“We’re doing good, too. Richard is busy playing golf, of course, and I have my committees to keep me busy.” She let out a little sigh. “And then I have our annual party to organize; there’s no rest for the wicked.”
The Martins threw a party every summer to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Ember didn’t need to count backward to know that this year they’d be marking forty years together. “I’m sure you have it all under control.”
“Will you come?” Janice asked her. “You don’t have to answer that now, I’ll pop an invitation in the mail and you can decide later.”
“Janice, I think we’re all here. Let’s get started.” Frank Megassey’s deep voice cut through the air between them.
“Oh, of course, Frank.” Janice nodded at him, then took a final look at Ember. “I’ll speak to you later, dear.”
“Sure.” Ember watched as the two of them walked to the front of the room and took their seats at the table set up there, before she turned and made her way to the back where she hoped to find a seat at the end of a row. She’d stay long enough to hear everything, then be the first to leave. As lovely as it had been to see Janice, she wasn’t ready to talk to her again.
Strange that neither of them had mentioned Will, he was still the elephant in the room. She found a seat and sat down, inhaling a deep breath to center herself.
“Mind if I sit next to you?” A deep voice asked her.
She didn’t need to look up to know who it was. “No problem,” she said, pulling her legs to the side. “Sit right down.”
9
Lucas sat down on the seat next to Ember’s, angling his long legs so they didn’t push against the chair in front of him, before he turned to look at her. “How’s Carter doing?” he asked her.
She smiled at him. “He’s absolutely fine. And of course he’s pretty much hero-worshipping you guys. He tells everybody he meets he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up, you may have created a monster.”
Lucas laughed. “Glad he’s okay. He seemed like a nice kid.”
“He is,” Ember agreed. “Lively, but lovely.”
For a moment his gaze lingered on her thick lashes as they swept downward. “And are you okay?”
“I’m good. Why wouldn’t I be?” She gave him a puzzled smile.
“You just… ah… froze up there a little, that’s all.” He wanted to kick himself for bringing it up. The smile dissolved from her face, leaving a couple of frown lines behind. “Anyway, Carter’s doing well, that’s all that matters,” he added quickly.
He took a deep breath. Time for a change in direction. “Is this your first time on the committee?” he asked.
She slowly shook her head. “I’ve been helping out for a few years. But I guess it’s your first time, I haven’t seen you here before.”
“I got roped into it by Frank Megassey. He’s been helping me out with some renovations I’ve been doing, so I really couldn’t say no.” He wrinkled his nose. “I’m not usually one for meetings like this. I don’t typically have time to sit on committees.”
She blinked at him. “What do you do when you’re not volunteering for the fire department?” she asked him. “You said you’re doing some renovations. Are you in construction?”
He smiled. “No, I’m a full-time firefighter. I’m based in White City, but I’m taking some time off.”
“You’re taking some time off firefighting, so you volunteered to be a firefighter?” Ember raised her brow. “Doesn’t sound like a vacation to me,” she teased.
He laughed. “I guess it does sound a bit crazy, but it made sense at the time. And we don’t get called out that much. Right now I’m renovating an old cottage I own on the waterfront.”
“And sitting on committees,” she added.
“Yeah, that as well. And this is the hardest job of all three.”
It was her turn to laugh. “It’s not that bad, I promise. You just have to come to a couple of meetings, listen to Frank tell the story of the Captain and the Angel again, and then turn up on the day, which is the best part of all. It’s hard not to enjoy the fair. Everybody’s happy there.”
“You’re certainly selling it to me,” he told her.
“That’s what Frank pays me to do.”
His laugh was interrupted by Frank calling the meeting to order.