“Okay. That sounds good. So what happened between then and this morning that has you spooked?”
“Nothing and everything,” Meg admitted. “I want to keep things casual, but it’s hard. I like him, Anne. His job scares me and I’m not ready to give up on my career, but I still really like him.”
“Okay, what can we do to fix this?” Anne said.
“Wave a magic wand so I don’t fall for him,” Meg said.
“I wish I could. Then I’d wave it over myself and make sure I never weaken where Cal is concerned,” Anne said, parking behind the diner. She let the car idle as she put the top up and turned it off.
“We could make a killing with a wand like that.”
Anne smiled at her. “Too bad it’s not real. We have to figure this stuff out on our own.”
“I know. I just wish it was easier,” she said. “Why did I have to meet Rory now?”
“Fate.”
“Fate,” Meg agreed. “I guess it’s the universe’s way of making sure I really want that show of my own.”
“It might be.”
Anne got out of the car and went into the diner. Meg followed her inside, then went behind the counter to make a pot of coffee. She really needed caffeine this morning. Leon, the short order cook, arrived and waved good morning to Meg as she poured herself and Anne a cup of joe.
Meg sat at the counter watching as her sister opened the front door and turned the “open” sign. She wasn’t getting any closer to figuring out what she was going to do. But she knew what her problem was. She was afraid of leaving. Afraid of what she was starting to feel for Rory. But most of all, afraid that she was making another mistake.
Meg had already decided to leave home again and go for her dream. But she’d also decided that she’d sleep with Rory and keep it just about sex. Neither decision was turning out to be easy.
She took a sip of her coffee and realized she’d forgotten to put sugar in it. As she stretched for the sugar bowl on the counter, the bell on the door rang. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Charlie, the boy who’d been in her group at the firehouse and had been the last to go down the fire pole.
“Hi, Miss Meg.”
“Hello, Charlie. What are you doing today?”
“Helping Mom with errands,” he said, offering her a big smile that revealed he was missing one of his front two teeth.
“I bet you are a big help,” she said.
“He is,” his mom said before coming into the diner and leading the way to one of the booths.
Meg watched them together and felt a pang. Would she ever have a family? Later, she thought, shaking her head. Right now, she had to focus on her career. But would that be enough for her? For a moment, she wished that life could go back to that simpler time when leaving Twin Palms seemed like it would solve all of her problems.
ALTHOUGH RORY had chosen his place because it was in a quiet residential neighborhood, after he got home and showered and changed, he realized it was too quiet. Pat was sleeping in the guest room, but that was good. He didn’t want to talk.
Rory remembered what Pat had said about his nephew needing a place to stay at the end of the summer. Given that Meg was planning to leave then, it might be a good idea to have Josh around.
He went on his porch so he wouldn’t wake Pat and called his brother, Ian.
“Fire House Seven.”
“Hey, Molly, it’s Rory, is Ian there?”
“Hey, little O’Roarke. Let me check for you,” she said.
Molly had been the dispatcher at Fire House Seven for as long as Rory could remember. And she loved calling him “little” even though he was fully grown. Still, he was the youngest O’Roarke, and, in many eyes, the baby of his family. Though he’d never felt that way.
“It’s Ian,” his brother said, answering the phone.
“Hi, it’s Rory. Are you still going to Daytona next week for the race?”
“Yes, we are. You want to join us?”
“I do. Pat mentioned that Josh might be looking for a place to stay for a while,” Rory said.
Ian sighed. It wasn’t a good sound. “Yeah, I guess so. He’s not talking to me. But Pat can do no wrong.”
“Remember when I was like that with Dad, and would only talk to you?”
“It’s different, Rory. You’re my kid brother and we are dealing with my son. This is the first time he’s ever shut me out.”
Rory felt for his brother. “I guess he inherited your stubborn streak.”
Ian laughed. “Not mine. I’m the reasonable O’Roarke.”
Rory had to laugh at that. “Since when?”
“Helene was pretty darned obstinate,” Ian said. There was fondness and a slight longing in his voice.
There were times when Rory missed his sister-in-law a lot. She had been perfect for Ian and acted like a mother to all of the O’Roarkes. It had been nice while it lasted. But she’d passed away a little over six years ago, and there were times when Rory still couldn’t believe it.
“You seeing anyone?” Rory asked.
“Hell, no. I’ve got my hands full raising teenage boys—stubborn teenage boys. Who’d want a part of that?” Ian said. “And I’m up for promotion.”
“Chief?”
“Yeah. Not sure if I’m going to go for it. But Hank is going to be a junior next year, so he won’t be home too much longer. The timing is pretty good.”
His brother took his job as a father seriously, but Rory suspected that once Hank was out of the house, Ian would throw himself into his job. Rory understood. It was a lot safer to just fight fires than to risk heartbreak. “You’ll make a good chief. Probably as good as the old man.”
