Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
RHETT
Morgan's car needed a little work, so they left it at the service station to get that work done, but it didn't cause much of a problem for Rhett. Even though she assured him that she could take the bus to the school in the morning, Rhett assured her that she should take his Silverado in to the school. He'd catch a ride home after his shift.
This time it was Cowboy who dropped him off.
The lieutenant was headed home, and it didn't change his schedule all that much to sidetrack to the apartment complex and get back on the road.
It made him smile when he got into their apartment, and he could smell her scent in the air.
That, and some fresh brewed coffee.
Setting his duffel bag down near the laundry nook in the kitchen, Rhett moved over to the counter and read the note that she left for him.
Hey!
Hope you got home safe!
Thanks again for loaning me your truck.
You'll have to give him a name before I do.
See you this afternoon,
Morgan
He poured himself a cup of coffee and breathed in its scent.
It was so different from so many other times that he'd come home to an empty apartment.
Before Morgan came to live in San Antonio, his apartment felt cavernous when he was there by himself.
He'd rarely spent time just sitting around in the apartment. He'd go to the gym in the basement and work out. Or he'd go for a run around the neighborhood. Then he'd come back to shower and eat and sleep to get ready for his next shift.
Now, he found himself looking forward to the afternoon on one of his days off. An afternoon where Morgan would come back to the apartment, and they'd have time together.
First, he'd get a shower so he could wash his uniform.
No, not his bunker gear, which was different. But his slacks and T-shirt needed to be washed, along with his regular clothes that he wore during his time off from the firehouse.
He took a sip of the coffee and felt the warm brew pool in his stomach. Perfect.
Rhett set it down and crossed to the bathroom to grab the hamper. He picked it up and moved it through the heart of the apartment to set it down in the laundry nook. It didn't take long to put his clothes in the washer. He'd offered to do Morgan's laundry, but she'd begged off, insisting that she needed something to do when he wasn't around.
Right before he shut the lid, he reached for the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it off. Before, when he'd been alone in the apartment as its single occupant, he didn't think twice about stripping down to put his clothes in the laundry. Now that Morgan was living in the apartment, he always looked just to be sure. Even though he knew she was at work, he looked around.
Part of it was because he liked having her around.
And another part of it, he didn't want to scare her.
It had been a good long time since he'd gotten undressed in front of a woman.
Since he'd had sex.
He had opportunities, but he just hadn't been interested. Aylin had read them stuff from a woman's magazine, explaining that there was sex for enjoyment and release and there was making love which meant that there were emotions wrapped up in the act. He wasn't sure how much of Rook's blushing meant that he and the Chief's daughter had... um, made love, but Rhett had seen the logic in it.
When he was alone later, he'd given it all some thought.
There was truth to that article from the magazine. Sure, he'd enjoyed sex. It felt good.
Being with a woman, feeling her react to his touch, hearing the sounds she made when she was enjoying herself, gave him release, but there had been something missing.
Rhett pushed off his slacks and his boxer briefs went with them all the way down to his ankles, where he'd forgotten to take off his shoes.
Laughing at himself, he bent over to untie his shoes, feeling like a total idiot.
He kicked his shoes off and dumped everything in the washer to get it started.
Once the washer was filling with water and humming along, he dragged himself into the shower, enjoying the hot water pouring from the shower head.
As he worked shampoo into his hair, he remembered a call that he'd made to Morgan when they had some downtime at the station.
Morgan had picked up almost on the first ring. "Palmer! Hi!"
"Hey. I hope I'm not bothering you."
Her laughter was beautiful on its own, but hearing it after the call they'd just returned from?
He needed that relief.
"Of course not. I was just about to crawl into bed. But I bet you knew that didn't you."
Her tone was teasing, but the image she'd put in his head was something he'd carry with him if they got a chance to get some sleep.
When she'd first moved in, he'd wondered if she slept fully dressed.
