Freddie’s brother, Aaron, lived on the other side of town in a two-bedroom rental house. There was a small office area inside where Aaron worked from time to time, but by the time Freddie arrived with Reagan Ann after he was released by the police, Aaron had already stripped the office down to its bare bones and set up a futon for his favorite — and only — niece. The futon was laid flat into a bed and piled high with pillows and Reagan Ann’s favorite blanket. Freddie had forgotten that Aaron had bought an identical blanket to keep at his house, just in case.

The second Reagan Ann saw it, she burst into tears and raced into the room to hold it close to her chest. Princess was a little less enthused. She jumped out of Reagan Ann’s arms the second her hands were occupied and went to hide under the futon.

“I know it’s not much,” Aaron said softly, “but it’s what I could put together in the time I had.”

“You have no idea how much this means to us,” Freddie murmured in reply, keeping his voice down so the conversation didn’t make it to Reagan Ann’s ears. “I can barely hold it together, and Reagan Ann... she needed this. Thank you.”

“You know I’ve got your back.” Aaron rubbed Freddie’s back, and Freddie let out a sigh he’d been holding in. “Besides, if it means I get to spend some more time with your kid, then I’m all for it. I don’t see her half as much as I should.”

“I think we can both blame work for that one.”

“Mmhm. And the fact that she’s growing up. She’ll be heading to kindergarten in September. I can’t believe you’ve managed to keep her alive this long.”

“Hey!” Freddie smacked his arm, and Aaron snickered. “I’m getting along just fine without Laura, thank you.”

“It was touch and go for the first year there,” Aaron winked, his lips curled with mischief. “... But you pulled through pretty well. I might like to joke around, but you’re a good dad, Freddie — and you’re a strong man for standing here beside me like you are. I know that not everyone would have the mental fortitude to be composed through a house fire. Now that you’re here, we’ll figure it all out and get you back on your feet. Everything is going to be okay.”

Reagan Ann had cocooned herself in her favorite blanket and was hanging off the edge of the futon, her pigtails dangling so they swept the floor. She made chirping noises at Princess, who wanted nothing to do with her.

“I think Reagan Ann is okay for now,” Aaron said. “Why don’t you come sit in the kitchen with me while I put on some coffee? We can talk about what needs to be done and get you on the right track.”

It was a conversation he was dreading on having, but there was no way he could put it off. Freddie nodded, and Aaron led him into the kitchen. Freddie sat at the table while Aaron occupied himself with the Keurig.

“So,” Aaron said. “Let’s get on the same page. What have you done since you discovered that your house was on fire?”

“I talked to the police. They gave me a few resources to get everything in order, but I still feel like I barely have my head above water. I called my insurance company to let them know what was happening, and I left a message with my landlord. Apart from that, I don’t know what else to do.”

“What about your clients?” Aaron asked. He took the creamer from the fridge. “Do you have any work you need to do? I don’t exactly have cupcake tins, but you can use my oven. I’m sure we can scrounge together something until you’re back on your feet.”

All the piping bags, the decorations, and the edible gold. All the chocolate molds and the cupcake liners. All of his pans, and bowls, and beaters.

Gone.

Freddie closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath to ground himself. He let the breath out steadily. “Without my piping bags and tips, I can’t decorate anything.”

“You can’t just poke a hole in the bottom of a fresh-seal bag?” Aaron asked. He leaned on the counter and narrowed his eyes in thought. “That’s what they use online in DIY stuff, I think. You just squeeze it and it comes out the bottom, and—”

Freddie held a hand up, stopping Aaron before he could get too invested in the idea. “No way.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m touting myself as a professional baker,” Freddie said through a barked laugh. “Something like that might work for a family get-together, but professionally it would never fly.”

“Maybe your clients just need to expand their artistic horizons.”

“Maybe I just need to find another way.” Freddie offered him a wry smile. “Thank you for your help, though, and for looking out for me... but we’re looking at a few thousand dollars of supplies that I’ve lost. I can’t patchwork it back together. I’m not made of that kind of money right now. The bills are too tight, and my credit is near maxed out from starting the business in the first place.”

