Rinehart clapped me on the back. “Thank you, Janson.”
“No problem, sir.”
And that was how Allen and I spent the rest of our afternoon. I didn’t mind mechanical work. In fact, I found it rather satisfying. I enjoyed problem solving, and there were no better problems to fix in my eyes than mechanical ones. A problem with a straightforward solution and a practical approach.
Allen seemed to enjoy it too, once we got into it. We bitched about how we’d rather be out on our bikes, but neither of us really seemed to mean it. Being at the firehouse and getting Gerty back up to snuff wasn’t all that bad.
And then Trace showed up with beers and pizza for lunch.
Not bad at all.
After we ate, we finished working on Gerty, and I called Rinehart into the garage as Allen got her started. Rinehart grinned and nodded at both of us. “Well done. I’m sure you saved us a pretty penny.”
Trace nodded. “More money for pizza.”
Rinehart pulled me aside. “Before you start your shift tomorrow, come see me in my office. I want to talk to you.”
I nodded. “All right.”
The chief went back inside, and Allen and Trace smirked at me. Trace nodded after the chief. “You get yourself into more shit this time, Derek?”
“I don’t think so.”
Trace chuckled. “But you can’t be sure.”
“I haven’t done anything. Not that I can think of.” But then again, I’d been blindsided before. I had an uncanny knack for acting like an idiot and not even knowing it. Maybe I was in trouble, and the chief just didn’t want to give me shit on my day off. He was a good guy like that.
Allen clapped me on the shoulder. “I’m sure it’s fine. I’ve been with you the whole time, and you haven’t done anything I’d deem as reckless or foolish. Come on. Let’s go. We can still get a couple hours in on the bikes. Unless you’re too tired.”
“Oh, get bent, Yellich.” I chuckled.
We both went out to our bikes and got on. Allen pulled away ahead of me, and I raced to catch up with him. We wove through traffic and, in some cases, between cars along the painted dotted line on the road until we hit the less populated back roads of town where we could really open up and push our bikes.
The engine roared between my legs, and I found myself wishing there was a pretty girl with red hair behind me, the inside of her thighs hugging my hips as she wrapped her arms around my waist.
If I thought hard enough about it, I could trick myself into hearing Katie’s laugh, but it was gone as fast as it came.
I wouldn’t ride this fast with her on my bike anyway.
18
Katie
Searing wasn’t known for having the best shopping. It was a small town with citizens who had other priorities besides fashion. But it did have a decent little strip mall about a mile down the beach from the pier, and that was where I met up with Emily on Saturday around eleven in the morning.
She was waiting for me at the coffee shop at one of the little tables out front. There were two coffee cups on the table in front of her. Her blonde hair was curled and tumbling loosely down her back, and she was scrolling through her phone. A smile tugged at her lips as she started typing on the screen while I crossed the parking lot.
When I dropped down into the seat across from her and said hello, she held up one finger, asking me to give her a minute.
I picked up the coffee farthest from her and took a sip. It was still hot, and she had made it just how I liked. A splash of cream. Half a teaspoon of sugar. And she’d even added a pinch of cinnamon. What a doll.
When she finished texting, she put her phone down and smiled brightly up at me. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” I said.
“How are you?”
“I’m good. Who were you texting?”
She beamed. “Brian.”
“This is the guy you have a date with tonight?”
Emily nodded eagerly and picked up her coffee. “He’s great, Katie. He totally took me by surprise. We went out the other night for gelato, and I don’t know. He just made me feel all these things that I haven’t felt in such a long time.”
I could relate to that. I was feeling the same way about Derek. He was bringing things out of me I hadn’t experienced in ages. Maybe even ever.
“I’m happy for you, Emily.”
“I need your help picking out the perfect dress for my date with him tonight.”
“Where are you guys going?”
“He says it’s a surprise, but he told me to dress up a bit.”
“How fun,” I said.
“I know! I’m so excited. And so nervous.”
I put my hand over hers. “Don’t be nervous. We’ll find the perfect dress, and you’ll knock his socks off when he sees you tonight.”
Emily beamed at me before sipping her coffee. She was the sort of girl who didn’t like being single. It was hard for her. She liked having a partner in crime and a teammate, but they were hard to come by in a small town like this. Brian sounded like he might be a really good match for her, and I was so happy to hear it.
I hadn’t wanted to talk to her about Derek because I didn’t want her to feel like I had something she didn’t, something she desperately wanted that I hadn’t wanted.
“How was your night with Derek on Thursday? Did you guys talk it out?”
The last time I’d talked to Emily had been when I told her I messaged Derek and told him I wanted to talk to him. She knew I was planning to apologize, but she had no idea I’d decided to keep seeing him.
I licked my lips.
Emily gasped. “Did you two do the deed again? Katie! You have to stop that and—”
“No! No, we didn’t have sex.”
“Oh. Good. What then? Why do you seem nervous?”
“I’m not nervous.”
“You just licked your lips. You always lick your lips when you’re nervous.”
“I do not.”
“Do too.”
