Touch of Fire Read online

  She sat down on the edge of the tub and peered inside. Leaning over, she reached down to retrieve the naked Barbie that had been lying on the bottom alongside a few other toys.

  “Sam’s?”

  “Um, no. That’s mine. But if you’re nice I might be willing to share.” He took the doll and tossed it into the basket by the tub along with the other toys. “Soak your foot. I’ll clean it when I get back and see about getting those shards of glass out. It won’t take me but a minute to run across the street and pick up Sam. Think you can manage?”

  “No problem.”

  “Great.” He headed for the door.

  “Garrett?”

  He turned back to face her. “Yeah?”

  “Do you, um, maybe have something else I could wear?”

  Garrett frowned. “My mom talked me into finally getting rid of most of Amanda’s things a couple months ago.” He looked down at the floor and shuffled his feet. “I’ll find something. You get cleaned up.”

  “I don’t want to be any trouble. I’d understand if you don’t want me wearing her things. Those memories, they’re important. Maybe you have a t-shirt?”

  He looked up at her, his clear blue eyes connecting directly with hers. “Yes.”

  “Yes, you have a t-shirt?”

  “Yes, memories are important.”

  “Right.”

  “But they’re not…”

  “What?”

  He shook his head. “I have a shirt that you can wear,” he told her. Then quietly, without so much as a glance back in her direction, he closed the door.

  While waiting for the tub to fill, Nicole took a moment to look around the bathroom. The tub, sink, and commode were plain white porcelain. The floor was covered in white tile. The same tile lined the shower and went two-thirds of the way up the walls, which were painted in a red and white stripe. Matching red towels hung neatly on the towel racks. In addition to the basket of bath-toys on the floor next to the bath, an Elmo toothbrush sat on the sink.

  Nicole picked up a container of bath salts, unscrewed the lid, and inhaled. The soothing scents of rosemary and lavender were instantly relaxing. She poured in a generous amount, pulled her slip off, then carefully climbed into the bath hissing as her injured foot entered the water.

  With some awkwardness, she eased all the way into the bath. She leaned back, allowing her shoulders to sink below the level of the water, and breathed deeply. After a few minutes the pain begin to diminish. Soon she found herself alone with her thoughts.

  The past six months had been unbearably hard for her. She’d lost so much. First her mother had passed away and she’d sold off her childhood home to pay the inevitable hospital bills. Then her father died and now his home was probably no more than a pile of ash and rubble.

  At least there was still Ann, her sister. They’d always been close, but now all they had was each other.

  “Enough wallowing!” she quietly scolded herself before submerging her head in the hot water. She stayed under as long as she could, then she sat back up and reached for the shampoo. Nicole read the caption on the bottle, “No more tears” it promised.

  She poured a generous amount into the palm of her hand, worked the lather into her hair, then slid once more under the water.

  “Sam, wait a sec, darlin’!” Garrett called out from somewhere just as Nicole broke the surface of the water.

  “I got to go potty!” a little voice shouted back. The bathroom door flew open, banging loudly as it struck the wall.

  “Sam!” Garrett stopped in the doorway. He quickly spun around, hand over his eyes, and stepped back into the hall.

  Sam ran right up to the tub. “Dad! Barbie’s alive!”

  “Sam, come on out of there! Remember our talk about privacy, sweetheart?”

  “I don’t care if Barbie’s in here while I go potty. I don’t need privacy.” The little girl climbed up onto the toilet. “Really, I don’t.”

  Nicole pulled the curtain. “Garrett, it’s all right. Just close the door. And my name’s Nicole, sweetie.”

  “Oh! She talks too! Wait ‘til I tell Gillian!”

  *****

  Garrett awkwardly reached back, blindly searching for the door. His palms were sweaty and his heart was racing like mad. As soon as his hand connected with the knob, he quickly pulled the door closed.

  “Good God!” He looked down at his slightly trembling hands, leaned heavily against the wall, then slid down its length until he was crouched on the floor. “Get hold of yourself. It’s just the smell of her bath salts,” he murmured struggling to overcome his feelings of arousal and guilt. Garrett looked down at his wedding ring and closed his eyes.

