She folded her arms across her chest and held his gaze steadily, obviously confident that she knew the answer. “The ladders on the fire trucks extend ninety-five feet. We’re within that range, even with the higher ceilings in this building.”
“But you’re on the back corner, away from the street. It’s harder to get the truck positioned and they’ll make the easy rescues first. If there’s a fire, you could have two minutes to get out and that might not be enough.” He pointed to the living room window. “Get another ladder, please, and practice setting it up. You don’t want to be reading the instructions when every second counts. There should be a fire extinguisher in your kitchen, too.”
Jacquie glared at him in silence.
Pierce headed down the corridor, furious that she would suddenly lose the fearlessness he so admired. He pulled on his coat and tugged on his boots. She didn’t follow, but he knew she was in the kitchen, listening.
“Do you want to know about Mitchell or not?” he demanded before he left.
“Yes, please,” she said softly, but she still didn’t appear. “But only because it’s not dangerous.”
“There’s an assumption,” Pierce murmured under his breath, reaching for the door knob.
“I’ll pay you...” she began but he pretended not to hear her. He left the apartment, letting the door slam behind himself and wanted to shout with fury.
How could she be so afraid?
How could she turn her back on what was between them? Didn’t she know how rare it was?
Then Pierce realized the simple truth: one more time, he’d fallen short of someone else’s mark. One more time, someone only wanted him if he could be different from himself.
It was never going to happen again.
Twelve
One thing was certain: Jacquie had never seen Pierce angry before. He’d lost his temper and given a lecture series about risk, proof that he was a lot more invested in their non-relationship than she’d realized. In a way, that tugged at her heartstrings—just like his insistence that she make preparations for an emergency. He was trying to protect her from a fire, and even though she recognized that, Jacquie knew she had to defend her heart by herself.
It was terrifying how easily great sex had pushed her into thinking about a future with Pierce. She should be grateful he’d mentioned his new venture, and his weapons.
Did she want to spend her days and nights wondering whether her partner would come home again? Absolutely not. There was already a lot of uncertainty in the world, but Pierce’s choice of occupation took him out of any list of potential contenders. It was true that she didn’t even want a relationship, but obviously there was a slippery slope. She’d been with Pierce more than once. It had been better each and every time. Jacquie knew that she was falling, even though she knew it was smarter to remain alone, and now was the time to put a stop to the whole thing.
It might be her last chance.
She checked the answering machine and saw that all the messages were from Ashley. She called her daughter back, still unsettled.
“Where have you been?” Ash demanded instead of just saying hello.
“Right here.”
“Ignoring the phone!” she fumed. “You’ve turned off your cell phone, too, haven’t you? Every call goes straight to voice mail.”
“I did.”
“I’ve been going nuts, making up stories of what you could be doing tonight...”
“I was having sex,” Jacquie said crisply.
Ash sputtered and there was a beat of silence. “Okay. That’s better than any of my alternate possibilities.”
“I thought so. I didn’t want to be interrupted.”
Her eldest was obviously at a loss for words, a rare thing, but she recovered well. “Is there anything you want to talk about?”
“No.”
“Anyone you want to talk about?”
“No.”
“Is it Mr. Valentine’s Day?”
“None of your concern.”
“Is this going to happen often?”
Jacquie laughed. “No. Not again.”
“That sounds like a story.”
“Well, it’s not one for your ears.” She cleared her throat and spoke firmly. “Call the others for me, please. Tell them that I love you all. I miss you all. And I’m doing just fine.”
“Uh oh, Mom voice,” Ashley teased. “Time to pay attention.”
“You’d better believe it.”
Ashley cleared her throat. “So, what’s the issue with this guy?”
“Who says there’s an issue?”
“You’ve seen him a couple of times. You were with him tonight, but insist it’s not a thing.”
“It’s not a thing...”
“Brandon says you’re afraid he’ll surprise you, like Dad did, because he doesn’t talk.”
“There’s that,” Jacquie conceded, then exhaled. Ashley waited. “He’s lived a more adventurous life.”
Ashley laughed. “Wouldn’t be too hard, Mom.”
Jacquie didn’t take offense because she knew it was true. “He used to be a SEAL. He has a gun. I don’t like that.”
“If he was a SEAL, Mom, he doesn’t need a gun to kill anyone. He knows how to do that with his bare hands.”
“That’s not the most reassuring thing you could have said.”
“It’s true, though. What else is spooking you?”
“He provided private security and is going to do it again. His life is like a spy movie.”
“So, you feel boring?”
“A bit but that’s not it.”
“You feel unsafe with him?”
“No!”
“How do you feel when you’re with him?”
Jacquie had to think about that. “Cherished,” she admitted finally in a soft voice. “Precious.”
“And you’re going to walk away from that? Seriously, Mom, time to rethink those priorities.”
Jacquie smiled. “Now I’m supposed to take dating advice from you?”
“Sounds like I have more experience.” Ashley paused. “Is it about Dad? Do you still miss him?” Her tone was cautious. “I mean, it’s been a long time.”
“I do. I think of him a lot.” Jacquie didn’t tell her daughter that she wondered how Mitchell could have done it, or that she was still angry with him.
“Is your heart still broken, Mom?”
Jacquie had to think about how much to confess, then decided on
