Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
STASSI
Austin hadn’t called or texted me and it’d been two days.
My latest book now done and in the hands of my editor, I was at loose ends.
And without a working oven. Not that it mattered.
The cobbler was the first thing I’d baked, well, ever.
I used the stovetop more, but it was sporadic at best. The microwave was my go-to appliance.
My brothers constantly teased me about my lack of cooking skills. Even Hunter, who like me was single, could cook. But Roman and Walker had lucked out and married women who at least enjoyed the process while also being exceptional cooks as they raised the next generation of Sheridans.
Oh well, at least tonight I had dinner covered.
My two besties, Callie and Mika, had a date for dinner and drinks at Evergran’s Grill downtown.
I’d texted them about the oven fire and the local fire department showing up, but hadn’t told them about Austin.
Or the powerful connection I’d experienced and tried to hide from him and myself.
I mean, that kind of thing only happened in my books, never in real life.
Yet, as the hours passed, the more I realized how much I really wanted him to contact me.
And not for a discount on a new oven. He was hot and handsome in a way that went beyond glossy magazine perfection.
Rugged check. Chiseled jawline check. Expressive eyes, double-check.
But his nose was slightly crooked, and he had a healed scar on his left cheek.
He had this energy that had wrapped around me, making me feel not just safe but cherished.
But now I questioned whether I was looking back at that night through a fantasy lens.
Maybe I initially resembled a damsel in distress, but I felt I recovered pretty well after the initial shock of the oven fire.
And he hadn’t so much as rescued me as kept me from tripping over my own feet.
It wasn’t even a rom-com worthy scene I’d write into a future story.
But there was something there. I felt it.
So why hadn’t he called or texted? But more importantly, why didn’t I make the first move?
Ooh, I was too much in my head again over this.
So I quickly changed out of my writing uniform of yoga pants, an oversized t-shirt, and a cardigan into my favorite jeans and the new burgundy blouse I’d treated myself to after finishing my book.
Dressed, I grabbed my coat and fingerless gloves.
February in north Idaho was often the coldest winter month.
The drive downtown only took me ten minutes.
Mika’s car was already in the lot. She was chronically early, which balanced out our friendship nicely since I was the opposite. And Callie was somewhere in between.
“Hey, gorgeous blouse. We already ordered drinks. Should be here soon.” Mika flipped her long black hair off her shoulders, totally oblivious to the interested stares from the table full of men a few feet away.
She’d been complaining that all the men our age were married off, so I was about to point them out when Callie asked, “What did your brother say when you told him about the fire?”
“Nice to see you, too. I haven’t told him. Oh, look, here are our drinks.” I responded, then took a big sip of my new favorite drink, a paper airplane. “Yum, thanks for remembering how much I liked this. So, what’s new with you two?”
Her comment reminded me that it was odd Hunter hadn’t called me about the fire, if only to lecture me about not having a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.
Sometimes being the sister of a captain in the local fire department was annoying, but out of my three brothers, he pried into my personal life the least, so he had his good points.
“It’s called a Paper Plane, and don’t change the subject. Did Hunter make you go through fire safety training?” Callie grinned.
The fact that Callie said his name without blushing was new.
She’d had a crush on him forever, and although we never discussed it, setting up one of my friends with him was well, the ick factor was too strong.
Plus, she’d never asked. Our friendship meant more to either of us than hooking up with my admittedly attractive brother, thank God.
“Oh, I’m sure he knows. It’s weirder that he hasn’t called you or shown up at your door yet. But I heard through Paxton that Hunter has seemed distracted as of late.” Mika’s eyebrows rose, and she nodded her head toward Callie. If Callie noticed, she ignored the gesture.
“And when were you talking to Paxton, hm? I thought you two weren’t on speaking terms?” The origin of the cold war between Mika and Paxton had been going on for the last few years. But since he returned from a sabbatical after he lost his EMT partner, things between them seemed to have thawed.
Interesting that both my friends were carrying a torch for firefighters, not that I ever teased them about it. The heart wanted what it wanted. We’d all promised to be there for each other no matter what our choices were, but especially when things didn’t work out in our love lives.
These women had been with me during and after my first disastrous marriage at nineteen. That had been fifteen years ago, and there was no one better at talking me off the relationship ledge than Mika and Callie.
“Hey, Stass. You okay?”
I took a fortifying sip, okay a long gulp of my drink before answering. “Sure. Why?” But I already knew the answer.
Callie nudged me with her elbow. “We know you. And you’re going to get your first wrinkle if you don’t stop scrunching your face like that. Me thinks something more than an oven fire happened the other day. Now spill it.”
She was right. I had Austin on the brain, and my silent boycott against dating first responders may just be in jeopardy.
“There’s a firefighter who works at the same station as Hunter, but on different shifts.
His name is Austin. He was the first one in and stayed with me the whole time.
He even took my number. Said he knew a guy who would give me a discount on a new oven. But…”
“He’s married?” Callie sounded outraged.
