabbed her purse and cast a last hesitant glance at Mike. He was fast asleep in his chair and snoring softly.

“Now, that’s real attractive,” Terry said with a grin.

“You shouldn’t make fun of him,” Rose admonished as they headed for the door. “He can’t defend himself.”

The night air hung heavy and still after the earlier cloudburst. Mike had been right. The rain hadn’t done anything but wet the grass. Rose felt the dampness clinging to her toes through her thin sandals as they made their way across the lawn.

“Guess I’ll have to find something to read, now Mikey’s asleep and you’re going home. I’m still wide awake,” Terry said as they neared the coupe.

“I wouldn’t doubt it, after all that coffee you drank.” She threw him a smile of thanks as he opened the driver’s door. “Next time you should try a glass of wine. That always puts me right to sleep.”

“I’ll stick with coffee, thanks. I don’t drink wine, or anything else.” Terry smiled briefly. “I’m a recovering alcoholic.”

His admission left her stunned. Terry, an alcoholic? But Mike’s brother seemed like a regular guy. Nice and normal. She stumbled to find the right words. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. Mike never told me.”

“No need to be embarrassed.” His voice was warm and held no reproach. “I’m an alcoholic and always will be. The best thing I can do for myself every day is admit the truth. Admitting who I am helps keep me sober.”

The driver’s door was open, but Rose stood where she was.

“How long has it been? Since you quit drinking, I mean.”

“I’ve been sober for over ten years,” he replied. “Drinking cost me a lot. My job, my marriage. Getting sober saved my life.”

Terry had been married? She glanced down at his hands—big, strong and steady, so like Mike’s own. And just like his brother, his left hand was empty. No wedding ring.

“You were married?”

His face filled with regret. “Linda and I were married for a couple of years. She left me when my drinking got really bad. I don’t blame her. She did what she had to do in order to save herself. It took me another six months of living in hell before I finally hit bottom. That’s what it took, admitting I had a problem and it wasn’t going away. Then I was ready to get some help.”

He straightened slightly and squared his shoulders. “That’s all behind me now. For today. That’s what they tell you in recovery. You only have today. But I never would have made it through without Mikey and our mom and dad. The three of them stood by me and helped me learn how to start living again, once I got sober. Things were rough when I lost my job, but they were right there.”

“I thought you worked in the family insurance business.”

The moonlight caught the ironic smile on his face. “I was a pretty cocky kid when I was growing up. Thought I was too good to settle for working in the family business. Too good to stay home and work with my parents. But they’re great people. After I lost my job and Linda left me, they took me back in, no questions asked, once I sobered up. They helped me get back on my feet.” Terry’s voice broke. He swallowed hard before continuing. “Family is important. I couldn’t have done this without Mikey. He’s a special guy.”

A soft smile lit her face as she thought about Mike. Probably he was fast asleep by now, slumped even further in his leather chair. Was it any wonder? Being everyone’s hero was exhausting.

She offered her hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Terry.”

“The pleasure was all mine.” He took her hand and kept it. “When Mikey mentioned you were an attorney, I was pretty surprised. I guess I thought…”

Memories of Mike’s apparent disdain for members of her profession flashed to mind. Did his whole family have some unspoken grudge against attorneys? “You thought what?”

“That you’d be different somehow,” he said. “I mean, different than you are. Don’t get me wrong,” he quickly added, “You’re great, Rose, and I like you a lot.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she softly replied. It was nice to know she had the older brother’s approval.

“You put the smile back on Mikey’s face. I didn’t think any woman would be able to do that again.” Terry’s eyes filled with open admiration. “You’re good for him, Rose, and it’s pretty obvious the way he feels about you. I didn’t think I’d ever see him smile like that again.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.” Rose felt the frown tugging at her eyebrows. “Did something happen to make him quit smiling?”

A sudden guarded look covered Terry’s face. “You mean he hasn’t told you?”

“Told me what?”

He shook his head. “Never mind. I said too much.”

She recognized the concern registered in his eyes, as well as something else. The soft stab of pity sent goose bumps bumping down her spine. Mike hadn’t shared much about his personal life and she’d respected his privacy. But Terry’s words definitely had her curiosity aroused. “If there’s something I should know, please tell me.”

“It’s not for me to say. Mikey needs to do it.”

“Please, Terry?” She wasn’t given to begging unless there was good reason. The unspoken knowledge hanging between them seemed good enough.

He wavered for a moment. “I’m talking about Katie,” he finally said in a sad, quiet voice.

Her stomach dropped at the mention of a woman’s name. Rose swallowed hard and dug deep for the courage to ask the question suddenly burning inside her.

“And Katie is…?”

“Mike’s wife.”

CHAPTER TEN

WEATHER WISE

____________________________________

The James Bay Journal

____________________________________

WEATHER ADVISORY:
Hot, dry conditions continue to linger over the Northern Michigan area. Residents are cautioned that a
No Burn Permit
remains in effect for the foreseeable future and will be strictly enforced.

____________________________________

Rose lay sleepless, sheets tangled beneath her, in her childhood double bed. She tossed and turned as one thought drummed a steady beat in her head.

Why hadn’t Mike told her he was married?

She wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. For a few seconds, she had the sudden impulse to sneak downstairs and filch one of her mother’s pills. One little pill would never be missed. They’d been prescribed for pain, exactly what she was suffering tonight. She was in pain. Her heart was bleeding.

Why didn’t he tell me he’d been married?

Over and over, her thoughts kept returning to her conversation with Terry. He’d reluctantly provided a few sketchy details, but only after she pressed, and only enough to give her a general idea of what had happened. Terry called them the perfect couple. Mike had given Katie his heart and a wedding ring. Their idyllic world had been destroyed one frosty December night by the loud blast of a gun. Mike lost his wife and their unborn son. Gone in an instant, all semblance of a normal life.

Rose flinched in the silent darkness. Technically Mike was a widower, but he still thought of himself as a married man. That lost, faraway look she glimpsed on his face now and then was all the proof she needed. The bullet that had ripped through Katie’s body had torn apart his life.

Putting out fires was Mike’s job, and according to Terry, Mike had done a good job extinguishing his emotions in the two years since Katie’s death. He kept himself busy at the fire department, burying his tragedy in the smoke and soot of other people’s misfortunes.

Looking back, everything made sense. An impulsive dinner invitation rendered in a grocery aisle weeks earlier, and his hesitation to share a simple dinner. The awkward silences. The unfinished sentences. No wonder he looked the way he did sometimes, as if he’d caught a glimpse of the gates of hell.

But he hadn’t only caught a glimpse. Losing Katie had plunged Mike into a living hell on earth.

Cocooned in the private darkness of her childhood bedroom, Rose recoiled in a hot flush of horror as yet more memories intruded. She and Mike sitting at her mother’s kitchen table in the wee hours of the night after the fireworks ended. Had his thoughts been on Katie while he’d been talking with her?