I Never Thought I'd See You Again: A Novelists Inc. Anthology (40 page)

He drove quickly to the Anderson County Fire Academy like he’d done every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at six p.m. both this week and the one before it. Hard cases needed regular sessions. He entered the big chrome and glass and stone building, took the elevator to the third floor and went to the office he’d first visited two weeks ago when his life had fallen apart.

“Come in.”

Riley entered.

Jack Harrison sat in a comfortable chair, leafing through some papers. Probably summaries of Riley’s fuckups. “Hey, Riley,” he said, glancing up.

Dropping down onto the couch opposite him, Riley gave him what passed for a smile. “How come you always look like you’re happy to see me?”

“Because I am.” Jack chuckled. “I expect you to excel here like you do every place else.”

Riley snorted.

“Besides, I have good news today. I checked up on your lieutenancy revocation.”

Riley forced despair away. He needed to stay positive, about his job at least. It was all he had left. “Yeah?”

“The paperwork’s been amended. I asked Noah Callahan if I could tell you…” Riley had let all the brass know he was in therapy “…and he said yes.”

“Shoot.”

“The revocation of your lieutenancy is only temporary now. In six months, if you’ve had no more incidents, you get the promotion.”

“Oh, God.” He frowned. “I wish I could share the news with Janie. Shit!”

“Maybe you can tell your dad instead?”

Riley nodded, still stinging from thoughts of Jane.

“Have you seen her?” Harrison asked.

“No. She said not to call her.” He took in a breath. “Let’s not talk about Janie. I’m into this retooling of my life whether she lets me back in hers or not.”

Harrison smiled. “Yep, you’re gonna be my best client.”

Week #3 after the breakup.

Janie pulled up in the driveway to find Riley’s truck parked in its old spot. He’d texted her, asked if he could come over to do repairs on the deck and weed out the garden; she’d said yes, she’d be out while he was here. And she’d left. But she didn’t expect him to stay so late.

As she went into the house, she lectured herself that she shouldn’t want to see him. But they’d been together all their lives and three weeks without talking to him, touching him, had been hell. Maybe she just needed a little dose of him. No, it was probably better to avoid him. Like it was better to throw out the little ring she’d there the whole time., Gr always treasured.

Vowing to head right upstairs and stay there, she snagged a bottle of water from the fridge, and keeping her eyes averted, walked past the open sliding door to the backyard.

Loud barks came from outside. Barks? She had to be imagining things. She’d always wanted a dog, but they both realized their unusual working hours wouldn’t be fair to a mutt.

She had to look.

On the grass, Riley, dressed in plain blue shorts and a yellow shirt that highlighted his dark hair, was throwing a ball to a little cocker spaniel. Though the pink bow around the dog’s neck dwarfed her, she was doing pretty well retrieving the miniature toy.

Jane stepped out into the deck and both man and dog halted, though the puppy tripped over her feet. Then she rolled onto her back as Riley approached her; he scooped her up with one hand and headed to Jane.

Their first face-to-face since she discovered he cheated on her was hard. Really hard. God, she loved this man so much. She knew she’d never get over him, but she had to learn to live without him. And she’d have to see him some time.

He devoured her with his eyes. “Hi,” he choked out in a hoarse voice.

“Hi.”

He held up the dog. “Happy Birthday, since I had to miss the day this year.” Which she’d refused to celebrate with anybody.

“The first time in 16 years.”

His look was questioning.

“That you missed my birthday.”

“I’d say I was sorry, but I know sorry’s not enough.”

She took the dog from him. “Hello, beautiful. Aren’t you adorable?” She peered back up at Riley. “Why did you get a dog for me? We decided it wasn’t a good idea to have a pet with our crazy hours.”

“I knew you wanted one, so I made arrangements for her. The Smiths next door are going to watch her when we…” he swallowed hard “…when you work. I’m paying both Bobby, who’ll be responsible every day you’re not here, and Evelyn Smith, who will take over when he’s in school.” He gave her a half smile. “And Frank on the other side said he’ll spend some time with her if they can’t.”

Oh, how thoughtful. “Wow, thanks.” She cuddled the dog to her chest and made a show of looking around. “You fixed the steps. And the flowers look great.”

“Yeah, I’d like to come back again. There’s more to do.”

“I can do it.”

“No, Janie, please, let me get the house ready for summer for you. Yard work is about the only thing you hate to do.”

“All right.” She kissed the dog’s head, and caught Riley staring with a look of such longing, it broke her heart all over again.

Still, some things couldn’t be changed.

Slowly, she turned from him and walked inside. She squeezed the pup so hard that it yelped. Jane battled back her feelings and there the whole time., Gr hurried upstairs.

Week #4 after the breakup.

“Seriously, Rye. You sure you want to do this before we go?” Ben Gallagher sat in Riley and Jane’s backyard under a snazzy blue umbrella Janie had bought.

“Yeah. Jane’s out with my mother for the morning, and our appointment isn’t until one. It won’t take long.”

“I could help.”

“Nope, I promised Mom you wouldn’t do anything. You’re still recuperating.” His father was recovering well, though Riley had noted his ragged breathing at various times in the past month.

Thinking that some things were working out, Riley headed to the side of house and the dog followed him. He tried not to read too much into the fact that Janie hadn’t named her. Was she not planning to keep the pup because she’d been a gift from Riley? Did that mean there was no chance for them? Riley banished the notion, having already admitted he hadn’t given up hope of getting her back.

