Page 4 of Jethro

“You’re welcome, Miss Aurora,” she nodded. Margie walked back into the house and her mother glared at her.

“Why do you insist on speaking to the staff like they’re your friends!” she ground out.

“Because they are. They were my only friends growing up. And if we’re on the subject, why do you insist on calling them ‘staff’ like you live in a mansion in the Hamptons? They’re people, mother. Parents. Aunts. Uncles. You’d be shocked what you might learn from them.”

Aurora stood, placing her napkin delicately across the plate. She pushed her chair in and turned to leave.

“Where are you going? Lunch is not over,” said her father.

“It is for me. I’ll be moving out this weekend. I will be in the fire academy starting next month. I’m sorry you don’t agree with my choices.” She walked toward the house and saw Margie standing in the doorway. She gripped the woman’s arm and smiled.

“I’ll miss you, Margie.”

“Not as much as we’ll all miss you. You were the one bright light for all of us. But you’re gonna be an amazing firefighter. We’re all very proud of you.”

“You have no idea what that means,” smiled Aurora. “I guess I have to find a new place to live.”

“Well, it’s not much but we wanted to send you off with a little something.” She pushed an envelope into her hands and Aurora gasped.

“I can’t! Margie, I can’t take this.”

“You have to,” she smiled. “You and I both know that your mama and daddy will cut off your allowance.”

“They did it the minute I went to work in that orphanage overseas,” she frowned. Tears were building and she just shook her head. “This will get me into a small place just fine. Stay in touch with me, okay?”

“You know I will.”

The following morning Aurora packed the clothes she knew she would need. No fancy ballgowns, no cocktail dresses. She took a few nice dresses for evening functions but nothing like her parents circle would have expected from her.

The fire academy was more difficult than she imagined. It wasn’t just the physical work but also the classroom work. Learning about flammable items, gases, chemicals, so many things she never thought of before. But she loved it. She loved it all.

For Aurora, she was showing that she was capable of more than being Miss Garden District. She was a strong, capable woman. She was even more thrilled when she was assigned to the same station as Mike Bennett.

Mike was a veteran of the NOFD and a wonderful mentor and guide. He thought of all of them as his children. When he met Everest, everyone was thrilled for him. But when he announced he would be retiring from the NOFD and starting a small department south of the city, she was crushed.

“Listen, no sad faces,” he said the select group in the small restaurant. “You’re all here because I wanted to ask you to join me.”

“Join you, Captain?” asked Aurora.

“Yep. We need more firefighters and you’re all hand-picked by me. In front of each of you is envelope with a job proposal. It lists pay, benefits, everything.”

“Belle Fleur,” gasped a man in the back of the room. “That’s the Robicheaux family.”

“It is,” smirked Mike. “Finest people you’ll ever meet and as you can see, they treat us well. I need you answer by Friday.”

Every man and woman in the room stood. Mike frowned at them.

“No need to wait,” smirked one of the men. “I think we’re all in.”

“I’m in,” smiled Aurora. “Definitely.”

In the few short months she’d been with BFFD, they’d experienced a suspicious death, a hurricane, and mass flooding. To say they’d been busy would have been an understatement.

Today, they were sending Roderick and Gracyn off on their honeymoon. With her baby, George.

“Not really what you think of when you say honeymoon,” smiled Aurora.

“It is for me,” said Roderick. “They’re my world, Aurora.”