Strike a Match

by Fiona Riley

  “That’s a compliment I haven’t gotten in a while.” She turned her palm upward and took Sasha’s hand. “Still have time for lunch?”

  “It just so happens to be my day off, so you’re in luck,” Sasha teased her before asking, “But you were at work, not me. Do you have time?”

  “For you? Yeah, I can probably swing it.” Abby didn’t bother telling Sasha she was the head of her department and could take as much or as little time for lunch as she wanted. She preferred to let the mystery linger.

  “’Scuse me, Miss Sasha.” A small voice behind Sasha interrupted them. Abby went to release Sasha’s hand, but Sasha held it tight.

  “That’s me. What’s your name?” Sasha bent at the waist to bring herself to eye level with one of the wiggly girls Abby recognized from the back of the classroom.

  “Leah.” The little girl danced in place, her excitement infectious.

  “Well, hi, Leah. What’s up?”

  “Um. I want to be a lady fireman, too. I think you’re great.” Her wiggly friend appeared at her side and nodded enthusiastically. Leah pointed to her classmate with her thumb. “So does Chrissy. She’s my best friend.”

  “Aw. Thanks, ladies. I bet you’ll be the best lady firemen ever. Make sure you come find me after you finish the academy. I’ll tell you some of my favorite firefighting stories and show you all the cool equipment that I couldn’t bring today.” Sasha paused and released Abby’s hand to reach into the cargo pocket of her uniform pants. She pulled out two embroidered patches and handed them to the girls. “You know, if you want to swing by the station with your parents one day when I’m on shift, I can give you a special tour. This is my firehouse, Engine 28. This patch says you’re an honorary firefighter friend. Stop by anytime, okay?”

  The girls squealed and each grabbed one of Sasha’s legs in a hug. She laughed and patted their heads, telling them to keep their patches safe, and she gave each girl a pinkie squeeze before they ran off to show their friends the new swag. Sasha stood back up and took Abby’s hand as though it were a normal occurrence. “Ready?”

  It did feel completely normal. All of this did. “Let’s do it.”

  *****

  The restaurant was cute. It was small with only a few tables but it boasted an enormous three-page menu. Most importantly though, Abby was impressed that the food was delicious.

  “So, this is your station uniform?” Abby motioned toward Sasha’s polo shirt getup.

  “Right. We wear this around the firehouse and only put on the bunker gear for calls.” She pulled on the collar of her shirt and gave Abby a flirty smile. “It’s not the sexiest of work attire, but it gets the job done.”

  “I don’t know about that.” The words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them. She seemed to struggle with a filter around Sasha. Sasha licked her lips in response, real slow like. Tease. She had to get control of this conversation if she had any hopes of following Samantha’s advice, though trying to block her physical attraction to Sasha seemed impossible. Seeing her interact with those kids like a pro did nothing to squelch her libido. Sasha was a complete package and a half.

  She tried again. “I noticed that you started the presentation dressed in your station uniform but slowly put the gear on. Why not just come in that way?” How was it that they were talking about Sasha in some stage of undress again? Even when trying, she couldn’t keep her mind out of the gutter.

  “Oh. I do that for a few reasons. First and foremost, I don’t want to scare the kids. It’s really terrifying when we storm into a room in heavy boots and gear with a mask on. It’s important that they not be afraid of us and know we’re here to help. Lots of times children will hide during a fire rescue—the more comfortable they are with us, the easier it is to help get them to safety.” That made sense. Sasha added, “Aside from that, the gear is heavy. Like fifty pounds plus, depending on what I’m wearing. It’s a lot easier to stop, drop, and roll in cargo pants than the whole fire shebang.”

  “I still can’t believe how great you were with those kids.” Abby reached for a warm dinner roll and Sasha pushed the whipped butter in her direction. “Also, this bread is amazing.”

  “I know, right?” Sasha pointed toward the roll with her fork. “I was talking about the bread, not the kids thing.”

