Sam’s bald head shone as if he’d polished it. He furrowed his brow. “The kids are
supposed
to be afraid of fire!” he shouted.
“Great job, then,” Collum said with his mouth full of food. “You didn’t just scare them, you laid the foundation for a life’s worth of expensive therapy sessions.”
Kyle, who was still in his very first week on the job, asked, “Do you often do fire drills for kids?”
“Sometimes,” Heath said, after he’d finished off the warm roll. “More often a class of kids will come in to visit the station.”
“Yeah, but we make sure to only invite them when Sam is off duty. You know, to avoid all those lawsuits for mental cruelty,” Jesse teased. “Ever since Heath has been doing the drills, grateful young mothers keep showing up and bringing us cake.”
“Or phone numbers,” Owen added.
“Phone numbers?” Kyle sounded confused and looked quizzically at the rest of the men.
Jesse gave him a lopsided grin. “Those single moms are turned on by the thought of catching a fireman who’s good with children. I’ll admit I’ve called some of those women and went out with a few …”
“No sordid details, please. If you corrupt my little brother, my mom will get mad at
me
, Jesse,” Heath whispered good-naturedly, tousling his brother’s hair.
As was to be expected, Kyle protested the patronizing gesture, swatting at his hand.
Jesse grinned broadly. “I don’t think I could corrupt your brother, even if I wanted to, Fitzpatrick.”
Kyle nodded proudly. “So how do I get these phone numbers?” he asked confidently.
With a snort, Jesse shook his head. “You have to earn them, my boy. Freshmen like you are at the bottom of the food chain.”
“And single moms don’t fancy little boys,” Owen added. “They want men. But maybe your brother will be generous enough to share a number or two. After all, he doesn’t make use of them himself.”
Heath sighed heavily. “Just because you’re so damn jealous that paramedics aren’t as coveted as firemen, you don’t have to go opening your big mouth.”
“But he’s right.” Jesse leaned back and pointed his fork at Heath. “Let me remind you of the hot redhead who came fluttering in here to thank you for rescuing her grandma’s kitten. That girl was ready to jump out of her clothes if you’d asked her. She’s the kind of
Sophie
that screws you until you lose your mind.”
Kyle’s curiosity was piqued. “Sophie?”
Jesse nodded, chewing on his food. “It’s our own term. Named after Sophie Harrison … or was it Henderson?”
Owen grinned. “You used to call her ‘Sophie the House Elf.’ Because she came at night, did all the work, and was gone by the first morning light.”
“And she texted practically every fireman whose number she had, messages that said things like:
My apartment is on fire, and I’m lying naked in my bed. Come rescue me!
”
“I once got a text from her that said she wanted my hose.”
“Hey.” Heath shook his head. “We’re eating here, guys.”
Kyle croaked, “And this Sophie …”
“The House Elf,” Jesse helped him out.
“Okay, so this Sophie Elf lady slept with
all
of you?”
“Naw.” Jesse shook his head. “Only with me, once with Owen, and of course with half the North End department. She’s sort of a firemen’s groupie, and a little on the nymphomaniac side. She was eager to get Heath’s number, too.”
“Wasn’t interested,” Heath murmured grouchily. “Still am not.” He ignored the gaze of his little brother, who was studying him thoughtfully.
“Leave the man alone.” Collum shook his head at the banter but added, “When you only have eyes for your ex, it sometimes isn’t as easy as it seems, hopping into bed with another woman.”
Heath had a mind to punch his buddy, but restrained himself and merely let out a dark rumble that would hopefully keep Collum from making further comments.
But Jesse was less tactful. “Did you run into Hayden today?”
“Yes, we did,” Heath said brusquely. “Can we please change the subject now?”
Thankfully, his coworkers heeded his request and focused on their food for the next few quiet minutes. But he’d already lost his appetite.
To break the awkward silence, Sam cleared his throat. “That reminds me of something, guys. The new month starts soon, and you know what that means. Kyle here will meet Veronica, and it will be his turn to take care of her, being the new guy and all.”
Kyle furrowed his brow and looked around the table with interest. “Veronica? Is she hot?”
Owen laughed so hard he nearly choked.
Even though Heath didn’t particularly want to fool his brother, but he just shrugged, lacking the energy to explain that Veronica was a transvestite who lived it up at the start of every month, as soon as his paycheck came in. And every time, he was picked up by the police or the paramedics, utterly drunk and often injured. So with the start of a new month, came another call to Veronica, who was frighteningly affectionate and horny.
Owen pointed at Sam, whose face immediately grew a frown when he realized where Owen was going with this line of thought. “Just ask Sam if you want to know more,” Owen told Kyle. “He’s got a special relationship with Lady Veronica.”
Heath reluctantly joined the dirty laughter and patted his brother on the shoulder. “Back when Sam and I were still riding in the same truck, there was a funny incident between him and Veronica.”
“Shut your trap, Fitzpatrick,” Sam grumbled angrily. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Yeah.” He had a hard time suppressing a grin, and he nodded in mock seriousness. “I’d feel the same way if I were you.”
Just as Kyle began to ask a question, Heath saw the chief come in and nod at him, followed by a jerk of his head. Heath got up and went over to his boss, following him into the depot, where they were alone.
“Heath, I still need the medical certificate from the psychologist. Administration called about it again, and they’re not willing to be put off anymore. Neither am I, to be honest.”
Heath gritted his teeth and was silent for a moment. He had been avoiding his chief for the entire week because he knew the issue was still unresolved.
“I don’t need some quack to tell me—”
“That is not your decision to make.” The chief eyed him carefully. “Either you give me that certificate within the next couple of days, or I’m going to have to suspend you. End of story.”
