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Chapter 1

Roxanna Kent shivered as a passing firefighter swirled the air up past the heiven her a blanket, and a two-sizes-too-large pair of slippers for her bare feet, but they were no ht—even with the blaze raging through her apart across the street

Strangely, she didn’t feel the cold, even though she are of her body shivering and the occasional chatter of her teeth Nuhbors escaped the smoke-filled halls If she hadn’t woken fro in terror, the phanto her despite the crystal clear air in her bedroom, would she have still made it out alive? Who would’ve been there to make sure?

No one

Surrounded by firefighters, police, EMS workers, fellow homeless apartment residents, and a multitude of onlookers, she’d never felt more alone in her life

“Excuse me?” A hand on her blanket-wrapped shoulder drew her around to see a blond wo a Red Cross jacket “Do you have someone to call? Or can I call for you?”

“Um…” The one person—well, make that both persons—she would’ve called were out of town Her best friend, Asher, and his fiancé, Honor, were in Hawaii on a photo shoot-slash-engagement trip She turned her head back toward the fire “My phone is still in there I don’t know the numbers”

She hadn’t even thought of it when she woke froh she hadn’t had one that strong since she was nine, it was a good thing she’d listened to her gut and gone out into the hall She’d only wanted to reassure herself the phantoet back to sleep Instead, she’d discovered it was all too real and hurried to pull the fire alarm

After that, everyone worked together to ly quick There had been no ti, which htstand by now

The hand on her shoulder gave a gentle squeeze “We’re setting up a shelter at the co rides right over there”

Roxanna blinked and looked in the direction the woetting into cars Sorab personal iteo see what she could find from her shop before she—

Ooh, the second floor apart, and he’d always told her she could use it if she needed to She’d never needed to—until now

Sheclose to relief “Thank you, but I have a place to stay”

The blond pressed a card into her hand “Call if you need anything”

At her nod, the woether in blankets Roxanna roused herself out of her stupor to take stock of what she needed to do Get over to Lift Your Spirit, pick out some clothes from her inventory, then head upstairs for a hot shower The shten her throat and

She searched for a way to get through the chaos to the back of the building where her Jeep was parked until she realized she didn’t have her keys, either A couple of shaky inhales kept her froot herShe kept a spare set at her shop, but she couldn’t walk the two and a half own, so she’d need to call a—

Nope She had no money

Da in her eyes wasn’t only from the smoke

Swiping the tears from her face with one hand, she walked over to the volunteer staging area A few minutes later, a black man named Leonard in his fifties, er door for her

“Thank you so rateful smile, and once he was in his seat, she directed him to Lift Your Spirit