I frowned at her. It didn’t matter. “I met up with him at the pier, and we talked it out. I told him I was sorry and that I wasn’t used to having male company like him. He understood where I was coming from and was really sweet about it. He said we could take it slow if that’s what I wanted.”
Emily leaned forward. “And is that what you want?”
“I think so,” I said. Then I nodded. “Yes. That’s what I want. I really like him, Emily. I don’t know where the feelings came from, but all of a sudden, they’re there, and I don’t know what to do about it, other than take it slow and keep seeing him.”
“Katie, that is freaking awesome.”
I smiled and blushed and giggled all at once. “It feels pretty good. I won’t lie.”
“Maybe one day, if things go well for both of us, we can go on a double date with Brian and Derek.”
“I don’t know if Derek is the double dating sort. I mean, he’s kind of different. I don’t know. I can’t explain it. Do guys even like double dates?”
Emily shrugged. “I don’t know. And I don’t care. Because I like double dates, and that’s what matters.”
I laughed and shook my head at my best friend. Leave it to Emily to always say exactly what was on her mind. She finished off the rest of her coffee, and we both got to our feet. “Let’s go find you that perfect dress. It’s on a rack waiting for you to rescue it.”
We looped our arms together and started at one end of the strip mall. The first store was a high-end, rather expensive boutique that sold mostly formal wear for women. The dresses were more on the extravagant side than what Emily would probably need, and as we passed a cocktail dress that had a price tag of four hundred and fifty dollars, I muttered under my breath to her that we should probably move along to the next store.
So we did.
The second store was more in Emily’s price range, and she collected a couple things to bring to her fitting room. Then she put on a fashion show for me, and I g
ave her my honest advice about each item.
The first dress she came out in was pink, skin tight, and cute as hell. It showed off her shape and had a low neckline and high hemline, leaving little to the imagination.
“I really like this one,” Emily said, twisting herself around so she could look at her backside in the floor-length mirror.
I cocked my head to the side and looked her up and down. “It does look really hot on you.”
She faced me and put her hands on her hips. “But? Come on. Be honest. What don’t you like about it?”
“It’s not that there’s anything I don’t like. I just don’t think it sends the right vibe. For my tastes, anyway. It’s a bit too low cut and too short on the leg. I mean, don’t you want to leave him curious about what’s under there?”
“He can’t see any of my really good parts, Katie. He’ll still be curious.”
“I guess,” I said.
“Less is more,” Emily said as she admired her reflection some more.
“I don’t think that applies to clothes.”
“Um, on the contrary. It applies to everything.”
I scratched the side of my nose. “Okay. Well you still have more to try on. Just remember this one.”
“’Kay,” Emily said before spinning on her heel and diving back into the change room.
I sat and listened to her hum to herself as she changed. We were the only people in the fitting room, which was nice. It was well lit with a cheap-looking chandelier hanging above my head. The spotlights in the ceiling provided the real light, as did the ones fixed around the floor-length mirror. They also made it a really hot room to sit in with my jeans and sweater on.
“Hurry up,” I hollered.
“I’m trying. This dress is complicated. So many straps and—can you help me?”
“Are you sure you want a dress that’s that complicated? Are you going to go home with him tonight?”
Emily was quiet for a minute. “Good point. Moving on to the next one.”
I smiled to myself. Good save, Katie, good save.
Emily came out in her third dress, which was a red little number that I loved as soon as she walked out in it. “Oh, Em. This looks so good on you.”
Emily frowned. “I don’t know. It’s not really my style, you know?”
I sighed. That was true. The dress was more my style if anything. It had cute cap sleeves and a wide scoop neck that would look really cute with a dainty gold choker necklace. It was tight up top and then flowed down to just above the knee. Her legs looked incredibly long and her waist incredibly thin. Her cleavage was on display, and the hourglass shape of her body was emphasized.
“You’re crazy,” I told her. “You’re a bombshell in this.”
Emily shrugged. “I think you should try it on. I don’t like it.”
“I don’t need a dress.”
“Maybe not right this minute. But you could wear it on your next hot date with Derek.”
I considered it. Derek would like the dress. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would. I smiled. “All right. Toss it over the door once you’ve got it off, and I’ll try it on.”
“Okay.” Emily went back into her fitting room.
I heard the zipper come down and then watched her feet as she stepped out of the red dress. She draped it over the door and called my name. I pulled it off and closed the door of the fitting room beside her behind me.
“You have to show me once you have it on,” Emily called.
“I will.”
We both came out of our rooms at the same time. Emily’s dress was royal blue, tight, and classy. It wasn’t as short as the red one, and it had thicker straps. I opened my mouth to tell her how good she looked, but she beat me to it.
“Katie. You have to buy that. It’s perfect on you.”
I went and looked at myself in the mirror. I liked it instantly. It was one of those garments where you look at yourself and you don’t hate anything about your reflection. A rare piece of fabric that happened to be stitched just right and fell perfectly on my body.
I ran my hands over my hips and smiled. “I think I will get it. For Derek, not for me.”
