by Lisa Lace
“I wanna stay at home.”
“Sorry, kiddo, but Daddy and Aunt Kacey have work. Grandma gets tired easily nowadays. You have a lot of energy, you know. It’s only three days a week. You can manage that.”
“Nooooo!”
“What do you mean ‘no’? I thought you were a big girl now. Going to school is what big girls do. You’ll have fun with Samantha today, and on Thursday, Grandma told me you’re going to make cookies with her.”
I pulled up on the street outside the preschool and managed to pull a very reluctant girl out of her booster seat. Harriet dragged her feet dramatically and threw her head back with a groan, eventually stomping after me with a grimace, her little backpack on her shoulders.
I took her to the classroom and raised my eyebrows in surprise when I peered around the doorway and saw how many kids they had this year. There were dozens of them, already running around and throwing tantrums, making messes and falling over. It looked like Mrs. Gatsby had her work cut out for her this semester.
I knelt down to talk to Harriet. She wrapped her arms around my legs like a capuchin monkey and was burying her head tearfully into my thigh. I peeled her away from me and held her by the shoulders, trying to catch her eye as she hung her head dolefully.
“Look at how many kids there are to play with this year! You’re going make so many friends!”
Harriet burst into tears. “I… wanna… stay… with… you!”
“I know, sweetie, but Daddy’s gotta work.”
“I… wanna… stay… with… Grandma!”
I smiled and raised my eyebrows. “And if Grandma’s busy, I’ll bet you want to stay with Aunt Kacey… am I right?”
Harriet sniffled and sobbed, clinging to my hand. I glanced at the clock and sighed. “It’s only for a few hours, Harriet. I know you can do it.”
I heard a light laugh behind me and turned around to see a woman who was not the familiar middle-aged Mrs. Gatsby in her sagging stockings and hand-knitted cardigan. This was a young woman — late twenties, I guessed — with a slim figure, mid-length dark hair and gentle, smiling eyes. Kneeling down, I found myself at her feet, and couldn’t help but let my eyes wander up her shapely calves, to her waist, and finally to her face. She had high cheekbones, dusted lightly with blush, and her shapely lips were colored a deep red.
She knelt down beside me, and I caught the scent of jasmine perfume. I felt my blood run hotter and took a longer glance at this stranger. She wore a short-sleeved white blouse made of a silky material that clung to her hourglass figure and a knee-length pencil skirt accentuating her ass. I felt like I recognized her from somewhere.
“Having trouble?”
“My little girl doesn’t feel like going to school today.”
The woman turned to Harriet with mock shock on her face. “Are you kidding me! What’s your name?”
“Harriet.”
“Tell me, Harriet, what’s your favorite thing to do?”
Harriet grew shy and tried to hide behind me. I gave her an encouraging nudge.
“Painting.”
“Painting! No way! Guess what, Harriet? That’s exactly what we’re doing today. How about you sit at my table, ok? I’ve got some great colors. What’s your favorite color?”
“Pink.”
“Really? Mine, too! Well, I’ll make sure I save us the pink paint. Will you paint me a picture today?”
Harriet’s shy smile turned into a grin, and she nodded. There was nothing Harriet liked more than having the full attention of a grown-up all to herself.
“My desk is over there.” The woman pointed to a low, round table covered with building blocks. “Go save us a seat, and let me take your backpack for you. I’ll hang it up and keep it safe.”
Miraculously, Harriet did as she was told. I stood up from where I had been crouching. I turned to the stranger with an impressed smile. “You’re good.” Suddenly, I realized how I knew this woman. Hadn’t Carla been telling me about a new preschool teacher’s assistant? Looking at the woman again, I thought I remembered her looking at me from the coffee shop across the street a couple of days ago. “You’re new, right?”
“It’s my first day.”
“I hope it’s a good one. I’m Nate, by the way. Harriet’s Dad.” I reached out to shake her hand. She closed her fingers around mine, and it took me a moment to realize I had touched her skin for a fraction of a second longer than necessary. I noticed her blushing at the extended contact. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Jenna.”
