Brave the Heat (3 page)

“Hi, Tommy. It’s so good to see you again.”

Jordan stepped onto the sidewalk with a wide smile. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and the poor guy almost dropped the two grocery bags in his arms. She stepped away and tried to help him secure the bag slipping from his right arm, the side that had been weakened and scarred in the fire.

“Sorry,” Jordan said quickly. “I guess I was so excited to see you that I almost knocked the bags down.”

“That’s okay.” Tommy dipped his head and stepped back, obviously not wanting Jordan’s help. “I can manage.”

“Of course.” Jordan gave Maddy a sidelong glance. “Sorry.”

“Hey there, Tommy,” Maddy said with a wave.

“You back home to see your dad?” Tommy asked. He flicked his good eye up to Jordan before looking down at the ground again. Jordan’s heart broke. He was so self-conscious after all this time. “Or are ya here for good? I-I thought I saw you at the school today.”

“The school?”

“Yeah.” He adjusted the bags in his arms, and even though Jordan wanted to offer to take one for him, she resisted. “I’m the head custodian over there. I been workin’ there since we graduated, but last year I got promoted.” He stood a little taller. A hint of a smile played at his lips. “Anyway, I thought I saw you there today coming out of the principal’s office.”

“Of course. I think Principal Drummond mentioned that during our tour of the school. And, yes, we’re back for good. The girls and I are renting the Sweeneys’ old place out on Shore Road. I’d love for you to meet them, but they’re sleeping at the moment.”

“That’s okay.” Tommy lifted one shoulder and shuffled his feet. “I don’t wanna wake ’em up. I’m sure I’ll see ’em in the fall once school starts again.”

“Actually, if you work at the school, then you’ll see them all summer. They’ll be attending camp there.” Jordan squeezed his shoulder briefly. “It’ll make me feel better to know I have a friend there to keep an extra eye on them.”

“You bet.” Tommy’s grin widened. “It’s real good to have you back in town, Jordan.”

The sudden rumbling of an engine shattered the quiet of Main Street, and Jordan’s gut tightened at the sound of it. She didn’t have to turn around to know it was the town’s fire truck pulling around the corner and into the station on the other side of the street. Maddy inched closer and elbowed her in the ribs.

“See anyone else since you’ve been back?” Maddy asked, her dark brows waggling in an almost comical flurry. “Eh, Jordan?”

Gavin.
Jordan swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and willed herself not to turn around. She folded her arms over her breasts while digging her fingernails into her palm so hard she’d probably draw blood.

“Well, I gotta go.” Tommy dipped his head in an abrupt good-bye and hurried away and around the corner. “See ya, Jordan.”

Tommy’s shuffling form vanished, and the warning beeps from the backing-up fire truck filled the air. Jordan stepped off the sidewalk and leaned down to peek in the window and check on the girls. Both were still sleeping.
Thank
God.
She leaned back against the hot surface of the car and kept her back to the firehouse. Gawking at Gavin might be an intriguing and tempting idea, but it certainly wasn’t a smart one.

Maddy moved in next to Jordan and leaned on the top of the car, waving her arm furiously. “Hey, Gavin!”

“You are incorrigible.”

Jordan swatted at her friend’s waving hand and glanced at the firehouse before she could stop herself. Gavin and another man were standing by the front of the red and silver truck. Her entire body stilled and all the hairs on her arms stood on end. Even at this distance, one look from him made her belly quiver. Gavin waved back and Jordan got caught ogling him.
Damn
it.
She spun around and pushed her hair off her face, wishing she could smooth her nerves as easily.

“And, yes, before you start the inquisition, I bumped into him at the school when I went to register the girls for the fall.”

“What?” Maddy gave her friend the stink eye. “You mean to tell me you’ve been standing here talkin’ to me all this time, and you failed to mention that you bumped into Gavin McGuire—the oldest of the five hottest brothers God ever put on this earth? Not to mention your first love. How did he react?”

“To say he was surprised to see me is an understatement.” She fought the urge to look back at the firehouse again. “It was a surprise for both of us.”

“Well, you
did
tell me not to say anything to anyone about you renting the Sweeneys’ place.”