He began digging the footers for the pen that would stretch the length of their backyard. Doggy would have room to run and Riley would teach her how to use the space for exercise. He located the pen on the side of the house so the Smiths had easy access to it, too.

The sun beat down on him as he worked; the sweat and grind felt good. One footer…two… finally one side was done. He turned when his dad came up to him. “Here’s some ice water. Drink it. You’ll have sun stroke if you don’t.”

“I already put the hat on you gave me.” Having his dad do fatherly things again, take care of him like he used to was weird.

By noon, he’d finished the running pen. “I’m going to shower,” he told his dad. Most of his things were still in the closet. Unless she gave them to Good Will.

From a chaise, his dad said, “Okay, I’ll just close my eyes.”

Riley’s whole body ached from exertion but not as much as his soul when he walked into their bedroom. He sniffed. It smelled like her — jasmine lotion, lemon shampoo. He couldn’t help himself. Like some pervert, he crossed to her dresser, opened one of the jars there, and inhaled her sweet scent.

Jesus. He was losing it! Hurrying to the bathroom, he stood in front of the mirror. Jane had been right all along. He liked the man he saw there a whole lot better than the one he’d seen the morning he found her note. More than the man who’d suppressed so much anger and bitterness for years. It felt good to be letting go of the negative emotions. If she never took him back, he planned to always be that man. With those positive thoughts, he showered, shaved and went downstairs.

His father was in the kitchen. Riley saw the shadows in his face. It hit him suddenly. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?”

“Hell, yeah. This thing, you know, between us is so new. I…” He shrugged.

Riley clapped his father on the back. “Don’t worry, Dad, Jack Harrison is a good guy. He’ll help us both.”

Week #5 after the breakup.

It was so exciting, Jane almost couldn’t stand it. The officer on a day shift at Ladder 5 was sick and Jane had been designated as his sub for her first shot at lieutenant. The only dark spot was that Riley had lost his officer’s spot and she could only imagine how he was feeling.

No, don’t think about him.

Her group had been called to a house fire right near the station and arrived in three minutes flat. “Ready for your first foray?” Lisa Beth asked as she swerved the truck onto the fire ground. She’d been surprised to find Lisa Beth subbing, too, though rumor had it she did a lot of that.

“You betcha. You gotta have my back, girl.”

“Of course. We women stick together.”

Jane grinned.

A rescue squad had been brought in, too, but from the looks of the small house and the gray smoke, the call would be routine. The captain of that squad came over to her. “Phillips, good to see you.”

“Thanks, Cap.”

“Your people need to ventilate the roof. When you’re ready, give me the signal and I’ll send my guys inside.”

Soon, a ladder had been heeled by one member of the crew, the K-12 saw lugged up by another, and she and Lisa Beth ascended the rungs one behind the other. Lisa Beth positioned herself along the cut line the first two had marked off, and, using halligans, the three of them ripped back the dark shingles as Jane walked around the roof.

Something didn’t feel right.

She jumped up and down on a section near the middle.

Just as she heard, “We’re ready, Lieutenant,” from one of the guys, and the loud buzz of the saw, Jane realized what was wrong.

“Stop right now, all of you,” she shouted over the noise. “Head down the ladder fast.”

“What the hell?” one man asked when the saw suddenly stopped.

“Just go. The roof’s spongy. It’s gonna cave.”

The two men and Lisa Beth followed her orders and descended quickly. Jane was right behind them as soon as they jumped off the ladder. She was four rungs down when the roof collapsed.

The force of it shuddered the ladder.

Jane grabbed the steel railings but lost her footing and slid downward.

She woke up to pain. “Oh, fuck.” She hurt all over.

“Hold still.” Lisa Beth’s voice. “You slid down the ladder and hit your head. Then you blacked out. You’re stretched out on the ground near a shade tree.”

“C-can I walk?”

“The three of us tried to break your fall, so I think you’re gonna be okay. No broken limbs. You didn’t even crack the skin on your skull.”

She braced her hands on the ground to sit up and pain shot out from every nerve ending. there the whole time., Gr“I can’t believe I’m okay. I hurt all over.”

“You aren’t gonna be dancing the tango any time soon.”

She closed her eyes. “I want Riley.”

Lisa Beth stilled. “Yeah, it’s normal that you would.” After a minute, she sat back and crossed her legs. “I don’t know what he did, but I’ll tell you, honey, he’s a changed man this last month.” She waited. “He even brought his dad to the firehouse one day.”

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JoAnn Grote is an award-winning author who has written forty books, including inspirational romance for adults and fiction and nonfiction for children ages eight through twelve. JoAnn’s books
Minnesota
and
Minnesota Mysteries
have been honored with placement on Christian bookseller bestseller lists, as have numerous collections that include her novellas.
A Prairie Christmas Collection
,
which included JoAnn’s novella
Image of Love
, was #3 on
Family Fiction
magazine’s 2011 Collections of the Year list. JoAnn worked at an historical restoration for five years, and especially enjoys weaving fictional characters’ lives with historical events.

Minnesota, 1975

Bettie looked about her with a sinking heart as she was wheeled into the nursing home’s common living room by the cheerful young candy striper in a pink-and-white striped apron. Gold draperies, pale blue wing chairs and a matching couch gave the appearance of an elegantly appointed living room, but the white tile floor eliminated the sense of warmth. Vases of plastic greenery and carnations added color but no friendly scent.