Chapter 2
Chapter Two
TATE HALL
Josie’s smile was strained. For Kayla to show up the first day Josie was back in town was unfortunately awkward.
I was over Kayla, but I’d had plenty of time to get used to seeing her in town.
In hindsight, even though it hurt at first, it wasn’t that difficult to get over her.
When she cheated on me with my now ex-best friend, it ruined two relationships instantaneously.
When people show you who they really are, it’s worth paying attention.
I did. A decade later, I also understood people could make huge mistakes and regret them.
Kayla seemed to regret her choices back then.
Especially if I counted the three times she’d tried to get back together with me since.
While I wished her well, that was a hard no.
When I looked down at Josie, a childhood friend and the other side of that hurtful equation, my heart twisted a little to see the insecurity flickering in her eyes.
I could practically feel Kayla’s eyes burning a hole through me when I simply cast her a bland smile.
Meanwhile, Casey handed over my drink along with Josie’s.
“I’ll walk you out,” I said when Josie turned to leave.
“Great!” Josie chirped, her voice forcefully bright.
I held the door for Josie and didn’t even look back at Kayla. I released the door after another customer walked through before falling into step beside Josie.
Her glossy brown curls bounced around her shoulders as she walked. “How have you been?” I asked.
Her lips curled in a smile as she glanced up. “Good, I think.”
“What brings you back to Alaska?”
She let out a little sigh. “I want to lie and say something cute, but the truth is I’m close to broke. I actually missed Willow Brook, so I decided now was the time to come home.”
“Did you miss me too?” I teased.
Josie let out a little laugh as she stopped. “My car.” She gestured with her elbow toward a small hatchback.
“You’d better get some Alaska plates soon. You don’t want anybody to confuse you with a tourist.”
When she giggled, it felt as if all my cells fired up.
I’d known Josie Steele since preschool. We’d spent tons of time together in high school because she dated my best friend and I dated hers.
Back then, we were a group of four who always spent time together.
Until we weren’t. But before it blew up, trust me when I tell you there had never been any zing between me and Josie, not even a whisper of smoke from a distant fire burning.
The Josie in front of me now felt different. Objectively speaking, she’d always been cute, but now she was downright adorable. I had to work to keep my eyes away from her curves. She was delectable with her flashing green eyes and the smatter of freckles on her cheeks. Holy hell.
“Where are you staying?” I asked, forcing my brain to focus.
“Well, I’m trying to figure that out. My parents know I’m coming. Of course I can stay with them, but I’d like to find something else.” She let out a quick sigh.
“I have a place,” I offered before thinking it through.
“You do?” Her eyes whipped up to mine before she took a swallow of her coffee.
I tried desperately not to notice when her tongue swiped up a drop of coffee at the corner of her mouth.
I cleared my throat. “I do. Aside from being a firefighter, I rent a few properties.”
“Properties?” Her brow furrowed.
“Well, I started thinking ahead. When I’m too old to do the firefighting thing, I’d like to have enough rentals to make up for that income. For now, I rent a few small places. At the moment, there’s one I just finished renovating beside where I live. It’s yours as long as you need a place to stay.”
Josie’s eyes widened as she stared up at me. “Really?”
“Sure thing. I have to get to work, but why don’t you meet me out there this afternoon? Say around four thirty?”
“You got it! I’ll be paying rent. I already have a job,” she added.
I grinned. “I know. We’ll figure it out. In the meantime, I gotta roll.” I paused before turning to walk toward my truck. “Don’t let things be awkward with…” I thumbed over my shoulder toward the café. “Kayla’s miserable, and they’re in the middle of an ugly divorce. What comes around goes around.”
“I shouldn’t be happy about that,” she said quickly.
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t say I’m happy, but I guess life has its lessons. It’s really good to have you back in town.” I took a step closer and pulled her into another hug.
I meant what I said. It was really good to have her back. I’d always liked Josie, and she was a good friend. But now, feeling her soft curves against me sent electricity sizzling through me like a fast-burning fire. Rattled, I forced myself to step back.
When she blinked up at me, my heart kicked unsteadily against my ribs. “So I’ll see you later?”
Josie nodded. “Text me the address.”
“Tell me your number.” She quickly recited it, and I typed it into my contacts before texting her.
She smiled as her phone vibrated while she pulled it out of her pocket. She replied with, It’s Josie!
I waited while she got in her car and drove away. As soon as she turned onto Main Street, I hopped in my truck and headed to work. With it being winter, not much was going on at Willow Brook Fire & Rescue, but I wanted to work out and check in.
I glanced up at the sky after I parked and walked toward the station's back door. The air smelled like snow. The crisp scent of the air felt nearly impossible to describe to anyone who didn’t grow up somewhere it snowed a lot. If you knew, you knew.
