“Yeah, mom, the driver of the vehicle that swerved into oncoming traffic died after we got there, and one of the kids in the other car died on impact. Don’t know anything about the driver of the second vehicle, though. She was critical when she left the scene.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  And there her mom went.

  Shoving plates, forks, spoons and bowls into the dishwasher, James made sure there would be room for the pots so she wouldn’t have to wash them by hand. Her mom was still talking about how horrible it must be to have that happen as a parent, and James was only half listening with an affirmative sound escaping her lips every once in a while.

  “Yeah, that would suck.”

  James inserted in an attempt to end the ramble. She started the load of dishes and was looking at the rest of her apartment. Interjecting a new topic was always a sure-fire way to get her mother off the subject of her work, so she said the only thing she could think of.

  “I’m cleaning house today.”

  “Oh, really? That’s a rare occurrence.”

  Rolling her eyes, James made for the laundry basket hidden in her closet. Dumping out what was left of the clean clothes, she piled the dirty ones that were on the floor into the open container.

  “Yeah, I know. Needed to be done.”

  She was holding the phone between her ear and shoulder and secretly wishing for an accidental hang-up.

  “Was there a reason you called?”

  “Yeah! Thanks for reminding me. I was at the grocery store this morning and I met a really nice boy there.”

  “Mom.” James tried to cut her off, the deep sigh releasing while her eyes closed in resignation.

  Cameron kept on talking. “He just started working there. He’s going to the university in the fall for his Master’s in Education. He wants to teach history, isn’t that a nice thing.”

  “Yeah, mom.”

  James acquiesced to hearing her mother out while she shoved clothes in the washing machine not bothering to sort colors.

  “He said he loves high school because the kids are just starting to discover a world beyond the one that they’ve been taught all their lives.”

  James took a deep breath and tried not to get angry. It wasn’t that her mom was trying to set her up, with a guy, while she was lesbian and proud of it—well, secretly proud of it—it was the fact that she was only twenty-four and her mother seemed to think grand-parenting was necessary within the next two years. Sure, she felt the biological clock tick away a few times, but being in the relationship that she was in, if it could even be called that, meant children were not going to be an option for a good amount of time. Hence, why she’d signed up to be a respite care provider for foster kids.

  “That’s good for him, mom.”

  “I gave him your number.”

  “You did WHAT?” She almost dropped the phone. “Mom! You can’t go around giving out my phone number like it’s a piece of candy.”

  “Okay, okay… I won’t do it again.”

  “Good, because if you do I’m changing my number and not giving you the new one.”

  She sat heavily on her couch and stared at her television that wasn’t turned on. There was a long pause where Cameron absorbed James’ anger and James tried to control her responses.

  Eventually, James spoke again. “What’s his name?”

  “Jimmy.”

  “Jimmy? Really? You set me up with a guy that has the same name as me?”

  “No, his name is Jimmy.”

  “Which is usually short for James.”

  Rolling her eyes, she threw her head back into the couch regretting the move. “Ouch.” James slipped forward, clutching her forehead and trying to shove the pain away from her face without moving.

  “What happened?”

  The worry in her mother’s voice dissipated James’ anger. James rolled her hand over her head feeling the lump. “Nothing, I hit my head on the top rack. Got a bit of a bump.”

  “Do you have a concussion?”

  “No, mom. It’s fine, Addison looked it over.”

  Her mom clucked her tongue and there was an awkward silence. It always happened whenever James brought Addison up, which she only ever did in a professional manner, but it still always set her on edge.

  “I don’t like that girl.”

  “I know.”

  James rolled her eyes and stood, making for the kitchen sink to get a wash rag and clean off the counters which were clear of excess dirty dishes that didn’t fit in the sink.

  “That girl’s trouble, I’m telling you.”

  “So you’ve said, and I want to repeat that just because Addison is bisexual and open about it does not mean that she out to sex everyone up. Or that her goal is to ruin unsuspecting people with her wiles.”

  Her hand dipped the sponge in the running water and soaped it.

  “She works very hard at her job and is a great boss to have.”

  Pumping her hand, she waited until there were suds spilling out before smashing it onto the counter and scrubbing hard. She gritted her teeth, wishing the conversation would end soon. Nothing happened and Cameron remained silent.

  James asked the only question she could think of, “Care for a subject change?”

  “To what?”

  “I don’t know… what are you doing today?”

  Her arm went in circles over the cheap material that had been installed in the small house before she bought it. She had meant to replace it for years with granite, but never got around to it. Currently, it was banged up, old, and disgusting.

  Cameron’s voice was slow when she spoke, “Well, I went to the store.”

  “So you mentioned.”

  James could imagine her mother rolling her hazel eyes at the interruption to her train of thought.

  “I went to the grocery store, and now I’m driving to the hardware store to get some things for a project. Which, by the way, it would be wonderful to have your help with.”

  Her mother always asked for help on whatever it was she was doing. James was sure it was because she wanted the company and not the assistance.

  “What’s the project?”