“He hasn’t called or texted even though you kind of hoped he was into you, but now you’re wondering if he was just being nice?” Mika’s kind eyes met mine.
My jaw dropped. “How do you do that?” I asked. Her concern overwhelmed me. I got a little teary, then released a sigh. What was going on? I never cry over missed opportunities with guys.
“It’s a gift.” Mika smirked. “Listen, I know you have this hang-up about wanting guys to prove they’re all in from the start with you, but some men, okay most men, tend not to think that deep right off the bat.”
Mika had great advice when it came to men, although sometimes Callie and I wished she’d follow her own suggestions when it came to her love life. And with Paxton. But now wasn’t the time to turn the tables on her.
And Mika was right. Tending not to give the guys I dated any reason to think I was looking for a ring because I wasn’t waiting for a knight in shining armor to sweep me off my feet.
I just wanted a man who comfortably shared his feelings right from the start.
And good sex. Not great or mind-blowing, just a nice orgasm from time to time would keep me happy.
“Well, I don’t have his number for one thing. And to be honest, I’m not sure if I’m disappointed he hasn’t contacted me because I really like him, or if these feelings I’m having are left over from that night?”
Callie had gone quiet, but Mika enthusiastically nodded.
“That’s so close to how I feel about Paxton, it’s weird to hear you say it out loud.
There are days I wish that the first time he and I met hadn’t been on the worst night of his life.
” Mika had been working the late shift in the emergency room at Harmony General that night.
She’d recently transferred in from the ICU.
And Paxton’s partner had arrived, flanked by the entire crew, clinging to life.
The ambulance they’d been transporting a patient in had been t-boned.
Paxton’s partner and the patient hadn’t made it.
Sighing, she grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Let’s save that discussion for another time. Let’s figure out what and how you’re going to get through your tangled-up emotions over Austin, kay?”
“Whoa, I think this calls for another round of drinks. I don’t know about you two, but I think we’re all on the verge of some pretty big breakthroughs.
” Callie raised her hand for the server, and after placing the order for drinks and our dinner choices, the man who’d been staring at our table since I arrived walked over.
“Ladies, sorry for the interruption. Hi, Mika. Stassi.” He held out his hand to Callie. “Hi, my name is Rex, and I work for Pineville Fire and Rescue, and my wife Heather used to work with Mika in the ICU.”
I can’t believe I hadn’t recognized him when I came in; he’d been so nice as he’d taken my vitals the other night.
Mika and Callie made small talk with Rex as I scanned the table he’d been sitting at.
Was Austin here, too? The other men at the table didn’t look familiar.
A pang of disappointment filled me. Get a grip, Stassi.
“I just wanted to see how you’re feeling Stassi, I know it’s against procedure, but I figured you’d told your friends all about the burnt cobbler incident.
” Rex’s easy smile reminded me of Austin.
No, that wasn’t right. They really didn’t look alike.
I’d measured any guy I’d seen the last couple of days against the hunky firefighter who’d quickly become all I could think about.
Had I’d been secretly hoping that I’d find someone else more attractive and this growing obsession would be squashed?
“Thanks for checking. And yes, other than having to air out my house most of yesterday, I’m good. Just need to get the oven replaced…I uh, thought….” Nope, not going to ask about Austin. “Well, I thought since I really don’t cook or bake much that I’d wait a bit.”
“Wait, Austin told me he was going to help you out with getting a good deal on a new oven, right?” An awkward silence followed when I didn’t answer.
But then his expression brightened. “You know, he’s been picking up some overtime hours and filling in for one of our EMS guys whose kid has the flu.
He’s been putting in the extra time because he really wants the next captain's position when it opens. Hey, I could text him if you’d like?
” Rex thought he was being helpful, but all his offer did was make my cheeks burn.
It was a reasonable explanation, but I couldn’t tell if it rang true or not.
It hit too close to home with what I’d gone through with my ex-husband.
He was always putting his buddies up to covering for him.
Thankfully, I caught on quickly and found out about his cheating.
But to this day it still stung, and if a guy didn’t text when he said he would, I blocked his number.
Immature? Yes. Effective at protecting my heart and my sanity? Also yes.
Besides, I wasn’t about to admit to Rex how not hearing from Austin had tied me up in knots, even if it was because he was working. It would make the moment even more embarrassing. I looked to Mika for help.
Mika came through big time. “So, how’re the kids? Growing like weeds, right? You think Heather will come back when the youngest starts school?”
Rex held my gaze for another moment. A flash of something I prayed wasn’t pity crossed his face before he turned to Mika.
They discussed his wife’s plans while I drained my second drink, desperate for a hole in the floor to swallow me up.
Darn it. I was a terrible poker player, and I’m sure my flushed face gave my feelings away.
Feelings of being so easily forgotten. Feelings I thought I had dealt with in my early twenties.
And why did I have a sinking feeling our conversation was going to get back to Austin?