Page 53 of All Mine (The All Mine #1)

Isabella

The Salvation Army had arrived at the park as soon as they heard about the fire.

By the time Isabella had created her social media campaign, they had erected a huge tent to give the burned-out residents some protection from the weather and from prying eyes.

By the time she’d posted it, the marquee was set up with deckchairs and trestle tables and the residents were drinking tea. Someone had even found a solar radio.

Isabella had used all her marketing knowledge to get the campaign out there as quickly as possible.

She rang the local council and outlined her idea, and they’d been positively thrilled with the help.

Walker had confirmed she could use some money from the hardship fund for the adverts on Facebook and she’d filmed the TikTok content herself and posted it live.

She’d not had time to eat and she was bursting for the toilet, but watching the likes reaching their first hundred, first thousand, first ten thousand , was the most amazing feeling in the world.

Well, almost the most amazing feeling in the world– but she wasn’t thinking about that, or him, today.

She wandered over from her workstation in the back of a fire service van to peek into the tent and see how everyone was doing.

The first thing she saw was Nonna and Brigitta, back again and handing out trays of rum biscuits to tired residents. Brigitta might have also been testing the rum with Nonna as her Burberry scarf was now tied on the wonk.

A lady with a white bob cried out loud and stood from her deckchair to turn the radio up.

Hearing the introduction to a certain song, she turned to a man with a handlebar moustache and led him to the middle of the tent.

He clasped her hand and put his other around her waist and they pulled in tight to dance.

The grass beneath their feet was uneven and she was wearing her slippers, but they didn’t miss a step.

As the song ended, he turned her for a final spin before taking their seats, and everyone clapped.

Isabella felt her eyes burn hot with tears, but blinked them away.

Just outside the tent, she spotted Walker with his team, discussing next steps and comparing notes on the investigation so far.

She blinked again, her eyes almost overflowing. People were lovely. It was amazing to see how everyone was keeping their spirits up in such an awful situation. Honeybridge was a good place and it had done her good to move there. The people here would do anything for anybody.

Rosie, Wren and Amber had welcomed her in with no other purpose than to make friends. They were fantastic, hardworking women with the most amazing hearts. They’d opened hers again.

She also no longer hated or distrusted men as she had when she’d first arrived. Because she’d met three who showed her every day that they were good men. Walker, the everyday hero. Fox, the wonder dad. And Etienne. . . Etienne.

She felt the usual surge inside as she thought of him. There was no point in trying to deny it. She had fallen for him. She knew it was ill fated but there it was.

And there he was. Walking towards her, with the biggest smile on his face. And just like that, her heart swelled to fill her chest to bursting.