No matter how late she'd stayed up, she wore the same thing as the rest of the day. Showering before she'd gone to bed. But over the next couple of weeks she'd relaxed a little and showered earlier in the evening and then she'd moved around the apartment in the same clothes she slept in.
Loose T-shirts and shorts.
Those clothes had quickly become his favorites to see her wear.
She was more relaxed then. Happier. Her expressions softer.
So yes, he knew when she got ready for bed. And he knew what she might be wearing.
He could only dream of wrapping his arms around her or even better, crawling into bed beside her and watching her fall asleep.
"Palmer?"
"Yeah?"
"You went silent on me. Is everything okay?"
"It's been a long shift."
"Oh," he could tell that she'd heard the tone of his voice. "Can you tell me what's going on?"
His instant reaction was to shake his head. "It's just that we came back from a house fire and I'm struggling with it."
"Palmer," he heard an ache in her tone as if she was feeling the emotions he was feeling, "what happened?"
"The house went up in minutes. It was an older house, the materials from a different era. By the time the call reached us, and we got there, all we could do was keep the fire from spreading to houses around it and knock down the fire so we could see if anything could be saved for this family."
He heard her soft exhale and her voice as she murmured something to him.
He couldn't hear the exact words, but it was the warmth of her voice that reached out to him. It touched him through the phone call.
"When we started to poke around into what was left of the structure, I saw the family out of the corner of my eye. The parents were stunned. Shocked. They were standing there staring at the pile of burned-out wood that had been their house just an hour or two before. I've seen those looks. I try not to, but when it's a house fire that we're putting out, I hope that the family leaves or moves far enough away that they don't see the whole collapse if we can't stop it before it fully engulfs the house.
"But it was the look on their kids' faces that ripped through me. They had soot on their faces telling me that they'd barely made it out, but then it was their tears streaking through the soot, making cleaner streaks down to their chins. They were each clutching a toy to their chests and I just... I just felt their loss at that moment. I felt the pain they were going through. It hurt... I hurt so much for these kids."
"Palmer?" He could hear the soft jingle of keys. "I can be there in a few minutes."
"Morgan, no. Don't... With the way this shift has been we'll be out on another call."
"I don't care. I can come there anyway. Even if it's just a moment before you're onto another call, I can be there for you."
He'd closed his eyes then, feeling her concern as a physical touch.
The klaxon alarm sounded, and he sucked in a breath. "I've got to go. Stay there and get some sleep."
Abe ran by him. "Rhett! Let's go!"
He called out an answer. "I'm right behind you." He held the phone tightly to his ear. "Stay there, please. I'll... I'll see you when you finish work tomorrow."
"I'm here if you need to talk. Be safe, Palmer."
He knew that when she got back to the apartment after work, he wanted to do something special for her. He wanted to thank her for being there for him. And he planned on asking her out on a date.
He just had to figure out what to do to make it a special night.
MORGAN
She parked Palmer's truck in his spot and sat behind the wheel for a minute or two before she got out of the cab. She'd been so excited to get to school. She'd planned several ways to talk to Benji so that he knew she was there for him, but he was absent from school.
During that class period, she'd called Maribel to her desk. And while Maribel caught the same bus as Benji, she didn't have any news about him either.
When she'd gone to the office to talk to the staff and see if they had more information, she didn't get much more from them. Benji had been a good student in middle school and had come to Shilling with great notes in his file, but he'd become sullen, and teachers were adding notes to his file that he was withdrawing.
And his arm in the sling?
All they knew was in a note from the doctor that he'd suffered some kind of injury and was excused from any physical education classes and teachers were asked to offer him alternatives for any activities that required the use of his non-dominant arm.
So, in a nutshell, they knew next to nothing. She filed a request with the school administration to ask for permission to contact him at home, but now she had to wait and see what the principal was going to say.
But she couldn't do anything at that moment and she really, really wanted to see Palmer.
He'd had such a rough shift and she wanted to see how he was.
