The Firefighter's Cinderella by Dominique Burton

turned and saw C.J. poke his head into her lavishly ornate childhood bedroom. It was here she’d dreamed of a prince and how he would rescue her.
    As she grew older, she’d learned she would have to save herself. But this morning her Prince Charming had come. Tash? You’re going crazy.
    â€œAre you ready to go unload before the boys start throwing things anywhere they want?”
    â€œYes. Um…you could have given me a heads-up.”
    â€œThen I wouldn’t have been allowed to help. Benny, you’re a loner who never lets anyone in. I wanted to show you we firemen are a useful bunch. We don’t take axes and picks to a roof unless we have to.”
    â€œI know. You guys are good at pranks, too. Any more confiscated firecrackers in the shower lately?”
    C.J. laughed. “I thought you weren’t listening.”
    â€œOh, I was listening, and thinking of that poor kid who’d probably saved a year’s allowance to buy them. And what happens? You and Tim take his stash for pranks! Buying fireworks is illegal, if you recall.”
    He grinned. “But confiscating them during a safety check isn’t.”
    â€œYou’re full of it, C.J.”
    â€œMaybe, but it made you laugh then and you’re laughing now.”
    She couldn’t hide it. “We need to go. Who’s driving?”
    â€œMe,” he exclaimed as he helped her out the door.
    By the time they reached the penthouse, his buddieshad unloaded everything in the extra bedroom, as per her parents’ instructions.
    As the guys left, she thanked each personally. It touched her that they were willing to help her, all because she was a friend of two special firefighters. Their brotherhood was unique.
    The last man gave her a brief hug. “Sorry about the loss of your condo.” It made her eyes a little misty. “My wife and our four kids lost our house six months ago. Even if your fund is just for cancer victims, C.J. got Tim’s parents to make an exception for me. My daughter, you see, has bad asthma and needs good housing. Your fund, along with the insurance and a little money from my parents, helped us get a down payment on a new house. So thanks.”
    He left before she could say anything, but what he’d said brought back a surge of memories and spawned some new ideas. Tasha decided she needed to make some amendments to the charity or come up with a new fund.
    She had so much. Others had so little. She could do it for Tim. She’d call it Homes for Heroes.
    â€œI can see your mind working overtime,” C.J. said.
    â€œReally?”
    â€œYou’re already planning some new charity in Tim’s honor to help firefighters who’ve lost their homes, aren’t you.”
    â€œAm I that easy to read?”
    â€œOnly when it comes to helping people less fortunate than yourself.”
    â€œI just hear his story and feel so bad. I need to do more.”
    C.J. stood there with his hands on his hips. “You’re always doing more.”
    â€œBut it’s not enough. Take this penthouse for example. My family and I don’t need it. We could sell it and help a lot of people. But it’s not my money, it’s my dad’s.”
    â€œTrue, but that’s not the reason you’re here,” he said.
    â€œThen what is?”
    â€œI kept hearing you tell everyone how happy you were it wasn’t arson. The truth is, you would never have gone home to your parents’ place if you weren’t scared. You made the right decision, Natasha.”
    She looked around the masculine apartment, feeling like a child again—because she was under her parents’ watch. “I’m going to miss my cat. I’d be really torn leaving him, except that Stewart has grown fond of my blue-eyed angel.”
    â€œDid you just call that cat an angel? He gave me one heck of a time when I pried him from under the bed.”
    â€œThat’s because he