  “I figured.” Abby savored the warm carby deliciousness. This bread was unreal.

  Sasha ran her thumb along her bottom lip and gestured for Abby to do the same. “You have a little…There’s some rogue butter you might want to attend to.”

  Abby narrowed her eyes at Sasha. “Do you find it distracting?”

  “Not really. I find it kind of adorable.” Sasha grabbed the last roll out of the basket and broke it into pieces, juggling them in the air. “This is really freaking hot.”

  “Said the lady fireman.” Abby wiped her mouth with a napkin.

  “Damn skippy.” Sasha nodded and popped a piece of bread into her mouth, chewing with her mouth open likely to limit the pain of the delicious flaming bread morsel. Abby had done the same thing moments earlier—sacrifices had to be made in the name of hot carbs. Sasha sipped her water and said, “Lady fireman, ha-ha. I love kids. Those presentations are some of my favorite things.”

  “Well, the kids were clearly captivated by you. You’re great with them.” Abby had been most impressed with how at ease Sasha had seemed during the whole thing. She answered all the questions, no matter how silly or misguided, and she always made sure to get down to their level whenever she had one-on-one time with any child. It hadn’t occurred to Abby that the vantage point might impact the message. But the children responded better to Sasha than a few of her other firefighter colleagues who also spoke, and that seemed to be one of the main reasons. She wondered if Sasha had had much exposure to children in the past. “Do you come from a big family?”

  “Not at all. I’m an only child. My mother doesn’t have any real family to speak of and my father isn’t close to any of his. We’re a small unit, the three of us. I think that’s why I like kids so much—I want a big family, lots of people gathered around a table for the holidays. The beautiful chaos of many smiling faces in the same place.” Sasha shrugged. “I didn’t mind being an only child for most of my life, but as I get older, I wonder what it would be like to have someone to share the burden of aging parents with. Like what a built-in friend must be like. That’s something I think about from time to time.”

  Abby knew exactly what Sasha meant. “I’m an only child, too. I completely get what you’re saying.”

  Sasha looked surprised. “Wow. I guess I figured you were the oldest or, like, the mature and stable middle child.”

  “When is the middle child ever mature or stable?”

  “This is a valid point. I, as previously determined, have no experience in this department. My parents stopped at perfection. I know nothing less.” Sasha’s laugh was full and hearty. Abby joined in easily. She loved Sasha’s sense of humor and self-deprecation. It was easy to be around her. She had contemplated setting up a date with Sasha a few times over the last week. But every time she reached for the phone, she chickened out. Sasha’s comments about people of wealth being detached from society had felt like a stone in her gut. And yet she still wanted to know more about her. She wanted to find out what made Sasha tick.

  “Are you and your parents close?”

  “We are. Maybe too close.” Sasha rolled her eyes. “My dad likes to keep abreast of my love life, and my mother just wants me to settle down and find a nice girl before she’s dead and gone.”

  “They sound great.”

  “They are. I’m lucky, I know that.” Sasha’s eyes were so expressive. Abby searched them for the flecks of gold she had seen the other night. They were gorgeous. “What about you?”

  Abby let herself get lost in those eyes as she answered. “My father passed away a few years ago from leukemia. My mother and I are very close.” She found herself getting very relaxed, almost too relaxed
. It occurred to her that the more they shared with each other the more invested she was starting to feel. She broke eye contact. She needed to catch her breath, slow down. She needed space from this feeling she had toward Sasha.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your father.” Sasha’s voice was empathetic but not in a pitying way. She looked up to find Sasha staring off into the distance, her attention on the people passing by. Sasha didn’t turn back when she asked, “What’s your mother like?”

