“When did she move here? You didn’t mention it before.”
Sighing wearily, Katie rubbed her belly again. “Yeah, um…sorry.”
It seemed like an odd statement to make, but Violet figured there was a good reason.
“Two weeks ago, Rose just…showed up on the doorstep. There was a suitcase in her hand and a U-Haul in the driveway.”
“No!”
Nodding, Katie continued. “Oh, yeah. She said she knew I’d tell her not to come, and Brian had already told her not to, but she claimed she just knew she was needed here.”
“Wow.”
“I know.”
“So…where is she?”
“Luckily, I was able to convince her to find a place of her own.” Pausing, she rolled her eyes. “It was exhausting.”
“I don’t know. It sounds sweet. Like she’s doing the mom thing and coming to take care of you.”
Shifting, Katie leaned forward slightly. “Normally, I would agree. When Kira was born, Rose came and stayed with us for a month. It was awkward and uncomfortable and…I don’t know. I kind of resented her hovering and not giving me and Brian time to bond as a family.”
“Katie…she’s Brian’s mother and Kira’s her grandchild. Maybe she just…”
“Oh, I didn’t resent her coming and wanting to visit, I resented her staying in our home for a month–five weeks actually–and…” She groaned. “I know I sound super ungrateful…”
“Just a little.”
“Look, you know me better than anyone, Vi. My mom was a drug addict, and that’s how I ended up in foster care. I always dreamed of having kids of my own and loving them the way I always wanted to be loved.” She sighed. “It was hard to settle in and do all the things I wanted to with someone looking over my shoulder.”
“Okay, I get it.” She squeezed Katie’s hand. “You just need some boundaries.”
“Exactly.”
“Then that’s what we’ll have. You just tell me what it is you want, and I’ll make sure it happens.”
“She’s really not so bad.”
Violet nodded.
“And she did quit her job, sell her house, and move here to be closer to us.”
Another nod.
“Just promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“You’ll help me encourage her to start making friends of her own and going out and socializing.”
“Sure! Maybe I’ll tell her about the single seniors' cruise I coordinate every year! Do you think she’ll go for it?”
“Only one way to find out, right?”
“And if cruises aren’t her thing, there are definitely other options. Maybe she’d like one of those all-inclusive resort deals in the Caribbean. I’ve yet to find one that I haven’t loved! Or maybe she’s more of a domestic traveler! Plenty of great tour companies–especially here on the East Coast.” She paused and thought for a second. “Does she like to gamble? Do you think she’d be interested in going to Vegas and touring the Grand Canyon? You know what, I’ll just feel her out and figure out what kind of traveler she is.”
Katie smiled brightly at her.
“What? What’s that smile about?”
“I just love listening to you talk about your career. It’s so obvious how passionate you are about travel and helping people plan their dream vacations. It makes me happy for you. And I realized the name of your company is so perfect for you! I mean…Talk Travel to Me! It’s brilliant!”
“Thanks. I never thought it would be my thing, but…I really do love it. And the perk of owning my own travel agency is I can work from anywhere! Lucky for you!”
Standing, Katie turned toward the kitchen. “I’m going to grab something to drink and then go check on Kira. She should be waking up from her nap soon. Can I get you anything?”
“Kate, you don’t need to wait on me. I’m supposed to be helping you.”
“You’re starting to sound like a broken record!” Katie called out from the kitchen. “Why don’t you work on setting up your office?”
Standing, Violet stretched. “Sure. Sounds good.”
The house wasn’t large–three bedrooms, two bathrooms–and the guestroom was the smallest. There was a twin bed, a dresser, and a desk. All the basics. It certainly wasn’t going to be overly comfortable, but Violet had certainly lived in worse.
With a shudder, she pushed those negative memories aside and went about getting her temporary office set up.
“Dammit!”
“Problem?”
Hunter Jones stared at the phone in his hand and had the urge to smash it against the firehouse wall. It was the third time this week his ex was jerking around their shared custody agreement of their three-year-old son and he was beyond over it.
“Hunter?”
Oh, right. He wasn’t alone.
Letting out a long breath, he slid his phone back into his pocket. “It’s nothing, Captain,” he said, but even he knew it didn’t sound believable.
“Your ex?”
And apparently, his life had become predictable as well.
Great.
“Uh, yeah. She wants me to pick up Eli from daycare tomorrow, but I’ll be coming off a twenty-four-hour shift so…”
Part of him wished his captain would allow him to switch shifts with one of the other guys, but the guy was a stickler for the rules.
And didn’t believe in giving anyone preferential treatment.
No matter how much seniority they had.
“I’m sure you’ll work it out,” was all his boss said before walking away.
“Yup,” Hunter muttered. “Just like I always do.”
Luckily, things were currently quiet, so he took the opportunity to shoot out a family text to see if anyone was available to help him with his son. It wasn’t something he liked to do–and he didn’t do it often–but sometimes it was necessary.
Unfortunately, it seemed like everyone was busy. His sister Scarlett was currently out of town with her husband and son. His father and grandfather were away on a fishing trip–something he had completely forgotten about. His older brother Dean had a late-afternoon meeting at the Chamber of Commerce, and his younger brother Kyle wouldn’t be done with work in time.
Muttering another curse, Hunter knew he’d just have to tell Melissa no and remind her of how she was the one to set up their schedule and then deal with the hissy fit that was sure to come afterward.
While he was still riled up, he quickly responded to her text and then turned his phone off.
It was fortunate he’d taken care of things while it was quiet because no sooner had he started to relax, the alarm went off. Within minutes he was springing into action and getting his gear on. Their team moved around in a well-choreographed formation that took them from every room in the firehouse and onto the truck without anyone running into anyone else. If there were any time to appreciate it, he’d say it was a thing of beauty, but there was a fire raging at a commercial construction site on the south side of town which required all their attention.
It was crazy, the surge of adrenaline he felt as the truck pulled out of the station. Being a firefighter was something Hunter dreamed about since he was a little boy. The first time his kindergarten class had come to the station on a field trip, he was hooked. At the age of fourteen, he entered the Junior Volunteer Firefighter program and stayed with it through his high school graduation. Then he started college and took his courses to become an EMT. And finally, at the age of twenty, he became a full-time firefighter. It was everything he had ever dreamed it would be.