dreams out of my head. But when I heard you were moving in here, all the memories came rushing back. It's like it happened yesterday and not two decades ago."
"Now, I know why you looked like you'd seen a ghost last night."
"I did see a ghost—I saw Stacy." He blew out a breath. "But I will get over it. The shock is already starting to wear off. Thanks for listening."
"Thanks for sharing."
He moved away from the window, walking back toward the center of the room. "It looks like Mrs. Emery kept some of Stacy's things. I wonder what she'll want you to do with them."
"I have no idea. I'll know more what's here once I start going through the boxes. Then Helen and I will have to have a long talk." She paused, watching as he poked around some of the boxes. "How did the fire start, Sean?"
"I don't really know. All I ever heard was that it was an accident."
She nodded, thinking about what he'd told her. "So, you said Stacy got out of the house but didn't survive her injuries. What about her father? What happened to him?"
"They couldn't get to him until the fire was out. He was trapped in the garage. By the time they got in there, it was too late."
"It must have been a fast-burning fire if he couldn't get out of the house."
"It looked like a monster to me, but I was eight years old. Everything seemed bigger then."
She sighed. "I had no idea that I was moving into your nightmare."
He gave her a tight smile. "That pretty much describes it."
"I wish I could tell you that I'd move out, but I signed a lease."
"I understand. This isn't your problem, Jessica, and there's no reason you shouldn't live here. It's just a house. I'm seeing that more clearly now that I'm inside."
She didn't know if she entirely believed him but hoped what he'd said was at least partly true. "I'm glad that being here is helping you come to terms with the past. I think you should also tell your parents what you saw that night. Your dad might be able to help you deal with the images in your head. As a firefighter he's seen people get burned. He's had to find a way to live with those kinds of memories."
"I don't know how he does it. After what I saw that night, I lost all interest in being a firefighter and I couldn't understand why anyone would want to run into a burning building. I refused to go down to the station or go out for junior firefighter in school. My father was so angry with me. Firefighting is the family business. Generations of Callaways have been firefighters, including four of my siblings. It's in the Callaway blood, but not in mine."
"If you'd told your dad why you couldn't be a firefighter, don't you think he would have understood?"
Doubt flashed in Sean's eyes. "I think he would have told me to suck it up and get over it."
"Really? Your dad has high expectations for his kids, I know that, but he loves you. Would he be that harsh?"
"Yes. And my father's love comes with strings. If you do what he wants and you honor him, he'll have your back until the day you die. If you go against him, he'll never let you forget it. And it's not just about firefighting, it's also about serving the community, choosing a noble profession. That's the Callaway way. Nicole isn't a firefighter, but she's a teacher. Shayla is going to be a doctor. Those are acceptable careers in his mind. But me, I play guitar at nightclubs. I'm not changing the world for the better, and I'm fine with that, but my father is not."
"I still think you should tell him what you saw."
"My problems with my dad are not based on that single event. There's a lifetime of crap between us. And it would take forever for me to explain it all to you. While my dad might love me, because he's my father and he feels he has to, he doesn't respect me. He doesn't listen to me. He has no interest in my interests. That's why we can't have a relationship."
"It doesn't sound like you respect him either," she couldn't help pointing out. "Or that you have an interest in his interests. Maybe
"Now, I know why you looked like you'd seen a ghost last night."
"I did see a ghost—I saw Stacy." He blew out a breath. "But I will get over it. The shock is already starting to wear off. Thanks for listening."
"Thanks for sharing."
He moved away from the window, walking back toward the center of the room. "It looks like Mrs. Emery kept some of Stacy's things. I wonder what she'll want you to do with them."
"I have no idea. I'll know more what's here once I start going through the boxes. Then Helen and I will have to have a long talk." She paused, watching as he poked around some of the boxes. "How did the fire start, Sean?"
"I don't really know. All I ever heard was that it was an accident."
She nodded, thinking about what he'd told her. "So, you said Stacy got out of the house but didn't survive her injuries. What about her father? What happened to him?"
"They couldn't get to him until the fire was out. He was trapped in the garage. By the time they got in there, it was too late."
"It must have been a fast-burning fire if he couldn't get out of the house."
"It looked like a monster to me, but I was eight years old. Everything seemed bigger then."
She sighed. "I had no idea that I was moving into your nightmare."
He gave her a tight smile. "That pretty much describes it."
"I wish I could tell you that I'd move out, but I signed a lease."
"I understand. This isn't your problem, Jessica, and there's no reason you shouldn't live here. It's just a house. I'm seeing that more clearly now that I'm inside."
She didn't know if she entirely believed him but hoped what he'd said was at least partly true. "I'm glad that being here is helping you come to terms with the past. I think you should also tell your parents what you saw that night. Your dad might be able to help you deal with the images in your head. As a firefighter he's seen people get burned. He's had to find a way to live with those kinds of memories."
"I don't know how he does it. After what I saw that night, I lost all interest in being a firefighter and I couldn't understand why anyone would want to run into a burning building. I refused to go down to the station or go out for junior firefighter in school. My father was so angry with me. Firefighting is the family business. Generations of Callaways have been firefighters, including four of my siblings. It's in the Callaway blood, but not in mine."
"If you'd told your dad why you couldn't be a firefighter, don't you think he would have understood?"
Doubt flashed in Sean's eyes. "I think he would have told me to suck it up and get over it."
"Really? Your dad has high expectations for his kids, I know that, but he loves you. Would he be that harsh?"
"Yes. And my father's love comes with strings. If you do what he wants and you honor him, he'll have your back until the day you die. If you go against him, he'll never let you forget it. And it's not just about firefighting, it's also about serving the community, choosing a noble profession. That's the Callaway way. Nicole isn't a firefighter, but she's a teacher. Shayla is going to be a doctor. Those are acceptable careers in his mind. But me, I play guitar at nightclubs. I'm not changing the world for the better, and I'm fine with that, but my father is not."
"I still think you should tell him what you saw."
"My problems with my dad are not based on that single event. There's a lifetime of crap between us. And it would take forever for me to explain it all to you. While my dad might love me, because he's my father and he feels he has to, he doesn't respect me. He doesn't listen to me. He has no interest in my interests. That's why we can't have a relationship."
"It doesn't sound like you respect him either," she couldn't help pointing out. "Or that you have an interest in his interests. Maybe
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