Chapter 11

Doveport was a place that Jenna had thought she’d always love. One that she could always call home. But as she gazed up and down the street outside of The Wheel, she felt it becoming less and less familiar. Her heart sank as she thought of all that could happen when she went off to grad school. Leaving her father in the hands of Sean Hannity just seemed out of the question. Calling the cops on someone of his character would be akin to an unwritten death sentence, and yet she still believed there was a chance she could change it all.

The scent of smoke and burning wood still lingered in the air. Her heart sank as the scope of the repair work was laid out. There weren’t enough parties in the world to cover those costs in time for the bar to reopen before she went away to grad school. Even with Hannity giving them a discount on the labor, paying for materials would set them back at least two months. They’d be right back to her pleading with RJ—Rick—not to cut the lights off.

The steady thumping of her heart against her chest made her head hurt and her ears ring. Anxiety washed over her, leaving her in a place of despair and hopelessness. Taking a deep breath, Jenna decided to get a hold of herself. She headed toward the main strip of shops in her town.

A new aroma filled her nostrils as she walked down the street… baked goods. Fresh baked goods. As she stepped inside the old bakery, Jenna’s eyes touched and tasted every item behind the glass case. The walls were lined with white subway tiles. Dark brown wooden shelves were placed a foot or two above the counter along the side and back walls. There was a space behind the shelved wall that undoubtedly housed the ovens and freezers for the shop. A long counter stretched from the glass case all the way to the rear wall. Flour seemed to coat every inch of it.

There was an old man placing a fresh pan of cinnamon rolls into the display case. He was barely tall enough to reach the open shelves lining the white-tiled walls. His rosy red cheeks sat underneath thin wire frames from which his crystal blue eyes stared at her longer than Jenna saw any reason for. But somehow she didn’t mind.

“My goodness, you’re her spitting image,” the man gasped.

“I’m sorry?” Jenna said, moving closer to him.

“No, my apologies.” He straightened his posture with a firm smile that accentuated his grey-and-white mustache. “You remind me of this young woman who would come in here long ago. She’d sit at that table in the corner with her little girl, who would always order…”

“A white hot chocolate.” Jenna completed the sentence for him with a shallow tear falling down her cheek. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t remembered this place until now.

“Yes, and nobody in that family would ever let you get a complete thought out,” he chuckled. “How’s Paul? I’m sorry, that’s a ridiculous question. I can only imagine how he must be doing. How are you? You’ve grown so much since those days.”

“I’m as good as can be. My father, well, he’s taking his time. I’m sorry, what’s your name again so I can tell him you asked about him?”

“Mr. Donner,” he nodded with a smile.

It could have been the heat of the shop, or the scent of cinnamon in the air, but she felt like Christmas standing there chatting with the old baker. She had fond memories of her mother taking her there every Friday afternoon for cookies and cocoa. She’d leave her job just to pick her up from school so they could spend the afternoon together. That had been years before her parents opened The Wheel. Trips to the bakery had fallen to the wayside as they skimped and crunched their budget to support a new business.

Jenna simply stood there inhaling the sweetness of baked cakes and memories. It made her smile.

“I remember this place too,” she told Mr. Donner. “My mother, she’d get these long cookies with a cream in the middle. They were delicious.”

“You remember the flavor or the color?” he asked.

“Strawberry, and I think the cookies were brown,” she said, glancing up to the ceiling as if there were a mental rolodex of thoughts taped to it.

“Ah yes, my chocolate-covered strawberry wafers. One of my classic bestsellers. Would you like a box?”

“You know what, Mr. Donner? Now that I’m here, I would like to put together a gift basket for the fire department. They’ve saved me more times than I can even believe in these past few weeks, and I think they deserve something special. What do you think they’ll like?”

“Well, I know a few of them, and they like the cupcakes, believe it or not,” he chuckled. “I can also toss in some cookies and a few Danishes and doughnuts. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great,” she grinned as she sat down at a table to wait for her order. “I’ll take a dozen of those wafers too.”

Jenna reminisced in the shop while Mr. Donner put her order together. Her mother’s laughter seemed to fill her ears. The place hadn’t changed much since they were last there. The small tables were clear and round, with doily tablecloths draped over them. She wondered how he managed to keep them so clean.

Mr. Donner came out from behind the counter. The old man appeared to shuffle across the floor rather than walk as he sat a small white china mug, in a saucer, on the table.

“A white hot chocolate, just how you like it, froggy milk as you used to call it,” he laughed. “On the house.”

Jenna couldn’t remember the drink as vividly as Mr. Donner, but she appreciated how sweet he was “Froggy milk?”

“Frothy,” he told her. “You liked to swirl the cocoa powder in the foam.”

That was all he said before shuffling back behind the counter. Jenna practically dipped her nose into the froth. Taking a stirrer, she swirled it around just like she had when she was eight.

Several sips and deep breaths later, Jenna was out of the bakery and making her way toward the firehouse. Worried as she’d been before, she now felt an overwhelming joy. The smile on her face was wide and bright by the time she stepped inside the station.

It was practically empty. The bay where the truck would normally sit was empty. She didn’t suppose the door would be left unlocked if they were all out, though, so she called out, “Hello? Is anyone here?”

She walked along a wall where hooks and gear hung. She didn’t want to touch anything, but she needed a place to set down her goodies, so she kept moving through the station. She pushed through a heavy grey door just behind the tall brass pole the firefighters would slide down. The flight of stairs was steep, and she took every step with caution.

