Home Fires (13 page)

“Irene and I are having a little party to celebrate her homecoming and we could use the company.” Lil pushed the screen door open wide. “No excuses, you two. Come on in.”

Rose stood with a sigh. Mike held the screen door open and gestured for her to enter—then flashed her an outright wink.

“We’ll be right there, Lil.” She grabbed Mike’s arm and pulled him aside as they entered the front hallway, waiting till Lil disappeared from view. “Listen, about that fire that started in our kitchen…”

“Yes?” His eyes sparkled with interest though his face wore an innocent look.

“I never mentioned it to my mother. I didn’t want her upset.” She wasn’t used to begging for favors, but she’d do what she had to in order to keep him silent.

“You do understand what I’m saying, correct?” she hissed sweetly.

“I take it that you prefer I not mention the subject?” A soft smile played around his lips, taunting, inviting.

“Precisely.” The last thing she wanted was her mother finding out, and he damn well knew it.

Mike leaned close enough for her to catch the light, inviting scent of recently applied aftershave. “I wouldn’t worry about it, if I were you,” he said. “Even if she does discover you nearly burned the house down, she already knows you’re not much of a cook. After all, she
is
your mother. And mothers know everything.”

The man was infuriating… absolutely infuriating! Had she actually considered apologizing to him? If it hadn’t been for Lil and her mother insisting that he be invited inside, she would already be finished with his interrogation and Michael John Gallagher would be long gone.

“Just answer the question,” Rose demanded. “You won’t tell her, will you?”

“I thought I was the one asking the questions tonight.”

She didn’t try to hide the open glare on her face.

Mike’s eyes twinkled. “All right, you have my promise. I won’t say a word.” He crossed his heart with a flourish of his hand.

“Thank you.” The words didn’t come easily, but she was in his debt.

Trouble was, he knew it.

Reluctantly Rose led him onto the enclosed sun porch directly off the living room where Irene and Lil waited.

Mike had an extra wide smile for Irene. “Good to see you again, ma’am. I hope you’re feeling better.”

“Now that I’m home, I certainly am. Have a seat, young man.”

Rose watched from the doorway as her mother nodded Mike to the wicker chair drawn up beside her, the very seat she herself had been sitting in until the clock had chimed seven. She’d given up her time tonight to allow Mike a chance to question her further. Looked like she’d given up her chair as well.

“What’s your pleasure?” Lil’s eyes gleamed with interest from her spot on the tasseled loveseat as she gestured with her glass. “We taught Rose how to make a decent martini. Neat, not too dry.”

Now they were offering him drinks? Well, if
she
was the one playing bartender tonight, one drink was all he would get. He’d already shown he couldn’t be trusted. The sooner he was out of the house, the better.

Ice cubes tinkled together as Irene raised her glass. “Lil likes her martinis, but don’t you feel obligated to join her, young man. At the moment, I’m relegated to iced tea. My medicine, you know. But it’s the right season for a nice cool drink. Lord, it’s been so hot this summer.”

“Iced tea sounds perfect.” He shot Rose an easy glance. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all.” She forced a pleasant smile to her face and headed for the glass sidebar near the door. Grabbing the silver tongs, she piled ice cubes into a tall glass.

“Cecilia Rose? Perhaps your young man would like a little lemon,” Irene said.

Her
young man? Rose nearly dropped the glass. Where had her mother gotten that idea?

“Lemon would be nice,” Mike said with a polite nod for her mother and a grin for Rose.

He was taking his sweet time getting down to business. And she’d like to wipe that silly smirk off his face. She glanced around the wet bar, but the lemon dish was empty.

“Sorry, we’re all out of lemon.” Served him right.

“Check the kitchen. I’m sure there are a few in the refrigerator,” Irene suggested.

“I’ll be right back.” Rose grabbed the lemon dish and fled the sun porch. So, he wanted lemon in his iced tea? She’d give him lemon, all right. She found one in the refrigerator and whacked it with a sharp knife, returning moments later with mangled lemon slices in the dish. She splashed iced tea into the glass, critically chose the lemon slice containing the most seeds, and presented it to him with her most gracious smile. “Here you are, per your request. Iced tea, with lemon.”

