The Firefighter's Cinderella. Dominique Burton

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ “First off, that haircut is marvelous on you. I love the purple highlights.”

      Terrance beamed and fluffed his hair.

      “Listen to me. I hired you because you’re the best.”

      The coordinator’s narrow shoulders straightened and his confidence appeared to return.

      “Now get that amazing suit back in there and tell them I’m coming. I realize Chef Renard is difficult, so leave him to me. You go deal with the band. We’ll slice and dice this problem together.”

      Terrance hugged her. “You’re marvelous, not to mention delectable in that outfit. Like a fruit,” he added before kissing the air near her cheek. “Who’s this?” He’d just noticed C.J., and his eyes went wide with curiosity.

      “This was Tim’s best friend, Captain C. J. Powell of the San Francisco Fire Department. C.J? This is Terrance Young, my miracle worker.”

      After they shook hands, C.J. said, “I’m also Natasha’s date for the evening.” He slid his arm around her casually and pulled her close.

      Terrance adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and raised his eyebrows. “Tsk-tsk. It seems our Tasha has been holding out on us.” He looked back and forth between the two of them, then pursed his lips. “When were you going to tell me you had a hot man in your life?”

      Tasha felt as if she was losing control of everything she’d carefully pieced together over the past year. “C.J. and I have been friends for ages.”

      Terrance laughed. “When you’re ready to tell the truth, come and have a chat with me. I’ll be taking care of the band. But Renard is about to leave. I suggest you say your goodbyes quickly,” he said, before breezing away.

      Tasha looked up at C.J. and felt her heart race when their gazes locked. How could a man have such blue eyes? Feeling utterly juvenile, she glanced away. “I guess I better head to the kitchen before my ill-tempered chef leaves. See you after the speech.”

      THE ROOM GREW QUIET as Natasha stood at the makeshift podium that overlooked the famous baroque-style ballroom. Emotion began to bubble up inside her. It needed to be quelled before she began her speech.

      She’d never been nervous addressing groups even larger than this on immigration law. But she’d never had to speak about her best friend before. At Tim’s funeral only family had spoken, leaving out whole aspects of his life, such as fireman and friend. This was her chance to talk about the man she’d known and loved.

      Stares from the elegantly dressed assembly grew more probing as the guests waited for the program to start. Tasha broke out in a cold sweat. She could see that all her hard work over the past year had paid off, for the room was packed. But none of that mattered if she let stage fright get the best of her.

      She should have brought cue cards, she decided, feeling her hands tremble. She had arrogantly thought she could handle anything. After all, she’d been blessed with a good memory and had never needed to use them before.

      With her thoughts reeling wildly, she realized the hubbub in the ballroom had subsided. How could a gathering of over four hundred people be this silent? Great! Now the press had something else to add to the embarrassing faults of Congressman Bennington’s daughter.

      Tasha’s breathing came faster. She clung to the podium for support, noting she’d been up here too long without saying anything. Her eyes searched out C.J., who was seated nearby.

      Those deep pools of blue were full of concern and encouragement. In that instant, memories of Tim flooded her mind, and the speech she’d prepared didn’t seem right anymore.

      She cleared her throat. “I’d like to thank all of you for coming to the Tim McGinnis Firefighters against Cancer Foundation Charity Ball. I hope some of you enjoyed the marathon today. I know I did. Though I doubt I’ll be able to walk normally for a week. It was a great experience I wouldn’t have missed.” She heard a few hoots from the audience.

      “Those of us who knew Tim recall he was a man who lived life to the fullest. He was far too young to die.” Tasha looked over at Tim’s parents and could see tears in Gina’s eyes.

      “Statistics tell us that one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. This is not a disease that affects someone else. It affects everyone, whether it be the patient or their family and friends.” Her throat began to constrict. “Tim was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a tricky one to catch at an early, treatable stage.

      “Cancer statics for firefighters are staggeringly higher than the norm. Researchers found they have a one hundred percent greater risk of developing testicular cancer, a fifty percent higher risk for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and for prostate cancer it’s a twenty-eight percent increase, compared with non-firefighters.

      “For all of us who knew Tim, the tragedy of cancer was brutal, since the disease wasn’t caught until it had metastasized, leaving him with only a few weeks left to live. But that didn’t stop him from living every moment to the fullest. He rode his wheelchair around the hospital wards cheering up other patients, trying to make them laugh. Sometimes a laugh was all he had left to give after a round of chemo. He fought his cancer like the hero and firefighter he was, to the very end.”

      Tasha blinked back tears. “I was one of those lucky people who had the privilege of knowing Tim McGinnis my whole life. We were best friends ever since I can remember. I know he would want to help fight this disease by putting money into research, by aiding families with co-pays, and by funding extended hospital stays for his fellow firefighters.

      “Tim’s parents, Timothy and Regina, created this charity along with many other benefactors to help prevent other parents from losing their children at such a young age. The charity’s goal is to aid these true heroes who face dangers on the job every day. The money raised will fund research programs, and give financial aid to firefighters of the Bay area with cancer, so that they don’t have to worry about fighting cancer fiscally, too.”

      Tasha took another breath and grabbed her glass of water. “We’re now going to look at a slide show. There are pictures of a young and vibrant Tim, and then some that show him just a week after he was diagnosed.

      “I’ve interspersed photos of other firefighters in the city, all fighting various forms of cancer. Some of them are children of firefighters.” Her voice faltered. “They are the toughest and most resilient heroes of all.”

      She stared out over the audience. “Thank you for coming. After the visual presentation, I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of your evening with dancing and a dessert bar. Please be generous for our city’s finest and bravest.”

      Everyone stood and clapped. Many guests had tears in their eyes. For the first time since Tim had died, Tasha felt she’d done something right.

      She looked down at the table with the empty seat between C.J. and her parents. Protocol required her to sit down and watch the slide show with them, but she couldn’t. Breaking down in front of them was something just she couldn’t handle. Tasha had to get out, and quickly!

      She saw her escape through the kitchen. No one would question if she was needed somewhere, to take care of an emergency. Hopefully, her physically weak state wouldn’t draw attention.

      With every ounce of strength she could muster, she walked as normally as she could off the podium toward the kitchen. Once the doors СКАЧАТЬ