19. Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
Brandy
I walked into the firehouse with the specific energy of a woman who had already had a full morning and had no interest in dealing with anything or anyone else.
Rich Stevens and the gossip chain that apparently ran through Denture like an underground electrical current had already used up all of my patience.
I still couldn't believe I'd had to reassure the mayor that I had neither dosed anyone with a fire hose nor punched anyone in the face.
What kind of person does he think I am? One advantage of a big city: nobody cares. Here, the gossip is off the charts. And lucky me, I'm now one of them.
I walked down the hallway leading to the chief's office when it occurred to me that less than eighteen hours ago, his lips had been on mine and his hand had been on my ass.
Well, this was going to be interesting.
Cap bounded out and met me, pressing his enormous head into my palm.
I petted him. “Who's a good boy?” I rubbed his head. “How's the mood in the office?”
Cap lifted a paw and rested it against my leg.
“I'm not sure if that's a save me or a meh, it's alright. So let's err on the side of alright.” I ran my hand down his side. “Let's do this.”
He fell into step beside me, which brought me comfort since I wasn't entirely sure what I was being summoned to.
“At least you're happy to see me,” I told Cap.
His tail confirmed this enthusiastically.
I stopped in the office doorway.
Nick was at his desk. The desk that was always clear. Always organized. Nothing on it that didn't need to be there. He had his reading glasses on. I hadn't seen those before. They gave him an air of sexy professor.
Not helping.
He was looking at something in a folder that he set down when I appeared. He looked tired. The kind of tiredness that came from not sleeping. Which I recognized because I had the same kind of tiredness.
“Hey,” I greeted him.
He took his glasses off. “Hey.”
“You wanted to see me.”
“Come in.” He gestured to the chair across from him. The chair I knew very well at this point. “Close the door, please.”
Close the door? Shit. Don't be so quick to judge. Maybe he wants to make out. Hmm. He doesn't look overjoyed to see me, so... doubt it.
I closed the door and took my seat.
Cap planted himself next to my chair, his head resting against my arm.
Nick looked at his desk for a moment. His hands were flat against it. Then he looked at me.
“I'm going to ask you something,” he said, “and I'd like an honest answer.”
“O-kay.”
He eyed me, picked up a pen, then set it back down. Only to pick it up again.
I waited, not saying anything. He called this meeting. I was content to let him run it. Besides, I got the feeling he was nervous and, I had to admit, I was enjoying it.
“Yesterday, when we...” A pause. “In the storage room.”
Another pause.
“Did you tell anyone?”
I looked at him.
Was he serious?
He looked back.
“Because from how I heard it, we had sex in the bay. Against the fire truck. And the whole town apparently knows.”
He paused.
“And I didn't tell anyone,” he continued, “so that leaves...”
“Me?” I asked. All of my cells got ready for a fight.
“I'm not accusing—”
“Are you sure about that?” I kept my voice very even and calm. The voice every woman developed somewhere around age thirty-five when she realized calm was more devastating than loud. “This is what you called me down here specifically to ask me? If I told people we had sex? Where was it again?”
“In the bay. Against the fire truck.”
“Huh.” I nodded. “Interesting. I've never had sex against a fire truck.” I folded my hands in my lap. “But that's a different story. No, Chief Carson. I did not tell anyone that.” I tilted my head. “I most certainly did not. Did you?”
“What?”
He actually looked shocked. “No. Why would I tell anyone?”
“Why would I?” I fired back.
“Are you accusing me?”
“I'm just asking a question—”
“With only one implied answer.”
I raised my eyebrows and leaned forward slightly, deliberately. Like I planned to stay right here for this conversation whether he liked it or not.
“So let me tell you again. Clearly and precisely.” I held his gaze. “I did not tell anyone that we had sex in the bay. Because we didn't. And if we had, I still wouldn't have told anyone.”
“Brandy—”
I sat back in the chair. “Besides, who would I tell? I'm new to town. That is what happens in a town of eight thousand people with a senior center that meets daily to discuss the latest,” I air-quoted, “news.” I looked at him steadily. “I don’t know who it was but it wasn't me.”
Nick's jaw was doing something I hadn't seen before. He was shifting it to the right, then to the left, back and forth. I guessed either he wanted to say something but wasn't sure he should, or he was about to explode.
I was prepared for either.
“So, again, I don't know,” I said. “I genuinely don't. What I do know is that it wasn't me, and I'd appreciate not being assumed guilty before I even opened my mouth.”
He leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled. “I know how the town is, but it doesn't go from a kiss to sex against a fire truck on its own. Not without being pumped up first.”
“Meaning?” I was starting to get hot now. It was becoming clear that he didn't believe me.
“Meaning,” Nick said, pushing his glasses on top of his head, “that perhaps the story started out a little fluffed up.” He used his hands to demonstrate the fluffing.
