Chasing the Fire (Backdraft, Fully Involved, Flashover) (20 page)

“I’m glad you’re enjoying the meal.”

When they’d finished eating, a piano player
began to perform. “Oh, wow, I love it when they have music
here.”

“Yeah?”

She cocked her head. “You don’t happen to
like to dance, do you? Jess didn’t, and I always missed it.”

He pushed away from the table and stood. Held
out his hand. “Come on, girl. Let’s go for a twirl.”

The first song was an excruciatingly slow
one. Nick drew her to his chest and let his face nestle next to her
head. Her hair tickled his nose; its scent like roses. He’d never
been this close to her, and her curves were even more lush than
he’d deduced. If only he deserved her more. Shaking off the glum
thought, he closed his eyes and enjoyed her…for now, anyway.

oOo

SHE’D LOVED THE
evening. They’d
danced, ate chocolate lava cake for dessert, and then strolled in
the moonlight through the Indian summer night to his car. The ride
to her house—she usually walked to work in good weather—was made in
companionable silence. When they reached her little white
two-story, the crickets were chirping loud as he escorted her to
the front door. Once there, she looked up at him. His face was in
shadows but she could see the strong cut of his jaw, and chiseled
features. There was a pervasive somberness to him, and to give him
credit, he’d tried to ditch the serious mode all night. Now, he
seemed relaxed and not burdened. “Nick, sometime, will you tell me
why you frequently look so sad?”

Grasping on to her arms, he squeezed lightly.
“I doubt it, Stace. It’s part of who I am. If you’d rather not see
me because of it…”

“You sound like you want me to do that.”

He brushed his hand down her hair and left it
there. Her skin tingled at the contact. “Half of me does.”

“The other half?”

“Wants to kiss you so bad, I might combust if
I don’t.”

“Do it. Kiss me, Nick.”

His other hand tunneled its way through her
red curls and he lowered his mouth. His kiss was gentle, softly
brushing back and forth. Stacey let herself float in the warmth, in
the expectation that kiss engendered. She went up on tiptoes and
her chest came into contact with his.

“Ahhh,” he whispered against her mouth. “You
taste so good.”

He did, too. Like wine and chocolate. “Hold
me closer, Nick.”

She felt him smile against her cheek as his
arms banded around her. She’d waited three weeks, from that morning
in the store when her body had reacted to just his presence, for
him to embrace her like this. And it felt great. He deepened the
kiss, one hand fisting in her hair. She sank into him; the hard
planes of his body pressed against her curves. He accepted the
embrace, held her as if he never wanted to let her go.

He did, though. When the kiss became too hot,
too exciting for the front stoop of her house, he drew back. In the
light cast from the lamp on the grass, she could see his
self-effacing smile. “I think we’d better stop.”

Leaning her head into his chest, she let her
breathing return to normal. His heart pounded near her ear. His
spicy aftershave made her tremble. She was out of her depths here,
navigating the dating waters for the first time since…ever, really.
She didn’t know what to do. She thought about asking him to come
inside, but she didn’t want to rush him if he wasn’t ready.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, tipping
her chin.

“That I don’t really know what to do in this
situation.”

“This situation?”

“I want what’s between us to go further, but
I don’t want to rush things.”

“It’s a good idea not to rush things, Stacey.
Especially with me.”

“Please don’t start on the jaded-old-man
routine.”

He burst out laughing, a husky sound coming
deep from his chest. It was almost better than another kiss.
Almost. “All right. But taking it slow is best.” He kissed her nose
and stepped back. “I’ll wait till you get inside.”

“Good night.” She opened the door, then
pivoted back around. “I like you, Nick. I hope I get to know you
better.”

“I like you, too, Stace.” He squeezed her
shoulder. “Sweet dreams.”

He was inside his car before she realized
he’d said nothing about getting to know her better. The thought
made her sad.

oOo

HALLOWEEN STARTED EARLY
in Hidden
Cove. Years ago, local businesses had begun the tradition of a
community event in the downtown area a week before the holiday. The
fire and police departments parked their vehicles in strategic
spots to oversee the crowd. People milled around the town square,
set up with food and drink appropriate for the time of year. Kids
and some parents were in costume, though it was almost a week
before the thirty-first.

