All Summer Long (Fool's Gold #9)(31)

“I’ve come here to visit her,” Dominique announced. “Chantal. That’s her actual name. She seems less than thrilled to see me. We’re not close.”

“That must be difficult for you,” Marsha said.

“It is. I know what you’re thinking. That my life has been wonderful. But everyone forgets there’s a price to fame and thousands of hours of hard work went into each performance. Then I lost my husband and Chantal left.”

“Teenagers,” Marsha said. “I know that story. I lost touch with my daughter, as well.”

“Chantal could have stayed in touch with me,” Dominique continued. “I’m the one who was traveling. I’m the one with the difficult schedule. But would she? Of course not. Do you know what she does for a living?”

“She’s an engineer,” May said.

“No, she’s not. She drives a fire truck. My daughter. Astonishing.”

Marsha and May exchanged a glance. Marsha leaned toward Dominique.

“Charlie, um, Chantal, drives the engine. You might know it better as the pumper truck. She is responsible for getting the engine to the emergency. She also operates the pump panels. They determine the amount of water flowing to the hoses. The captain is in charge and Charlie acts as a second in command.”

“Thank you for the explanation,” Dominique said, her voice more brittle than she would like. Although she appreciated the information, she hardly needed a stranger lecturing her on the details of her daughter’s job.

May leaned toward her. “I know this is hard.”

“How?” Dominique demanded. “How do you know that at all?”

“I have three boys of my own. Sometimes staying close is difficult. I’d love to help.”

“I don’t need help. I need a more obedient daughter.” Dominique rose. “It was lovely to meet you both. If you’ll excuse me.”

She left her coffee on the table and walked out. As she stood on the sidewalk, she blinked against the bright sunlight. After slipping on her sunglasses, she told herself the burning in her eyes had nothing to do with the sharp pain in her heart. Nothing at all.

“Dominique?”

She turned and saw May had followed her. “Yes?”

May handed her a piece of paper. “My phone number. In case you want to talk.”

“How kind,” Dominique murmured, then walked away.

She passed a trash can and nearly tossed the number. But something made her fold up the paper and slip it into her handbag.

* * *

CHARLIE CHECKED THE street, then watched Michelle in the mirror. Her coworker waved her in. Charlie backed the engine into its spot in the bay.

The accident on the highway into town had been bad. Both cars totaled. Fortunately everyone inside had been wearing seat belts and the air bags had done their thing. The passengers had walked away with only a few minor bruises. One of the cars had gone up in flames, but Charlie and her team had quickly taken care of that.

She got out of her gear and returned to the bay. The engine came first. Then she could clean up and get something to eat.

Michelle strolled over with two mugs of coffee. She handed one to Charlie and grinned. “You have a visitor.”

Charlie held in a groan. “My mother?” Had Dominique waited?

“Not exactly.” Michelle pointed.

Charlie turned and saw Clay leaning against the wall. When he caught her eye, he straightened and started toward her.

The man could move, she thought, watching his long strides. His body was perfection—a result of his career choice, she knew, but still impressive. The only thing better was his face. The lines and planes, the dark eyes. Her gaze drifted to his mouth and she wondered if he was going to kiss her again. Strangely, she found herself thinking she wouldn’t mind. Well, except for the “in public” part.

“Hi,” he said as he approached. “How was it?”

“Easy for us. Not so good for the people in the accident. Everyone is fine, but one of the cars caught fire. The other is totaled.”

“Tourists?”

She nodded. “They get excited about their time away. Sometimes they get distracted and sometimes it’s just bad luck.” She glanced around. “You didn’t see my mother here, did you?”

“I don’t know your mother.”

“Some people have all the luck,” she said with a sigh. “Petite.” She held up her hand midway between her elbow and her shoulder. “Short, blond hair. Green eyes. Elegant.”

“No. Haven’t seen her.”

“Good. She came by. I think she’s decided to start haunting me early. You know, get in a few years of practice before she becomes a ghost.”

“Sounds like a fun relationship.”

Charlie’s mouth twisted. “Oh, it’s a thrill. I’m not sure why she’s even here. Fool’s Gold isn’t her kind of place. She swears she wants to spend time with me, but that’s just too strange to think about.”

She paused, aware she was talking too much. A clear sign of nerves. It was being around him, she thought. Everything was different now. They’d kissed. They were going to have sex sooner or later. That was a point-of-view shifter.

There was also the fact that he’d promised a full-service seduction. She didn’t know exactly what that meant. Even more confusing, she couldn’t decide if she was more excited or more scared. The fact that she had any excitement at all was a real win for her. She told herself it was smarter to accept the progress than to question it but she wasn’t that comfortable with the whole seduction idea.