The Fireman's Secret (6 page)

“But not to you?”

She shrugged. “I miss having a church in town.”

“Then why didn’t your dad rebuild?”

“Oh, he bought the property because he had grand plans of segmenting the land and selling it off for development. He saw dollar signs. But the town board stopped him with zoning laws, tax issues and as much red tape as they could find.”
Thankfully
. “Mayor Ashby always wanted the church rebuilt.”

Joel stopped and faced her, rocking back on his feet. “I find it hard to believe your dad didn’t look into all that before making that kind of an investment.”

“Really? I mean, we’re talking about the same guy who met a woman on the internet and walked out on his family a month later to be with her. He’s never really been a think-it-through kind of guy.”

“But to hold on to it like that? For so long—with no return on his investment?” Joel scratched his head.

“Spite can make people do a lot of crazy things.” She pressed past Joel and started walking up the boardwalk again. The side closest to the beach was sandy, but on the other side tall clumps of dune grass grew. Shelby lifted her hand so the top of the blades tickled her palm. “Honestly, I don’t really know his reasons...he and I didn’t talk after he left.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I am, too. But he passed away recently and there’s nothing I can do about that. He left me the land, so I figured I can finally do right and rebuild.”

“Whoever you hire for the construction, just make sure they don’t rip you off.”

“Do you know anything about rebuilding?”

“A little. I worked construction for two years before becoming a fireman. Some contractors have ways of up-charging and taking advantage of people who don’t know what’s needed and not needed. Not all contractors are like that, but be careful.”

“Maybe I’ll have you look at the plans when I get them.” She nudged him good-naturedly with her elbow.

“I’d rather not help with the church.” Joel stopped, did a half turn and then raked his fingers through his hair. “That sounded bad. I’m fine with the fund-raiser, but when it comes to the actual church building—not that I have anything against the church, I’m a Christian, but...man, it’s hot out here already. Maybe we shouldn’t walk all the way to the lighthouse.”

“It’s warmer than usual.” Shelby stopped herself right before she pushed up her sleeve.

“Do you want me to carry your sweatshirt?” Joel held out his hand.

“No. I’m fine,” she lied. “I’m not even hot.”

“You’re sweating.” He tapped his forehead.

She used her sleeve to wipe the sweat off her brow. “I’m fine.”

But she wasn’t—not because of the heat, but because already in their first time hanging out together she’d been reminded why she couldn’t ever be more than friends with Joel, even if she wanted to be. Her scars had already caused tension.

She’d have to keep better control of her emotions, because as nice as it was to forget about her problems and talk with Joel, it wasn’t worth the pain she would feel if she started to care about him and he eventually rejected her.

Chapter Four

H
e shouldn’t have come here. Didn’t he know better? But he pressed down the kickstand to his motorcycle and climbed off the bike anyway.

Crossing his arms, Joel surveyed the land where the Community Church of Goose Harbor once sat. Visible from everywhere in town, the white spire topped with a cross had been the tallest point in Goose Harbor. Until he burned it down.

If he could go back in time... If he could have a redo... If he could...

Joel shook his head. Entertaining what-ifs never helped anyone.

He raked his hand through his hair and then stepped over the small metal fence that closed in the area. Not worried about the sign that said Private Property Keep Out.

Weeds and knee-high grass covered the area. Some litter collected where the wind had blown it against the fence. Nature had taken over, but a trained eye could see the outline of the old church foundation, where the basement probably still was. Other than that, this piece of land could have been any other abandoned lot.

Joel dragged his fingers over the top of the long grass as he walked. When he had lived in Goose Harbor as a teenager, this was where he’d become friends with Miles and Caleb. They hadn’t had any classes in school together—what with him being held back a year at one point—but youth group had served as an equalizer. For the first time ever, Joel had known friendship and belonging. He’d wanted to stay.

Right here.

He’d learned about God and had opened up to the possibility that his heavenly Father might love him, even if his earthly father had not.

Joel sighed. Where he stood was about the place the old youth pastor’s office would have been—where Joel had been given his first Bible and had prayed with the pastor to become a Christian. When he closed his eyes, he could picture Pastor Brent in his dress pants and gym shoes, always ready to talk, and constantly reminding them they were all loved.