  *****

  “I’m so sorry, Garrett” Amanda said. “I’m afraid I’ve ruined all of your plans. And you went to so much trouble making dinner and getting a sitter.”

  Garrett smiled down at her as he slid the now soiled pajama top from her frail shoulders. “Nothing to be sorry about. You can’t help it. You’re sick, baby. I just wish the food would stay down. You’re as weak as a kitten.”

  “Maybe I can try some broth after my bath?”

  “That’s my girl. You’ll feel better after a nice long soak. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  Tears ran down her cheeks as Garrett lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bathroom. “You used to love to brush my hair. Remember? Now it’s all falling out. I’m going to be bald. This isn’t how I want you to remember me.”

  “Don’t cry, sweetheart. It’s going to be all right. You’ll see. In a few months your hair will grow back. It’s only hair. You’re still beautiful, darlin’.” He pushed open the bathroom door, carried her across the threshold, then carefully lowered her into the bath. Candles surrounded the tub and he’d taken the time to add her favorite bath salts to the water.

  “Thank you for loving me,” Amanda whispered.

  “I will always love you,” Garrett promised, his heart breaking as he leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

  *****

  “Daddy, is your feelings hurting?”

  Garrett quickly wiped the tears from his face and climbed to his feet. “I’m good, baby. Just a bit tired is all. No worries. Let’s get you some breakfast.”

  “I ate with Angela and Brenda,” Sam replied, brushing her long, dark brown hair out of her eyes. “Angela makes pamcakes in funny shapes. They made me laugh. Oh! I almost forgot. Miss Nicole is stuck. She needs help.”

  “Stuck?” He turned toward the door. “Sam, you go get dressed. Angela and Brenda will be here to pick you up soon.”

  He heard her walk down the hall and open the door to her room. He waited for her to go inside, then he raised his hand and knocked on the bathroom door. “Everything all right?”

  “I’ve managed to get out, but it was touch and go there for a while. I could use a shirt or something, though.”

  “One shirt coming right up.” Garrett ran back to his bedroom and quickly pulled a white dress shirt out of the closet. By the time he returned to the bathroom Nicole was standing in the open doorway, balancing on one foot, the bright red bath sheet wrapped around her.

  “Do you have any Band-Aids?”

  Garrett handed her his shirt. “Did you clean the wounds and get all of the glass out?”

  “You said to soak. I soaked.” She motioned for him to turn around.

  He turned his back on her and waited patiently.

  “There. It’s safe to turn around now,” Nicole said.

  “Sorry about the interruption earlier. We’ve really been working on the knocking thing. She doesn’t quite have it down yet.”

  Nicole rolled up the long sleeves of the shirt, then picked one of the combs up from the counter. “Do you mind?”

  “No. Go on.” He leaned against the doorjamb.

  “She’s beautiful.”

  “She looks like her mother.”

  Nicole’s eyes connected with his in the mirror. “She has your eyes.”


  An awkward silence filled the room. Garrett shoved his hands into his pockets and studied the floor. “I should look at your foot.”

  “You aren’t going to put the stinging stuff on her boo-boos, are you?” Sam asked as she bounded back into the hallway. “Which is better, the pink or the yellow?” Dressed only in a pair of panties, she held up two otherwise identical sundresses for Nicole to inspect.

  Nicole smiled. “I like the yellow.”

  Sam placed the dress over her head. “Me too! Can we play later? When I get back from the zoo? I’m going to meet the new panda.” Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t seem to find the hole for her head. “Dad, the dress is winning again! I can’t find my way—”

  Garrett knelt down beside her and tugged the dress into place, then guided her head and neck through. “There you go.” He smoothed down her mussed hair. “Go get your bag with your hat and your sunscreen. And no ice cream unless you have real food first. Got it?”

  Sam looked up at him hopefully. “Does popcorn count as real food?”

  Garrett touched the tip of her nose with his fingertip. “No, but good try.”

  Sam frowned then walked back to her room.