“You didn’t even tell Rick?” Jordan asked with genuine surprise. Rick was Maddy’s longtime lover and one of the full-time firefighters in Old Brookfield. “I’m impressed.”

“Not exactly.” Maddy pursed her lips. “He overheard me on the phone with you, but I swore him to secrecy. If he ever wants to get laid again, he’ll keep his lips zipped. I told him he couldn’t say anything unless Gavin asked him about you directly. So? What happened?” Her expression twisting into a mask of anticipation. “Was it weird or awesome? Or weirdly awesome?”

“Let’s just say I don’t think Gavin will be asking me out for dinner anytime soon.” Jordan lifted one shoulder and kept her voice light. “We dated a long time ago and we were kids, Maddy. Whatever. He has his life and I have mine.”

“Yeah, well, now your life and his life are back in the same little town. Something tells me that old sparks might fly again.”

“No.” Jordan shook her head adamantly. “No romance. No relationships—and definitely not with Gavin. There’s too much history there, and aside from all of that, I need to focus on my daughters. I want to show them that a woman can stand on her own two feet. For goodness’ sake, their
father
has tossed them aside like they mean nothing to him. The last thing my girls need is for their mother to bring another man into their lives. None of us needs that kind of risk right now.”

“Gavin isn’t just
any
man.”

“All the more reason I should steer clear.”

“Mmm-hmm. Sounds to me like this also needs to be discussed over that bottle of wine…or two.” Maddy made sound of disbelief and started digging around in her enormous messenger bag. Pulling a huge chunk of keys from within, she hooted with delight. “Damn if this bag isn’t like a giant black hole. I am constantly losing shit in here. Like I said, wine and girl talk soon—and that most definitely includes chatting about Chief Hotty Pants McGuire.”

“Right.” Jordan quickly changed the subject and forced a smile. “So when should I report to work, boss?”

“Why don’t you take this week to get settled with the girls at the cottage? You can start next Monday morning.”

“Great.” Jordan nodded and fought the urge to turn around and see if Gavin was still outside. “The girls start camp then, so it’s perfect timing.”

Jordan kissed Maddy good-bye and slipped quietly back into the cool air of the car. She put her sunglasses on and waved before backing out of the space. She tried not to look over at the firehouse as she approached it, but the attempt failed miserably. The instant she pulled past the fire truck, Gavin’s tall, broad-shouldered form came into view.

He was hosing off the side of the truck, free of his gear and wearing only his summer uniform of a navy-blue T-shirt and shorts. His tall, muscular build was on full display. Jeez. The guy still had great legs—long, well defined, and strong. Some men had huge torsos and scrawny legs, but not Gavin. Oh no. He was perfectly balanced and didn’t look like he had an ounce of fat on him anywhere.

She looked back at the road in time to see the light turn red.

Jordan cursed under her breath. She was stopped directly in front of the firehouse driveway—and Gavin. Feeling him stare at her, she gripped the steering wheel tighter with both hands.
Just
keep
looking
straight
ahead. Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t do it.
But even as the words flickered through her mind, her head was turning. A moment later she was met with those serious green eyes framed with dark lashes.

Sweet Mary, he was gorgeous. He’d filled out over the years, matured. The lanky body of a boy had been replaced with the sturdy, well-defined form of a man. There were dashes of gray in his hair. It was more than that though. Much more. Gavin’s inherent sweetness, the gooey center beneath that tough exterior, had been evident when he’d met her girls earlier. That tenderness had made her fall head over heels for him all those years ago.

When Lily grilled him back at the school, the guy didn’t miss a beat and squatted down, getting eye to eye with her precocious daughter. However, when he’d risen to his feet and met Jordan’s gaze, his green eyes had hardened. They were shadowed from all he’d seen over the years, and wariness lingered where she’d once seen eagerness.

Gavin shifted his stance by the truck and stared at her unabashedly, as though daring her to look away. Jordan’s breath caught in her throat and in that instant the world seemed to stand still. She could pull over. Jump out of the car and tell him how sorry she was for leaving the way she did. Tell him that she didn’t give a damn anymore if he’d slept with Missy Oakland and that all of that was ancient history.