And it was all gone because of him.

Joel closed his eyes, bowed his head and prayed out loud. “I’m so sorry. I see now what one rash act of anger can do. I never meant to destroy this building. In the last fourteen years, You and I have come to a good spot—not without a lot of me digging in my heels and fighting You—but we’re here and I’m thankful. When I’ve strayed, You’ve come after me time and time again. We may be on right standing these days, but I know I never asked for Your forgiveness over what I did to this church. Please forgive me, Lord. Let me move on in this town.”

Asking for forgiveness didn’t feel like enough. Joel had ruined another person’s property and he owed that person an apology. He should tell someone. He really should. Didn’t the Bible say Christians were to confess their sins to each other? Pastor Brent had moved away from Goose Harbor, but perhaps Joel could track him down. The man had always been easy to talk to.

Then again, maybe it was enough to ask God’s forgiveness. Ultimately, the church was His. And if that was all Joel had to do, then there wasn’t a need to face any consequences that might come with fessing up to a long-ago crime. Especially since telling the truth would ruin any chance he had of putting down roots in this town. Not to mention it would probably get him fired. What was that phrase? Silence is golden. Yes, he’d stick with silence.

The sound of a car on the street behind him made Joel open his eyes and turn around. The flashing emergency lights of a police car reflected off the metal of his motorcycle. The police car parked nearby and an officer with large mirrored sunglasses climbed out.

Joel’s mouth went dry and his stomach corkscrewed. For a moment, he contemplated taking off at a run, but he wasn’t some kid in trouble. If the officer wanted something, Joel would have to deal with it like a man. But his palms started sweating all the same. The policeman couldn’t know he was linked to the fire. Could he? Whatever it was, Joel knew all cops were bad cops. All the ones he’d known over the years sure confirmed that.

“Can I speak with you, sir?” the officer called out as he crossed the street. Why did every cop possess the same purposeful stride? Maybe they took a class in the police academy called How to Walk Intimidatingly.
If so, the instructor deserved a raise for a job well done.

Joel cleared his throat. He hated that his childhood fear of the police could still make him nervous. “What seems to be the problem, Officer?”

“Let’s see. For starters, you’re trespassing on private property.” The officer was getting closer.

Joel stepped over the low fence again.
Keep calm
. “I believe it’s only considered trespassing if you’re not welcome on the land. It so happens I’m friends with the property owner. We could call her if you’d like to verify that. She won’t mind that I’m here.”

The officer tugged off his sunglasses and smiled. “Well, I’ll be—Caleb and Shelby said you were back in town. I was planning to look you up at the firehouse later today.” His old friend, Miles, held out his hand.

Joel shook it. “Glad we bumped into each other before then.” He should have recognized Miles right away. Just like Caleb, Miles hadn’t changed much in appearance since high school. “So, there’s no trouble with me being on this property, then?”

“Not now. Fact is, I heard you’re working with Shelby to rebuild.” Miles hooked his fingers on his duty belt and scanned the vacant property. The gold star pinned on his chest glinted in the morning sun. “It’ll be nice to have a church here again. We’ve been meeting in a movie theater in Shadowbend for more than ten years. I’d really like to go someplace where my shoes don’t end up stuck to the floor and my clothes don’t smell like popcorn by the end of service.”

“Actually, I’m not rebuilding it. I’m just helping with the fund-raiser.” Joel rubbed the back of his neck.

Miles wagged his head and whistled low. “You have no idea how persuasive Shelby can be, then. She’ll have you out here balancing on scaffolding by the end of the week, if it’s up to her.”

“Not likely,” Joel mumbled.

Miles raised his eyebrows. “Just wait.” He eased his stance a bit. “What brings you back to Goose Harbor, anyway?”

Had Caleb told Miles the truth about why Joel had left town? For some reason, he hoped not. Old friend or not, he wouldn’t be able to trust Miles. Not now that he was a cop.

Joel worked his jaw back and forth. “Are you asking me as a cop or as a friend?”

“I’m both. I don’t think I can separate the two.”