“You think so? In my mind, I’m still trying to fill his boots and not quite getting there,” Ian said. “He’s coming with us to Daytona. Andi’s being cagey about coming over, will you give her a call?”
“I’ll mention it to Tuck later today. He’s investigating a fire just outside of town.” His brother-in-law was one of the small team of arson investigators who covered this part of Florida. Andi and Tuck lived in Auburndale about twenty minutes from Twin Palms.
“Arson?”
“I think it was a cigarette in the bed, but the chief wants to make sure there was no foul play. The entire house burnt down.”
“Rough. So you’ve had your first big fire since you got back,” Ian said. “How was it?”
“It was like I never left,” Rory said, hoping if he said it enough times, the words would be true. He wasn’t about to admit to Ian that he was still a little scared.
“I knew it. You’ve got firefighting in your blood,” Ian said. “We all do. I don’t know why I’m pushing Josh to go to school.”
“Because you want better for him. Remember when Dad said that to us?”
“I do. I hate to admit it, but I’m getting more like the old man every day. The older the kids get, the more I understand Dad.”
Rory laughed. “You’re making an argument for staying single.”
“Nah. It’s good. The old man is smarter than all of us.”
“Yeah, he is. You know what I admire about him?” Rory said. “That he always made us feel as if we were as important to him as the fire station.”
“Me, too. I guess that’s why we all followed in his footsteps,” Ian said. “I’ve got to run, but I’ll text you the info about where we’re camping.”
“Sounds good. See you, bro.”
“See you.”
When Ian hung up, Rory got to his feet and looked around his big empty house. He needed something more. Something he hadn’t realized he was missing until last night when he and Meg had stamped their relationship with an end date.
God, he felt like he was the subject of a sad country music
song. He needed to get out of here and clear his head. He got on his Harley and headed to town. As he neared the firehouse, he passed Meg walking on the sidewalk on Main Street. He glanced over at her and noticed that she saw him. She started to wave, then dropped her hand. He got it.
They were strangers now, intimate strangers. And he’d do well to remember it.
Chapter Sixteen
THE DAY FINALLY arrived for Meg to take possession of the Clapham place. She met Pat for the first time out at the house. She’d noticed him the day he’d had lunch with Rory at the diner and for a moment, she wondered if Rory had mentioned her to his brother.
Once the social niceties were over, Meg said, “I was hoping we could walk through the place and make some notes. I know you’re recovering from an injury. Will you be okay to walk on the uneven ground?”
“I’m fine. Did my little brother tell you I was injured?” Pat asked.
“He did, but he didn’t say much beyond that. Other than the fact that you are a brilliant carpenter, of course.”
“That I am,” Pat said, with a cocky grin that reminded her of Rory. “Rory mentioned that you’re involved in some kind of show?”
“Sort of. It’s an audition for HGTV. On Monday, a crew will join us to walk through the house. Do you mind being on camera?”
He shrugged. “I don’t care. It’s not my ambition to be on TV.”
“Fair enough. Let’s get started.”
Pat followed her through the house. She talked about her vision for each room and he told her what was possible.
“I’m going to spend the rest of the day doing some sketches. I think our first priority is a better front entrance. I have a door that I found at the flea market but it needs new glass. Is that something you can do?”
“Definitely,” he said. “But I’m going to need to set up a workshop and get some tools.”
“I’ll go to my storage unit and bring the materials we need to get started,” she said. After discussing fees, she promised him she’d have a contract drawn up by her lawyer before he started work.
She made a quick trip into town to run a few errands, and then she turned back toward the house. She couldn’t wait to get started.
The first thing she had to do was figure out what to call the house. She couldn’t just keep calling it the Clapham place. She’d have to think about it . . .
Once she got back, she quickly got to work. She started by sketching the interior, moving from room to room so that she’d have a notebook of what she wanted it to look like when she was finished.
There were a few structural things that needed to be fixed first. She put those on Pat’s list. She had her Nikon SLR and took a few photos to document the house as it was today.
Once Pat returned, she walked through each room again, with him this time. He also made notes about what had to be done. Meanwhile, she jotted down a timeline in her journal. She’d have to talk to Cooper, the producer, and find out if he’d solidified when his crew would be filming everything. She knew that all projects had deadlines.
She walked away from the house looking for a good cell phone signal, through the overgrown yard area to the cluster of wild oak trees that were in the back near her lot line. She stopped in the shade of one of the trees to cool off from the summer heat and noticed acorns all over the ground.
She glanced up at the solid branches and an idea that she’d seen on a DIY website sprang to mind—a swing/bed under the trees. It was the kind of the element that might give her the edge over the competition.
Or at least, that’s what she tried to tell herself. Because, in her mind, all she could see was herself and Rory lying there, swaying under the summer sky.
She shivered as she remembered the feel of his body pressed against hers and how it had felt when he’d entered her. She didn’t want their one night together to be their only night. But she knew that she wasn’t really ready for more, not while trying to get this house ready and planning to move. It was just too much.
