by Marie Harte
Unfortunately, Lieutenant Sue Arthur, currently on watch, had tracked him down.
“Yo, Battle. I have my own problem children to worry about. Quit ducking Ed’s calls.” The crews on D shift gave her hurtful looks she ignored. “Your lieutenant keeps calling me wanting to talk to you.” She poked him in the chest, and he did his best not to look amused. Sue stood a good head shorter than he was and always looked so darn perky and cute. She hated it. He might be Ken, but she’d gotten her fair share of teasing for looking like Dora the Explorer. And yes, the teasing at the station seemed to favor kid cartoons. Between half of them acting like children and the others invested in their own kids, they had no shortage of toys to play with.
“I’m not ducking them.” He totally was. “It’s only Wednesday. I don’t meet with the reporter until Friday. I was going to call the LT back after working out.” Maybe tomorrow.
“Well, you’re here, and it’s official. I passed on the message. Meet the woman today. Now would be good.”
Brad paused. “She’s here?”
His buddies suddenly stopped working out, zeroing in on his conversation like sharks scenting blood in the water.
“She called the station. I told her you had time to talk, since you’re here and all. In fact, she should be here in ten minutes.”
Great. Now D shift looked all intrigued, neither the gang working out nor the others standing around in the hallway leaning in making any attempt to appear disinterested.
Brad forced himself to sound casual. “Hey, Lew”—lieutenant—“can you do me a solid and tell her I’ll meet her at Swirlie’s instead?” Swirlie’s was the station’s go-to place for smoothies and snacks a few blocks away.
“Smoothies on Brad,” Mack promised the guys.
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Brad agreed. “If you promise to leave me alone so I can be done with her fast.”
“Sure we will.” Tex didn’t sound sincere.
Sue sighed. “I’ll call her back. Just get out. You’re not on shift, and you shouldn’t be my problem.” She opened her mouth to say something and frowned at the notebook in her hand. “And if I find the motherfucker who keeps leaving Dora the Explorer stickers on my crap, I’m going to fry your ass!”
The others around didn’t bother to muffle laughter, though the smart ones cleared out while Sue muttered under her breath and stomped back into the main living area.
“Damn. That’s got to smart.” Mack shook his head. “I mean, Ken gets all the toys and the babes. Dora is always in the jungle with a monkey and a backpack. Not cool.”
“You seem to know an awful lot about Dora.” Reggie smirked. “Something you want to tell us?”
“You mean, that he’s about as mature as my four-year-old nephew?” Tex chuckled. “We already knew that.”
The four of them walked out of the station and headed for their cars. Since Brad had ridden with Reggie, he was forced to wait for Reggie’s slow ass to get behind the wheel. A great guy to have in a crisis or to have at one’s back, Reggie also believed in deliberating nonemergency situations to the nth degree. That included him taking his sweet-ass time getting anywhere.
“No,” Reggie said. “I meant Mack’s the one screwing with Lew.”
Brad blinked. “Oh, really?” He grinned. “Nice.”
Mack flushed. “Aw, it’s nothing.”
Tex slapped him on the back. “Way to go, hoss.”
Mack grimaced. “Could I ride with you guys?” he asked Reggie. “Sometimes with Tex, it’s like I’m stuck in a Bonanza episode.”
Shoving a cowboy hat on his head as he sat in his truck, Tex glared. “What’s wrong with Bonanza?”
“See?”
Reggie sighed. “Go ride with the cowboy. I have crap in my backseat I don’t feel like moving.”
“So much for being a band of brothers.” Mack shook his head, his expression pitiful.
“For fuck’s sake.” Tex opened his truck and beeped the horn. “Get in or I’ll sing along with Garth on the way.”
Mack dragged his feet toward the truck.
Brad slapped the door of Reggie’s car. “I have an appointment with someone I don’t want to see. Can we get this over with?”
Reggie rounded the car to unlock the door, then stood back and waved Brad inside. “After you, Prince Pain in the Ass.”