I folded my arms across my chest into a more casual position. I caught Jenna’s eyes traveling to my biceps and noticed her blush even more. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bowed her head.
“How are you finding everything so far?”
Jenna let out a light laugh. “It only took me five minutes to make an absolute fool of myself.”
“What happened?”
She gestured towards a playmat near the door. “I tripped the second I stepped into the classroom and fell flat on my face, ripping my pantyhose.”
She lifted her skirt slightly to show me the long tear on her thigh, and I felt my cock stiffen. Jenna was a beautiful woman with great legs. As if she realized the effect she was having on me, Jenna quickly let her skirt fall down and took an embarrassing step back. She raised her hands in a little shrug. “Clumsy, much? Not a great first impression.”
“That’s nothing,” I told her. “When I first started at the station, I was a little too eager to use the fireman’s pole. I leapt on that thing like I was Tarzan. Problem was the bell started to ring. I missed it by a mile and fell an entire floor, landing on my back. The boys thought it was about the funniest thing they ever saw. I still haven’t lived it down.”
Jenna laughed at my story, and I saw a slight sparkle in her eye. She tilted her head slightly and looked at me with interest, and I saw her bite down on her lip. I don’t think she even realized she was doing it and for some reason it was crazy sexy to me. I’d attracted a lot of women in my life, and they almost always wanted to make sure I knew they were available. They’d flutter their eyelashes or let down one more button than necessary on their blouse. They’d flash me flirtatious smiles or twirl their hair suggestively. It was always deliberate and coy.
Jenna, though — she had an attraction she was trying to hide, and her attempt to be demure was more alluring than anything Carla had ever done to try and get my attention. The slight pink hue rising on her neck that she couldn’t control and the way she looked away as soon as she realized she’d stared too long… There was something about her drawing me in and turning me on.
“You’re a firefighter, then?”
I grinned. I was pretty sure Jenna already knew I was a firefighter, but she was trying to pretend she didn’t. Maybe she didn’t want me to realize she had been staring at me this weekend, but it was too late for that. I was onto her. “That’s right. The station is right across from a great little coffee shop, Carla’s Coffee.”
“I know it, actually. My neighbor owns it.”
“You’ve met Carla? What do you make of her?”
Jenna smiled widely and laughed. “She’s a character.”
“You mean a flirt?”
“I don’t think so. She can’t stop talking about her boyfriend — Sam, is it? If Carla ever was a flirt, I think she’s well and truly off the market now.”
I chuckled. “You don’t know Carla very well. She’s got the amazing talent of bringing every conversation back to sex.”
Jenna’s lips curved into a smile, and she raised an eyebrow. “I’ve noticed that.”
“So, you must be living in her apartment building, then?”
“That’s right.”
“It’s a nice part of town.”
Jenna laughed. “Is the town big enough to have a bad part?”
“I guess not.”
“There can’t be that many fires in such a small town.”
“We answ
er calls all over the area, not just in Brayford — and not just fires.”
“It must be exciting work.” She looked up at me from under her lashes, completely unaware of her own appeal. She was stunning, and I felt a stirring inside me as I glanced at her again.
“Exciting, sure. Dangerous sometimes, too. Tiring. We take the good with the bad. It’s not all heroics and saving kittens from trees. There’s a dark side to what we do.”
“It must be tough.”
I heard an adult voice behind me and turned to see Mrs. Gatsby shuffling in. She spotted Jenna and smiled warmly. She gave me a wave.
“I guess that’s my cue to go,” I said. “First day’s about to begin.”
Jenna made a worried face. “Wish me luck, I guess!”
“I have a feeling you won’t need it.” I nodded toward Harriet, who was sitting in her chair like the most well-behaved girl in the world, waiting for Jenna to sit with her for the promised painting. “It looks like you’ve got a fan already.”