  Abby felt a pang of remorse. Sasha had already met her mother—she just didn’t know it. Abby warred with herself. Why had she denied their relationship again? If things continued to progress with Sasha, the truth would come out eventually. It seemed foolish now to have set up those walls for no reason. Bad habits rearing their ugly head. It occurred to her that this was exactly what Samantha had warned her about—she made it nearly impossible for people to get close to her. She was the reason these things didn’t work out. She sighed. “My mother is great—funny, smart, nurturing, sarcastic…all the best things a mom is, I guess.” And yet she denied her. This conversation had her feeling like an awful daughter.

  Sasha nodded, her gaze still directed out the window. Abby took the opportunity to appreciate the profile before her, the contour of Sasha’s cheeks and lovely pout of her full lips. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, its long dark layers falling past Sasha’s shoulders. It looked so soft. Abby wanted to touch it.

  Sasha’s eyes were on hers again but the light from before had dimmed in them a bit. Abby wanted to ask why, but Sasha spoke first.

  “I’m glad you came today.” Her voice was soft. Her face looked contemplative. And beautiful. She was beautiful. But there was a sadness there that Abby hadn’t seen before.

  “I am, too. It was really fun and enlightening.”

  “Yeah?” Sasha’s smile returned.

  “Yes. I learned a lot about fire safety today and I feel much better about leaving appliances plugged in during an electrical storm.”

  Sasha took a mock bow, her usual playfulness reemerging. “Then my work here is done.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sasha stopped by the firehouse to pick up some last-minute things from her locker before her big date with Abby tonight. She had been over the moon when Abby agreed to watch her presentation, and the lunch afterward had been fun and light. Mostly light. Until Abby brought up her father and Sasha was reminded of her own father’s failing health. As much as she enjoyed Abby’s company, a wave of guilt about leaving her father on their scheduled afternoon together had taken over. She didn’t want him to be alone, ever.

  It had been a foolish concern, of course. When she got back to her parents’ house he was watching Family Feud and yelling answers at the television screen and beating all the contestants because he was positively unstoppable at that game. There was no competition—he was a Family Feud phenom. As soon as the first commercial break rolled through, he started grilling her about the lunch date. As much as she pretended to be annoyed by her father’s interest in her love life, she loved it. Especially when they were talking about Abby. It gave her a chance to be reflective in a way she wouldn’t have before. As she recalled their conversations and exchanges, she realized just how much attention she had paid to Abby. Just how much she liked her.

  When Abby had entered the classroom, her heartbeat increased. There wasn’t enough time to chat before the presentation, but just knowing she was there gave Sasha butterflies. She was nervous. Nervous that she would make a mistake or come across as ill prepared. She’d done literally dozens of these presentations in the past few months, but with Abby there, it felt like this was her first time ever. She wanted to impress her. This was a new feeling. Sasha wasn’t used to feeling like she had to prove herself to anyone.

  The more time she spent with Abby though, the more she liked her. And although they had agreed that Sasha would be in charge of their second date, she didn’t consider the fire safety school event and the lunch to count. They were a date lite, at best. Before she parted ways with Abby at the restaurant, she’d convinced her to go out with her again, her treat, to try something special. Abby had been almost shy when Sasha suggested it.

  And then there was kissing again. Like, all the kissing. She was incredibly attracted to Abby—it was almost carnal. And she felt like that same intensity was thrumming between them. There was something about the way she caught Abby watching her, the way her eyes landed on Sasha’s lips when they talked. The physical spark had been there since that night at the wedding, and Sasha was more than eager to see what kind of blaze they could start together. It had been on her mind when she had planned tonight’s date; she was going to see if that spark would ignite.

  She parked outside the station and headed to her locker. She grabbed the spare key and work gloves she kept there for the nights she went to the glass studio. It wasn’t common knowledge that she did this for a hobby; she wasn’t ashamed of it, but it felt like something private that she wanted to keep to herself. Until tonight. Tonight, she wanted to share it with Abby. It felt right.

  She said hello to the other shift working tonight and was walking past the chief’s office when she noticed him struggling with a bow tie.

  “Need a little help?” She’d helped dress her father a million times—she was a bow tying professional.