Hug him. Breathe him in. Love him.

A horn blared behind her rudely and ripped her from her fantasies. She didn’t miss the annoyed expression on Gavin’s face as he snapped his head around toward the impatient driver behind her. Jordan hit the gas, not waiting for him to look back. Fantasies would get her nowhere. Dreams about an impossible future were what got her in trouble in the first place.

No. The time for dreams and childish fantasies was over.

She smiled when Lily’s sleepy face filled the rearview mirror. She had two bundles of adorable reality in the backseat, and they were her priority.

“We’ll be home in a few minutes, Lily.” Jordan turned her sights back to the road in front of her, leading down toward their new home by the beach. “It’s time to get settled.”

“To new beginnings,” Jordan said quietly.

Could she have a new beginning with Gavin?
Damn
it, no.
She was not going to start pining over Gavin.
Cut
the
crap
, she thought to herself.
Leave
the
past
in
the
past
and
live
in
the
present. Focus on the girls.

“Amen to that.” Maddy took a healthy sip of her wine. “Hell, if you like it enough at the shop, maybe you’ll buy the place.”

“Really?” Jordan’s eyebrows raised. “You want to sell your mom’s place?”

“To the right person, sure. I mean, my mom loved you, and I am racing around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to run both businesses.” She puffed an espresso-colored curly strand of hair from her face. “Especially this time of year. It’s freaking nuts.”

“Own my own business?” The possibilities ran through her head before she rolled her eyes and waved off the strangely appealing idea. “I don’t know the first thing about something like that. Besides, I’m not a florist.”

“Neither am I,” Maddy said with a snort of derision. “That’s why I pay Cookie and Veronica the big bucks. Anyway, buying businesses aside, the gig is yours with no strings attached.”

“Thank you.”

Jordan placed her wineglass on the table and pulled her feet up into the chair, wrapping her arms around her knees. The warm summer air was filled with the scent of the sea, and two gulls fought over an old fish head along the edge of the water. The sound of the television in the family room—a cartoon the girls were enthralled by—was mixed with the comforting rush of the tide.

How many times had she dreamed of a quiet evening like this? Her daughters in their pajamas, all bathed and sweet smelling and safe in the other room, and her dear friend by her side with a glass of wine in hand.

Dark memories crept in. Jordan had never thought a day like this would come.

Silence hung between them with only the sound of the waves and passing gulls, and Jordan could feel the weight of Maddy’s question coming before she even uttered it.

“So are you gonna tell me what happened?” Maddy sat back in her chair and tugged her white sweater closed. “What made you finally leave him?”

Jordan sucked in a steadying breath and dropped her bare feet to the ground. Curling her fingers around the stem of her glass, she fought the tide of fear, regret, and sadness that swelled up when she recalled that night.

“Hey.” Maddy’s voice dropped to almost a whisper, and she rubbed Jordan’s back reassuringly. “It’s okay. I don’t wanna push. I mean, if you don’t—”

“No.” Jordan shook her head and sat up taller in her chair. “It’s okay… About six months ago, after one of his drinking binges, he came home late. Three in the morning. I’d fallen asleep on the couch. I knew he’d come home sloshed, because he did it so often, and it was easier to manage him and keep him quiet if I could get to him right away. You know? I didn’t want the girls woken up by such ugliness. Until that night, the strategy had worked.”

Rising from her chair, Jordan went to the railing of the deck and looked out at the ocean, unable to face her friend. Shame and guilt clung to her. She couldn’t bear to look Maddy in the eyes because she was too worried she’d see pity there.

Jordan knew how pathetic she’d been.

“Ted came after me. He stunk of whiskey and woke me up out of a dead sleep. He tried to pull my pajamas off. I shoved him off me.” She let out a bitter laugh. “He was so wasted, he could barely stand so it wasn’t hard. After my rejection, he trashed the living room and screamed about what a cold fish I was.”

“It’s okay, Jordan.” Maddy had moved in next to her and wrapped her arm around Jordan’s shoulders.

