by M. A. Grant
A deep, heated flush burns up my neck into my cheeks while Catherine sputters. Richard was one of my worst boyfriends … or whatever he was since he never wanted us to be seen in public together. At the time, I’d appreciated the lack of emotional pressure about taking our relationship more seriously. Then I found out he was screwing three other girls on the side.
When we broke up, Catherine provided me a shoulder to cry on and bought me the twenty rolls of plastic wrap I used on his car. The bastard shouldn’t have cheated on me. Catherine made me promise I would never, ever consider Richard again, no matter how handsome and charming he tried to be when he realised he’d made a mistake.
And now Jake’s thrown me to her indignant, misplaced rage. I can’t even argue against his story because the truth would come out and I’d be in a bigger mess.
The smug grin on his face tells me he knows that.
I give him my best death-stare as Catherine launches into a stern lecture. He ignores me and starts some kind of manly conversation with Dallas.
Another reason to add to the good doc’s list of why I can’t stand Jake and why anything between us could never last: he always has to get in the last word. Well, I’ll be damned if I ever let myself be weak enough to feel warm fuzzies for him again.
Chapter 3
‘Spaghetti?’ Nelson protests as he glances at our shopping list. ‘Doesn’t Travis know how to cook anything else?’
‘I doubt it.’ I drag a cart out. ‘Want to split up?’
‘No point,’ Nelson replies. ‘Come on. Let’s get this over with.’
We wander the aisles, smiling and nodding at locals who greet us. It’s one of the weird benefits of working here. We’re a smaller department, but due to our proximity to larger cities like L.A., we get plenty of funding and a continual rotation of new recruits looking to pad their resumes before leaving for the big city. Those of us who stick around for more than a few years get recognised when we’re out in public. I learned a lot at the academy, but dealing with small childrens’ exuberance wasn’t part of it. I guess I’ll have to learn how to put up with it if I manage to stick around long enough to try for captain like I want.
‘So run this by me again,’ Nelson’s saying as we head for the sauce aisle. ‘Why don’t you like this chick?’
He’s still on the whole Maya thing.
‘Fuck off,’ I grumble at him, making sure no one near us can overhear.
He pretends not to catch that. ‘Is she a freak or something? Is she hideous? Why won’t you say anything else?’
I open my mouth to respond, but we round the corner into the aisle and I freeze. Nelson, who hasn’t been paying attention, slams into the cart and swears, rubbing at his knee. I abandon him and hurry down the aisle.
Speak of the devil.
Maya’s clambered up to reach for a bottle of sauce at the back of the top shelf. She drags it closer and closer to the edge with painstaking stretches of her fingers. Unfortunately, she’s not tall enough to see it’s about to fall down and clock her in the head.
It’s starting to tip—a movement that makes her eyes widen in concern—when I reach her. One hand lands on her upper back, nerves searing from the sensation from soft, warm flesh exposed by her halter top. My other hand pushes the bottle back onto the shelf. She lets out a sigh of relief and, still clinging to the metal shelves, glances over at me. For a split second before recognition sets in, her back’s relaxed, her face gentle. Then she realises who rushed to her aid.
Her smile dips momentarily into a frown before returning to a more neutral expression. ‘Jake?’
I step back, dropping my hand from her, and stuff my hands into my pockets. ‘Hey.’
We stand there in painful politeness until she breaks the silence. ‘What are you doing here?’
I jerk my head toward Nelson, who’s retrieved our cart. ‘Just here to pick up supplies for dinner.’
‘Nice save, Jacobs,’ Nelson calls. He throws on a big smile and directs it at her. ‘You okay, miss?’
Maya nods and climbs down from the shelves. ‘Thank you. I guess Jake got here at the right time.’
Before Nelson can ask and make a fool of himself, I make introductions. ‘Maya, this is Nelson.’
She smiles and sticks out a hand for him to shake. He’s gone a strange, flushed colour. From behind her, I give him my best glare and growl politely, ‘Nelson, this is Maya.’
Hopefully he picks up on the unspoken message: Don’t be a jackass.
