August Heat (A Year in Paradise Book 8)

by Hildred Billings

  “Well, I ain’t tipping you.” Krys popped open the pizza box and inhaled. “Now that’s the stuff. You know this is our prize for doing our jobs today?”

  “Yeah, about that, the whole reason I came by was to tell you that the new girl we’ve got running with us has got the serious hots for you.”

  Krys let out a low whistle. She placed the pizza box on the bench nearby and said, “Do I know this lovely young EMT-looker?”

  “New girl in town. Name’s Sam, of course.”

  “Because we don’t have enough Sams in this butchy town.”

  “I’m looking at yet another Chris, aren’t I?”

  “With a K, thanks.” They didn’t mention that most Chrises were actually named Christine or Christina. Krys? Did she really have to say it? Krystal. That’s my name. There. You happy? She took solace in the fact that women like Ariana were named… that. Made Krystal sound like a perfectly gender-neutral name when someone else shared a name with one of the biggest feminine popstars in the world. Nobody’s looking at this Ariana and mistaking her for overly feminine, though. “Now, tell me why you’re here playing matchmaker for your new coworkers instead of making her have the balls to come over here and tell me herself? She knows I hang at the bar after work, right? I ain’t shy.” Not my fault Lorri often looks like she’s about to punch somebody. That’s her resting asshole face.

  Ariana chuckled. “I was gonna tell her to do that, then I remembered I saw you at the movie the other night with a lovely young lady I hadn’t seen around before. So, you know, before I sign her up to get her heart broken by you, thought I’d ask what that was about.”

  “Huh? You mean the redhead?”

  “Of course I mean the redhead! Mik and I were taking bets that you dragged her here from Portland to show her off, but then you fell asleep.”

  “How close to us were you?”

  “Close enough to see you with someone we hadn’t seen before.”

  Does that mean you and your squeeze were up to no good? Krys had seen the couple slobbering all over each other near the bushes. “Man, everyone in this town is so damn nosy.”

  “Is it really better back where you’re from?”

  “Portland? You’re lucky if people acknowledge you at all before they run you over with their scooters.”

  Krys scrambled to think of something to say to Ariana, who wasn’t about to budge until she got a few answers about somebody’s dating life. Yet before Krys could come up with a convincing story without violating Siobhan’s privacy, a head of frizzy red hair appeared in the opened garage door.

  “Well, well.” Ariana let out a low whistle when she caught who Krys looked at in the distance. “Guess that answers a few questions.” She winked at Krys before turning around again. “Enjoy your pizza. Ma’am.” She nodded to Siobhan on her way out. Only then did Krys realize that her missing jacket was folded over Siobhan’s arm.

  The sun gave a healthy glow to Siobhan’s reddish-orange hair. I have never seen it that light before. I dig it. Krys dug a lot of things about Siobhan, though. Like the profile that said she always had a serious thought running through her head. Or the fashion sense of a thirty-something woman who now kept her wardrobe to practical jeans and sweaters. Even now, when it was an easy eighty-five, Siobhan wore a baggy white sweater over a camisole. Didn’t look like vet clothes. Had she changed to see Krys?

  “If you’re here for an autograph,” Krys said, hands on her hips, “you’re gonna have to get in line. I have a date with some pizza slices before I give myself over to the fans.”

  Siobhan’s hands folded beneath Krys’s jacket. “Happened to see you on the news. Pretty cool what you did.”

  Krys shrugged. “Just another week in Paradise. Could as easily say that your job is cool as hell. Saving those big animals and all.”

  “Little ones too?”

  “I don’t wanna step on Dr. Global’s toes when his office is a five minutes’ walk from here.”

  Siobhan smiled. Was that one of her genuine grins? The kind that conveyed any and all mirth lurking in her hardened heart? I must be pretty special if I’m getting those kinds of smiles out of her. “Seeing you on TV reminded me that I needed to give this back to you.” Siobhan held out the jacket. “Didn’t realize I was still wearing it until I got home after the movie the other night.”

  Krys stepped forward and picked the jacket out of Siobhan’s hands. “No worries. This is my spare I keep here in my locker for days like today.”