Leaving was going to be hard enough as it was. Starting something with Rory had stupid written all over it.
Looking down at her phone, she realized she finally had a decent signal, so she texted Cooper to find out his schedule. Leaning against the trunk of the oak, she looked around the acre of land that was hers and felt a sense of accomplishment.
She’d always known that if she put her mind to it, she could make her dreams come true. Of course, having the courage to put her dreams into motion had been her weakness in the past.
Her phone rang from a blocked number. It was probably Cooper calling back.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Meg. It’s Rory.”
“Hi,” she said. “Why are you calling?”
“I thought I’d ask if you wanted to go to Daytona with me next weekend to watch the NASCAR race?”
She wanted to. She was so tempted by the thought of spending time with him away from her tiny hometown, but she also knew that he hadn’t been too pleased with the fact that she’d just wanted him for sex.
“I don’t know if I can. I have a lot of work to do and the schedule is pretty tight.”
“When will you know for sure? I know this is short notice, but I’d love to have some company. In the interest of full disclosure, I should let you know that my dad, brother and nephews will be there as well,” he said.
She wanted to see Rory with his family, to see how he reacted when he was around the people who knew him best. “I don’t know. I’m waiting for the producer to call me back. Pat is already very busy. Thank you for recommending him.”
“Thank you for agreeing to hire him. He needs the work. I think the fact that you haven’t said ‘no’ means you want to go. We can ride over on my motorcycle,” he teased.
She laughed. “What makes you think I will say yes to that?”
“You can’t resist danger.”
In her heart of hearts, she wished that was true. But what she really couldn’t resist was Rory. And that scared her. So, as much as she might want to go with him, she’d have to refuse. It was for the best. Of course, she knew she’d feel differently in the middle of the night.
“I’m going to have pass this time,” she said.
“Okay. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks, Rory,” she said, disconnecting the call.
She walked toward the rundown house that was her future and understood that only by being strong would she to be able to change her life. Rory wasn’t a part of Twin Palms, but he was the epitome of everything that she was running from. The danger that he thought drew her in was the thing that had forced her hand and made her realize that only by leaving home would she ever find real peace.
Sweat dripped down the back of her neck as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and forced Rory out of her mind. Then she got to work tearing out cabinets in the kitchen and pretending that she wasn’t wishing things had been different.
RORY WENT TO the gym at the firehouse and worked out as if his life depended on it. He had the Beastie Boys playing loudly on his iPhone, and had been running on the treadmill for forty minutes when someone came into the room and stood next to his machine. He wiped the sweat from his brow and hit the stop button as he recognized his brother-in-law.
He held his hand out. “How’s it going, Tuck?”
“Not bad. We’re just back from Chi-Town visiting my mom and sister. Your sister sends her love and told me not to come back until I had a definite date when you would come and visit us. We only live twenty minutes from here.”
Andi was used to being in charge, and she never missed the opportunity to help her brothers remember that fact. Tucker Fields was probably the one guy who’d ever been able to handle her. And he was definitely the first guy to see past her tough-girl attitude and treat
her like a lady.
“Fair enough. I am on rotation but I’ll let you know when I’m off again. I’m going to Daytona to meet Ian on the fourth. You guys want to come?”
“Nah. I’m not that into racing. Besides, I know Andi’s working then. And I couldn’t go without her.”
“She’s such a control freak,” Rory said.
“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” Tuck said, with a laugh.
“Smart man. Are you here for the Delany fire?”
“Yeah. I’ve already read the reports. I’m going to need to talk to the woman who was parked by the road.”
“Uh, I think she’s harmless enough. I already talked to her,” Rory said.
He didn’t want his brother-in-law questioning Meg about the fire. Not that she’d reveal anything personal, but he sensed that she didn’t like everyone knowing her business.
“Well, that’s great, but it’s my job to talk to everyone involved,” Tuck said. “You interested in her?”
“She’s pretty enough, but not long for this town,” Rory said. “Let me get a shower and then we can continue this conversation. I’m off shift in an hour. Want to grab a bite to eat?”
“Yeah. I was going to stay in town tonight. Can I crash at your place?”
“Yeah. Pat’s staying with me, too. I’ve had more company since moving here than I ever had in all my years in Daytona.”
“You were with Natalie then. She didn’t exactly make your family feel welcome.”
Tuck had a point. Nat hadn’t been big on the O’Roarkes. She hadn’t liked the way they talked and fought and drank. That should have been his first clue that she wasn’t the right woman for him.
But in other ways, she’d suited him. Not like Meg did, though. Natalie had been good in bed, but sex with her hadn’t shaken him to his soul the way it had with Meg.
He showered and dressed and joined the rest of his crew in the rec room where they were watching television while waiting to talk to Tuck about the Delany fire.
In The Heat 0f The Night (The O'Roarkes Duet Book 2) Page 14