Chapter 13: The New Foundation
Six months passed. The high-society parties and toxic corporate galas of the past dissolved into memory. Elena Vance had renounced the empty vanity of the billionaire circuit and restructured what remained of the Vance assets into a non-profit foundation: The St. Jude Fire & Community Recovery Fund.
On 4th Street, the modest repair shop had expanded into a modern community center and vocational trade academy. Free apprenticeships were offered to underprivileged youth, single parents, and recovering veterans, teaching mechanics, electrical engineering, and emergency rescue skills.
Elena spent her days in the front office, wearing denim jeans and work boots, managing grants and housing assistance programs. The city named Julian an honorary chief of the volunteer fire brigade, but he still spent his afternoons in the workshop bay, teaching neighborhood teenagers how to rebuild transmissions.
"You look good with grease on your nose, Miss Vance," Julian teased one sunny afternoon, wiping his hands on a clean rag as she brought him an iced lemonade.
May you like
"I told you six months ago, Julian," she smiled, bumping her shoulder against his. "Call me Elena. Or do I have to wear the crimson dress to work to get your attention?"
Julian laughed, the sound warm and rich, unburdened by the ghosts that had haunted them for a decade.
