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“I have once again been reminded to never mix business with pleasure.”
Her phone buzzed, and she lifted it to see that a text message had come in from Donny.
Donny: How are you feeling?
Andrea: I’m much better. Thanks for the concern.
Donny: …Okay
She noted that the three little dots blinked in and out of the text box as if he was struggling to type something.
Andrea: Goodnight.
With that, she put her phone on Do Not Disturb and turned to her bed. Perhaps that nap wasn’t so bad after all.
Andrea spent the next few days going up and down with her daughter to visit the various sites the island had to offer. She took her to Deception Pass State Park, and they had the time of their lives. They visited the old library, surprised to find that Mrs. Debra Nunes was still the Librarian there. They also went to the bakery owned by Kerry. Rory got to sample the cakes she had. She had nothing but praise for the woman’s skills, and Andrea couldn’t agree more.
She arranged for Rory to meet a few of her aunts and cousins so that she wouldn’t feel awkward among them during the barbecue that was only a week away.
They had put off having Fourth of July celebrations because, at the time, most of the family wouldn’t have been available to attend, but now everyone was available for July seventeenth.
She’d only been back to the station four times after what happened at the captain’s house, and though she still rapped well with the staff, she maintained a professional relationship with Donny.
The website was almost complete. She just needed a few more photos of the staff in full uniform, and they were planning on having a parade close to the end of August. After that, she would be finished with the Oak Harbor Fire Department and its members, one in particular that she was trying at all costs to stay clear of.
“Sweetie, I’m heading down to the station, then I’m going to the store. Do you need anything?”
“No, Mom. I’m fine,” Rory assured her, lazing on her bed. Rory had wanted to take a room at the inn, but she’d managed to get her to just stay in her room, and she was reveling in the closeness.
Very soon, this would all be gone, she thought, replaced by hurt and accusations and possibly Rory not being able to wait to be as far away as she could get from her. She shivered at the thought.
“Okay. I’ll be back in a few.”
“Andrea, can I speak with you for a minute?”
Andrea looked up to see Donny beckoning to her.
“Excuse me, guys,” she spoke to the two paramedics who had been explaining the level of training they had to go through as medics that worked with this department as opposed to those who worked for hospitals and medical centers.
Donny walked to his office, and she followed him there and allowed him to usher her in.
“What’s going on, Andrea?” he asked, getting straight to the point.
“What do you mean?” she asked, feigning ignorance.
“You know what,” he cried out exasperated. “Ever since the cookout, you’ve been distant, treating me like a leper, and I would like to know why. I thought we were at least friends.”
Andrea sighed before fixing serious eyes on him.
“We’re not friends, Donny.”
Donny pulled his head back as if she’d slapped him while he stared wide-eyed at her.
“At least we can’t be friends. Not when it threatens the relationship you have with your sons and the memory of your wife. I can’t, and I wouldn’t want to replace her,” she revealed.
Donny cursed under his breath as it dawned on him that she’d heard the conversation he’d had with his son.
“How much did you hear?” he asked with arms folded across his chest.
