Embracing Today, a firefighter romance: (The Trading Yesterday Series, #3), Kahlen Aymes [essential reading txt] 📗

wanted to get out of the house and do something. I applied at the diner and a few other places, but after Carter’s death, I’m not sure.”

“It sounds like you’ve always wanted to continue your uncle’s legacy. Why change it?”

“I don’t know, I guess…. It just seems so overwhelming. So much has changed in such a short time.”

“I understand. You’ll have your hands full with everything involved in rebuilding it and hiring everyone. Plus, it might give you the time you need to feel better. There is plenty of time to work your life away, later. Trust me. And, you’ll have help, if you need.” His white teeth flashed in a brilliant smile. My heart flip-flopped inside of my chest. He was so down-to-earth and genuine.

Something about this man put me at ease. He settled me. His words and presence seemed to make it seem possible to rebuild the business and resume the life I’d had. I sucked in a deep breath, filling my lungs to capacity, then nodded. “You’re right. Thanks for giving me some perspective.”

Ben winked. “What are friends for?” He picked up the honey jar and squeezed a large amount of the thick amber liquid onto his buttered cornbread, lifted it and took a huge, exaggerated bite. His eyes got wide in a blissful expression. “Oh my God!” he said with his mouth full. “Are you kidding me with this?”

I couldn’t help but smile. “The secret is to use all whole cream, not just milk.” I was teeming with pleasure at his response. “It’s terribly fattening,” I admitted.

He rolled his eyes as he chewed the delicate quick bread. “Who cares? It’s the best I’ve ever had. Come here, Gemmy! You gotta have some of this!”

The puppy went scampering to Ben’s side of the table. He broke off a piece of his cornbread and bent to give it to her. Her little pink tongue lapped some extra honey from his finger and thumb after she’d devoured the offering.

“You said I spoiled her, before,” Marin pointed out.

“Well, I take my job seriously. You’re her mom, and you say she gets spoiled! I’m all in.”

My heart leapt painfully inside my chest. I wished I could run over and hug him.

This was the sort of man dreams were made of… I wished with all my being that we’d met under different circumstances and that he really was “all in”.

With me.

MARIN

My stomach was in knots. I was overly anxious about meeting Carter’s family. It was going to be painfully awkward. I was a terrible liar, and this would be all an act for me.

Ben helped me put my suitcase into Uncle Leonard’s blue truck and took Gem with him when he left the night before, so I could just get up, shower and leave for the near hour drive to the airport. The Jackson airport was relatively small, so I didn’t need the three-hour lead time of the busier airports around the country, but it was still before dawn.

I sighed as I drove along Highway 191 in my uncle’s old beater Ford truck, I regretted the loss of my little Cooper Mini that Uncle Leonard had gotten me as a graduation gift. It gone up in flames when the building exploded shortly after I’d started running away from the scene. At least, I would have been able to plug in my iPhone and listen to my playlists. Its burned-out shell was still sitting in front of the ruins of the shop. I wasn’t allowed to clean things up until the fire commissioner was finished with his investigation, and I wasn’t sure if I needed to file that loss as part of the building claim or with my car insurance.

This truck had been Uncle Leonard’s favorite ever since I could remember, but this was the first time I’d ever driven it myself. It had to be at least fifteen years older than I was and was so much bigger than I was used to. My Uncle rebuilt the engine once and completely replaced the block when it broke from an accident where he ended up taking a deep dive into a ditch. The thing was vintage, dusty and dented, sort of like my uncle.

As I got closer to the airport the lights from planes taking off and landing dotted the sky. The sun was just starting to give a small golden glow on the eastern horizon. I sucked in my breath, my mind racing with awful memories of the fire, Carter’s screams as the lantern fell and the guilt brought on by the relief that I felt that he was out of my life. How could I look his mother in the eye and lie? My stomach ached and got worse as I parked the truck in long-term parking and took the shuttle to the terminal.

As they handed me the boarding pass, the pain in my stomach intensified and my head began to throb as I took my carry-on with me to the gate.

“Just breathe,” I told myself. “It’s only two days. Two days.”

I spent the first leg of the flight in misery; wishing the trip were finished and I was on my way back home instead of away from it. I spent the time wandering around looking at families and couples of all ages, wondering what their lives were like.

After I boarded the second plane bound for my final destination, I tried to close my eyes, but the rotund man in the seat next to me overflowed into my space and snored obnoxiously. I wished I’d brought my laptop so I could have played games or watched a movie during the flight. They were selling headphones to watch the inflight movie when I first got on board and I berated myself for not purchasing some. It was the longest leg, just over three hours, and it felt like forever.

Finally, we were on the descent into Minneapolis and the flight attendant made his last pass for the trash and empty glasses.