Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 101466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“Makes sense.”
Our appetizers arrived, and the scent of the garlic shrimp wafted between us. My stomach growled, and we dug in, the seafood delicious.
“How many firefighters are there? I was surprised the other day—there seemed to be more than I expected.”
I grinned, feeling self-conscious. “We’re a small station, and we rely on volunteer firefighters to help keep costs down. My being there a third night actually worked well since you can’t depend on them consistently. Sometimes they’re not available to come help. But they’re part of us.”
“Does every station have volunteers?”
“Some small towns only have volunteers, aside from a captain.”
“Maybe I should become one.”
I paused, my last shrimp hanging in the air. “Lots of heights, climbing, and heavy lifting.”
“Never mind, then.”
I chuckled. “You’d rock the gear, Pixie.”
She laughed. “I think I’ll leave that to you, Thorne.”
I decided that was a good idea. I wasn’t sure I could handle Casey around the station—or going out to an incident. I’d be far too worried to concentrate.
I winked at her. “Good plan.”
The rest of the meal was incredible, and we shared our mains. I had steak, and she ordered grilled halibut. Both were equally enjoyable. I laughed when she informed me she wasn’t sharing her dessert.
“Crème brûlée, Thorne. Not a chance.”
I ordered the apple crisp, once again amused as she dipped her spoon into my dish, while keeping hers out of reach. She hummed around a mouthful. “Delicious.” She winked.
“I noticed the other day after the truck pulled in, you didn’t come inside right away,” she said. “I wondered why?”
“As soon as we return from an incident, our first priority is to refurbish the truck. Fill the water and air tanks, clean and rewind the hoses. Everything needs to be ready in case we have to head out again. Some days we do that over and over. Other days, it happens once. You never know, so you have to be prepared. We work as a team, so it only takes about fifteen minutes, usually.” I took a bite of my crisp, enjoying the bite of the cinnamon and the sweetness of the apple. “Plus, each of us is responsible for our PPE.”
At her questioning look, I smiled. “Personal protection equipment.”
“Ah.”
“Sometimes it needs cleaning, and we always need to make sure our breathing apparatus is fully filled.”
“Oxygen?” she guessed.
“Nope. Compressed air.”
“Oh.”
“Our gear has to be clean. Smoke burns, so if we’re involved in a heavy blaze, it needs to be washed down. That’s not as often as people think, but in the big city, it was a regular thing. We have two sets, which is great. Some stations only issue one.”
“Do you shower every time?”
“No. Depends on the situation. Heavy smoke, yes. Soot, yes. Medical help? No. Barbecue on fire? No. If I showered every time, some days I’d have no skin left.”
She laughed. “Can’t have that.”
“Nope.”
After dinner, we went for a walk, the main street mostly deserted this time of night. She peeked in windows and made plans to come back and check out various stores in the daytime when they were open.
We held hands all the way back to the truck, and for fun, I lifted her into the passenger seat, making her laugh. I dropped a kiss to her mouth, pressing her into the leather of the seat as I deepened the kiss. She whimpered, threading her fingers through my hair and holding me close. I broke away, my breathing deep. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips wet.
“God, you are beautiful,” I murmured.
“No need for compliments. I’m a sure thing.”
I shook my head and kissed her again. “Only speaking the truth,” I said, loosely using one of her own phrases on her.
She smiled. “Take me home.”
“Done.”
CASEY
I glanced in the mirror, hesitant. Every date Jesse had taken me on, I had worn one of Lou’s outfits. It was as if everything she had kept was perfect for what he had planned.
I had worn the blue polka-dot dress to dinner, which he had loved. The following week he told me was ultra casual. I wore a pair of her overalls I’d found in another tote with a pretty lace blouse. He took me to a double feature drive-in movie. We had popcorn and licorice. Icy-cold pop that tickled my nose. He filled the truck bed with pillows and blankets, reversing the truck into the spot in the back row so we could snuggle under the stars and watch the movies. We held hands and made out like teenagers the entire second movie. I gave him a hand job, then fell asleep with my head on his shoulder. I woke up as he was carrying me to the passenger side to slide me in.
The next week, he took me roller-skating after recalling I had told him Lou taught me when I was young. I wore the pedal pushers with a vintage T-shirt tied tight under my breasts. I put my hair up in a high ponytail, and he went wild when he saw me. The entire night at the rink, his hands were all over me, kissing me every chance he got. I was rusty at first, but Jesse was a pro, and a short while later, we were zooming around the rink like kids. I fell more than once, and the gentleman he was, Jesse rubbed my ass cheeks to “ensure they were okay.”