  James cleaned off the soapy counter with a clean, wet cloth. Then she realized she probably should have done that before she started the laundry. Sighing, she went to her living room and started to organize the coffee table which was where she dumped everything when returning home.

  “You’ll see. I don’t need much, just a hand. You know how nervous I get when using the rotary saw all alone in the house.”

  “Where’s dad?”

  “He’s out for the day.”

  James furrowed her brow, stacking papers and dumping them on the desk in her bedroom. “Out for the day, what does that mean?”

  “Oh, nothing really, he just went to play golf.”

  That caught James’ attention. Her mind started whirling, and she couldn’t stop the words as they slipped from her mouth.

  “Dad hates golf.”

  “Well, he doesn’t now. Are you coming over today? I really could use your help.”

  James looked around her house and glared at the mess that had the audacity to exist.

  “Yeah, I’ll be over.”

  She hung up the line after a quick goodbye and decided she really needed to kick it into high gear and clean everything before her mother called again to ask where she was. Pulling on a pair of gym shorts, she felt dressed enough and slipped the rarely used vacuum out of the hall closet.

  #

  Addison filled out paperwork in her office. The rowdy crowd from the new shift was just outside her door and full of energy. Being the Battalion Chief, she usually only worked days and during normal business hours as well as in on-call. It was something she shared with the Battalion Chiefs from the other stations. Occasionally, Addison liked to stay the night to bond better with her crew and learn more about her new recruits. Her hours were a downfall to the job, but she loved it just the same: longer hours, less camaraderie, far more responsibility. If she were to be promoted she would lose the hands-on experience and that was not acceptable.

  It was noon before she made it out of the office and down to her personal vehicle, a bright red Ford F150 and. She’d stolen a bit of the lunch that was made and was stuffing her face while getting into her truck. Her brow furrowed when she saw the white piece of paper slipped under her windshield wiper. Getting out, she read over the horrible handwriting twice before it absorbed into her sleep deprived brain.

  Pursing her lips, she contemplated the request. James hadn’t answered the text so she was assuming she was free. Dialing the number left on the note, she agreed to have dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants in town and not on her dime. Addison had only been there once before and the food was amazing. Hanging up and smiling, she drove to her apartment. She needed to shower and clean up a bit before she had to get ready for the evening. Her mind was running through all the clothes she owned, trying to determine which would be the best outfit to wear. She wasn’t the girliest of girls, but she at least had choices, unlike a certain woman she knew.

  The drive to her apartment was quick. Unlocking the door, Addison slipped her shoes off and pulled up the blinds, letting in the sunlight. Sometimes she felt like recluse after being at the station for hours. Ignoring the isolation, she started on her homely duties with a sigh and discounted the nagging feeling in the back of her mind about James’ sleeping habits.

  Hours later, she heard the soft knock on her front door. Addison skimmed her hands over the little black dress she was wearing. Loose fitting at work did not mean that she couldn’t have tight fitting when trying to be sexy. The dress wasn’t much, but it was enough to give her the boost she wanted. She didn’t glance through the peephole; it was a small enough town it wouldn’t matter. The deadbolt slid open and she tugged the door inward, revealing none other than James Matthews standing on her porch.

  “Addy.”

  James licked her lips as her eyes skimmed appreciatively over the body in front of her. Where Addison had curves James had none, and James loved to run her hands over those curves. The dress was thin strapped and stopped well above the knee line, leaving little to the imagination about Addison’s legs. Drawing in a deep breath, James managed to bring her eyes back up to the curious face staring at her.

  “James?”

  “I thought we were doing dinner.”

  “You never answered me.”

  James eyes glossed slightly as she tried to remember. “Right. I didn’t, did I? Whoops.” She gave a quick grin. “I take it you have other plans then.”

  Pulling her lower lip between her teeth and tugging gently, Addison spoke, “You do realize that you have sawdust all over you.”

  “Yeah, one of my mom’s crazy projects. Who are you going to dinner with?” She didn’t want to pry, but at the same time she did. She was distracted by a sudden urge to press Addison hard into the door and run her hands all over the curvy and ill-concealed body. However, with Addison’s gentle reminder of how James looked, she knew the move wouldn’t be appreciated. So she remained still.

  Addison opened the door further, letting James into the apartment before shutting it gently with a smirk and slight flush: she had caught the look in James’ eye.

  “An old friend.”

  She made to the bathroom to finish putting her makeup on, breathing deeply to calm her tingling body. James followed.

  “You look really good.”

  Addison smiled in the mirror when she realized James was basically bouncing from one foot to the other with nerves rolling all over her body.

  “Thank you.”

  She turned and kissed James fully on the lips, intending only a peck before putting her lipstick on. She didn’t want to smear it. James, however, had other designs. Grabbing Addison by the back of her head, she pulled her closer.

  When Addison moved back, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes wide and crinkled at the corners in a smile. “You better not have gotten sawdust on my dress.”

