Page 87 of Living with Fire
Giving them both a nod, I pull in a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking back to Savanna. “I don’t want you alone. Someone needs to be with you at all times, okay?”
I’m surprised when she doesn’t put up any fight, but then again, I know how scared she is of Vincent.
“We’re on shift in the morning,” Brody says quietly, reminding us that the three of us all have to work tomorrow.
I’d basically forgotten at this point, and I curse now.
“Why doesn’t Savanna just come with us?” Liam suggests. “You could talk to Cap, tell him what’s going on.”
“What? No, I can’t come with you guys to the firehouse!” she says, shaking her head vehemently. “I can just go hang out at the bar.”
“No,” I tell her, my voice firm. “It’s the one place he’s seen you. I don’t want you there without one of us.” Maybe not at all, but I keep that to myself for now.
I look at Liam, thinking about his idea. He, Brody, and I all exchange looks. They’re thinking the same thing I am. It’s a short term solution to a bigger problem, but it’s a good one. With the administration offices, there would always be someone around if we were out on a call, and when we’re not on a call, I can keep a close eye on her.
She’d also have a lot of emotional support and a constant distraction, which I think she could use more than she realizes at this point.
“Sav,” I say, twisting her towards me, my hands coming to rest on her upper arms. “It’s a good plan, at least for tomorrow. We don’t have time tonight to figure something else out. The only other thing I can think of is that I take tomorrow off.”
“No!” she nearly shouts. “No, I won’t let you do that. I don’t want this affecting your work.”
Clenching her jaw, she gives a frustrated cry, pulling out of my grasp to get up from the stool. I let her go, watching as she walks around the kitchen, pushing her hands through her hair. I’d be surprised if her fingers weren’t picked to pieces at this point.
“I hate this. I hate that this is putting you all out and that you’re having to worry about me like this,” she vents, pacing the floor.
“It would be worse if we didn’t know what happened to you, Savanna,” Brody says, sorrow laced in his words. “When I lost Heather, the worst part was not knowing what was happening. The unknown is worse to live through than a little disruption.”
Liam and I exchange a look. Brody doesn’t talk about Heather. He doesn’t talk about what happened to her, or how he feels, or what he went through during the whole thing. We were there for him as much as he let us, but it was something he made himself go through mostly alone. I haven’t told Savanna a lot about it, but she does know Brody lost his wife a couple years ago, and she’s quick to go to him, her arms squeezing around his waist.
“You’re right,” she tells him, nodding firmly when she releases him, glancing around at the three of us. “Okay. I guess I’m coming to work with you guys tomorrow.”
For the first time since Jeremy came rushing through the kitchen doors earlier saying Savanna needed me pronto, I relax. Tonight and tomorrow Savanna will be safe. The rest we can figure out later when emotions aren’t running quite as high, and we’ve all had something to eat and a little sleep.
“Anyone up for some pizza?” I ask, getting a chorus of yeses in response.
I meet Savanna’s eyes and she smiles at me. There isn’t just gratitude swimming in the gray depths, there’s love. Things might be a little screwed up and messy right now, but the look she’s giving me will carry me through. It’ll get me through whatever the next few days hold for us.
“Since we’re sharing and caring,” Savanna says while I pull my phone out to order pizza through an app. “I finished the books today.”
My thumb stills over my screen, my eyes darting up to meet hers. She only catches them for a second before she glances at Liam and Brody, both of whom are watching her, interest piqued.
“We can talk about that tomorrow,” I tell her, recalling the note she left on my desk. Dealing with the bar is the furthest thing from my mind right now, even though I’m relieved she’s got her part done.
She shakes her head, putting her hands on her hips. “I think right now is a good time. Since I know you have a problem accepting help from people, I think it may be wise to share while we’re standing around brainstorming anyway.”
Liam looks pointedly at me, a smirk on his face. Brody snorts. Both amused that Savanna knows me that well already, and is willing to call me out on it, just like they do. Another person to add to their ranks.
I cross my arms over my chest and lean a hip against the kitchen island. Despite being called out, or maybe in spite of it, I grumble, “I can handle it.”
Savanna’s eyes roll in my direction. “That’s what I thought.” She addresses Liam and Brody. “The bar owes the government. There’s some money it can pull from, but not all of it. Given Nate’s resistance to help, I doubt he’ll ask his grandparents for—”
“Absolutely not,” I vehemently disagree.
She continues like I didn’t utter a word. “I was thinking a fundraiser. Maybe a silent auction or something. I hadn’t gotten that far in my thoughts.”
Just the thought makes me uncomfortable. I don’t want to take anyone’s charity. “No.”
“Silent auction?” Liam muses as though I haven’t said a word. Like I’m not even there. I grit my teeth, but he continues, “What about a firefighter auction?”