  Did Siobhan’s eyes linger on Krys’s chest? Again? Thank God she worked out, huh? “Thank you again for inviting me to the movie. It was nice.”

  “Come on. Admit it. You hated the movie.”

  Ah! Another smile! “It was fine to watch at least once.”

  “Speaking of going out…” Krys waited to see if that smile would completely fall. This was, after all, a woman who had neglected to contact her since Saturday night. Krys had assumed things weren’t going anywhere, although she certainly appreciated the hope that there might be another date soon. “My friend Lorri – you know, the one from the hardware store? – is having a dinner at her place tomorrow night. Turns out I’m gonna be the only one there without a date, because Jalen had to go and bring her girlfriend.”

  “And…?”

  Krys chuckled. “You could be the date of the only woman in town who knows how to use the Jaws of Life. Oh, and Lorri’s wife makes some amazing food. Like… your tongue will melt out of your mouth and you’ll be gone to Heaven. Not to be confused with the café.”

  Siobhan tilted her head. Was she still thinking about it? Or had she made up her mind long before she came to the firehouse? I like to think she came here for the sole purpose of talking to me. Yes. I really will play myself up like that. Only if she could get away with it. Krys often could.

  “That might be nice,” Siobhan mused. “Neither my aunt nor I are fantastic cooks, but we get by. Haven’t had a real homecooked meal in a long while.”

  “So is that a yes? I don’t even have to trot out the celebrity you’ll probably get to meet? I mean, she’s nice and all, but if you ask me, my friends are way funnier.”

  “I don’t know much about the celebrities, but if you insist…”

  “I’m not insisting,” Krys said. “I’m asking if you want to come. Oh, and asking for your number, because it’s killing me to not be able to text you when I’m thinking about you.”

  That was the first thing to make Siobhan’s face slightly fall. Great. I pushed it way too far. Good job, Krys. “Is this thinking happening late at night?” Siobhan asked.

  “All hours of the day,”

  “Now you’re lying.”

  “Is it really so hard to believe?” Krys picked up the pizza box and opened the lid. “By the way, you should have some of my celebratory pizza.”

  “First pretzels, now pizza. I really am joining the firehouse diet.”

  “So is that a yesss?”

  Siobhan took a slice before turning around and waving goodbye to Krys.

  That was totally a yes.

  Chapter 12

  SIOBHAN

  Every time she intended to break things off with Krys for her own damned sanity, Siobhan was sucked back into the whirlwind that was letting her loins do all the talking.

  I ate her stupid pizza. Then I went back and said yes to giving her my number. As if Siobhan wouldn’t survive if she drove all the way back home and hadn’t given Krys her number. Besides, that pizza ruined her dinner. Because Aunt Gabriella had grabbed a frozen pizza from her weekly run to Wal-Mart and decided that was dinner that night. Just wasn’t the same as the freshly made stuff from town. Paradise Pizza didn’t make a knock-out pie, but it was at least fresh. Papa Murphy’s fresh, though? That was debatable…

  Now Siobhan was back in town early one weekday evening, staring down Idaho Street as if returning to the scene of a crime.

  Wasn’t difficult to find Lorri and Joan’s house in the middle of the street. Li
ke most of the others, it was a run-of-the-mill starter home, only here in Paradise Valley “starter homes” often lasted one’s lifetime. The yards were surrounded with metal fences, and ran the gamut from freshly cut grass and flowers to toys and tools strewn about all summer. Lorri’s house was neither a beauty to behold nor a blight on the neighborhood. Yet when Siobhan shut off her car and peeked into one of the front windows, she saw a warm home made warmer with food popping out of the oven.

  Someone tapped on her passenger side window.

  After nearly losing her lunch to surprise, Siobhan swung her head around and saw Krys standing on the other side of the car. A gesture told her to step out. Since when was she a cop?

  “Don’t be nervous, all right?” Krys said when she met Siobhan on the sidewalk. “Everyone’s really chill. These were the first friends I made when I moved here from Portland, and let me tell you, it was really different from the kind of buddies you make there.”

  Siobhan had no idea what that meant. She merely followed Krys up the short path and to the Welcome mat.

  Krys gave a hearty knock – then helped herself to the door handle.