“And why would someone do that?” I asked, teetering on the edge of letting him have it.
“I don't know.” He lowered his voice. “Maybe to get themselves some attention.”
“Attention?” I stood because this conversation was ending and before I left, I had things to say.
“I want you to think about what you just did.” I placed my finger on his desk.
“You summoned me, after what you said yesterday, and the first thing out of your mouth was an accusation. Not an apology. Not an acknowledgment that you were wrong. Just you’re right and I’m wrong, period.
” I stopped and took a breath. Then leaned both hands on his desk.
“You know what? You have way more to gain from this gossip train.
You're a man. People hear the story and think, ‘Huh. Sex against a fire truck. Good for him.’” I shook my head.
“But I'm a woman. People hear the story and I'm instantly a slut.
Especially because I'm new to town and people don't know me yet.” I held his gaze. “Didn't think about that, did you?”
“Brandy—”
“Don't. As soon as Summerween is over,” I said, standing straight, my voice going very quiet, almost menacing, “I will stay completely out of your way. You won't have to deal with me ever again.”
“Summerween isn't happening.”
“Oh, it is.” I pointed at him. “Try and stop it.” I spun and headed toward the door. When I got there, I turned back around and looked at him directly. “I genuinely cannot believe I thought you were cute.” I stormed out.
Practically running my way toward the door, Cap came to my side, head-butting me. I placed a hand on his head.
“I can't believe you're so loving and he's so—” I didn't finish the sentence.
Jo stepped out of the kitchen door.
“Hey, Brandy—”
“He.” I stopped and pointed back the way I'd come. “He is impossible.” I continued toward the exit. “Completely and utterly impossible.”
Jo fell into step beside me. “What hap—”
“He thinks I told people. That I started the rumors so I could get attention as the new lady in town.” I turned into the bay so I could use the closer door.
“Wait, that you told people about the kiss?” Jo asked. “Brandy, wait.”
Seeing the fire truck, I stopped and put my hand on it. “Oh no. Not the kiss. I'm guilty of telling people we had sex right here against the fire truck.”
“Whoa. What the hell?”
“I think you mean, what the hell is he thinking?” I smacked the truck. “Jo, I don't even know where that came from. I only told you two, and I know you ladies wouldn't tell anyone. Because it never happened. The kiss, yes. The firetruck, no.”
Jo put her hands up. “Well, we’d never do something like that.”
“I know. I just don't understand what he's thinking.” I pushed through the bay door. The sunlight hit me and I squinted.
I knew my car was in the third spot, so I continued forward anyway.
Cap and Jo were on my heels.
“The worst part, he wouldn’t listen to a word I said,” I continued my rant. “Not one word. I was guilty and that’s that.”
Reaching my car, I crouched down and let Cap put his enormous black-and-white-spotted head in my hands for a moment.
He looked at me with his calm dark eyes, and I looked back at him, and we had a brief but genuine moment of understanding.
“I'm not mad at you.” I kissed the top of his head. “But you can tell your dad,” I said quietly, “that he's an idiot. And if you feel like peeing on his desk, please do.”
Cap wagged his tail.
“I need to go.” I stood and looked at Jo. “If I stay here, I'll just end up in frustrated tears. And there’s no way in hell I’m letting him catch me crying over him.”
“Sure. Are you okay to drive?” she asked, placing a hand on my arm.
I nodded, fighting back the building tears.
“We'll check on you later. Listen, all of this will calm down. Tomorrow people will be talking about something else.”
“It's not that.” I pointed back toward the door. “He said it was for attention.” I crossed my arms. “That’s a low blow. I actually thought I was coming here to get an apology for the ass comment. But no, I got blamed.”
Just then the alarm siren went off.
Cap pivoted and ran toward the bay door.
“Go.” I waved once to Jo.
“We'll check in.” She turned and ran for the door.
I got into my car.
The firehouse sat in front of me. Red brick and solid. Bay doors closed. An American flag moving slightly in the June breeze. Nick Carson's kingdom.
I turned the key and headed toward the back of the parking lot, not wanting to see Nick again.
I genuinely cannot believe I thought he was cute.
The siren on the truck blared to life, and I watched as the crew, with Jo driving and Cap sitting next to the stair door, headed out of the parking lot.
After they were gone, I pulled out and headed back toward my office where I planned on losing myself in my job.
An hour later, my phone buzzed, causing me to stop staring at the wall.
Ruthie: Are you alright? Jo just texted me. That…
Me: I've reached the replaying-the-situation-over-and-over stage. I'm hoping next is the incredibly pissed stage.
Ruthie: Oh no.
Me: Yep.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Ruthie: Better Than Men Cake tonight?
Me: Better make it two. I'll bring the pizza.