Jenna looked over her shoulder to follow my gaze and smiled. “She’s very cute.”
“Don’t be fooled. She’s got an attitude beneath that angel face.” I looked over at Harriet fondly. “Look after her for me, will you?”
“I will.”
“Harriet’s grandma will be picking her up today. I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”
“Sure.”
I lifted my hand in a casual gesture of goodbye and headed out of the classroom. I glanced back over my shoulder as I left to get a final glance at the new assistant’s body. She looked impeccable in her tight skirt and silky blouse. I stared just long enough to catch her tossing her hair over her shoulder. I grinned when our eyes caught. Jenna smiled, laughed, and looked away again.
I thought about her the whole drive to the station. There was something irresistible about Jenna. She was new in town and unsure of herself, but no amount of shyness or self-doubt could erase her natural sex appeal. I was intrigued by her and wanted to know more. I had the feeling Jenna was more than just a pretty face.
Ever since Marie died, I had been like a horse with blinders on. I’d seen nothing but what was right in front of me. I’d not thrown so much as a sideways glance at an attractive woman. I’d kept my head down and took one day at a time. Women were the least of my concerns. Now I felt something that had been sleeping awakening inside. A spark had ignited, and only time would tell what flames might follow.
Jenna
All day long I’d been thinking about Nate, and all day long I’d been telling myself to stop. But I couldn’t get his chiseled jaw and taut muscles out of my mind. He was so hot that his image had been seared into my mind.
And he was funny, too. I pictured him falling down the fireman’s pole and found myself laughing again. A smile had been on my face ever since I’d looked over my shoulder to watch Nate leave the preschool that morning and found him staring back at me.
I walked toward the main street with a dreamy smile on my face. Hadn’t Nate’s smile taken my breath away? Hadn’t his eyes been the exact color of the sky on the most beautiful summer day? Hadn’t his body given Adonis something to aspire to? I thought about the way I had managed to detect the rise and fall of a perfect six-pack beneath his blue shirt and felt my heart flutter.
Stop it, Jenna.
I was going to stop daydreaming and drooling. It had gotten me in trouble before. I was on the street opposite the fire station now, and glanced across to see if Nate was there. If I saw him again, it would undo all the progress I’d made pushing his face out of my fantasies.
I didn’t see him.
I was shocked at myself and my traitorous sex drive. I’d been through so much with Victor it seemed unthinkable that I could be letting those kinds of thoughts into my head again. I stood still a moment, facing the fire station, and thought back to all the times I’d stood opposite the police station, waiting for Victor to finish his shift. Nearly every night he would see me standing there waiting for him, and he’d take another twenty minutes to laugh and joke with his buddies. He never looked pleased to see me or rushed over. His day wasn’t any better when I was there.
That’s the problem with the hero type, I told myself. They’re self-centered and arrogant. That’s why they choose jobs where they get to save the damsel in distress. The last thing I needed in my life was another jerk with a savior complex making me feel bad for asking him to lower his voice because he’d been out saving lives all day. What did I matter? How could I ever compare to such a hero? That’s how Victor always made me feel. Secondary. Unimportant. Small.
I sighed at the memory but perked up when I realized I was nearly at Carla’s coffee shop. I pushed my way inside and inhaled the scent of muffins and fresh coffee grounds. Carla was behind the counter serving. As soon as she spotted me, she finished up with her customer and passed the next person over to her assistant while she made us both a latte. Moments later, we were sitting again at Carla’s favorite spot by the window.
“So?” Carla leaned forward eagerly. “Tell me how it went!”
“It went as well as possible, I suppose. I tripped over the playmat the second I walked in the door and tore my pantyhose. The kids thought it was hilarious, but their parents pretended they didn’t notice. Mrs. Gatsby tried to give me a cookie.”
“Oh, I love Mrs. Gatsby! She’s such a sweetheart. She comes in with her granddaughter on Sundays sometimes and always leaves spare change in the tip jar.”
