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As Micah walked into the firehouse he was immediately greeted by a host of firefighters who worked alongside Rafferty. Micah was treated like one of their own. They knew him as Rafferty’s best friend, and to them, Rafferty was the heart and soul of the firehouse.
When he found Rafferty he was in the kitchen whipping up some pasta for his fellow firefighters. Micah stood watching for a moment, unsure of how to break the ice.
“Are you just going to stand there? I could use a hand.” Rafferty spoke to him without even turning around.
Did Rafferty have eyes in the back of his head or something? It was a little uncanny how he always seemed to sense things. It was probably one of the reasons he was such an amazing firefighter.
Micah stepped forward and began to stir the sauce on the stove while Rafferty drained the pasta. Micah loved the camaraderie amongst the firefighters. They were like a family. They cooked meals for each other and always had each other’s backs. It reminded him of his own family in many ways.
Once the pasta was drained, Rafferty took out a huge bowl and poured the pasta in. He took a spoon and dipped it into the pasta sauce then blew on it before tasting it. He shut his eyes and said, “It’s perfection.”
He poured the sauce on top of the pasta and began stirring it all together. When he was done he walked over to the large, wooden table a few feet away and plopped the bowl down. Within seconds firefighters seemed to be crawling out of the woodwork to eat. Rafferty returned with cut up slices of Italian bread, a big salad and some mozzarella cheese.
Micah’s mouth started watering.
“Why don’t we go in the lounge and talk?”
“Don’t you want to eat?” Micah asked, feeling badly that he’d come at an inconvenient time. “I can come back later.”
“No worries. I’ll grab something later,” Rafferty said. “Save some pasta for me, all right?” he called out to his co-workers.
“We’re not making any promises,” a female firefighter named Jordan called out, earning a chorus of laughter from the others.
Once they were inside the room, Rafferty turned to face Micah. His expression was inscrutable. “Let’s sit down,” he suggested, taking a seat at the small table. Once Micah sat down, Rafferty said. “I did some digging about the fire that killed Faith’s parents.”
Micah leaned on his elbows. He could barely contain his curiosity. “And? What did you find out?”
“This particular fire was subjected to a lengthy investigation due to it involving two fatalities. The investigation showed it wasn’t arson. And it wasn’t due to a curling iron or a household appliance.”
“Woot!” Micah said in a raised voice. He pumped his fist in the air. Relief flooded him. “That’s incredible news. Do you know what happened?”
“It was electrical in nature. Sadly, it was due to some wiring issues in the house. It was one of those things waiting to happen. They probably had no idea it was faulty. Probably wear and tear since the house was old. Sadly, we see it all the time.”
Micah let out a ragged breath. It was such a tragic loss. “And it cost Faith’s parents their lives. I can’t wait to let Faith know she wasn’t responsible. It’s still heartbreaking to learn the true cause of the fire, but at least she won’t have to bear the brunt of the guilt.”
“I’m sure she’s going to feel incredibly relieved.” Rafferty frowned at him. “What’s going on between the two of you? Are you dating?”
Micah nodded. “Yes, we are. Faith is an incredible woman. I’m a lucky guy.”
Rafferty grinned. “It’s been a while since you’ve been in a relationship. You seem happy.”
“I am. And I’m sorry about our disagreement. It doesn’t feel right not speaking to you. You’re my best friend, Raff. I don’t want anything to get between our friendship.”
Rafferty nodded. “I feel the same way. But we have to squash this awkwardness about Pamela. We’re getting married, Micah, and I need your support.”
“I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Maybe we should all go out some time so everyone can just smooth over everything.”
Micah crossed his hands on the table. “I’m not sure you see Pamela for who she is. If you’d heard her the other night—”
“I know her, Micah,” he said curtly. “And she may not be your idea of an ideal life partner, but she’s mine. Got it?”
Micah nodded. “Got it.”
Rafferty was in deep. He didn’t have a clue. He was looking at everything with rose colored glasses. But he was still his best friend and Micah needed to help him. Perhaps he could show him Pamela’s true colors. He was afraid if he told him about Pamela’s come-ons he might lose Rafferty’s friendship forever. After all, he would have to explain why he hadn’t told Rafferty about the incidents much earlier.
Maybe there would be a miracle. Or perhaps he would just learn to live with Pamela as Rafferty’s wife.