That's why she was hesitating and waiting in the truck. She didn't want to bring her worries in with her. She wanted to focus on him and-
KNOCK KNOCK
Morgan turned to look out the window and smiled.
She felt more than relief when she saw Palmer outside her window.
Drawing in a breath through her nose, she unlocked the door and opened it.
"Hey." Palmer's smile made her insides melt. "I saw the truck drive into the lot. I came down to see if you were okay."
He was too sweet.
"I am now."
He held out his hand and she took it so he could help her down from the cab of the Silverado. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind having a little adventure tonight."
An adventure?
Her heart and mind leapt at the chance. "I think I'm up for anything tonight!" She hesitated for a second. "Do I have time to change my clothes?"
Palmer nodded. "We don't have to be anywhere at a specific time. If you want to take a shower or anything else, that's just fine."
She sighed as she walked beside him toward the front doors of the building. "I'll take a shower, but just a quick one." She looked up at him and admired his profile. "I can't wait to see where you're taking us."
It wasn't until Palmer pulled the door open for her that she had a question that made her stop.
"Wait. What kind of shoes should I wear? How should I dress?"
He chuckled. "Women don't usually ask me how to dress, but we're going to do some walking around and probably moving through a crowd. So comfortable shoes and clothes."
"That's so specific," she laughed. "I love it."
This, she knew, was just perfect. It's exactly what she needed. A crowd? Walking around? She'd keep her mind occupied and off of her worries. She certainly wasn't going to dump on Palmer after the shift he just had, and this was going to be an adventure.
The kind of adventure that she was going to remember forever, because it was something that Palmer wanted to do.
RHETT
The way she smiled at him made him feel like a hero. When he'd walked up to the truck, he'd seen her expression in the side mirror, and he knew that his plan was either going to be a huge hit or drop like a rock through thin ice. When he'd asked her if she wanted to go out, she'd jumped at the idea and that had changed the worry he'd seen on her face.
He double checked the directions on his phone while she was showering, and it was less than twenty minutes later that they were ready to go. With the heat receding in the evenings, it was the perfect time to go out and show Morgan a little bit of San Antonio. To make it better, he was showing her part of San Antonio that he hadn't seen in person yet.
"Okay, I'm dressed to walk around." She beamed at him as she pinned her hair back from her face with flowered clips. "What do you think?"
He stared at her, amazed.
"That bad, huh? I'll go change into something else."
Before she'd taken more than a step he was at her side, his hand on her arm.
"Goodness," she smiled at him. "You're fast on your feet."
"Don't change," he heard a rough scratch in his voice. "You look amazing like this."
The beaming smile she directed at him was even more stunning.
"You're so beautiful."
She ducked her gaze from his for a moment before she looked back up into his eyes. "Even if it's just flattery, I love it."
He didn't want to get into an argument with her, especially when there wasn't something to argue about. "I don't flatter, Morgan. I don't say what I don't mean."
He watched how she pondered over his words. He could tell when she was done. Her gaze lifted back to his. "Thank you, Palmer."
Her soft, heartfelt words made an impression on his heart.
Incredible.
"Let's get going," he told her, holding his hand out toward the door. "I can't wait to see what you think of this place."
Rhett enjoyed listening to her talk on the ride to the municipal parking lot and when they were approaching the underpass, he kept his attention on her, listening and waiting to see when she saw the murals.
"So I was doing a lesson on rules and laws and... Oh My Goodness! Is that? Are those?"
She turned to him, both of her hands reaching for his arm.
"Is this... Is this what you were bringing me down here to see?"
He tilted his head a little to the side. "Part of it."
"Wait," she looked at the brightly painted columns and then back at him, "there's more than this?"
Rhett nodded and knew that he'd owe Taco a big thank you for the suggestion. "We came here so you can see it before the sun completely goes down and then we're having dinner in the Historic Market Square. I'm told that it's an incredible place to spend an evening."