For the rest of his furlough, Nick had kept
busy at the station house and with Kelly and her family. He tried
not to think about Stacey and how good it felt to kiss her four
days ago, and he’d avoided calling her. She’d emailed him about
decisions that had to be made about the party, but he’d kept his
responses short and to the point. He needed some distance from her.
As if she sensed that, she didn’t press him to meet.

He planned to see her tonight, in a busy
setting, to gauge how he was doing. He’d made no decision about a
relationship with her, but he didn’t want to alienate her
completely. Or worse yet, hurt her with his remoteness. With half
the town on the streets, this was a safe setting. “I’m going for a
walk,” he said to the members of the Rescue Squad, some of whom
were sitting on the top of the truck, eating donuts and cider that
people had brought them. Certain trucks were designated to go on
runs, but his had guard duty.

“Looking for a new book?” Maloney asked.

“Shove it,” he said good-naturedly and
started down the street.

First, he passed a hair salon, decorated on
the outside with hanging ghosts and goblins. Inside, the stylists
wore Goth outfits. Briefly he wondered if Stacey got all those
luscious locks trimmed here. The gift shop three doors down was
bright with orange lights in scattered pumpkins inside. Finally, he
reached The Book Nook. A display of Halloween children’s books
graced the huge window, supplemented by black-and-orange streamers.
He opened the door to partial darkness and the scent of hot
chocolate.

She was sitting in a far corner, with about a
dozen small kids around her. Parents occupied chairs off to the
side. Each child was dressed in a Halloween costume, as was she.
All he could see from the entryway was a black spandex top—come on,
God, gimme a break—and a witch’s hat. She didn’t look up, intent on
the book. In a lilting voice she said,
“The Berenstain
Bears
,
Trick or Treat
.
”

She told the tale of some bears (not the
Goldilocks kind), named only Mama, Papa, Sister and Brother as they
went out trick or treating. He was mesmerized by her voice.

Until an angel approached him. “Can I help
you…? Oh, Captain, Evans, hi.”

“Cora, right?”

“Uh-huh. Did you come to see Stacey?”

He jammed his hands in the pockets of blue
uniform pants, feeling like a teenager leering at a cheerleader. “I
guess.”

She chuckled, quietly. “You and half the male
population tonight. She’s a witch every year.”

“I don’t get the connection.”

Cora said, “You will when she stands up.”

Which was when she finished the tale. She
rose, and before she was converged upon, he caught a glimpse of
her. She’d matched the black top with a short, black skirt, black
stockings and high heels.
Statuesque
and
desirable
came to mind. Four days wasn’t enough to inure him to her and he
felt his body react. After the kids showered her with hugs, parents
approached her. When most of them walked, one guy stayed behind.
Nick knew him—he was a cop and single dad of a little girl. When
his kid headed for the treats, he moved in. Stacey gave him a big
grin. He smiled back. He pointed to the book and she gave it to
him. His hand went out and touched her arm.

Nick stalked over. Not willingly, almost not
consciously, but he found himself in front of her—interrupting her
talk with the cop.

“Thanks again, Stacey,” the guy said. “You’re
so cool every year at this.”

“You’re welcome, Patrick. Come back with
Julie.”

“Oh, I will.”

I’ll bet
. Nick wondered why he hadn’t
realized before that he had competition.

Patrick turned. “Hey, Nick.” They shook and
finally the guy left.

Stacey gave him an amused grin. “I was hoping
you’d come see me tonight.” In heels, she was his height and leaned
over to kiss him on the cheek. The spandex gloved her breasts and
upper torso. The woman didn’t have an ounce of fat on her. Must be
because of all that walking she did.

“I’m glad.” He grasped her arm to draw her
nearer. Purposely pitching his voice low, he murmured, “I hear
you’ve gotten a lot of visitors. Of the male persuasion.”

“Cora tell you that?”

“She didn’t have to. Any red-blooded man
within a mile should be heading over here.” He gave her a frankly
male perusal.

She smiled beneath lowered lids. Then she
asked, “How was your tour off?”

