On A Night Like This (Callaways #1)

birth hadn't changed things for him, hadn't brought him out of that depression and made him want to be a father again.
    Her mother had found joy in having another child. At least, it had felt that way. Doubts crept into her mind that anything she'd believed in was actually true.
    Tired of her own problems, she started searching for more information on Kyle. She put in his name, wondering what would show up. To her surprise, she found a training video for smokejumpers.
    "Look at this," she said, holding up the phone for Aiden. "It's you and your team suiting up for a jump. You're famous."
    "That was taken at the beginning of last fire season. I was trying to be professional in front of the rookies and half the team was heckling me. Kyle was the worst. He never seemed to be paying attention. I'd have to ask him three times to do something. He really pissed me off that day. When I told him how annoying he was, he just laughed and told me to chill out. He said I used to be a lot more fun before I became the boss."
    "Was Kyle jealous of your position?"
    "Possibly," Aiden admitted. "But once Kyle got married and had a baby, his priorities were split. Mine weren't. I could give the job a hundred and fifty percent all the time. It made sense for me to get the promotion instead of him. It wasn't that I was better than him. I was just more present, more committed."
    "That makes sense. I'm always afraid to take time off work, because there are people just waiting to take my place if I slip even a little bit."
    "I didn't feel that kind of pressure from Kyle. I was just doing the job the only way I knew how, and that's by putting everything I have into it. I've always been that way. It wasn't about titles."
    "No, it was about being good, being the best. You were always more of a high achiever than Kyle. I'm not saying anything bad against him. He was great, but he didn't have your intensity. You shouldn't feel guilty for being promoted. You should be proud of yourself. You were good and you were rewarded for it."
    "I doubt too many people think I'm good now."
    "Because they don't know the whole story. We're still trying to figure that out."
    She turned her attention on the video, interested to see Aiden in action, and she was impressed. He spoke clearly and decisively and he had the attention of everyone on the plane. As she watched the men jump, she felt as if she were right there with them.
    Aiden was the last one to step into the open doorway. She caught her breath as he jumped into the sky. Seeing him actually take that leap was incredibly exciting. "Wow," she said. "I can't believe I just watched you jump out of a plane." She set down her phone and looked at him. "What are you going to do, Aiden? It's clear you love your job. You can't quit."
    "I love parts of it, Sara. But it's a grueling job, and it's seasonal. To be honest, I've been thinking about making a change for a while now. I thought I'd figure out my next step during the off-season. I didn't foresee that the decision of whether or not to go or stay would be taken out of my hands."
    "It hasn't come to that."
    "It might. Who knows what the future holds?"
    She settled back in her seat, watching the landscape fly by and foolishly wondering if he'd consider firefighting in New York City. But she couldn't picture him there. She wasn't sure she even pictured herself there anymore. All too soon, they ran into the Tuesday afternoon commute through Berkeley and over the Bay Bridge. When they hit the city, it was five o'clock and already starting to get dark.
    Aiden gave her a questioning glance. "Where to? The hospital?"
    "Not yet," she said.
    He raised an eyebrow. "Second thoughts?"
    "No. But I want to stop by my house and get the photographs first. I doubt my father will confess without being confronted with proof."
    "So, we'll go home then."
    "I have a better idea. Let's go to Vicky's. It's almost dinnertime, and you have a good chance of catching her at home."
    He sighed. "I need to talk to her, but I don't want to hurt her. She's in a lot of pain right now. I'm not sure this is the best time to press her for information."
    "Waiting won't change anything. This pain isn't going away for a long time. But your career is in jeopardy now, and Vicky might be able to answer your questions. Maybe she'll remember that you used to be good friends."
    "I'm not going to hold my breath on that."
    "If you're worried about me tagging along, don't be. I'm happy to wait in the