She whirled away and started for the loveseat.

“Sugar would be great. That is, if you have any?” Mike called out.

She took a deep breath and headed back to the side bar.
Naturally
he wanted sugar. Was there anything else she could provide to make his iced tea experience more complete? Guaranteed if there was, he’d probably think of it in the next few minutes—and no doubt he’d let her know. She had to get him out of this house and fast. No way in hell was she going to survive if he started questioning her in front of her mother and Lil. Asking him over tonight had been a mistake. A
big
mistake.

Lil settled back against the loveseat with a critical eye for Mike’s iced tea. “I think I misjudged you. I took you for a man who enjoys a drink now and then. And what about you, honey?” She turned to Rose. “You’re not drinking, either.”

“Believe me, a drink is the last thing I need right now. If I had one, I wouldn’t stop.” Rose purposely stopped herself from looking anywhere near Mike. No doubt he was sitting there with a big grin on his face, enjoying himself immensely.

“I told you there’d be too much stress involved working down there in that city,” Irene said. “Some people can’t touch the stuff, honey. You of all people should know that. If you think you have a problem, maybe you should get some help.”

Rose held back a sigh. “Mother, I am not an alcoholic. I do not have a drinking problem.”

“Acknowledging is the first step of recovery,” Lil offered.

Rose caught a flicker of mirth in Mike’s eyes as he nursed his iced tea. He was obviously having a wonderful time and all at her expense. She could just wring his neck.

“I hope I didn’t offend you, saying what I did.” Lil nodded at Mike’s glass. “It’s none of our business if you choose to drink or not.”

Mike’s smile widened. “Well, ma’am, to tell you the truth, I do enjoy a beer or two now and then. But I’d have to say black coffee is mostly my drink of choice.”

“For heaven’s sake, Lil, leave the young man alone.” Irene threw a hazy smile at him. “This medicine I’m taking must be playing tricks on me. I’m afraid I don’t remember your name.”

“It’s Michael Gallagher.”

“Michael Gallagher?” Irene drew in a sharp breath. “That was my husband’s name.” She slumped in her chair and leaned her head wearily against the pillows.

Rose jumped up from the loveseat and headed for her mother but Mike beat her. He crouched down close beside Irene’s chair and gently cupped his hand atop hers. “Ma’am, are you all right?”

Irene’s face was pinched white and her eyes were closed. Rose threw a worried glance at Mike. Suddenly she was very glad he was there with them, no matter how many questions he wanted to ask her.

“There’s no need to fuss,” Irene finally said. She opened her eyes and blinked once or twice at Rose and Mike, close together at her side. “It must be this medicine I’m taking. For a minute there I felt dizzy… all funny inside.”

“Maybe we should call the doctor.” Rose and Mike exchanged glances and he nodded.

“No, I’ll be fine,” Irene said firmly. “I feel much better now.”

Lil pressed her fingers against the back of Irene’s wrist. “Her pulse is steady.”

Rose relaxed as the color slowly returned to her mother’s cheeks. She tightened her grip on Irene’s hand. “Please try not to scare us again like that. You had us all worried.”

Mike stood up. “It’s late. I should get going.”

“You don’t have to leave so soon,” Lil said. “You haven’t even finished your iced tea.”

He picked up his glass and drained it in one quick swallow.

“You will come back and visit again soon, won’t you?” Irene asked.

Mike nodded. “I’ll do that, Mrs. Gallagher. You take care now, all right?”

“Thank you, Michael… or do you prefer Mike?” She reached out and caught his fingers in her own. “Somehow, calling you Michael seems right. That’s the name my husband preferred.”

“Then you go right ahead and call me Michael, ma’am. That will do me just fine.”

Irene gave him a soft smile. “I look forward to our next visit. And I’ll make sure Cecilia Rose has the iced tea ready.”

Rose eyed him thoughtfully as she caught the hint of his smile. This fireman could be a real charmer when he tried. And he certainly was making the effort with her mother.

“Sorry if they came on a little strong,” Rose said moments later as she escorted him onto the front porch. “My mom and Lil can be quite the pair.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Your mom seems real nice. And Lil is really something.”

