Stay With Me (Elladine Fire #3)
Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
A UGUST
CHARLIE
“Cannonball!” a guy in Hawaiian print swim trunks yells. His body hovers in the air for a split second just before he plummets into the water. The ensuing splashes saturates some girls sunbathing near the pool’s edge earning him their shrieks.
I’m guessing that’s what he was going for.
“Teddy! We didn’t want to get wet,” one of them protests.
The guy, Teddy, responds but I don’t hear what he says as a flash of red in my peripheral vision distracts me. I turn my head just as a cute blonde in a red bikini plants herself in the chair next to me.
She stretches her hand out toward me and graces me with a gorgeous smile.
“Hi. I’m Emily, Trina’s sister. You must be Tri’s friend from the fire academy, right?”
I take her soft, tiny hand in my large, calloused one and shake it.
“Yep, I am. Nice to meet you. I’m Fitz.”
She crinkles her nose and tilts her head to the side, eyeing me.
“Fitz? Is that a family name or something?”
I chuckle.
“No. It’s my last name, Fitzgerald, shortened. My first name is Charles. But people call me Fitz.”
She narrows her eyes at me and taps a finger on her chin. Her gaze fixes on me for a few long seconds, making me uncomfortable.
Yet, I can’t look away.
“Charles is too formal for you. And Fitz is fine, I guess. But what about Charlie? Does anyone call you Charlie?” she asks.
I clear my throat and smile at her. She’s inadvertently gotten me thinking of my mom. Which reminds me, I need to get home to check on her in the next week or so.
“I agree, Charles is too formal. Always hated it. My mom calls me Charlie, though.”
At least she does when my controlling jerk of a father isn’t around to insist she call me Charles, his name.
Emily grins and nods. “It’s settled. That’s what I’ll call you.”
“Okay, then.” I chuckle at her. “Oh, and happy birthday and congratulations on your graduation,” I add, as an afterthought.
“Thanks, Charlie.” She stands as Trina walks up with the beers she went to get us. “And thanks for coming. It’s nice to finally meet you. My badass sis here says you’re the only one who can keep up with her at the fire academy.” She turns her attention to Trina. “Tri, can I please have a beer? It’s my birthday.”
“Yeah, your eighteenth birthday. Fitz’s twenty-one and I’m twenty-two, so it’s legal for us. But not for you, little sister.”
Emily shrugs. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.” She winks at me, kisses Trina on the cheek and gives us a bright smile. Then, as quickly as she arrived, she spins away and leaves, practically skipping back to the pool.
I try not to notice, but the tiny red bikini doesn’t cover much of her cute ass as she walks away. It takes everything in me to look away.
“So, you’ve met my sister,” Trina says. “She’s a bit spunky for you, I’m guessing. Right?”
“Nah.” I look back to the pool, squinting from the bright sun, and try not to smile as I watch Emily do a flip into the water. “It’s refreshing after spending hours every day with your surly ass,” I tease.
Trina throws her head back and laughs, probably because she knows it’s true.
She’s my best friend, even though we’ve only known each other for about three months. We were introduced by a mutual instructor from our paramedic training programs. He thought we would make good workout partners as we both prepped for the physical fitness test that’s a requirement to enter the fire academy. Trina and I hit it off right away, started working out together, and both aced the physical exam. We started in the same class at the academy two weeks ago. We’re both no bullshit people, and I appreciate that about her.
I turn and study Trina for a second. It’s good to see her laughing. She knows how to have fun, but she’s often so serious. Not that I can blame her. It’s bullshit that she has to work extra hard to overcome the misogyny she faces from some of our fellow cadets at the academy. Hell, a few of those who gave her shit in our first week have failed out, yet she’s still going strong. I know she’s who I’d want to have my back in a fire.
“What?” she asks, noticing me watching her.
“It’s just weird.” I look from her to Emily in the pool, then back again. “You two look so much alike with the light blond hair, blue eyes, and even the shape of your faces. What do they call that? Heart-shaped? But?—”
“Heart-shaped? You’re reading too much Cosmopolitan,” Trina says.
I grin at her and tilt my head. “Yeah, definitely heart-shaped. But your parents must have used up all the height DNA on you. You’re nearly six-feet tall and I’m guessing she’s checking in at just over five feet.” I chuckle.
I quickly glance over at Trina and see she’s looking back at the pool now, too, smiling with a gleam in her eye. She wears her love for her younger sister on her face. I turn and watch Emily splashing around in the water.
“Yeah. I agree. It is weird—the height thing. My parents are both tall, so I don’t know what happened there. And remember, I’m surly ”—she pauses for effect—“and she’s… she’s?—”
“A sprite. A little sprite sprinkling sunshine.” I don’t even know where the words come from, but it’s perfect to describe the liveliness of Emily Flynn.
“That’s an excellent description of her, actually. She’s like a little sprite flitting around,” Trina agrees.
Boisterous laughter draws my attention back to the pool and I watch as Teddy climbs atop the huge inflatable unicorn float, hovering over Emily, before planting a kiss on her lips. A kiss that leaves no question in my mind that they’re a couple.
I tear my gaze away, not sure why it bothers me to see them together. I just met her, and I don’t know him at all. But girls like her—girls full of life and joy—they’re supposed to be with free-spirited guys like him. It’s what I tell myself, anyway. Plus, she’s my best friend’s little sister, so that’s a major no-no.