“I told her about my course, and she was so excited for me. She still had all her study notes if I wanted to borrow them. I didn’t have the heart to tell her things have probably changed since the seventies.”
Carla laughed. “Bless her. And what about the parents? Did they treat you nicely?”
“Oh yeah, the parents were great. A couple were a bit over-attached to their kids. Usually, you have to peel the toddler off the parents, but today I had a couple go the other way!”
“Was it Lucy Bennett? She’s a helicopter parent, for sure. She comes in here with her son, he asks for a cupcake, and she makes him get fruit. What a killjoy. Then she opens the packet for him and hands him the grapes one at a time, and watches him like he’s incapable of chewing without her. It’s a lot of effort for a snack. Don’t even get me started on her daughter. She makes the poor girl wear pigtails, and she’s already fourteen.”
I giggled. “It might have been her!”
“Did the kids give you any trouble?”
“Oh no,” I smiled brightly. “Kids’ antics have never bothered me. I know some people can’t handle their tantrums, but I’ve always found them too funny to get annoyed. They’re a cute bunch of toddlers. Nothing I can’t manage.”
Carla made a face. “Rather you than me. I hate kids.”
“Really?”
“Well, hate is a strong word.” Carla took a sip of her latte and leaned forward on her elbows. “I have a strong distaste for children. They’re sticky and needy. I don’t have a bit of maternal instinct.”
“I’ve always wanted kids,” I told her wistfully. “I adore them. My sister has two. I used to spoil them rotten.”
“They sound cute. It must be tough moving far away from them.”
“It is. I miss their little faces and even their arguments. I miss my Mom and Dad, too.”
“Are you regretting your decision?”
“No.” My answer sounded weak and I decided to try again. “There’s a great opportunity here, right? It was the right move.”
“Couldn’t you have stayed in Pennsylvania?”
“Pennsylvania had nothing left for me.”
I could tell from the way Carla looked at me that she knew there was more to the story and was burning to ask, but she held her tongue and smiled warmly at me instead. “You’ll do just fine here. It’s a great town. Great people. Great neighbors.” She jerked her head towards the fire station and gave me a joking wink. “Great view.”
“Best view in town.”
“Maybe! I’m shocked at myself.”
“You’re a hot-blooded woman. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Carla grinned at me. “Speaking of which, were there any hot men at the preschool today? Jason Hasting got divorced a few months back, and he’s not bad at all. In fact, there’s a few single fathers floating around Brayford right now. Anyone catch your eye?”
I smiled. “Maybe one.” I set down my cup, rested my chin on my hand and looked hopefully over at the fire station, my eyes glazing over for a moment.
Carla howled with laughter. “Let me guess. Was Nate dropping off Harriet today?”
I flushed red. “What makes you say that?”
“Girl, you look like you’re in heat.” She held up a hand to stop my protest. “I don’t blame you! He’s gorgeous. Tell me what happened.”
“Nothing happened. He just dropped Harriet off, that’s all.”
“But he got you all fired up in the process? He’s good at doing that.”
“I’m not supposed to be looking at men right now.”
“Says who?”
“I’ve got other stuff going on in my life.”
“Pfft!” Carla scoffed. “You look pretty set up to me. Nice job, nice apartment. Seems like a man is what’s missing.”
“Trust me, I’ve had my fill of men. I just want to take a break for a while and focus on myself.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, honey. I just think you’re mad to pass up a fine man like that.”
“Who says he’s interested in me?”
“How couldn’t he be! You’re gorgeous, and there aren’t that many young, single women around here anymore. All the people we used to hang out with have paired off and settled down.”
I laughed. “So, I’d get him by default, is that it?”
“I’m just saying that the odds are in your favor.”
“Well, thanks. But I’m still not interested.”
“Was the last guy really so bad that he’s put you off men for life?”
I looked down at my coffee cup. “I need some time to get over it.”