  “You’re good with her,” Nicole observed.

  Garrett slipped his arm around Nicole’s waist, offering her support. “You’re just buttering me up so that I don’t use the stinging stuff. I wasn’t born yesterday, Miss Brooks. I know this trick.”

  “How’s it working?”

  “Not very well, I’m afraid. We’ve got to get that glass out.”

  “Maybe it’ll just work its way out on its own?”

  “Doubtful. Let’s go out on the back deck where the light is good. Then I’ll get the first aid kit.”

  *****

  As they moved slowly down the hallway, Nicole took in her surroundings. Directly across from the bathroom was a small linen closet. To the left of that was the doorway to what appeared to be a fairly large kitchen. There were two bedrooms, as far as she could tell, the one at the end of the hall where Sam had disappeared and the one adjacent to the bathroom. The living room that they’d entered through was back down the hallway to the right. Drawings almost completely covered the walls of the hallway from floor to ceiling.

  “You have quite the budding artist.”

  “You have a keen eye.”

  “I should. My mother adored art. It was her passion.”

  “What about you?” he asked, unlocking the French doors to the back yard. “What’s your passion?” He gestured to one of the deck chairs.

  Nicole limped outside. The morning sun had already warmed the wooden boards beneath her feet. “I don’t think I’ve found it yet,” she said before taking a seat.

  The space outside was small and intimate. A rustic fountain bubbled away in one corner. To the right of the table, a set of steps led to a built-in hot tub. In virtually every direction she turned, there were pots filled with lush, green plants and vibrant flowers.

  Garrett emerged carrying a large, plastic box.

  “You really have a first-aid kit?”

  “Firefighter,” he replied, as if that should explain it. “Got an earthquake kit too.”

  “Like with jugs of drinking water and cans of Spam? I thought those were just some urban legend.”

  He set the kit down on the table. “Spam? No. I went with Evian and cans of Alaskan King crab.”

  “I’m moving in.” Nicole smiled. “Your home is lovely.”

  “I put a lot of work into this place. More than I should have.”

  “Why do you say that? Everything’s beautiful.”

  “Had I known then what I do now, well, my priorities would have been a bit different. Let’s have a look at that foot, shall we?”

  Garrett sat down in the chair across from Nicole, lifted her foot into his lap, then leaned forward to inspect her injury closely. “There are a couple shards of glass in there. That’s probably why it’s still hurting so badly.”

  Sam bounced out onto the back deck. “Nurse Sam reporting for duty.”

  Garrett chuckled. “I think the patient’s going to live. Honey, can you go get Daddy’s glasses? They’re on the nightstand in my room.”

  “Right away, Doctor!” She took off, running.

  “Aren’t you a little old to be playing doctor?” Nicole asked coyly.

  “Yeah, well, I like a little variety. Candy Land. Candy Land. Candy Land. Doctor Flint and the Naughty Nurse. Candy Land. Candy Land.”

  Sam ran back out onto the deck and handed Garrett his glasses. “I’m not naughty. I’m a good nurse!”

  He put them on and picked up a pair of tweezers. “Yes, you are, darlin’. You’re aces, you are.”

  Nicole stared warily at the tweezers. “Those look dangerous.”

  “Here, you can hold my hand,” Sam offered.

  Nicole reached for it. “You are a good nurse.” She resisted the urge to pull her foot back as Garrett removed several small shards of glass that were embedded in the cuts.

  “You’re being very brave,” Sam said solemnly. “Here comes the stinging stuff part. I can help blow.”

  “I got it.” Garrett sprayed on the antiseptic, then pursed his lips together and blew.

  Nicole hissed. “It burns.”

  He looked up, eyes connecting with hers. Again, he lightly blew over the cuts.

  “Better?”

  She nodded.

  Garrett reached for a roll of gauze. Expertly, he wrapped Nicole’s foot.

  As he secured the bandage and began to return the supplies to the first-aid kit, Sam announced, “Now for the best part.”

  “Best part?”

  “Daddy will give your boo-boos the magic healing kiss and then you get a spoonful of ice cream for being brave.”