“Good. I helped Kelly close their pool and
put the summer furniture away.” But he’d had nights free and they
both knew it.

She waited. Was she unsure of herself again,
or waiting for a cue from him? He cocked his head. “Okay. I tried
to stay away from you.”

“You succeeded.” She let the comment sit.
When he didn’t respond, she asked, “Why, Nick?”

He shook his head in self-disgust. “I’m a
coward. I liked having dinner with you. I’m still not sure this is
the right decision, though.”

“To see each other?”

“To get involved.” He looked at his watch
with frustration. He needed to get back to the truck. “I gotta go.
I’m on duty.”

“And I’m working.”

“You’re good at your job, Stace. And with
kids. They loved listening to you.” He shrugged. “I did, too.”

“This is awkward.” Moving in, she kissed him
again on the cheek and this time the scent of shampoo and maybe
bath soap filled his head. It was refreshing but, on her, sexy as
hell. “Go. I’ll see you in a few days when we meet with Parker at
the Academy.” She was giving him an out.

Suddenly he wanted to stay, take her
home—simply take her. He started to tell her, but common sense
overrode what he was about to say; he turned and left the store.
All the way back to the truck, he mentally kicked himself in the
butt. This seesaw wasn’t fair to her. What the fuck was he going to
do?

oOo

LATE IN THE
afternoon, Nick pulled up
to the Academy gym and turned off the engine. He sat staring at the
big structure, looking forward to seeing Stacey again but
distracted by the call from Kelly before he left…

“Hi, Kel. I’m a bit pressed for time.”

She usually got nosy and asked a million
questions, but instead she blurted out, “I saw on the news that
they busted up a big kidnapping ring in the city.”

He stilled. They tried like hell not to talk
about this. Not to remember it. With a towel wrapped around his
waist, he sank onto the bed. “I’m sure that was upsetting.”

“Yeah, the anniversary is in a few
weeks.”

“I know, honey. I’ll be there for you. And
Mark will, too.”

“It still makes my skin crawl when I think
about what happened.”

His too. “As it should. But it’s over,
baby.”

“For me. But those others…”

And Nick thought,
Never for me,
either.
“That’s why we go to Joshua House, Kelly. To help the
girls. Other people can’t relate to them like we can.”

“I know. It just makes me feel better to talk
to you when something happens.”

“I’m always here.”

When he ended the call, he sat down on the
bed, wrapped in a towel at his waist, with the phone in his hand.
For Kelly, talking about her fate and what he’d done for her made
her less anxious. For him, though, a coil started in his belly and
tightened more and more as he got ready to go out. By the time he
reached the Academy, he felt like a top about to spin out of
control.

Cursing his baby sister’s timing, he exited
the car and went inside the gym. Parker was walking the perimeter
of the floor, making notes on her iPad. He called out, “Hey,
Parker,” and crossed to her.

“Good to see you, Nick.” Waving to encompass
the gym, she said, “Do you think we’re going to need all of this
space?”

“You know, we might. We’ve got some games for
the bigger kids that’ll require a large surface area.”

“That’s right. You mentioned a few. Maybe we
should designate half of the gym for the teens.”

“Good idea.”

“Hi, you two.”

He turned to find Stacey had arrived, wearing
a furry, beige hoodie. When she removed that, he saw another sweat
suit beneath of dark pink. Her hair was pulled up in a messy
knot—she obviously wasn’t trying to impress him. On her feet were
high-top sneakers. “Hi, Stacey.” He gave her a pleasant smile. “How
are you?”

“I’m good.” Her eyes sparkled, becoming
almost liquid in the overhead lights. “I made two huge sales of
rare books today.”

Parker said, “Someday, I’d like to learn
about rare books.”

“Anytime.” She waved to the floor. “So what
do we do first?”

“Parker suggested we divide the gym in
half—part for the older kids and part for the little ones.”

Nodding, she took her computer and a pack of
cardboard from the backpack she carried, set them on a low table
and clicked into her program for the party. She seemed in an okay
mood but wasn’t falling all over him. He thought of the Halloween
night contact. And wondered if Patrick the cop had come by
again.