  Shrugging was James’ only answer as they each looked down and saw small pieces of wood clinging to the fabric. Addison rolled her eyes and brushed herself off. Leaning over the bathroom counter, she slathered her lips and popped them together grinning.

  “I have to get going.”

  “I’m sure. Hot date?”

  Snorting, Addison shoved the lipstick into her clutch. “Hardly.”

  She didn’t answer further, knowing James would become jealous or angry if she did. Moving onto her toes, she kissed the woman’s cheek before heading for the door allowing James to follow.

  “Will you be coming by tonight?” James asked.

  “Probably not. Weren’t you going out with Max?” At the look she received, Addison continued. “Overhead the talk at the station. Horace was quite impressed with your tactics mind you. Better watch out for him.”

  “I’m taken.” James hadn’t realized she spoke until the words had already left her lips in haste.

  Addison raised a brow. “Are you?”

  “Aren’t I?” Her eyes slipped from Addison’s, the air in the room thickening and her muscles tensing.

  “Do you want to be? Because for the last year and half you didn’t. If you do, one of us would have to transfer stations. Not to mention, you would need to tell your parents, you know that. We’ve talked about it before.”

  Addison locked the door behind her and pulled out a pair of sunglasses for the short drive. She turned to James.

  “I want you to seriously think about it before you answer. And I don’t mind being the one to transfer.”

  She waited for a nod from the silent James. “Right, I need to be off.”

  Her green eyes skimmed the body still covered in a fine dust, realizing that James had been silent the entire time. “Don’t worry, we’re fine.”

  Addison leaned in at an even height with James, because of her heels, and pressed a quick kiss to James’ cheek before squeezing her hand tightly. She knew they were basically in a relationship. The battle was between labeling it before or after James decided to come out to her parents, and it was time for her to push a little more.

  “All right.”

  Yellow eyes watched as Addison got in her truck and drove away. James felt a little lost, like no one was up for doing anything and that she was being forced to do something she didn’t want to do. Getting into her own truck, she went home. Feeding the fish after arriving, she plopped down on the couch, thinking she would be there for the rest of the evening. That lasted all of two minutes before she made for the kitchen and the fridge where she knew the beer was. Popping a bagel in the toaster, she grabbed a bottle of the local brew and twisted the cap off tossing it into a black mug. She kept them for her mom and her crazy art projects. Taking a long pull, the toaster sounded and she sat down at the coffee table with her meal in hand.

  Four beers and two hours later, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Muting the sound of the television she answered.

  “Hi, is this James?”

  “This is she.”

  A long pull from her beer and a swallow later James was still waiting for whoever it was on the other end of the line to speak.

  “Hello?”

  “Umm… yeah… so this might be a little unorthodox, but your mom gave me your number at the store today…”

  “Jimmy.”

  She sighed and drank down the last of her beer, regretting picking up the phone. She really should stop answering unknown numbers.

  “Yeah, so I guess she told you, huh?”

  James didn’t know what to say to the man. She honestly had never received such an awkward phone call before in her life.

  “Yeah, just to put it out there, I’m not looking to date anyone and I’m not looking to date anyone that my mother, in particular, tries to set me up with.”

  He released a rush of breath. “Oh good, me neither. I was so worried that you had these high expectations or something.”

  James’ lips quirked into a look of disgust while she looked at the beer bottles on her table, perhaps she should be done with drinking for the night.

  “Not that I mean any offense to you by that,” he added.

  “None taken.”

  Standing and bending to pick up her trash, she made for the kitchen.

  “Good, well now that that’s settled. I am still new to town and there’s a few months before school starts in the fall. Would you mind showing me around?”

  Rolling her eyes, she dropped the bottles into the trash letting them clang loudly.

  “Yeah, sure, why not? It’s my hometown. I’ll show you all the good places to hang out.”

  “Fantastic.”

  “I’m free tomorrow, but other than that not again for a while. I work long and weird hours.”

  “Tomorrow works.”

  “Good, I’ll meet you at Joe’s, downtown, at eight.”

  “All right.”

  They hung up, and James took a deep breath. So much for time with Addison: her mother needed her back at the house to finish sawing through some heavy wood and now she was stuck going to the bar with a stranger. James hit all the lights and crawled under the covers of her bed as she tried to work out how to spend time with her favorite boss.

  Everything was quiet and dark, and she stayed there for a long time without falling asleep. When she felt the heat at her toes, she moved them from under the blanket only to find the heat was persisting. She moved her legs from the covers entirely and felt flames lick at her skin. Shooting straight up in the bed, she saw the little girl standing in her doorway. Her dark eyes unwavering and staring right into James. The fire that was once working over James’ body moved to surround the little girl and threatened to consume her.

  “Lily!”

  James was frozen. Her entire body was paralyzed with fear as the flames spread further and further out in the room. They hit her body and burned the skin. Finally, she started to move. Knocking over the nightstand, she landed on the floor, her hands and knees breaking the fall. Turning, James looked at the door, still seeing the little girl, her body being torched. Lily’s skin turned to a dark charcoal color, and the smell of burnt flesh ran rancid over to James.