  Garrett cleared his throat. “Sam, I don’t think—”

  “I was awfully brave,” Nicole teased, her eyes wide in a purposeful attempt to appear innocent. “I think I deserve the full treatment. Don’t you?”

  Sam looked at her father, confused. “Don’t we want her boo-boos to get better?”

  Garrett slid one hand up, over Nicole’s calf, placed his other under her heel and raised her foot. “That we do, darlin’.” Leaning down, his eyes fixed on hers, Garrett placed a soft, slow kiss on Nicole’s exposed ankle.

  “Any other boo-boos that need kisses?” Sam asked.

  Nicole was suddenly at a loss for words.

  *****

  Garrett gently placed Nicole’s foot on the chair where he’d been sitting, then stood up. “I’m gonna grab a quick shower.”

  He didn’t wait for a response and walked into the house. In the bathroom he took off his shirt and tossed it onto the floor. He caught his reflection in the mirror and paused. Who was that man? He looked tired.

  Through the closed door he could hear Nicole’s laughter, followed by the welcome sound of his daughter’s unrestrained giggles. Alone, in private, he slid to the floor. Garrett closed his eyes, let his head fall back against the door, and finally…finally released the breath that he had been holding for the past three and a half years.

  Chapter Three

  “Hey, you must be Nicole! I’m Brenda and this is Angela.” The perky redhead’s eyes raked Nicole over from head to toe.

  “I lost everything in the fire,” Nicole said, suddenly acutely aware that she only wore one of Garrett’s shirts. “What I was wearing got torn and—”

  “We can loan you some clothes. Garrett should have said something. Is there anything else that you need?” Angela reached out and touched Nicole’s shoulder. The compassionate gesture instantaneously brought tears to her eyes.

  “Sleep,” Nicole said. “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

  Angela smiled. “You rest. We’ll have Sam back in time for her two o’clock nap and we’ll bring you over some clothes then.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Sam! Come on!” Brenda called out.

  “Wait!
” Garrett flew, half-shaven, out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, a wallet in hand. “Lunch money.” He pulled a ten-dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to Brenda.

  “Daddy, where’s my zoo past?” Sam tugged gently on Garrett’s towel.

  “Fridge,” he replied as he cinched the towel more securely around his waist. “Run and grab it. You be a good girl for Angela and Brenda. I’m gonna finish up.”

  Brenda craned her neck and watched him walk back to the bathroom. “Wow, who knew Flint was such a hottie?”

  Sam ran back into the room. “I’ve got the past!”

  Angela picked the little girl up. “Great, sweetie, let’s go.”

  “Oh!” Garrett leaned out into the hallway, this time wiping the last of the shaving cream from his face. “I told her no ice—”

  “Cream. We know,” Angela said.

  “Real food first,” Brenda added as they proceeded onto the porch and climbed down the steps. “Try to get some sleep, Nicole.”

  The ticking of the clock on top of the fireplace mantel drew Nicole’s attention. In the silence that followed Sam’s departure it seemed suddenly loud. It was ten o’clock, four hours until Sam would return.

  “You take the bed. I’ll take the sofa. Just give me a minute to get dressed,” Garrett said.

  Nicole gave him a minute and then made her way down the hall toward his room. The door was partially ajar.

  “I don’t want to kick you out of your own bed,” she called out. “I’ll lie down in Sam’s room.”

  Garrett opened the door fully. He’d slipped on a pair of sweatpants, but his smooth, sculpted chest and feet remained bare.

  “First of all, Sam is still in a toddler bed; it’s too small for anyone to sleep comfortably in. I keep meaning to get her a twin, just haven’t gotten round to it. Secondly, I’m bound to be out on the sofa in twenty minutes anyways. I…um…I don’t sleep anymore,” he confessed. He walked over to the bed and began to remove some of the decorative pillows that adorned it. “Please, take my bed.”

  “What do you mean you don’t sleep?” Nicole stepped further into the room.

  “I nap, an hour or two at the most, here and there.” Garrett grabbed a pillow. “The sheets are clean.”