“Better.” Brad buckled in. They reached the smoothie shop in no time, and he met the others at the door. “Now, before we go in, the rules.”
Reggie sighed. “Here we go.”
“No talking. No making faces at me.” He moved aside to let a mother with her kids enter the place. “No getting little kids to embarrass me either.”
“Can I call you Ken?” Mack asked.
“No.”
Tex pushed back his Stetson, which should have looked ridiculous coupled with his workout gear but somehow looked normal instead. “Can I reintroduce myself to your pretty reporter?”
“No.”
“But that’s rude,” Reggie said. “I mean, if we’re all sitting with you and—”
“You’re not sitting with me.” Brad knew the idiots were loving this. “I’m going to sit with her and—”
“With Avery. Her name is Avery,” Mack added.
Brad ignored him. “And we’ll make sense of Friday, I’m guessing. You all will sit very far away. Like, on the opposite side of the shop.”
“What if we need to go to the bathroom and you’re sitting near it? Can we go near you then?” Mack blinked. “Just asking for clarification.”
“You guys suck so much.” Brad huffed and left them laughing at his sorry self.
He scouted the room, saw no sign of the troublemaking woman, and ordered himself—and the guys—smoothies. After dropping their drinks at a table far away from the one he’d selected with a view of the front door, he waited, annoyed to find himself nervous.
What the hell did he have to be nervous about? She’d made the mistake five years ago. It had been a spot of bad luck to run into her at the festival, but truthfully, he was surprised not to have run into her before now.
Though the Seattle metro area boasted nearly four million people, Brad always saw people he knew. Now working at Station 44, situated between the Beacon Hill, NewHolly, and Rainier Valley neighborhoods, he’d become familiar with several store owners, concerned citizens, and friendly neighbors. Being a firefighter put him in the public eye, obviously, and a lot of people seemed to still remember that interview the paper did years ago. But Brad had been working harder to be more outgoing and accessible.
He supposed he should look on this outing with Avery as a character-builder.
She arrived, walking through the door and almost colliding with an older man waiting to exit. She apologized profusely; the older man smiled and said something that made her laugh.
To Brad’s bemusement, her pleasure made her prettier. Which was weird. He didn’t like her, but he found himself attracted to her.
Not wanting to go down that particular road, he stood when she approached the table, reminding himself to be polite and professional and leave his baggage with the woman behind. He had a job to do. Plain and simple.
“I’m surprised you’re here,” she said brightly and sat down. “I thought for sure you’d have weaseled your way out of this.” She glanced around and waved. “Oh, maybe Tex could sit in for you.”
He sat as well. “Why? So you can dig for information without me around to protect the others?”
She lifted a brow behind those sexy—no, functional—glasses. “Protect them from what? Questions about what animals they like best?” She huffed. “Tone it down, Brad. I have absolutely no interest in your life. At. All. That article was published years ago, and I apologized for making you uncomfortable.”
“You went behind my back.”
“And printed
nothing but the truth. You came out looking like a superstar.” She glanced away and frowned, looking surprisingly ashamed.
“But you—”
“That was another life.” She met his gaze. “I no longer work for that paper. And isn’t it pretty arrogant to think I want to know anything more about you than whether or not you like corgis?”
He flushed, aggravated that he’d lost any hope of appearing calm and collected. What was it about this woman that got under his skin? She hadn’t done anything but ask for another guy to talk to her. Something he actually wanted.
“Sorry,” he said stiffly then forced himself to unclench his hands and sit back, loosening his muscles one at a time. “It’s just, I don’t want to be here.”
She shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t either. I tried to get out of this.”
“That makes me feel better.” He smiled. She smiled back. Bemused, he had to search for what he’d been wanting to say. “So, ah, so you know, I did ask the guys—my friends sitting across the room—to fill in for me. But the higher-ups want me with you. That news coverage at the festival nailed it.”
