Page 12 of Built of Flames

She spoke again, deflecting from herself. “Tell me how Roberto is really doing.”

She hadn’t asked about her dad, but Roberto was a whole different kind of man. “Roberto is talking about retirement. Says he’s getting too old to put up withyoung pups with shit for brains.”

Izzy laughed and Mitch chuckled along with her. They chatted for a while about various people at the station, but she didn’t ask about her father. Mitch wasn’t sure if it would be smart to bring him up or not. And he wanted to be smart this time around.

Mitch looked up as three people popped into view. Marcus, along with a tall bearded guy holding hands with a pretty redhead.

They waved, and then Marcus introduced him to Graham Buchanan and Aisling Gallagher. Mechanic and carpenter, respectively.

The woman smiled at them. “We don’t mean to interrupt.”

Bella’s cheeks flushed. “We actually haven’t even talked about Mitch’s case yet.”

Aisling raised an eyebrow and grinned. “No?”

Mitch grinned. “No. Isabella and I are friends from way back, and we’ve been catching up.”

Something flashed in Aisling’s face. “Where did you say you were from?”

“Over in New Hampshire. Kelsor.”

Aisling and Graham both stiffened and looked at Isabella with concern. Izzy smiled softly at them both. “It’s okay.”

“You sure?” Graham glowered at Mitch, and he wondered how much she’d told them about their past.

“I’m sure.”

Marcus looked confused, but Aisling didn’t look like she quite believed Isaella. He found he couldn’t blame her, and he was glad Izzy had such good friends. Which made him feel like shit all over again.

Graham looked between them. “Do you want to work on his case with him or do you want him out?”

Mitch hadn’t expected the man to be so blunt, but it made him smile. “I’m glad you’re all in Izzy’s corner. She deserves that after all she’s been through.”

Bella’s skin flushed more deeply. She stood, so he followed suit. “I know I was worried about visiting Kelsor last month. I know I told you I was worried about running into some people. And yes, Mitch is one of the people I was worried about meeting.”

Well, that was a kick in the gut.

“But that visit got me thinking it was maybe time to reach out to the people from my past. I was thinking about it again this morning. When Mitch showed up, it was like it was meant to be. I’m really okay.”

Aisling and Graham both nodded, but he could tell they were going to reserve judgment on him. Fair enough.

He was going to prove himself to Izzy. He didn’t mind doing that for a few more people as well.

An Old Flame

If anyone had told Bella the day before that she would be defending Mitch Robinson to her friends, she would have thought they were ridiculous. But that’s exactly what she was doing, and it felt completely right.

His eyes were filled with compassion and regret. His words were the right ones. As he spoke, she swore she could feel some of the cracks in her heart filling up.

Graham insisted that Mitch and Marcus stay for supper. She knew it was because her friends wanted to evaluate the man on their own and she was okay with that. An outside perspective would be very good.

Maybe she’d been wishing so hard for things, she wasn’t thinking clearly. Having Mitch and Christo back in her life was her fondest wish. She wasn’t so sure about her father. Despite knowing the truth, the man likely still believed she’d been at fault for Roberto’s injuries. He never backed down from his position or changed his mind because he thought of those as signs of weakness.

Bella had always thought learning and doing better were strengths, not weakness. She didn’t have to interact with her father. She could include Mitch and Christo in her life without him. The thought had her heart racing. She could have them back in her life.

When tears threatened, she excused herself and stepped into the cabin to give herself a chance to contain the emotions swirling through her.

In the bathroom, she splashed water on her face and took deep breaths, shoving down the feelings to deal with another time. Not when four people she cared about stood on her tiny deck.