They continued walking toward the murals and she looked up, glancing at him from time to time. "So you've never been here before?"
"No," he lifted his free arm and reached across to cover one of her hands where it was on his arm. "One of the guys from the other shift said it was a good place to bring you after he saw your car."
"He was right." They continued to walk together and just before they reached the first column, she stopped, and he moved them to the side of the sidewalk. "But I'm really glad that it's your first time, too. It's like we're having this experience together."
Rhett wanted to pull her closer, but he managed to hold himself back. "I looked it up online and I knew you'd like it."
She did a little dance or something like it, her smile brilliantly white and her eyes shining with joy. "Come on, let's look at the murals together."
Together.
That word sounded beautiful coming from her lips. "Yes," he smiled back at her, "let's."
MORGAN
The murals were amazing! And even better, an artist was working on a new addition to the collection of painted columns under the Thirty-Five. They stood there for a little while watching. Some of the other onlookers asked questions, but she kept herself quiet.
When Palmer leaned forward over her shoulder, he whispered to her.
"Why aren't you asking him questions?"
She'd been so focused on the painting that when she turned around, she found herself almost mouth to mouth with Palmer.
Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath.
Palmer looked surprised, but he didn't move away. She wondered what it would take to scare him and make him pull away.
Probably nothing.
Palmer was just such a rock steady man she didn't think it would be possible.
He'd already shown her his empathy when he spoke of that family who lost their house.
Now, he was standing there with her nose-to-nose and not showing any signs of pulling away.
She knew she didn't want to either.
"Morgan?"
She licked at her lips and saw his eyes dart down to look at her lips before his gaze lifted to hers.
"I... I knew if I started asking my questions, we'd never leave and I'm starting to get hungry." Her grin lifted at the corners. "Does that sound horrible?"
"Horrible?" He shook his head. "It sounds honest. And honest is good."
"Yeah?" She reached out and put her hands on his arm again, enjoying the feel of how solid it was.
"Yeah," he nodded and put his hand over hers again.
She barely held herself back from shivering at the pleasant heat of his touch.
He leaned in, his cheek just a scant inch from hers and his breath feathered against the sensitive edge of her ear. "Then let's get going."
She would have gone anywhere with him after that, so she walked with him, heading down the street together.
Morgan couldn't help that she was a little sad that they'd left the murals behind.
Palmer leaned into her, brushing his arm against her shoulder. "You look sad."
She winced at his words and looked up at him. "I'm not!" She forced a smile on her lips. "I'm just..."
He dropped his chin and gave her what she now considered 'his look,' a straightforward, even look as rock solid as he was.
And she realized what it meant at that moment.
"Truth?"
"Truth." A soft smile touched his lips as they walked on.
"I'm sad we had to walk away, but I was hungry. And we were here for dinner, so I know we had to get moving. We both have work tomorrow."
He nodded and she continued to walk at his side, enjoying his confidence beside her.
"Well, we can't do everything tonight."
She had to acknowledge the truth in that. "That reminds me of something I started to use with my students. Which probably sounds better than it is because they've only been my students for a short time."
Palmer nodded but it was the gentle squeeze of his hand on hers that made her feel better.
"It's from a movie from the Eighties."
"That sounds fitting."
She leaned into his shoulder and sighed. "I know, I know..."
"It's a science fiction movie about a guy who's an inventor, a brain surgeon, and a rock star. And in one scene when people are being mean to someone, he tells them to remember 'No matter where you go, there you are.'"
His steps slowed near the corner of the sidewalk and turned toward her.
She knew he could see her face because she could see him in the soft diffuse light of the gaily decorated square across the street.
"I'm not sure what that means."
With his gaze fixed on hers, she was near breathless, gazing right back into his amazing eyes. "Well, I don't think there's a right answer or a wrong one. I'm not sure everyone has the same thought about it. Just like everyone has a theory about the watermelon."