He shakes her hand and doesn’t say a word. Too bad Maya’s connected the dots. ‘Oh, you’re Nelson? From the phone call?’
Nelson releases her hand like she burned him and looks down at his boots. ‘Umm … yeah …’
She turns to me with lips twisted in irritation and says, ‘Well then, I guess Jake’s told you all about me already.’
I really shouldn’t be surprised by that, since she’s always assumed the worst about me. But her words still prick. Sex is one of those things I believe should stay private. I’d never share details about her or any other woman with the guys at the station. It’s none of their damn business.
My denial’s voiced by Nelson. ‘No.’
She and I both blink at that. Her head turns toward him. ‘Sorry, what was that?’
‘Jake doesn’t do that.’
I can’t see her face, but I know the look she’s giving him when she asks, ‘Do what, exactly?’ Her eyebrow will be slightly raised, her brown eyes surprised, her weight shifting to one hip as she settles in for a longer battle.
Nelson clears his throat and looks anywhere but at her. ‘Jake doesn’t talk about that kind of stuff with us. And … I’m sorry for how I acted that morning.’
I’m not sure whether to strangle or kiss him. Maya’s returned her attention to me. Something in my gut pitches at her thoughtful expression. It’s like she’s measuring me, trying to figure out if we’re playing her. As much as I hate the idea of her not trusting me to be a decent guy, I think I hate the idea of someone making her this cautious around men even more.
Nelson mumbles some excuse to me about needing to go get parmesan cheese and vacates the aisle, leaving Maya and I alone.
‘You didn’t … you know … share any details with him?’ she asks. Her voice is a little softer than I’m used to. If I didn’t know her so well, I might even call it cautious.
It would be easy to finally defend myself, to rip into her a little bit and remind her she doesn’t know everyone as well as she thinks, but I can’t bring myself to do it. We’ve been stuck in that same pattern for so fucking long. Besides, we’re standing in the middle of a busy grocery store. My uniform reminds me that I’m representing myself, my brothers, and my career. Acting like an ass isn’t appropriate.
It’s a good excuse for behaving well. A better excuse than accepting that I’m tired of fighting with her. That I’d like to get to know this quiet, thoughtful Maya who’s standing across from me looking at me like I’m a stranger.
I answer her question with one of my own. ‘You think I’d do that to you?’
She nibbles on her lower lip and my libido shoots to attention, along with more problematic parts of my anatomy. ‘Honestly?’
I brace for the sting her answer will bring.
‘No. I don’t think you’d do that.’ Her nose wrinkles. ‘You’re too much of a gentleman for that.’
‘Why does that sound like an accusation?’ I ask drily. Seriously, is it too much to ask for a compliment from her just once?
‘It’s not an accusation,’ she protests.
‘Fine. A complaint.’ Her eyes narrow and I hold up my hands. ‘Sorry. Look, I’ve got to find Nelson. Need me to get down anything else from the shelf for you?’
‘No. I’ll manage.’
I step away, but the soft call of my name has me turning. ‘You say something?’
It’s rare to catch Maya off guard. She looks younger, unsure, her fingers tapping against the basket’s handle. ‘Umm
… thanks. You know, for keeping me from getting hit with the jar. That’s all.’
‘Sure. Glad I could help.’ I edge toward the end of the aisle. ‘See you later.’
Nelson’s still hanging out in the cheese section when I find him. He looks up from his phone, expression serious.
‘What?’ I ask.
‘She’s hot.’
‘So?’
‘Like, seriously hot. And kind of scary.’
‘No shit,’ I mutter. I drag the cart from his grasp and continue on toward the produce aisle, leaving him trailing in my wake. He follows me, still tapping out something on his phone. We round the corner and are greeted by a young family. The youngest boy glances up at us, eyes going wide.
‘Mom,’ he yells. ‘Firefighters!’
Nelson’s phone vanishes and I take a deep breath before plastering a friendly smile on my face. It doesn’t matter if my mind’s distracted from my run-in with Maya. Right now, in this moment, the kid’s excited face is the only thing that should matter.