“He came after me again. Groping me. Shouting hateful, ugly things and I fought like hell to get away. I knew then that if I stayed any longer, it would only get worse.” Her voice shook with a mixture of rage and disgust. “When I finally got him off me and turned around, I came face-to-face with my girls. They were crying and clinging to each other in the hallway outside their bedroom. Ted screamed something incoherent before stumbling past them to the bathroom.”

“Oh my God, Jordan.”

“I grabbed Gracie and Lily, went to a hotel, and filed for divorce the next day.”

“Son of a—”

“Yup.” Jordan swiped at her eyes and drained the last of her wine. “He sure is.”

“Hey.” Maddy took both glasses and placed them on the table. “You are one of the bravest women I know.”

“Brave?” Jordan could barely get the word out. “I’m a coward. I ran away fifteen years ago, and here I am doing it again.”

“Bullshit.” Maddy grabbed Jordan’s shoulders, gently forcing her to face her. To Jordan’s relief, she saw no pity there. Only resolute love and acceptance. “You survived, baby. You did what you had to do. That’s what you did then and that’s what you are doing now. You are a survivor—and don’t you forget it. Just because he didn’t outright hit you doesn’t mean he wasn’t abusive or controlling.”

Tears blurred Jordan’s vision as Maddy gathered her up in a warm, lingering hug. How long had it been since anyone held her this way? Comforted her? Too many years for her to count. She’d missed her friend more than she’d realized, and the generosity of such unconditional love cracked Jordan’s last line of defenses. The tears fell freely as Maddy embraced her tightly.

“Thank you,” Jordan whispered. Pulling back, she kissed Maddy’s cheek. “You really are the best friend I’ve ever had.”

“True.” Maddy gave Jordan a playful smack on the ass before pouring them both a bit more wine. She handed Jordan a glass and held her own up. “To good friends!”

“And surviving,” Jordan murmured.

* * *

Jordan’s first day of work at the flower shop reminded her of the first day of school. She was so busy learning the ropes and dealing with customers that the day went by in a flash. So fast, in fact, that she forgot to eat lunch and only caught herself from looking out the window for Gavin four or five times.

She was definitely a glutton for punishment.

With her stomach rumbling, she locked the front door of the shop and checked the time. She had a few minutes before she needed to pick the girls up from camp, and the delicious smell of fresh baked bread from the market called to her.

Checking the traffic and doing her damnedest not to even
glance
at the fire station across the street, Jordan headed over to the market and away from the station. The heat of the June afternoon had given way to a balmy early evening, making her long for sunset on the deck. She and the girls had made a habit of talking about their day while the sun went to sleep.

When Jordan tugged open the door to the market, the scent of freshly baked bread enveloped her. Forcing herself not to run to the bakery counter and gobble down an entire loaf, she snagged a small green handbasket by the register and smiled at the young woman behind the counter. Wearing a blue-and-white apron, the girl gave Jordan a brace-filled grin as she rang up an older gentleman’s sale. A feeling of contentment washed over Jordan as she strolled the aisles, and she realized she didn’t miss the city at all. Not the traffic. The honking horns. The rude pedestrians. The unsmiling waitstaff or the woman at her grocery store in the city with four nose rings and a chronic inability to smile.

Nope, she didn’t miss it one bit.

On her way toward the back of the store, Jordan picked up a few other items she needed, cereal and milk, and a couple she didn’t, like the bag of peanut M&M’s and a package of Kit Kat bars. If she wasn’t having sex, then she would have chocolate.

She rounded the corner and her shoulders sagged when she saw with the line at the bakery counter, four people deep. Pressed for time and hungry as hell, Jordan grabbed two of the white paper-wrapped loaves of sourdough that had likely been made earlier in the day.

“Jordan Yardley?”

The familiar voice raked over Jordan like fingernails on a chalkboard, and while it had been years since she’d heard it, there was no mistaking who it was.

Missy Oakland.

“Hello, Missy.” Jordan deposited her bread into the basket and turned to face the only woman she’d ever really disliked. Forcing a tight smile, she said, “It’s been a long time.”