  The chief sighed, looking defeated. “Yes, please.”

  “Sure thing, Chief.” Sasha set aside the things she was holding and stepped up to help. She untied the knot and evened out the fabric to ensure both sides were an equal length before she began looping the pieces into place.

  “You’re a lifesaver.” Luke looked at the final product in the mirror on the back of his office door and breathed a sigh of relief. “I was afraid I’d have to run out and buy a clip-on.”

  Sasha laughed. “No worries, Chief. If you want, I can show you how to do it sometime, in case you’re ever in a pickle. A very formal pickle, but a pickle nonetheless.”

  “Thanks.” His appreciation seemed genuine.

  “So, fancy tux, snazzy bow tie. You doing something special tonight?” Sasha stepped back to take in his full form—he looked great. Very dapper. In fact, this was the nicest and most well-dressed she had ever seen him. It occurred to her that he was also clean shaven save for his newly shaped goatee. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without a full face of five o’clock shadow.”

  His attempt to give her a look of warning was completely undermined by his blush. “That’s enough of that, McCray.”

  “Right.” She tried to hide her amusement. “You were just about to tell me about your fancy dinner plans.”

  “I probably wasn’t.” There was the gruff chief she knew and loved. “But since you asked, I’m going out with that woman from the fundraising auction. We’re attending opening night at the symphony. There’s a cocktail party beforehand that she wants to go to, something about an award being given out. It’s a big deal, or so I’m told.”

  Sasha thought back to the auction and a wave of realization washed over her. “Edie!”

  He looked alarmed. “Yes?”

  “Why didn’t I make the connection earlier?” Sasha put a palm to her forehead. “You’re going out with Edie. I met her once before—she’s awesome. And a total fox. Good for you, Chief.”

  He blushed again and grumbled something under his breath. He slipped on a slightly oversized trench coat and ushered her out of his office. “What are you doing here tonight? You’re not on shift.”

  “I am also going on a date with my auction bidder tonight.” She held up the things she retrieved from her locker. “I had to pick up supplies.”

  He pointed to the work gloves she was holding. “You aren’t planning on tossing her in a ditch and hiding the body, right? Because now I’m officially going to be an accomplice since you told me. And I really don’t want to be late to meet Edie.”

  He was teasing her. She liked this new chief. “No one is being buried
in ditch, not by me anyway. Have a great time tonight—Edie seems like a wonderful person.”

  “She is.” Sasha swore he had hearts in his eyes. It was the cutest thing ever.

  *****

  Sasha flicked on the lights of the back room and started organizing supplies. She was grateful the studio was empty tonight. With the owner on vacation for the rest of the month, the usual nightly classes had been canceled. This was her favorite time to be here, in the quiet, alone. It was one of the only times she had a chance to really think and find herself.

  “Okay, Sash. The furnace is all heated up and the vent fans are on. I’m going to head out. You’ll turn everything off and lock up, right?” Jose asked as he shrugged on his coat.

  She held up the studio key she’d retrieved from her locker and nodded. “I’ll make sure everything is tight as a drum and cool as a cuke before I leave. Promise.”

  “Sounds good. Have fun. Call me if you need anything.” Jose gave her a wave and headed out through the small glass door by the office.

  Sasha checked the clock on the wall and headed toward the large garage door in the front of the building—Abby should be there any minute. She opened the door and the cool night air crept in. She savored the feeling. It would be hot in here in a matter of minutes.

  “Hey.” Abby was right on time. And she was dressed to kill—she had clearly taken some liberties with Sasha’s clothing recommendations for tonight. Sasha had told her to wear something lightweight but close fitting and to come prepared to remove layers if she got too warm. Abby’s skintight tank top and short, flowing miniskirt left almost nothing to the imagination. Sasha felt her temperature rising already.

  “Hey, you look great.” She greeted Abby with a hug, both to welcome her and selfishly to feel Abby pressed against her. Ain’t no shame in her game.