The stairway opened into a vast entertainment space with couches, TVs and pool tables. There was a kitchen in one corner with a large table and a bunch of chairs. The door was partially cracked as Jenna approached it.

“Hello? Is anyone up here?” she called out again.

“Jenna!” Tanner peeked from behind the door with a raised eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”

“I come bearing gifts,” she smiled, holding up the box from the bakery. “Cupcakes and cookies, to be exact.”

“Wow, that’s generous of you,” he said, stepping out of the office.

She smiled, setting the box down on the table. “Well, you guys have done so much for me, you know, saving my life and all. Plus after what happened today, I really wanted to give you all something as a token of my appreciation. So why aren’t you out with the rest of them?”

“It’s not actually my shift yet. I came in a bit early because I wanted to pick the lieutenant’s brain for this exam I’m studying for, but they were on a call. Haven’t gotten back yet. So what happened today?” he asked, sitting on top of the table next to her.

“I set The Wheel on fire,” she replied bluntly.

“What?!? Are you alright? What happened?”

“Relax,” she reassured him, touching his hands softly. “I was cleaning up and there was a minor accident. I was able to put the fire out myself, but you guys still came to do a walk-through to make sure I got it all.”

“How bad is the damage?”

“A few thousand dollars’ worth. But apparently I’m not to worry about that because The Wheel isn’t my responsibility. I’m just supposed to pick a grad school and leave! Just leave Doveport knowing my dad’s going to be slaving away working off his debt to Hannity.”

“Sean Hannity?” Tanner was surprised. “Why would Mr. F do business with anyone like him? Doesn’t he realize how dangerous that can be?”

“I think he does, which is why he keeps trying to get me out of Doveport. I gotta tell you, though, I wasn’t too worried about Mr. Hannity until today. He was so nice when we first met. Now he wants Daddy to up his insurance policy in case something like this happens again. I don’t trust him.”

Tanner pulled her into the office and shut the door behind them. “Listen, I’ve heard his name tossed around a bit. I think you should back off and let your father handle him. He’s dangerous. I don’t want anything bad happening to you. You mean too much to me.”

Jenna wasn’t completely shocked. The on-again, off-again fling between her and Tanner was happening because of feelings they’d been harboring these past years. With everyone else out of the station, she was sure that now seemed like a good time for Tanner to bring it up again. But she wanted to focus on her father’s problems with Hannity.

“I want to figure something out, to help him before I leave. I don’t want to leave him here with this debt hanging over his head.”

“I know you don’t,” Tanner pulled her in for a hug, “and I’m sure that this will all work out somehow.”

Pulling away from him, Jenna stared into those hazel eyes and nearly melted at the sincerity within them. She couldn’t fight it anymore, and she leaned in. Tanner’s hands moved from around her back and up to her face, cupping it gently as their lips met in a soft embrace. Passion erupted there in the office. They didn’t care where they were as they let the moment take them away.

It wasn’t long before Tanner had his hands in her shorts, rubbing between her thighs. The look of passion on her face drove him to fulfill his primitive urges. However, this time she would make some of her own moves. Shoving her hand down his trousers, Jenna grabbed his thickness, stroking him into a full erection. There was an anticipation there she’d never felt before. They’d slept together when they were younger, but now, with some experience behind them, it was looking to be one of the most memorable moments either of them had ever had.

Panting and gripping the desk, Tanner clenched his teeth as he tried to restrain himself from climaxing too soon. Jenna pulled him out of his pants to see all of what made him a man. It was bigger than she remembered, and she wondered where he thought it was all going to go.

Tanner tried to keep his breathing steady. He didn’t want to do too much in the office, and with the fantasies running amuck in his mind, he didn’t want to lose control. Jenna was hard to resist. They both stroked each other, bringing each other closer and closer to orgasm. Their lips met again, with their bodies pressed together and his fingers moving in and out of her while hers moved up and down on him. There wasn’t anything they wanted more than each other.

Tongues lapped each other, circling around one another… Jenna propped one knee beside Tanner on the desk, but just as he went to pull her shorts down, they heard the gate outside being lifted.

“Crap!” he gasped, pulling away from her. He looked down at his erection, and then his eyes shot back up to Jenna. “The guys are back. You gotta get out of here!”

Jenna panicked and rushed across the room to the mirror, frantically adjusting her clothes and checking her reflection to make sure she wasn’t too flushed. Her nipples were visibly hard, so she began to pinch at them furiously, hoping that the pain would get her out of the mood and soften them up a few notches.

When she turned around, Tanner was still sitting there, hanging out of his pants with a goofy grin across his face.

“Tanner! Get yourself together! We can’t be seen like this!” she shouted in a whisper.

Tanner shook himself out of his impish mood and started to get dressed as Jenna hurried out into the main area to stand by the goodies she’d delivered. By the time the returning firefighters made their way upstairs, they were both decent—and the entire department was all smiles after seeing what she’d brought them.

“Hey Tanner,” one of the guys shouted, “your girlfriend here brought us donuts and stuff.”

“Cookies and cupcakes,” Jenna laughed, “and I’m not his girlfriend.”

“Thanks, Jen,” Tanner laughed. “And thank you all for saving my not-girlfriend and her bar, apparently. I missed a lot this last shift.”

“Yeah, you did,” the guys laughed.

Jenna was certain she didn’t want to delve into their inside jokes, so she simply thanked the guys again and made her way out. With her box of baked goods delivered, Jenna decided she needed to vent—and there was no one she’d rather vent to then Hannah.