The coffee was done. Aaron took it from the machine and fixed it how Freddie liked, then brought it back to the table and sat across from him. He slid the mug into Freddie’s hands. “So why don’t Reagan Ann and I go beg, borrow, and steal some essentials for you?”

“No stealing, please,” Freddie urged.

“Okay, fine. No stealing.” Aaron chuckled. He folded his arms on the table and gave Freddie the same sincere blue-eyed gaze that Freddie so often gave his clients. They’d inherited it from their mother. “But the beg and borrow part, we can do. Reagan Ann is charming enough, and I can ask Natalie who she knows. You know that she’s got connections to just about everyone in this part of the county.”

Natalie, their cousin, was a sweet young woman who loved nothing better than to talk to everyone. It wouldn’t surprise Freddie one bit if she had every phone number in Prescott in her phone’s contact list.

“It’ll be a grand adventure, rife with excitement and thrills,” Aaron said dramatically. He assumed a heroic position, hands on his hips and chin lifted, grinning. “Uncle and niece, off to help reverse an unspeakable evil.”

“What am I going to do?” Freddie asked.

“I don’t know. Go buy ingredients? I don’t think we’ll be able to borrow those.” Aaron shrugged. “Or you can start making calls. I’m sure, over the next few hours, you’re going to be bombarded with phone calls. We’re family — let me take some of the pressure off your shoulders. If you tell me what I need to find, then I can go out there and find it. Or, well, Natalie will. But the point is, I’ll make sure everything is accounted for, and take care of organization.”

“What about whatever you had planned today?” Freddie asked. He looked down into his whitened coffee and frowned. “I know you’ve got your own life to live. I can’t ask you to take over mine, too.”

“Uh, yes you can?” Aaron chuckled. “What else was I going to do today? It’s a Saturday, I’m single, and I was still in my pajamas when you called to let me know what was going on. It’s not exactly like I had a string of hot dates lined up. Or, you know, anywhere to be.”

It didn’t change the fact that Freddie knew he was intruding on Aaron’s personal space, but he wouldn’t argue. Right now, Aaron was his lifeline. “Thank you.”

“You got this. We’ve got this together. Family sticks up for family.” Aaron leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. “Besides, you were overdue for a visit, anyway. All those times we said we were going to get together, but didn’t... let’s say we’re even now. Deal?”

Freddie smiled. “Deal.”

Aaron held out his hand, and Freddie clapped it in his own. Aaron squeezed, then let go. “So, here’s the plan. Make a list of the kitchen stuff you need to make your business run. I can’t get you a thousand dollar industrial mixer, but I can find you a smaller one. It’s going to be inconvenient, but we can deal with it. List it all out in kitchen lingo — I’ve got Google if I get confused, and whoever Natalie knows with this kind of stuff is going to know what you’re talking about anyway.”

Freddie nodded to show he was listening.

“While you’re doing that, I’m going to go collect Reagan Ann and I’m going to get her on the phone with Natalie. You know how much Natalie loves her.”

At the last family get-together, Natalie had spent half the time on the porch chatting about anything and everything with Reagan Ann. Every now and then, Freddie had checked in on them by looking out through the sliding glass door, but the conversation had stretched on and on. When Natalie’s chatter-mouth met Reagan Ann’s enthusiasm, there was no stopping them.

“So.” Aaron stood and drummed his hands on the table. “Off I go to pry your daughter off her temporary bed. Hopefully it’ll give Princess a little bit of a break, and she can acclimatize to the new house. If you get a chance, can you show her to her litter box, please? I’d prefer that she doesn’t start using my couch as her bathroom.”

Freddie laughed. “Yeah, sure.”

“Then we’re set.” Aaron headed for the kitchen door. “Phase one of getting you back on your feet is set to start. Phase two? I’m not sure yet, but we’ll figure something out.”

Freddie was sure they would. His heartbreak and fear was only temporary — the panic clenching his gut had begun to ease its grip, and slowly but surely, he saw the way forward. It would be difficult, but what new start wasn’t? All he had to do was take it one step at a time.

And thanks to the friendly firefighter and Freddie’s own wonderful brother, the path he was destined to follow from here on out was starting to take shape.