***
The magazines on the racks around me don’t have any headlines distracting enough to shift my attention from Jake a check-out lane over. I really wish I hadn’t seen him and his buddy stopped in the produce section, talking to a young boy about firefighting. Nelson was polite, but Jake was totally into it. He’d crouched down, explaining stuff to the kid, laughing and joking around.
I’ve never seen him grin like that before. It did weird things to my knees. Things that weren’t lust-related.
I shake my head and eye the chocolate bars. Come on. Focus on something else, anything else …
There are still two people ahead of me in this line. Jake’s line is open, but I’m not sure I’m brave enough to switch. I’m debating the merits of swapping when their pagers go off. Unfortunately, I recognise the sound. In my mind, it’s linked to a look of shuttered disappointment on Catherine’s face and Jake’s abrupt departures.
Nelson heads for the door, leaving Jake with their groceries. Without meaning to, I find myself creeping closer to the lane. Jake apologises to the clerk as he squeezes past the cart. The clerk, a sweet middle-aged woman, doesn’t seem to mind. My basket’s on the conveyor belt out of habit as I watch his perfect ass disappear through the doors.
I don’t know why, but watching him leave reminds me of that morning-after. I may never admit it to him, but I hadn’t liked watching him leave then either.
‘Give me just a second,’ the woman tells me, helping me snap back to reality.
‘They got a call?’ I ask, watching her look over the partially checked-out cart full of groceries they had to abandon.
‘Guess so. Poor boys.’ I must look bummed because she smiles and says, ‘This happens sometimes. They’re always so sorry about leaving it behind for us to clean up.’
Outside the store, the fire station’s pick-up zips out of the lot. I know Jake said that they were picking up food for dinner, but judging by the quantity of goods left behind, the meal was going to be for the entire shift, not just him and Nelson.
The cashier’s turning to clear out the transaction when I point at the bags. ‘Go ahead and finishing ringing them up. I’ll pay for it.’
She gives me a funny look.
‘I know them,’ I explain. ‘Just add my basket and I’ll make sure to drop their bags off at the station.’
‘That’s awfully sweet of you,’ she says, slowly continuing to scan their cart’s contents. ‘How do you know them?’
‘Jake, the blond guy, is my best friend’s brother.’
The woman glances up a little at that and gives me a knowing smile. ‘He seemed like quite a gentleman.’
I avoid rolling my eyes and focus on fishing my credit card out of my wallet instead. ‘That’s Jake.’
By the time everything’s paid for and the bag boy closes up the trunk of my car, I realise I’ve voluntarily thrown myself into Jake’s path. The car keys swing from the ignition, metallic clicks nearly melodious in the shocked silence.
What is wrong with me?
With the groceries purchased, it’s not like I can just go home. There’s no way I could ever eat that much spaghetti, not even if I froze all the ground beef. And then there’s the fresh salad fixings …
I have no choice. Desperate measures must be taken due to my own stupidity. Catherine picks up on the second ring. ‘Maya, what’s up?’
‘How do I get to your brother’s station?’
She’s instantly suspicious. ‘Why?’
I try to ignore the pile of grocery bags behind me when I glance back in the rear-view mirror. ‘Does it matter?’
‘Yes, it does. You hate each other. I can’t send you there without giving him some warning.’
Her defence of Jake makes sense. He’s her brother. He took on the role of parent, brother, cheerleader, and general alpha-hole when she needed him most. But I’m her best friend, dammit. Where’s my support?
‘I’m not going to attack him or anything!’
On the other end other end of the line I hear the sharp buzz of an air ratchet. I sigh. ‘Are you having lunch with Dallas again?’
‘Maybe.’
‘Oh honey, you’ve got to get over him.’
Catherine has an uncanny ability to ignore me when I say something she doesn’t like. ‘Why do you need to go by the station?’
‘I just ran into Jake at the store, but they got a call and had to leave. I have their groceries in my car.’
Catherine giggles. ‘Were you able to fit them all? I’ve seen the way they eat.’