  “Do I smell pot roast?” she called through the crack. “Because you know that’s what brought me here!”

  Siobhan was soon swept up a flurry of introductions, banter, and pleas to make herself comfortable. She only vaguely recognized a few of the people in the living room. There was Lorri and her partner, of course. Joan was a mousey woman who could barely get a word in edgewise, and this was her own house. She spent more time in the kitchen than she did in the living room, not that there was much room for her in there.

  The other couple was less familiar. Siobhan remembered who Jalen Stonehill was after the reminder that she was one of the traveling plumbers in this part of the county. Right. You’ve been in my bathroom a few times. Probably my kitchen, too. Siobhan and Gabriella were handy enough to take care of minor situations, but every once in a while they either had no time or were in over their heads. As for Jalen’s girlfriend, the only woman in the room with striking blond hair and a taste of clothing that was decidedly… expensive? Siobhan didn’t watch TV much, but she definitely recognized a woman who was used to being on it. Fleur Rosé was a silver screen darling who had stopped traffic when she ran away to Paradise Valley that April. I had no idea Krys’s best friend was the one dating her. Soon, she would receive another reminder that Jalen and Krys used to date. A really, really long time ago. (Those reallys were important, apparently.)

  The only one genuinely surprised that Krys brought a date – let alone a date like Siobhan – was Jalen, who only now somewhat recognized the vet from the few calls they had made to one another over the years. “She almost never invites anyone to these things,” she said with a thicker accent than anyone else in the room. At first, it jarred Siobhan, who was still not terribly used to that rural Oregonian twang that stretched from the coast to the desert. I’m also not used to it from younger women who look as nice as her… Who had the twang around there? Farmers with livestock in need of help. Older women who kept close to their lifelong homes. More proof I don’t get out enough. “How long have you two been going out? I’ve been outta the loop.”

  “That’s right.” Fleur, who had zero accent outside of what one might hear on TV, patted her girlfriend’s shoulder before nuzzling a nose into her cheek. It would’ve been cute, but Siobhan always felt like a terrible peeping tom around people she barely knew. “She’s been spending most of her time down in LA. Even this summer, and I don’t have to tell you how hot it gets down there during the summer.”

  “Feels like the devil’s blowing fire up my ass,” Jalen said with a scratch of her head.

  “We haven’t been going out for long,” Siobhan confessed. “This is our second date.”

  Jalen’s eyes widened. “Really? Wow.”

  “Should I be concerned?” Siobhan asked.

  Krys chose that moment to step out of the kitchen, where she had been giving Lorri and Joan hell for their out of date fire extinguisher. “Bet you guys haven’t changed the batteries in your smoke alarms in forever, either,” Krys muttered. “I’ma get you a new fire extinguisher, Lor. I can’t let you live like this.”

  “Hey, you think I don’t know who to call when my house is burning down?”

  “You also know who to call when your dumb ass flips your car over on the side of the road. Although for a true act of dumbassery, I might send one of the guys instead. Because if you want to see this beautiful, toned ass, Lor, you can call me up and offer to buy me a beer.”

  Jalen laughed. To Siobhan, she said, “Maybe you should be a little worried. Everyone knows how great her ass looks.” That garnered a sour look from Fleur. “What? You can see it for yourself! It’s right there!”

  “What’s going on out here?” Krys slammed down beside Siobhan on the loveseat. “You checking out my ass in front of your girlfriend, Jay?”

  “It ain’t like that!”

  Siobhan had no idea what to make of this banter. She was knee-deep in old friendships that had been tested to the point nothing could break the bonds. Nothing short of jealousy, perhaps. Is it really much better to have friendships than romantic relationships? Seems like they end for the same reasons. People were exhausting. Siobhan almost wished to be back home with her aunt, the woman who yelled at the TV every time her favorite person on some reality show really screwed up… whatever it was they did. Baking. Sewing. Traveling around the world. Snitching on their neighbor for cheating with the mailman…

  People were exhausting. The least Siobhan could do, though, was throw herself into suffering through these people.

  It’s not so bad. You should meet new people. Maybe you’ll finally make some friends in this town.

  “Chevelle, right?”