Missy’s ebony hair was tied up in a ponytail and her oval-shaped face with almost hollowed-out cheekbones was free of all wrinkles. She
had
to have had Botox, and Jordan wasn’t sure if she was jealous or disgusted.

Missy’s slender form was clad in a pair of white Daisy Duke shorts and a pink tank top that barely contained her chest. Basically, the woman hadn’t changed an ounce since high school. She was still
va-va-voom
sexy. Big boobs. Narrow waist. Full hips. Lips like Angelina Jolie. Jordan swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and pushed her hair off her forehead. The woman was a walking sexpot, and she always had been.

No wonder Gavin had slept with her. What red-blooded heterosexual man wouldn’t?

“Gosh. It has to have been like fifteen years.” Missy giggled the way a young girl would and slapped Jordan on the arm playfully. “But we don’t look a day older, do we? Say, I didn’t know you were visiting too. If I had, I would have suggested we get together for a drink. But I’m heading home today.”

A drink? Jordan had thought this girl hated her in high school. Why would she want to go out for a drink?

“Uh. Well, I’m not visiting. I moved back.” She adjusted the basket because the metal handle was digging into her forearm and she was starting to sweat. “I mean, I moved back here with my girls.”

“Oh! You got kids?”

“Yes.” Jordan nodded. “Two girls.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” Missy said in a tone that was agreeable but not meaningful. “I was just here for a couple days visiting my daddy. He’s been after me to come home for like the past four years.” She snorted with laughter. “I always fly him to LA. This time I caved, but I can’t wait to get back to the West Coast.”

LA. Why did that sound so perfect for Missy?

“Well, it was nice bumping into you, Missy, but I have to be going.” Jordan plastered a tight smile on her face and fought the urge to back up. “I have to pick up my daughters from camp.”

“Sure, sure.” Missy popped a stick of gum in her mouth and pointed one well-manicured finger at Jordan. “Say, you know who I saw yesterday when I was driving through town? Gavin McGuire. The man looks as fine as he ever did. Better maybe.” She let out a sigh and stretched her arms over her head in a feline-like move. “Too bad I’m not staying longer. Maybe I could actually get that guy to take me up on my offer. He’s so gorgeous. I should let him know that my offer is still good.”

Jordan stilled but her stomach swirled almost to the point of nausea.

“Oh shit.” Missy’s face fell and she grabbed Jordan’s arm. “You two aren’t together, are you? I mean, I wouldn’t go after him if he were married.”

“No, Gavin and I aren’t—” Her head was swimming, and she clutched the basket almost to the point of pain. “But didn’t you—I mean, I thought I heard that you and Gavin
dated
after I left town—after graduation.”

“What?” Missy declared loudly. An older woman glanced at her disapprovingly in passing, but Missy didn’t notice. “No way. Oh, don’t get me wrong; me and every other girl in town tried to nab Gavin after you split, but the guy wasn’t interested. Your buddy Suzanne tried harder than anyone, but he didn’t bite. That fall when most of our class went away to college, he joined the military, I think.”

“Suzanne?” Jordan asked quietly, trying to keep her voice even. “You mean my friend Suzanne? She was after Gavin?”

“You didn’t know that?” Missy’s voice was laced with incredulity. “I guess you aren’t friends with her anymore.”

“No. Well, I lost touch with most people after I moved away.”

“Uh, yeah. Well, no great loss on that
friend
.” Missy let out an undignified snort of laughter. “She was all over his sexy ass like the day after you left. She played nursemaid to his broken heart. Bringing him cookies and shit.” Missy rolled her eyes. “Whatever. It was like a hundred years ago, right?”

The phone in Missy’s back pocket started ringing. Jordan barely heard her as she said a quick good-bye, made air-kisses, and hurried out of the store to take her call.

Shocked and increasingly furious, Jordan made her way to the register.

On the drive home with the girls chattering away in the backseat, she could not stop thinking about what Missy told her.

Suzanne
had
lied.
Gavin never slept with Missy or anyone else. Suzanne lied to keep Jordan away so she could have him for herself. Tears pricked the back of Jordan’s eyes. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have believed that lie so easily and completely?