Rose eyed him as he stood there, one foot poised on top of the first step. He was leaving. Obviously he’d decided to put off asking her more questions until another time. It came as somewhat of a surprise to realize she was reluctant to see him go. He’d been pleasant and agreeable and—given the circumstances—extremely considerate. She’d have to remember not to take all his teasing so seriously. She’d been harsh with him yesterday in the chief’s office and Mike hadn’t deserved it. It was time for her to speak up, to let him know she was sorry for those words she’d flung at him in anger.

“Look, Rose, I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry about the way things turned out yesterday. Somehow we got off on the wrong foot. Those things I said about the Judge… well, I guess I was a little out of line. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

She felt her face flush as she heard his apology. She hadn’t even had the chance to open her mouth. And his words were heart felt, that much was obvious. From what she’d seen, he didn’t seem the type who tossed out empty words merely to smooth things over.

“I just want to make sure you understand what’s going on here,” he said. “It’s my job as fire investigator to oversee every aspect of the investigation. Unfortunately, that involves asking hard questions. If I hadn’t asked you about the Judge, I wouldn’t have been doing my job.”

“I know that.” A grudging admiration for him grew. It must have taken considerable effort for him to pick up the phone and make the call that brought him over to the house tonight—all the while knowing he intended to apologize.

“Anyway, that’s what I wanted to tell you.” His eyes flashed dark with intensity. “So, what do you think? Is there a chance we might be friends again?”

“I think that could be arranged.” She didn’t even try to hold back the smile. He could be intensely appealing when he felt it worth the effort. And his tender concern for her mother tonight erased any lingering doubts in her mind.

Mike started down the steps.

“Wait.” She reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. “I thought you said you had some more questions for me.”

A half smile played round his mouth. “That’s right, I guess I did. Well, you already answered the first one.”

Rose frowned. “I did?”

“I wanted to know if you were still mad at me.”

Still mad at him? What kind of official questioning was that? “What was the second question?”

“If you’d have dinner with me,” he said. “I mean a real dinner this time. Not on some park bench.” His voice dropped low. “And this time, I pay.”

A sudden thrill leaped deep within her. Mike had asked her out. A
real
date.

“I would like that,” she softly replied, smiling at the obvious relief that washed across his face.

“Great. I’m off for the next two nights. Maybe we could do something then.”

The reality of her mother’s situation returned to mind.

“I’m sorry. That won’t work. I can’t leave my mother alone for any length of time yet.”

“Sure, I understand.” He nodded. “You have to do what you have to do.”

Rose brightened as a sudden thought came to mind. “Lil is a retired nurse. She’s here nearly every day. Maybe she’d be willing…”

A steady grin spread over Mike’s face. “Lil seems like the accommodating type.”

“I’m sure she’ll say yes. If all else fails, I’ll bribe her with a martini.”

His grin widened. “Better be careful, offering free booze. Remember what your mother said? They might get the wrong idea about you.”

Rose’s laugh of delight rang out loud.

“I’m going home and get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He started down the porch steps, only to abruptly stop yet once more. Turning, he stared back up at her. “Rose.”

“Yes?”

“No—I mean,
Rose
. I keep hearing people call you different names. Cecilia Rose, Cecilia, Rose. Which is it? You’ve never really said.”

Her heart tugged at a sweet distant memory of a sunny afternoon long ago. The heat of the summer sun lingered warm on her arms and freckled her nose as the man who’d been the first love of her life carefully taught her the delicate intricacies of baiting a hook, casting out a line and reeling in her catch.

“
You’ll make a grand fisherman someday, Rosie sweetheart. It must be the Irish blood in you. Never forget, Ireland is an island of fisherman. And the Gallaghers are a fishing family.
”

“
But you’re not a fisherman, Daddy. You teach school.
” Even at eight years old, little Rosie’s rational mind caught someone in a trap.

“
I’m a fisherman at heart. And someday, Rosie, when I retire, I’ll be a fisherman for sure.
”

The memory of her father’s pet name brought back a flood of tender reminiscence. Fishing together had been their special time, the only time he called her Rosie. She’d give anything to hear that beloved voice calling her by his special name for her just one more time.
Rosie
.