  She realized Fleur was talking to her. “Siobhan,” she said. “The Gaelic name.”

  “Ooh, I love Gaelic names! You must be Irish, with hair like that!”

  And you must be one Nosy Nellie. Siobhan put on a fake smile and said, “My name isn’t O’Connor for nothing.”

  She didn’t expect Krys to slam an arm around her shoulders. Yet before Siobhan could ask her what gave her the right, Krys said, “Take it easy on her, would you? She already probably thinks you lot are a bunch of dumbasses.”

  “Stop projecting how you feel onto her!” Lorri called from the kitchen. “Sorry about that.” That quieter voice was a result of Lorri carrying a dish to the table closer to the living room. “Putting up with Krys means putting up with her big mouth.”

  “You all have big mouths,” Joan muttered behind her partner. “Anyway, dinner’s ready.”

  If Siobhan thought that food would shut up a few mouths, she was sorely mistaken. This was small town America, where old friends talked with their mouths open and every other mumbled word was either about college sports or professional athletes in trouble. That was spurred when Jalen made her girlfriend Fleur tell the whole table about an acquaintance of hers in Hollywood. Apparently, some baseball player keen to get into acting and had already botched it by getting caught with steroids.

  “The steroids won’t cost him a career in acting,” Fleur explained, “but his inability to sit on a set long enough to film a few scenes will!”

  For some reason, everyone thought that was hilarious. Are they laughing because she’s a celebrity? Because they like her? Or am I missing something about the story? Siobhan picked at her food, which was perfectly good. At least she hadn’t been lied to about that.

  “You guys remember those cats I found at the Longfellows’ a while back?” Krys said during a small lull in conversation. She soon pointed to Siobhan, currently stuffing her face with noodles. “She’s the one I took them to. I showed y’all the pictures I took last time I was over there, right?”

  Joan sighed into her glass of water. “I want kittens.”

  “You’ve already got one,” her partner said, pointing to the growing stomach beneath Joan’s
clothes. “That’s why we can’t have any.” To the table, Lorri explained, “We ain’t getting no pets until the kid’s old enough to mind its manners around animals.”

  “Yeah, yeah, you’ve told me already.” Joan broke off a piece of bread and shoved it into her mouth. Pregnancy moodiness. See it all the time in animals. Horses got particularly moody when pregnant. There was one horse owner in the area who had a permanent shiner on his face from that time a horse was tired of him being all up in her business. You should probably back away, Lorri.

  “It’s true that she brought me these little kittens out of nowhere,” Siobhan said, speaking up for the first time in a long while. “Imagine my surprise when I came home to find her standing in my driveway with a basket full of…” She almost did it. She almost made a crass joke in front of strangers. What was getting into her? Since when did Siobhan O’Connor, of all people, sink that low? “Cats.”

  “Guess she has to be a softie sometimes.” Lorri almost choked on her dinner when she said that. “Go figure. The woman who wrenches people out of their cars and puts out the fire in my kitchen is a big ol’ softie.”

  “Give me a reason to be soft, and I’ll be like that Downy bear from the nineties.” Krys turned to Siobhan. “Remember the Downy teddy bear? He was always makin’ love to those towels. Really messed me up as a kid.”

  Siobhan really did not know what to say.

  “Screw you, Krys,” Jalen said across the table. “Now I’ve got that Charmin song stuck in my head.”

  “I know the guy who wrote that jingle,” Fleur said.

  Every time the conversation started going one way, somebody had to go and redirect it. Siobhan could hardly follow what anyone said, but she knew one thing – they put their hearts and souls into whatever they shouted above the other person. It’s like a dysfunctional family dinner. When one wasn’t showing off a girlfriend, another was chiding someone else for not talking about the giant elephant in the room. Although Joan appreciated it if nobody referred to her as an elephant, thank you very much. She said the reason she wore such baggy clothes that summer was because she didn’t want people guessing she was pregnant until it was safer to announce it this time around. “She’s had a couple of miscarriages,” Krys explained at one point. “They’re really cautious about making announcements.” Now it was because she was embarrassed about how much weight she had already put on. Lorri proudly announced that it meant the baby was strong and healthy, obviously.