“I know.” She looked glum and kind of adorable in her misery. “It was bad enough that cute but quirky dog started humping my leg. Oh, go ahead, laugh. It was funny.”
He couldn’t help chuckling over the memory.
“But then you had to be there. Gerty and her stupid comment about you saving me.” She huffed.
“Gerty?”
“The short blond with the overinflated sense of humor and bad fashion sense?”
“Oh, right. The suspenders.” He nodded. “I liked her.”
“Everyone likes her. She’s Gerty.” Avery fiddled with her glasses. “Let’s be honest. You happened to stop me from falling. That’s not that big a deal.”
“Yeah?” He was starting to enjoy himself, loving the pique in her eyes. Tex was right. They were big and blue. “Because I saved you, on camera, from tripping over fake dog poop.”
She covered her eyes. “That story is still getting hits, did you know that?”
He’d personally shared it with everyone he knew because he’d found Banana both endearing and hilarious. And yes, he was petty enough to admit he’d loved Avery falling over crap, fake or not.
“Fine. I guess you did prevent me from falling. Thank you.” She looked him in the eye. “Now it seems we’re both stuck doing this story together. I don’t want to be here.”
“I don’t want to be here.”
She nodded. “But we have to, so can we try to make the best of it?”
“I’m game. Provided you don’t ask a ton of personal questions and start digging up the past.” Before she could say anything, he leaned closer and lowered his voice. “That is nonnegotiable.”
She leaned in as well, her gaze direct, her brows drawn in irritation. “Fine. I’d rather not revisit the past either. I never did understand what I did that made you so mad. Nothing the paper printed was untrue, and you came out smelling like a freakin’ rose. But that’s all done. Let it go, Battle, or this will sure as shit blow up in your face.”
He leaned back, surprised. “Are you threatening me?”
“Yes.” She frowned. “I’m tired of you acting like you’re just so important I have to be interested in nothing but the great, glorious Brad Battle. Please. So what? You served in the Marine Corps. You serve now in Seattle’s Fire Department. Thanks for your service. Yes, I appreciate that. Truly. But let’s move on. The world does not revolve around you.”
“But—”
“You don’t want to talk about the past, right? Neither. Do. I.” She poked the tabletop with a finger between each word. Then she relaxed and sat back. “Look, I know it’s got to be tough being handsome and charming, with gobs of women fawning all over you. But sweetcakes, I’m not and never will be charmed. To me, you’re just the pet guy I’m forced to deal with. We can be amicable, or I can show you what a grudge really looks like. It’s up to you.”
* * *
Avery was so proud of herself for coming across as stern and unaffected. Because being this close to Brad again was doing strange things to her insides. He radiated masculinity, especially sitting so close in nothing but shorts and a T-shirt showcasing all those muscles. Man, his thick biceps would take both her hands to encircle. He’d been a jerk and still acted as if the world revolved around him, yet she could see why he’d act that way.
Since she’d sat down, she’d noticed the many gazes glued to their table. And not to her but to him. Women especially seemed to give him second and third glances.
If she was into hot guys with massive egos, she might be interested in dating him. But she’d been scorched when dealing with him long ago, and the man didn’t seem to have gotten any nicer. So no, she’d much rather deal with his friends now standing just behind him than with Brad.
“Damn, son,” said the tall, built man wearing exercise clothes and a cowboy hat she’d much rather have dealt with. Tex, the hottie from the festival. He had a deep, smooth tone that put her at immediate ease. “I guess that’s that. Personally, I’d go with the grudge, but I’m ornery like that.” He pulled up a chair, sat down, and held out a hand to her. “Howdy, ma’am. Don’t know if you remember me, but we met at the festival. I’m Tex.”
“As if I could forget you. Avery.” She shook his hand, hers dwarfed in his.
Brad gave a loud, put-upon sigh. “Why are you here, Tex? Go back to your table.”