When I walked into the back area, I saw a couple of guys working out.
One of the superintendents on my crew was napping on the couch.
A few others were seated at the table in the kitchen area.
I walked past the couches and snagged a chair at the table, sitting down and grinning at Wes, who was holding a cat and trying to persuade Cooper to adopt another cat.
Cooper shook his head, flashing a grin. “Dude, we already have two cats. That’s my limit.”
“Why don’t we have a cat here at the station?” I mused. “Between the firefighters, the police officers, and dispatch staff, someone is always here.”
“You know, that is an excellent point,” Wes said.
Wes, Cooper, Hudson, and I all eyed the cat in question, who was purring away on Wes’s lap.
“We’ve had that issue with mice out in the garage area,” Hudson commented. “Cats are great at dealing with mice.”
Wes glanced around. “Do we have to get official permission?”
Aside from being a hotshot firefighter, Wes’s mom managed a local animal rescue, and he helped her out. He was also married to Tiffany, who was the office manager for the town’s veterinarian clinic.
“You should probably check with Maisie. She’ll know if you have to have something official,” I offered. “Nobody’s gonna complain unless somebody has a cat allergy,” I pointed out.
“Nobody has a cat allergy,” Jonah declared when he sat at the table. Another firefighter, Jonah was married to one of the veterinarians at the clinic.
The door to the back hallway swung open, and Maisie Steele—the dispatch supervisor and “center of the universe”, as her husband, another firefighter, described her—looked straight at the cat Wes was holding. She made a beeline for him and scooped up the cat, a peach ball of fluff.
“Oh, sweetie,” she cooed, nuzzling the cat whose purr increased in volume.
“Name?” Maisie asked, her brown curls swinging as she looked toward Wes.
“No name yet. Brand-new rescue, listed in the report as a peach cat. She’s a girl,” Wes added.
“She’s Peaches,” Maisie announced. “Who’s adopting her?”
“We were debating the merits of having a cat for the station. Wes was wondering if we needed official permission,” I explained.
The door to the hallway opened again. Rex Masters, Willow Brook’s police chief, came walking through with his son, Cade, who was also a firefighter. Seeing as we were in the fire station, it was logical there were so many firefighters around.
Rex caught my comment and announced, “I think we need a station cat. Every winter, we have that mice problem out in the garage.”
Maisie nuzzled Peaches as she nodded in agreement. “Absolutely. Who wants to run to the store and get a litter box, bowls, and things?”
“I’ll go,” Wes volunteered, standing from the table.
“I’ll go with you,” I offered. “I need to stop by the grocery store anyway.”
Maisie turned and walked to the front, carrying Peaches with her.
Wes and I went to the store together to get cat supplies. We were walking down an aisle when Wes cleared his throat noticeably. I glanced over. “What’s up?”
“Just your old buddy there. Giving you a heads-up,” he replied, his voice low.
“Appreciate it, but no need. I’m used to seeing him around town. Don’t get me wrong, back when it happened, it sucked. Now, I suppose I should thank him. I would not have wanted to end up with someone who would do that.”
Wes snorted. “Definitely not.”
My former best friend from high school, Lyle, was walking down the aisle, heading right toward us. He glanced up, his eyes landing on me and Wes. He lifted his chin casually.
“Hey,” I replied as Wes and I walked by.
Wes had been a few years ahead of me in high school, and his mom was friends with my mom. We knew each other pretty well and had gotten even closer now that we were both firefighters.
“He’s an ass,” Wes added after Lyle was out of earshot.
I shrugged. “It’s old news, and they’re getting a divorce.” I rolled my eyes.
“Takes a while, but karma usually catches up,” Wes commented.
“Speaking of old news, or maybe new news, Josie Steele moved back to town. I just saw her this morning at Firehouse Café.”
Wes glanced over. “Nice! Josie’s awesome. Can’t remember when I last saw her.”
“I guess she’s back to stay. I’m meeting her later to see if she wants to stay in that extra cabin on my property while she figures things out.”
“You two were close in high school, huh?” he prompted.
“Oh yeah,” I replied. A clear memory of the feel of her curves pressed against me earlier flashed through my thoughts. “We hung out all the time because I was dating Kayla and she was dating Lyle. We were friends before that, though. Our dads used to do guiding trips together.”
We stopped in the pet section, selecting the needed supplies and a generous bag of cat food before heading back to the station.
I saw Lyle on the way out again. He had his usual pinched look.
It was kind of funny how someone could do something that hurt so much at first, but in the long run, they hurt more.
I was pretty sure Lyle wished we could still be friends, but it wasn’t in the cards for me.
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in forgiveness and all that, but I couldn’t let myself trust someone who did that to me.
Later that afternoon, I texted Josie the address before I left the station, smiling at her quick reply.
Be there with bells on!