‘Barely. Does delivering your precious brother’s dinner count as a valid reason to get the station address?’
Catherine laughs and gives up the goods. It takes me a while to hunt down the place. It’s an expansive building made of brick and weathered from years on the shoreside. Though cars fill the parking lot, no one answers when I knock on the locked entry door. There doesn’t appear to be anywhere I can dump the groceries and run, so I return to my car and hunker down until the men’s return. At least I have time to reread Antony & Cleopatra—a good thing since auditions for it are coming up.
Nearly three hours later, I’ve managed to read the play and am going through it a second time to start taking notes. The arrival of the engines is a welcome surprise. I get out of my car and wait in the lot, taking in the scene. The bays open, the engines park and firefighters spill out, laughing and talking. Even from this distance, the camaraderie is evident.
‘Maya?’
I straighten when I notice Jake making his way toward me. He’s still dressed in his turnouts. His cheeks are smudged with soot and his hair is mussed from its time under his helmet. His shoulders are relaxed, his face out of its normal scowl.
I now understand the fireman fantasy some women have. If the rest of his crew wasn’t here, I’d be on him in a second.
If I were still thinking of him that way, I mean. Which I’m totally not. The idea of dragging off his coat and running my fingers down his abs as I work toward the pants isn’t running through my mind. Working the zipper down as I crouch in front of him—
He’s confused. ‘What are you doing here?’
Oh, right. He’s talking to me. Abort fantasy sex.
I shoot for what I hope is a genuine friendly smile. ‘I brought you your groceries.’
‘My groceries?’ Understanding dawns. ‘Thank you. That was really nice of you.’
His genuine appreciation throws me off. I take a small step back and gesture at my car, trying to hide my discomfort. ‘Well, they’re here if you want them.’
He looks over his shoulder and hollers, ‘Jeff! Nelson!’
Nelson and another guy come over. Nelson greets me and the other guy holds out a paw that engulfs my hand when he shakes.
‘Jeff,’ he says by way of introduction. He’s tall and wide, older, with crow’s feet around his eyes and a hint of grey in his moustache.
‘Maya. Nice to meet you,’ I reply.
‘She brought us our food,’ Jake says to Nelson.
Nelson looks at me. ‘Seriously?’
Again, appreciation. And my reactionary uncomfortableness. I jerk my thumb over my shoulder. ‘I just … you guys seemed busy. Catherine said I could drop it off.’
‘You’re Catherine’s roommate?’ Jeff asks. ‘The actress?’
‘I was her roommate.’ I tilt my head. ‘How do you know that?’
Jeff chuckles. ‘Catherine’s talked about you. Is your car unlocked?’ He opens the door and jumps back into the conversation like he didn’t interrupt himself. ‘She said you’re good.’
‘I’m okay, I guess,’ I say as Jeff starts handing bags out to Nelson and Jake. Once their arms are laden with the plastic bags, he loads up his own arms and gestures for me to close the hatch.
Nelson’s already heading back inside, but Jake and Jeff still stand there. I fiddle with my car keys and give an awkward wave. ‘Well, I guess I’ll see you guys later. Have a good night.’
‘You should stay,’ Jeff announces.
‘I don’t want to get in the way—’
‘You won’t. Least we can do to thank you.’ And like that, Jeff heads toward the station.
There’s really no polite way of extricating myself from this disaster. How many times have I heard Catherine complain that Jake’s life at the station is the second most important thing in the world behind her? We may not get along, but I refuse to embarrass him here or make him look bad in front of his co-workers. And with our annoyingly volatile relationship, there’s no chance of avoiding that. Could I lie and claim I’ve got an audition to go to? Maybe have some homework to do for a class?
‘Please.’
My heart catches in my throat and I snap my eyes up to Jake’s face. He’s still standing there with bags on his arms, looking all kinds of confident and happy and … friendly.
‘It’d be nice if you’d stay for dinner,’ he adds in case I didn’t understand his previous statement.
The word squeaks out when I realise he’s not joking. ‘Really?’
‘Come on,’ he says, turning toward the station. ‘I’ll give you the tour.’