Chapter 9
After the sale of the car fell through, Hayden was intent on looking for a suitable buyer for the house, even though she was already swamped with work, what with summer vacation around the corner and report cards to be turned in. The thought of leaving her home caused an ache in her soul, but she knew she wouldn’t find peace if she didn’t go through with it.
When she left the realtor’s office, she had to take a deep breath, which made her realize the discussion about the sale had taken its toll on her. At that moment, her phone started to ring. She hoped it was Kayleigh, who might be able to take her brooding mind off things, but when she answered, she was surprised to hear a cheerful male voice.
“Hello, Hayden. This is Alec. I just wanted to remind you of your generous offer to meet me for coffee. Maybe you’re in the mood for dinner tonight instead?”
Caught off guard, she was silent for a moment. She stepped aside to let an old woman pass her on the sidewalk, and with her mind on lots of other things, she had to force a smile. “Uh, hi, Alec. How are you doing?”
“Fine enough, but I would be doing much better if you said yes.”
“Dinner?” She nervously wet her lips, thinking of Kayleigh’s warning that even a coffee date held the promise of sex.
“Yes, dinner. The thing you do between lunch and bedtime. What do you say? Just a casual meal.”
She felt her heart go into panic mode and stared at the busy street ahead of her, attempting to push Kayleigh’s disturbing thoughts far away. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was doing something naughty and forbidden. She actually felt as if she were cheating on Heath, which was absurd, considering the facts. She had only kissed one man in her entire life, seen only one man naked. It was probably unthinkable for many women her age, but Hayden had always assumed it would stay that way.
To be honest, she couldn’t even imagine kissing anyone but Heath, or getting undressed in front of anyone else. And she completely forbade herself to even think about sex, because she’d probably faint if she did.
“Hayden? Are you still there?”
“Yes.” Shuddering, she sucked air in too quickly and started speaking too fast. “I want to be honest with you, Alec. I’m not ready to go out with another man. I’m sure you don’t want to spend your evening with a woman who feels like a nervous wreck, and—”
“Whoa.” He laughed softly. “When I mentioned a casual dinner, that was exactly what I meant. Don’t get me wrong, I do think you are both interesting and attractive, but that doesn’t mean we have to call it a date, if that’s what is making you so uncomfortable.”
“Okay,” she answered quietly. Her throat felt parched as she asked, “What do we call it, then?”
“A casual dinner, during which you can tell me a little bit about life in Boston, while I can relax, because I don’t have to sit alone in my still-unfinished apartment.” He sounded undeterred by her antics. “You can pick the restaurant. I have no idea which ones are good anyway. Tonight? Eight o’clock?”
“Today is bad for me, sorry,” Hayden choked out, cursing herself. “How about the day after tomorrow?”
After she had actually agreed to have dinner with Shane’s partner, she put the phone back into her pocket. She could hardly believe she’d just done that. Somehow, agreeing on dinner with another man suddenly made the separation all the more real.
Before she could worry about
that
further, she noticed Jerry Macintosh down the street, waving enthusiastically at her. Jerry was a friend of Heath’s, so she immediately expected another distressing conversation. She wished she were less polite, so she could scare him off somehow, but she just couldn’t be that ruthless.
“Well hello, Hayden! You’re looking good. Who would have thought?”
With a knowing smile that was utterly devoid of humor, she allowed the lumbering policeman to hug her briefly, before she asked harshly, “Who would have thought what, exactly?”
Jerry wasn’t known for being smart, and now he blinked at her in a puzzled manner. “Well, after your breakup and all the things people are saying, I assumed you’d be devastated and—”
“What
are
people saying, then?” She impatiently pushed her purse up her shoulder and took off her sunglasses to see him more clearly.
“Oh, well … they’re talking, I’m sure you know.” He shrugged. “Personally, I don’t believe the story that Heath left you to go out with the new chief’s daughter.”
“No!” she gasped, shaking her head insistently. She couldn’t help sounding surly. “That’s not the way it happened!”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Teresa agreed that Heath wasn’t the type of man to cheat on his girlfriend, but you never know what’s going on inside a person’s head. When I saw him a few days ago at the gym, he didn’t seem to be in a great mood. Are you two quarreling because of the breakup?”
“No, we’re not quarreling!”
“Okay. Well.” The chubby policeman, who was once again acting like a bull in a china shop, tilted his head to the side, seemingly oblivious to her mood. “Do you think you’ll get back together?”
She looked at him in disbelief, wondering how anyone could be this insensitive. It took all her willpower not to yell at him or to hit him with the folder the realtor had given her. She managed to merely shake her head and force out a soft “no.”
“Good. Then how about going out with my brother? He just went through a breakup, too, and he could use a little distraction. I can give you his phone number if you’re interested.”
To prevent her jaw from dropping, she clenched her teeth and blinked at him. Jerry seemed to take her silence for curiosity, however. “His ex-wife was a real bitch who couldn’t even prepare a proper meal,” he explained with beaming eyes. “He needs a nice woman, one who doesn’t only think about his paycheck. I immediately thought of you, because you’re a wonderful cook. And you earn your own money.”
He really seemed to think his remarks were compliments, and he looked at her with the devoted eyes of a dumb Rottweiler expecting a treat in return for the giant turd he’d placed in the front yard. Hayden considered calling Jerry’s wife Teresa, to tell her it was time she put her overeager husband on a leash or kept him at home, lest he managed to offend every single person in town. Her first suggestion would have been his castration, but that sounded a little radical, and she doubted Teresa would have complied.
“Listen, Jerry, that is very … flattering. That you thought of me.” She cleared her throat. “But I’m sure you understand that I’m not ready to date again and probably won’t be anytime soon.”
“Haven’t you been broken up for more than three months now?”