Chapter 1

1

I tie a kitchen towel around my face and pull the pin on the fourth–and last–fire extinguisher, squeezing the handle and aiming it at the flames leaping up the wall. Deep down, I know it's a lost cause, but I hold my ground as they shoot higher, licking at the ceiling. I'll go down trying to save this place if I have to. My heart drops into my stomach as the fire extinguisher sputters out. I take a couple of steps back, ducking as a piece of drywall falls from the ceiling, landing in the spot where I had just been standing.

"FUCK!" I scream with everything I have, like that one word might save me. Save my restaurant. Save the last ten years of my fucking life that I've poured into this place.

I run to the sink, turn the water on full blast, and use the hose attachment to spray down everything I can reach, hoping to slow the spread long enough for me to come up with some brilliant idea. The fire department should be here in twenty minutes, but knowing my luck, this place will be burned to the ground by then. I don't see how a centuries-old building can withstand a fire like this.

"Pen!"

Sammy's voice rises above the crackling of the flames, the desperate edge slicing like a knife through my heart .

"Get out of here, Sam!" I scream, tears streaming down my cheeks–whether from the smoke or emotion, I have no idea. Maybe both.

"Pen! You stupid woman!" Sam is perfectly outlined in the door leading out to the dining area. His dark skin glows in the flames, making him look like some sort of vengeful god.

"Go make sure the fire department is on its way," I yell, squeezing my eyes shut as I blindly aim the stream of water.

"Not without you," he roars, edging his way into the kitchen, dodging debris as he makes his way to me.

"I'm not leaving, Sammy," I sob, my hand spasming around the sprayer, my muscles protesting.

"Then let me take your place. There are too many people who love you for you to go out like this. Nobody would even know I'm gone."

Fury engulfs me. "Don't ever say that again! I would care, Sammy. I would care !" My words are punctuated by a portion of the ceiling over the stove caving in, sending in a fresh burst of air to feed the flames. Sammy jerks the sprayer from my hands and douses me with water before turning it on himself. "You may hate me forever, but I'm not going to let you do this, Pen." He scoops me into his arms, gripping tight as I try to twist away from him.

"You're going to kill us both. Is that what you want?" I shriek, going limp in his arms, hoping my dead weight will loosen his hold. I'll sacrifice myself to this goddamned restaurant, but I'm not sacrificing him.

"Take her out of here," he yells, his voice harsh as he hands me over to Spencer.

"No. No !" I thrash in Spencer's arms, but he only grips me tighter as he carries me through the restaurant and outside.

"We have to go get him, Spence, please!"

"He'll come out before he gets hurt, Pen." His soothing southern drawl does nothing to stem the panic.

"He said nobody would care if he died, Spence. "

"Hell-fire!" He sets me on my feet, gripping my hand to keep me from running, and yells for Liam. "Don't let her back inside," he instructs, making sure Liam has me before heading in to help Sammy.

"What's happening?" Jamie asks, skidding to a stop next to us, Archer on his heels.

"We came as soon as we saw the smoke," Archer says, worry creasing his forehead.

"Sam and Spence are in there," Liam says, fear written in every line of his face. "It looks like it's only the kitchen so far."

Both Archer and Jamie run inside, and I feel like my entire world is crumbling. They're my best friends, my family, my everything . I can't let them put themselves at risk for a building.

"It should be me in there, " I whisper, my whole body shaking as adrenaline kicks in.

"No, you shouldn't. The restaurant can be rebuilt, Penelope. We can't bring you back to life."

"But it's my fault," I wail, furiously wiping at the tears streaming down my face. "I just wanted some damn fish and chips."

"We'll get you your fish and chips, Pen, don't you worry," Liam murmurs, smoothing his hand over my hair.

"Do you really think that's what I'm worried about now, you fucking eejit?" I try to wriggle from his grasp, but he holds tight, his sea-chiseled body hard against my back.

"I'm not going to let you go, so you may as well quit rubbing your body all over mine," he says stiffly.

"I don't want them to die in there!"

"They're all trained in fire safety, Nel. They'll be fine."

"Yeah, so am I! It's my restaurant. I'm the one responsible. They don't need to be in there fighting for something that means nothing to them!"

" You mean something to them! They don't want to see you die in there, either."

We both jump as glass shatters, dark smoke billowing into the air .

"They need to get out of there, Liam. I could never live with myself if something happened because of me."

He turns me toward him, pushing his leather outback hat higher on his forehead, his dimples showing as he looks down at me. "Darlin', even if something did happen, they'd tell you it was worth it,"

The faint wail of the fire truck rises over the roaring of the flames, and I sag against him in relief. Liam hikes me over his shoulder and walks toward the front of the restaurant to meet them.

"You can set me down. I won't go anywhere," I protest, kicking my legs, knocking his hat from his head.

His chuckle vibrates through me. "You think I believe that, Darlin'? I'm not letting go of you until that fire is out, and I know you're not going to go and get yourself killed."

The firefighters make quick work of the flames, dousing the now roofless kitchen with jets of water until there are only smoking embers left. I run inside the second they give me the all-clear and stop dead in my tracks. The kitchen is absolutely decimated. Everything is burned to a crisp. There are only twisted hunks of metal where my livelihood used to be. Thankfully, the dining room is still standing with only light smoke and water damage. Not great, but it's salvageable. The guys are covered in soot, dousing any hot spots with buckets full of water. The wall between the kitchen and dining room is soaking wet, and I realize that they must have been spraying the wall down until the firetruck arrived. They risked their lives to save the dining room.

"Thank you," I croak, trying to hold back my sobs, my chin quivering.

Sammy comes to my side, crouching down. "I'm sorry we couldn't save the kitchen, boss."

"I don't care about the kitchen," I hiccup, throwing my arms around his neck. "I'm just glad you guys are safe."

"You were ready to die for this kitchen, Penelope," he reminds me, his voice hoarse from the smoke.

"That doesn't mean I wanted you to die! You don't owe me that kind of loyalty. "

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Pen. You gave us a home. A life. We owe you the world." He wraps his arms around me, standing, my toes dangling in the air. "Let's get you home."