It only took her four seconds to take a deep breath and turn her body so she was pressed against the roof. He couldn’t see her face, but he was willing to bet she had her eyes squeezed shut as she loosened her hold on the roof peak, and let her body slide toward the ladder.
By instinct, Lucas leaned forward and caught her, his hands curling around her hips. To stop her sliding any further, he pulled her against him, tightening his hold on her, while keeping himself steady on the ladder. Her body was shaking, and he could hear her softly speaking to herself. He had to lean forward to hear what she was saying.
“It’s all right. It’s all right. It’s all right.”
“Take a deep breath in through your nose,” he told her, his arms still firmly around her waist. “Then blow it slowly through your lips.” She was light and slender in his grip. And that damn skirt was still clinging to her hips. He ignored the urge to pull it down. The last thing he wanted was to draw attention to the fact her legs were bare right to her upper thighs. She had enough to deal with right now.
She did as she was told, inhaling through her nose, then slowly exhaling through pursed lips. She began to tremble harder.
That weird sensation hit him again, making his chest feel achy. “Ember, I’ve got you. You’re safe. We just need to get you down the ladder, then we can help Carter.”
She nodded rapidly. “Yes, of course. I’ll get down now.” Her voice wobbled, betraying the fear he knew she was feeling.
He was still holding her. Could still feel the warmth of her skin through the fabric of her skirt. “I’m going to help you get your feet on the ladder, okay? I’ll lift you down, and when I say, you put the soles of your feet on the metal rung.”
She nodded again.
Leaning forward to steady himself, he pulled her down, keeping his body close to hers as he maneuvered her onto the ladder. He walked down a couple of steps, his arms reaching up to keep her steady where she stood. Then he encouraged her to do the same.
“I need you to step down a couple of rungs,” he told her. “Then you’ll be able to hold on with your hands, okay? Once you’re there, it’s only a couple of yards to the ground. You can do this.” Come on, Propane Girl. Let’s save the world. “You ready, Ember?”
Her voice was little more than a whisper. “I’m ready.”
* * *
She could feel the firefighter’s hands pressed against her hips, could feel the warmth of his palms through the thin barrier of her skirt. Ember’s heart was pounding against her chest, a mixture of fear and embarrassment suffusing her body.
Her breath was short when he finally let her go. She couldn’t even look at him, she was so embarrassed by her reaction. What must he think of her?
“Thank you,” she whispered, taking a step back from him. Lucas Russell. It wasn’t just the parking lot at Megassey’s she remembered him from. Now that she knew his name, she knew they’d gone to the same high school, though he’d been a couple of years above her. She’d been kind-of-friends with his sister, Caitie. The two of them had played in the school band together.
He clearly didn’t remember her, though. Why should he? Older kids never paid attention to the younger ones. He’d been on the football team, an all-round good looking hero, and she’d been a nerd, keeping her head down as she made her way from class to band practice.
“I need to help get Carter out,” Lucas said to her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m fine. Go help Carter.”
She didn’t feel fine, though. She felt anything but. She didn’t like the way her body was shaking. And it was so weird, but there was a part of her that just wanted him to hold her again. As though it would make her feel safe for the first time in forever.
Ugh, what the heck was wrong with her?
Whatever it was, when Lucas turned and climbed back up the ladder she let out a lungful of air. And when Rachel walked over to join her, fussing over her and telling her how amazing she was, Ember felt herself calm down.
She wasn’t looking for a guy to save her, She could take care of herself. The sooner Carter was out of that chimney and the firefighters left school the better. Maybe then she could breathe easy again.
7
“Is Carter okay now?” Ember’s friend, Brooke asked, leaning back on her chair and lifting her coffee cup to her lips. “And more importantly, are you okay?” She took a sip of her drink then shook her head. “I can’t believe he climbed all the way up there.”
Ember was sitting at a table on the Beach Café’s veranda with her two best friends, overlooking the shimmering blanket of sand that led to the Pacific Ocean. This was their favorite spot – hers, Brooke’s and Ally’s – and the one they always chose for their Sunday morning brunch date.
It was also the most popular table at the café, since it was only a breath away from the beach, but luckily they knew the owner, and it was always reserved for them. Well, they didn’t just know the owner. Ally, was the owner – or her dad was, at least. It paid to know people in important places.
The beach was slowly starting to fill up. The early morning surfers were still out in the bay, in the roped-off part of the water between the boardwalk and the pier, but now families and teenagers were laying their blankets and towels down on the sand, putting up their umbrellas and slicking on their sun screens. Ember took another sip of her cappuccino and felt a warmth trickle through her that had nothing to do with the sun, and everything to do with loving her hometown.
“He’s fine now,” Ember said, smiling at the way both Brooke and Ally were leaning forward, desperate to hear how Carter’s skirmish had turned out. “His mom turned up right after the firefighters cut him out, and of course, as soon as he was free he was telling everybody that he wants to be a fireman when he grows up.” Her lips curled up at the memory. One of the firefighters – the medic who’d checked Carter’s legs – had let him borrow his helmet for a while. Carter had run around the playground with it on, hamming it up for all the children as they were let out of the cafeteria.
And of course he denied being scared at all. He knew all along that he was going to get out of there before Christmas.