“Oh, shut up,” Emily said. “What do you think about mine?”
“I think it’s perfect. Sexy. Classy. It screams ‘Emily’.”
Emily tucked her hair behind her ear and nodded confidently. “I agree.”
We were leaving the store five minutes later with our dresses folded up nicely in our bags. As we walked back to our cars, I told Emily to call me after her date.
“Well, I might not be able to call you tonight, if you know what I mean. But I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”
I winked. “Perfect.”
“You know, I never even thought about it, but the red is perfect since Derek is a firefighter.”
“I hope it’s not too on the nose.”
Emily shook her head. “He’s a man. There’s no such thing.”
I laughed. She had a fair point.
When she stopped walking and took me by the elbow to turn me to face her, her expression had grown more serious. “I don’t want to be a downer, Katie, but I just want to warn you to be careful. I know Derek is a good man, but he does dangerous work. And I don’t want you to get hurt if one day he’s not… you know, around anymore.”
I licked my lips. “That won’t happen.”
“I hope not. But you can’t control everything. And if you’re getting serious about this guy, it’s something you should at least think about.”
She was right. Of course, she was right. And she was only looking out for me. I pulled Emily into a hug. “I love you, Emily. I’ll be careful. I promise.”
19
Derek
I was back at the station early on Sunday morning. I was the first from my crew to show, so I spent the first twenty or so minutes of my day inspecting the trucks and making sure everything was in tip-top shape. I marked my inspection on the clipboard, signed off on it, and hung it back where it always hung on the wall near the door to the rest of the firehouse.
Then I went inside and made my way to the kitchen, where I brewed a pot of coffee just as Mav and Trace showed up.
“Hey, box boy,” Mav said as he helped himself to a cup of coffee.
I moved to sit down at the kitchen table with my own mug and lifted it in greeting. “Morning.”
“How’ve you been?”
“Good,” I said.
Trace looked back and forth between us as he leaned on the counter in the kitchen. “I hear you and Allen are making headway. That’s cute. You got yourself a new little pal.”
“Just because I’m not on search and rescue right now doesn’t mean I couldn’t still kick your ass,” I warned.
Trace chuckled but didn’t say anything after that.
Mav sat across from me and leaned back in his chair. He sipped his coffee and kicked his feet up on the table. “I think it’s a good thing that Allen is finally talking to at least one of us. I mean, I didn’t expect it to be you, but who am I to judge?”
“Why not me?”
Mav raised an eyebrow. “You’re not exactly the most approachable of the bunch, Derek.”
“Fair,” I said. I’d been told that before. My attitude probably played a role in that, something the chief was actively trying to fix. I wondered where he was. Usually, he was the first to arrive in the morning by a good half hour or so, but today, he still hadn’t shown up. I looked from Mav to Trace. “Did the chief say anything about coming in a bit later today?”
They both shook their heads.
“Weird,” I muttered.
Hayden rolled into the kitchen next. He looked dead tired as he poured himself a cup of coffee and shuffled over to sit down beside me.
“Hey, man,” I said, watching him slurp at the rim of his mug. “You look like you pulled an all-nighter.”
“I was up pretty late looking at wedding stuff with Mel.”
“That soun
ds horrible,” Trace said.
Hayden shrugged. “It wasn’t at the time. But I regret it now. I think I got only three hours of sleep or so.”
“Rough,” I said.
“Tell me about it. It’ll be worth it when it’s all said and done, though. Mel has good taste, and thank goodness we both want a small wedding. You should see the price of some of this shit. It’s asinine.”
“Asinine?” I asked with an arched eyebrow.
“It means incredibly foolish or stupid,” Mav said.
“I know what it means,” I said defensively. “I’ve just never heard Hayden use it. Mel sure is making you smarter, hey buddy?”
“I won’t deny it.” Hayden smiled. Then he nodded at me. “How are things going with Katie?”
“Oooh, Katie?” Trace asked, coming over and pulling out the seat beside Mav. “Yes. Do tell us how things are going with Katie.”
“No,” I said flatly.
Hayden nudged me with his elbow. “Come on. Allen said the two of you have been spending time together for the last couple of weeks. You like her?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t tell you morons. I’d never hear the end of it.”
“That’s true,” Mav said.
“Quite,” Trace agreed.
Hayden shrugged. “You’ll tell me later.”
He wasn’t wrong. I just had no intention of telling every single guy at the firehouse how great things were going with my girl.
When had I started referring to her as ‘my girl’?
Chief Rinehart came around the corner into the kitchen. His eyes locked with mine, and he motioned for me to stand up. “A word, Janson?”
“Yes, sir,” I said, rolling to my feet and leaving my half-empty coffee mug on the table. As I walked down the hall to the chief’s office, I could hear Trace and Mav making oohing and aahing sounds at my back like I was being marched to the principal’s office for detention.
Rinehart held his door open for me and closed it when I stepped inside. He motioned for me to sit as he walked around his desk, so I sat, and then he sank down into his own chair like he was an old man riddled with age and stress.
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