Chapter 103

On the way back to the station, Taren had texted Kiki over and again, but she hadn't returned his texts. It was just as well. Taren shrugged, knowing it was better if she left now instead of waiting until he--and Abby--were in too deep.
"What's wrong?" Dylan asked, taking his time driving back to the fire station after the call.
"Oh, it's Kiki," Taren replied. "She won't return any of my texts."
He shrugged. "Maybe she's just busy."
Taren raised an eyebrow. "All day?"
"Hey! Carrie gets busy with the kids sometimes and doesn't even hear the phone ring, let alone text me back. Stop being such a girl and call her." Over the years, Dylan had become Taren's best friend on the fire department.
Taren clicked his phone off. "Not right now." He looked out the window, watching as the scenery passed by in the dark. "I don't know, Dylan. After what happened with Scarlett, I can't help but think that maybe Abby and I would be better off without anyone in our lives."
Dylan smirked. "You can't mean that."
Taren looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
Dylan let out a deep breath. "Look. Your ex was a witch, but you just never saw it. And just because one woman treated you like that doesn't mean that every woman will."
Taren nodded. "I know that."
"Then just call her and see what happens." Dylan turned down another street, and the fire station appeared on the corner, under the bright street lamp. He pulled the fire truck into the open bay and left the door open so they could dry out the hoses. "Let's get to it." Dylan turned off the engine and climbed down from the cab. Taren did the same and started pulling out the hoses. Taren and the crew took turns drying out the hoses and it was his and Dylan's turn.
"So, I hate to ask, but are you going to the Fireman's Ball?" Dylan pulled out one of the hoses and dragged it as he walked backward, unfolding it from the truck.
Taren sighed as he did the same with another hose. "Probably not."
Dylan walked past him and grabbed another hose. "You do know that it's your turn to make the arrangements this year."
Taren sighed. "Yes, I know. I'm on it. I already spoke to Liam at The North Pole Lodge. He's taking care of it for us and will send us the bill."
Dylan stretched out another hose. "Well, that's nice of him."
Taren smirked as he grabbed another hose. "It pays to know people in high places."
"So, what are you talking about?" Scarlett asked, walking up behind them.
Taren's heart sank as he closed his eyes.
"Holy crap! Not her again!" Dylan yelled, dropping the hose as he turned to face her. "Why don't you go crawl back under whatever rock you crawled out of and leave Taren alone? You've messed with him enough--"
Taren held up his hand, stopping him. "It's okay, Dylan. I've got this."
He clenched his jaw and then nodded. "Okay, but I'm not leaving you alone with the bitch."
"Hey!" she said. "What were you talking about?"
"It's none of your business." Taren placed his hands on his hips. "What're you doing here, Scarlett?"
Scarlett looked over at Dylan and then back at Taren. "Can we talk privately?"
"No," Dylan said before Taren had the chance. He folded his arms across his chest, standing his ground. "I'm not going anywhere, little lady."
"So, why are you here?" Taren asked, ignoring Dylan. "It's late and I really don't want to rehash anything tonight. What do you want?"
Scarlett must have known that she wasn't making any headway with Taren, so she got right to the point. "I came by to let you know that I spoke to a lawyer this afternoon about Abby."
"Great!" Dylan threw up his hands. "Haven't you done enough to this poor man? You don't want custody any more than the man on the moon does!"
"How do you know that?" Scarlett shot back. "Besides, this is between Taren and me! It's none of your business!"
Dylan gritted his teeth and gave Taren a stern look. "I'm going to get back to work. I'll be right over here if you need me."
Taren nodded. He had never seen Dylan so upset before. Usually, he was kind and outgoing. But no one messed with his family. Taren was pleased to see that Dylan had included him in that category.
"Thanks, man." Taren grabbed Scarlett's arm and pulled her to the curb. "Is that all you wanted?"
"So, what were you talking about when I walked up?" Scarlett asked, ignoring his question.
Taren sighed. "The Fireman's Ball. I'm in charge of it this year."
"Good! I thought you'd never ask!" she said as she walked toward her car.
"I didn't ask!" Taren yelled after her.
"I'll meet you there!"
"Oh no you won't!"
But she slipped into her car, already out of earshot. Taren walked back to the truck, grabbed another hose, and pulled as hard as he could. One thing was sure: He needed to find a way to get Scarlett out of his life for good... before she hurt Abby, too.
***
After work the next day, it was still reasonably early so Kiki decided to go by the house again to assess the damage again and to see if there was anything else she could salvage before going to work. She made a mental note to call the fire station to see what the final ruling was on the cause of the fire. Once she had that, she could turn it into the insurance company and get the ball rolling to either rebuild or tear it down. Also, she needed to find out if it was still structurally sound, although she doubted that it was. Then the insurance company would be able to total it and she could go from there.
She wondered if her parents would give her her share of the insurance company so she could do what she had to. Even though her mother could be a hard, particular woman, she doubted that she would ever do that to her only daughter. If not anything else, she was sure that her father wouldn't stand for it and would have her back. She hoped. Kiki sighed as she thought about it. Time would tell.