He rolled his shoulders, forcing the muscles under his coat to relax. “Weren’t we always dodging the police after curfew? I never would have figured you’d cross over to the dark side and become an officer.”

Miles barked out a laugh. “If I’ve crossed over, then you have, too. Police and fire are both first responders. We’re basically the same.”

“They’re not even close to being the same. People actually like firefighters.” Joel smirked.

“Oh. You slay me. Really, Joel.” Miles put his hand on his chest and pretended to be offended. Then he straightened back up. “In all seriousness, I’d forgotten how much you hated the police. We’re not all bad.”

“Yeah, well.” Joel unclipped his helmet from his motorcycle. “When your only interactions with them are as a kid being put in the back of the squad car because your parent don’t want you, I guess it’s hard to form a decent opinion of them.”

“If it helps, the police are like any other profession. There are good ones and bad ones. But by and large, we’d lay down our lives to help someone we didn’t even know, just like when you rush into a fire.”

“Speaking of which, I need to get to work. It’s my first day. Probably not the best impression if I show up late.”

“I won’t keep you, then. Tell the chief I said hey and that he still owes the department pizza from when we won the chili cook-off.”

“Will do.” Joel nodded and pulled out the key for his bike.

“One last thing.” Miles positioned his sunglasses on his face. “You have only a month to update your license and registration. Make sure you do that because, friend or not, I’ll have to write you a ticket if you don’t.”

Right. All cops were bad cops. Even Miles.

Joel would have to be careful not to restart their friendship because, like Miles had said, he couldn’t separate who he was from his job. Joel didn’t need to be friends with someone who someday could arrest him for an unsolved arson in town.

* * *

“Everyone will think I look silly.” Shelby stared at her reflection in the bridal shop’s floor-to-ceiling mirrors, which showed every angle of her body. The celery-green dress shimmered when she moved. The shimmer wasn’t the problem. The issue was that the dress was ankle-length with an accompanying mother-of-the-bride-like blazer.

Paige, her future sister-in-law, came up behind Shelby and cupped her shoulders. “You look beautiful, like you always do.”

“But you’re having an outdoor wedding. In summer. People will think I’m crazy wearing clothes that cover every inch of my skin.” Or maybe they wouldn’t since she always covered up. She liked to imagine her day-to-day wardrobe choices didn’t stick out so much, but up in front of everyone in this dress, she might as well wear a flashing sign. Shelby shrugged off Paige’s hands and turned around. Away from the wall of mirrors.

“Shelby...” Paige took a deep breath.

“I know you want to say something.”

“It’ll sound mean.”

“Just say it.”

“I don’t know why you feel the need to cover up everything.” Paige played with the hair tie she wore around her wrist. “People know. It’s not like they don’t.”

Shelby shook her head. “Actually, a lot of people in town don’t know. I mean, they know I was in the fire, but they’ve never seen the scars. They have no clue what I look like, and I’d rather it stay that way. And as for the couple of people who have seen, the last time I showed my scars I was thirteen, so I’m kind of hoping they’ve forgotten how bad I look. Or maybe they’ll think I’ve healed.”

Paige bit her lip. “Well, you have some options.”

“Like?”

“For starters, people won’t think you’re crazy for wearing the long sleeves. They’ll think I’m the loony one. The bride gets the blame for what the bridesmaids wear. It’s part of my job. They’ll all think I was so afraid of you outshining me that I had to cover you up.”

“Nice try, but Maggie isn’t wearing this dress, and she’s your maid of honor.”

“She said she would if you wanted her to. You know Maggie wouldn’t mind.”

Shelby glanced back in the mirror. She really looked ridiculous. The outfit was designed for someone a good forty years older than she was. Although, she had no one to blame but herself, since she’d insisted on an outfit that covered her arms and legs. “I’m not making Maggie wear head-to-toe fabric in the middle of summer.”

“There is another option.” Paige tilted her head.

“I’m listening.”

“You could wear what Maggie’s wearing.” Paige pointed at the dress hanging on the sidewall, a sweet little frock that scooped at the neck and floated out at the knees. Maggie would look so cute, and Shelby would have loved—for once in her adult life—to wear something like that. Instead, she’d look ridiculous all alone.