Page 29 of Built of Flames
He squeezed back, and for a few minutes, they sat quietly.
When he broke the silence, she knew he was going to address the elephant stomping around the room.
“Have you thought about contacting the Chief?”
She blew out a big breath. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that. Don’t know if I’m strong enough.”
“You’re strong enough for anything.” His words echoed Mitch’s from earlier.
“I hate to break it to you, but I’ve spent a lot of time being scared.”
“And you did all kinds of shit anyway. We’re all scared sometimes, Izzy. Strong is doing things even when you’re scared. And you’ve done a lot with no one to help or support you. Damn, we screwed up.”
She squeezed his hand again. “You weren’t the only ones. I was so sure you all believed the Chief and that no one wanted to see me. I should have known better. Should have taken a chance.”
After a few minutes of quiet, she asked one of the questions that was swirling in her head. “When did we stop calling him Dad?”
Christo grunted. “Good question. After Mom died maybe?”
“Probably. She’d be sad that we let ourselves drift apart. She’d like knowing we found each other again.”
“She’d be so proud of you and what you’ve accomplished. Especially after that crappy day. You ever make any of those cookies you used to make with her?”
Warmth filled her again. Memories of her mom had sustained her through so much. “Snickerdoodles. I still make them. On her birthday. Yours too.”
She heard Christo swallow hard. His voice was thick when he spoke. “Thank you. It means a lot that you did that for me. On your birthday, Mitch and I always went to that bakery Mom loved, Minelli’s, and had cannolis for breakfast. Then we took them in for the rest of the hall.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. They hadn’t forgotten her. They’d remembered her birthday and commemorated it with her favorite dessert.
“Mom would like that, too. Thanks.”
The quiet night surrounded them and for a while they were quiet and when they spoke again, it was of less emotional things. She wasn’t up to dealing with a conversation about the Chief tonight.
Would she ever be?
Mitch walked the now familiar trail to Midnight Lodge with lots of thoughts swirling in his head.
He’d spent hours thinking about Izzy and Christo’s family and their connections to their town. There were a lot. But most families in a small town could say the same.
But the more he’d looked over the data, the more he agreed. There seemed to be a connection. But was it coincidence? No one liked coincidences.
Jetson barked a greeting and then Willow and Spike joined in until all three dogs were circling him for attention and leading the way into the clearing. There was something pretty damn special about being greeted by dogs.
Midnight Lake was a hell of a setup. He liked what Sam and Graham were building with Midnight Security. Proactive protection and procedures to help bodyguards and civilians keep themselves and others safe.
They had a wide variety of classes and were looking to add more. Apparently, there were four other men who were partners and were going to teach other subjects. All FBI or former military. Tansy’s brother was one. An impressive group of people with an impressive set of skills.
They’d promised to take him over to the former airstrip turned racetrack where they were teaching offensive and defensive driving techniques. That would be fun.
The enormous property here at the lake was also home to Tansy’s science labs and experiments and Aisling’s woodworking shop and business. And now Isabella’s arson investigation service and her work with Tansy on fire-resistant fabrics.
A hell of a setup.
He wouldn’t mind being part of it. After Troy’s tour of the town the other night, he wondered if there might be a place for him. He wanted to talk to Sam and Graham, see if he had anything to offer as part of their business. Would they be interested in offering something related to fire suppression? Sam did a lot of fitness training. Maybe Mitch could chip in on that part. Basic first aid stuff.
It was a place that would intrigue him even without adding in Isabella. It wasn’t even a week, but Mitch was thinking forever. They hadn’t even slept together. Something he hoped would change sooner rather than later.
A loud whistle broke into his musing, and he saw Sam waving at him to hurry. Mitch broke into a jog and then ran faster when he saw Sam kneeling beside another man on the ground.