Page 10 of Built of Flames
“None of that is true.”
Mitch nodded. “I know. Roberto reamed out each and every one of us for believing any of it. He was so pissed at everyone, we were worried he was going to have another heart attack.”
“He didn’t.”
Mitch nodded. “Wait. How do you know that? Have you been in contact with Roberto all this time?”
Bella shrugged. “I called him once I was away. I didn’t want him to worry while he was recovering. And I wanted to make sure he was okay.”
Mitch shook his head with a wry smile. “He never told us. He had your back, the way we should have after the fire. Still calls me dumbass to this day.”
Her laugh was watery, but it was a laugh. “He does not.”
“He totally does. Christo and I went to see him right after shift that day. The doctors were in with him, and we had to wait. He set us straight. Kept asking for his Bella, his hero.”
She closed her eyes to keep in the tears. Roberto had been the only one to call her Bella.
“Christo and I headed home and went to your apartment. We decided we were going to lead with,We’re sorry, we’re assholes, but we were too late.”
This time it was Mitch closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. “Thank you for the call to the station to let us know you were safe.”
Bella shook her head. “I got a new phone and a new number because I was so sure everyone blamed me for Roberto’s injuries. I couldn’t make myself call anyone. I knew the Chief wouldn’t change his mind.”
Mitch sighed. “He’s a stubborn one. Seems he passed that on to his kids, too.”
She blinked at that. Was he right? Had she stayed away more from stubbornness than hurt?
Mitch squeezed her hand. “Tell me what you did when you left.”
“I was devastated. No one tried to stop me from leaving. No one tried to speak to me. I knew I couldn’t stay when I obviously didn’t have anyone’s trust or respect. I shoved everything I could into my car and just drove until I was too tired to drive. Which wasn’t long because I was exhausted and sore. I stayed in a hotel in Rochester for a couple of days, ordering room service and sleeping.”
The thumb he rubbed over her hand while she spoke mesmerized her. Far easier to talk about it without looking into his eyes. “I had to take three months off for the injury, but I got my arson investigator credentials during that time.”
“Good for you. You always wanted that.”
Her gaze flashed up. “You remember?”
He nodded. “I remember a lot. Did you find work?”
“I lucked out. Took over a maternity leave in Springfield, then another in Scranton. Medical leaves in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and another maternity leave in Baltimore.”
His eyebrows rose. “That’s a lot of places. How did you end up here in Vermont?”
Bella smiled. “I met Tansy Cheveyo at a conference for innovations in firefighting equipment. We ended up in a brainstorming group and Tansy brainstorms like no one I’ve ever seen. The two of us got hooked on improving fabrics for uniforms. Stayed up the entire night researching and planning. Weeks later, we had a material that worked. Sold the patent and the rights a few weeks after that.”
“Holy shit. You’re an inventor, too.”
She laughed. “Not hardly. I’d say we were lucky, but Tansy is a force of nature. Nothing gets in her way once she has an idea. We’ve kept in touch since then. Once she moved to Midnight Lake, she invited me along. I do most of my work online.” She blew out a big breath. “Okay. Your turn.”
Mitch frowned, then shrugged. “I have a lot more questions, but okay. What do you want to know?”
Everything.
She wanted to know everything about Christo and Mitch. Even her dad. “Are you still in Kelsor? Roberto won’t tell me anything. Says if I want to know, I have to go back and find out.”
“Were you ever going to?”
That was the tough question. “I think so. I’ve been battling the urge to call or show up for over a year now. Being so close made everything real again.”