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too.”
    Tasha took another breath and grabbed her glass of water. “We’re now going to look at a slide show. There are pictures of a young and vibrant Tim, and then some that show him just a week after he was diagnosed.
    â€œI’ve interspersed photos of other firefighters in the city, all fighting various forms of cancer. Some of them are children of firefighters.” Her voice faltered. “They are the toughest and most resilient heroes of all.”
    She stared out over the audience. “Thank you for coming. After the visual presentation, I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of your evening with dancing and a dessert bar. Please be generous for our city’s finest and bravest.”
    Everyone stood and clapped. Many guests had tears in their eyes. For the first time since Tim had died, Tasha felt she’d done something right.
    She looked down at the table with the empty seat between C.J. and her parents. Protocol required her to sit down and watch the slide show with them, but she couldn’t. Breaking down in front of them was something just she couldn’t handle. Tasha had to get out, and quickly!
    She saw her escape through the kitchen. No one would question if she was needed somewhere, to take care of an emergency. Hopefully, her physically weak state wouldn’t draw attention.
    With every ounce of strength she could muster, she walked as normally as she could off the podium toward the kitchen. Once the doors shut behind her, the tearsstinging her eyes became a flood. Tasha’s limp returned. She didn’t know where she was headed, she just needed space to breathe.
    Â 
    C.J. WATCHED T ASHA’S poised departure from the podium. He’d been awestruck by her presentation. Now he was filled with conflicted emotions as he looked at pictures of Tim fighting his cancer. C.J. saw himself in one of them with Tasha, the ever beautiful woman inside and out. She was the real hero tonight.
    It was a picture of the three of them at the hospital a few days before Tim had passed away. The woman staring back at him was different from the one on the podium tonight. She had been in love with Tim, but now had had a year to mourn him. C.J. was eager to see if Tasha would be willing to try to move on with him.
    He turned to her mother. “Excuse me, Genevieve. I need to talk to Tasha.”
    She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture as she sipped her wine. “Why don’t you stay here? She’s in charge and is probably busy.”
    â€œI feel I should go find her,” he answered curtly, disgusted by the way her mother just blew her off. How could she not be proud of her daughter’s speech and her ability to think up something this big? C.J. stood and went through the kitchen doors to find her.
    Â 
    T ASHA WAS LEANING against the railing of the roof garden. She’d needed a respite from the draining day and had taken the elevator to the top of the hotel. Somehow she’d maintained her cool through the problems of theevening with the chef and band. And somehow she’d gotten through her speech.
    Terrance had promised he would call or come find her if another disaster arose. She just needed a few moments to compose herself before she faced everyone again.
    Ever since she was a young girl, this had been one of her favorite places to eat lunch with her parents. That’s why she’d chosen to come up here. On this mild night the air was filled with the intoxicating scents of jasmine and gardenias from the secluded bar and restaurant called the Garden of Eden.
    It was famous for its fountains and exotic flowers reminiscent of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights . The dim lighting invited visitors to find a quiet alcove to sip a drink or get lost with a lover.
    Tasha wished she hadn’t run into C.J. at the marathon today. Even if she shut her eyes tightly, she couldn’t block his image from her mind. How handsome he looked in his tux tonight, his smile