Palmer's head tilted to the side and his forehead furrowed. "The watermelon?"
She shook her head. "You'll have to see the movie."
"Sounds like it." He smiled at her. "But can you tell me what you think that phrase means?"
Morgan felt her whole heart swell in her chest. It might seem random, but she was sharing this with him. It felt so personal.
Intimate.
"At first I thought it was straight forward like a traveler finding new places everywhere they go, but as I got older, I thought I was missing the meaning. It wasn't until my first day at school watching the kids joke and posture knowing that I was a new teacher, and they were trying to push my buttons and the edge of the envelope all at the same time.
"So I lifted my hands and motioned for them to sit down, to get in their seats and settle. And as I did it, I felt like I heard that character in my head. Here I was in their world, and they were finding themselves in mine, but we didn't understand each other. And I told them, 'No matter where you go, there you are.' And I think they got it. One of the boys in the back of the class, they call him Hicks, sat down in his chair and nodded at me. 'Give respect,' he gestured for the others to sit, and they did, then he looked at me again. 'Get respect.'"
Palmer's smile broadened. "I think they got you. They understood that you were trying to reach them, and they met you halfway."
"You make me sound powerful."
She meant her words as a bit of a joke, but the look on Palmer's face said he wasn't joking.
"You are." He stepped back against a chain link fence and drew her along with him. "My mother used to play VHS tapes for me of School House Rock."
Morgan beamed at him. "I love that show!"
"I bet," Palmer nodded. "That's why I think your power is helping your students. Remember? Knowledge is power?"
She leaned in against him, her heart singing with joy. So many thousands and thousands of people that she'd met in her life, and it felt like Palmer understood her. He listened to her. He was interested in her feelings and her interests.
Now, he could just be an awesome friend, but-
"Morgan?"
"Hmm?" She looked up into his eyes in almost a dream-like state.
He straightened up a little, but instead of moving away, they just seemed to fit better together.
"I was wondering..."
He licked his lips, a quick flick of his tongue and her lungs filled with air.
"If I moved halfway..." He leaned forward and she could feel his gaze like a physical touch against her face. "Would you meet me half-"
She didn't let him finish his question. That just wasn't in her nature at that moment.
Morgan's lips pressed against his in a kiss.
He drew back and kissed her again, drawing his lips across her own. He kissed her at the corner of her mouth before giving her another tender, searching kiss.
When they finally broke away, she was trapped in his gaze.
"Wow," she struggled to even out her breathing, "I can't believe this..."
Palmer laughed and she found herself stunned by the happiness in his voice. "I did this all backwards."
She turned her head and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I think you did it just fine."
"No," he shook his head, "I was planning to ask you out on a date tonight."
"Then you really did do this all backwards." Her hands moved over his forearms and up to his shoulders and back again where his hands caught her hands in his.
"How so?"
"Because..." She couldn't believe how good it felt to have Palmer holding her hands like this. "We're kind of on a date. So you kissed me before you asked me to date you and we're on a date even before that!"
"I hadn't thought about it like that."
She nodded. "Don't worry. I have more than enough thoughts for me, I just forget to keep them in my head."
"I can't wait for you to share them with me, Morgan."
"You'd be hard pressed to stop me."
He brought their joined hands up between them and kissed her knuckles on both hands. "I'm not planning to stop you."
They moved together, crossing the street toward the Market Square.
"Oh," he spoke softly to her, "let me know when you want to go to that artist's gallery."
She stumbled and he easily righted her since he was still holding her hand. "I was just thinking that I didn't get his name."
"I got it."
Morgan looked up at him with a look that combined joy and disbelief. "You did?"
He nodded. "I scanned the QR code off of his sign. We can look at it later."
She shook her head. "You are incredible, Palmer. You... you make me happy."
He looked almost embarrassed as they continued to walk together, but she felt like she'd just found herself in the most amazing place in the world.
With Palmer.