“Avery, it’s lovely to meet you in person. I’m Mack.” Mack winked, sat on the other side of the table, and sipped his smoothie. He was leaner than the others but just as toned, and he seemed a lot more easygoing than Brad.
“Hi, Mack.”
Brad groaned.
The other good-looking buff guy, the one she didn’t yet know, said by way of introduction, “I’m Reggie. Nice to meet you.” He leaned across Brad, who swore, and held out a hand.
Avery shook it and grinned, liking this guy. “Avery Dearborn. It’s lovely to meet you.”
Reggie pulled up a seat next to Brad, scooting the scowling man over. “So, you and Brad are working this pet adoption thing, huh? You know, it could have been me, but I was stuck cleaning at the station while Hollywood here and Tex got to attend the festival.”
Mack sighed. “Yeah. I wanted to go too, but I got stuck doing Brad’s work.”
“Oh, please.” Brad ran a hand through his hair, and Avery forced herself not to watch his muscles flex.
“Do you all work with Brad at the station?”
Mack nodded. “We’re all firefighters and part of the same crew. We work C shift, so we’re on and off at the same time. Been friends for years.”
“Family.” Tex corrected with a bright white smile her way. “So, when we saw our sad brother striking out with a pretty reporter, we had to come over and see what’s what.”
Avery had at first thought they’d come over to give Brad a hard time, which they continued to do, but she also saw the concern for their friend. She respected that, even if she didn’t like being considered the enemy.
“For what it’s worth, you guys probably know Brad and I have a weird history. Neither of us wants to do this story, but I’d rather just work together to get it done.” She looked at Brad. “We can be nice to each other on-screen and not deal with each other unless we have to. I have no intention of causing any trouble.”
Brad studied her, and she wondered if he saw the nerves jumping under her skin. All his friends could have posed for a man-candy calendar, and she’d have a tough time picking a favorite. Well, not counting Brad, in a purely superficial appreciation for his looks.
“You just want to do the piece on the pets and that’s it?” Brad asked.
“Yes, for the bazillionth time.”
His friends looked from her to Brad.
“Okay then
. We should figure out how this is going to play out.”
Before he could take charge of her news piece, she opened her mouth to speak.
Reggie beat her to it. “Whoa. Hold on. How come she’s got nothing to drink?” He raised a brow. “You want something to drink? Or maybe to eat? They have snacks here too.”
She shrugged. “What are you guys drinking?”
“A strawberry energy smoothie,” Mack said and offered her some. “Want to try it?”
“Nah. She don’t want your germs.” Tex shoved Mack’s drink back. “I’ll grab you something. I had a whey protein banana thing that’s pretty good.”
Brad stood up in huff. “Oh relax, Romeo. I’ll get her something.” He looked down at her, his green eyes piercing. “What do you like?”
Sexy men with green eyes. The thought scared her straight. She did not like Brad Battle. Especially since he’d had to be shamed into buying her a drink. Not that he should have had to get her anything in the first place. But still.
“It’s not a problem. I’ll get myself something. You don’t have to buy me anything.”
Brad blew out a breath. “I’d like to make peace.”
“Then why are clenching your teeth so hard?” slipped out of her mouth.
The others guffawed. Brad flushed then surprised her by smiling. “I have no idea. But hey, let me try to do my part to get along. We do have to work together, right?”
She hated that his smile gave her tingles. “I like mango. And thank you.”
He grunted and left to grab her a drink.
“Get her some passion fruit too,” Tex suggested in a loud voice. Then he laughed at the scowl Brad shot him. “Sorry, Avery,” he said to her. “I had to. Anyone who gets under Brad’s skin is A-okay with me.”
“Be nice, Texas,” Reggie ordered. “What is this pet thing about anyway, Avery? Brad’s been a little vague about the details.”
As she explained the segment, Brad returned and handed her a drink, and she included him on the particulars for Friday morning. “It shouldn’t take more than an hour, max. Once you’re in makeup and ready to—”