Page 48 of Silver Fox Firefighters Next Door

I let her hug me as I sagged into her embrace. “Oh, Vera. You can’t kick me out again. I can’t face them.”

She pulled me inside and shut the door behind us. “Come on. Let’s get you into bed and then you can tell me all about it.”

I dropped my bag on her bedroom floor and kicked my shoes off. “I don’t even know where to start, Vera. Mark showed up. He just showed up here. And the guys…”

“Climb in. I’ll grab ice cream.”

“No. No ice cream.” I crawled under the blanket and pouted. “They all suck so bad that we’re past ice cream.”

She crawled in next to me and wrapped her arms around me. “I’m worried. No ice cream? Things are bad.”

“They really are.”

CHAPTER 39

Eve

“Wait. You’re telling me all the women in town know about this but none of the men do? How is that possible?” Vera sat up and muted the TV. “Tell me everything.”

Grateful for the distraction, I explained Doll’s Club fully to her, from the secret clubhouse at the back of Good Clean Fun to the sex toys and lube. “And normally it’s just all of us getting together for breakfast or just to hang out. This past year has been a mess of battle stuff, though. I thought Margaret was obsessed with beating the men but now I don’t know. She seems awfully close to Mayor Stevens and all the matchmaking business…I don’t know what’s happening anymore.”

“When I go back home, I’m definitely starting the Texas version of the Doll’s Club. It’ll be just as cool, but with bigger hair.” Vera sighed. “I hate to leave you when you’re feeling like this, Eve. I hate to leave you, period. I don’t want to go back to how things were before. We talked all the time but it was never like this. Promise me we’ll video chat and you’ll come see me in Texas.”

I hugged her tight. “I promise. We were friends before but you’re my best friend now, Vera. There’s no going back. You’re stuck with me now. For better or for worse. Unfortunately, you’re getting a lot of the worse now.”

“You’re going through a lot.” She pulled back and patted my cheek. “You were proposed to by a married man in front of half the town and you ran through traffic like a madwoman. Or so I’ve heard. When I got breakfast at the diner this morning, there was a lot of talk.”

Groaning, I fell back into her pillows. “I called Jimmy at the Sheriff’s Office this morning while you were out. He lasted a full minute before he stopped explaining to me how I’d be sworn in as a Deputy and asked me about my relationships.”

“This town is absolutely insane. Your grandfather retires from the Sheriff’s Office and they just bring you on. You’re not a cop. As far as I know, you’ve never been a cop.” Her eyes went wide. “Are they going to give you a gun?”

The thought made me shudder. “God, no. Basically, they need a babysitter for that stretch of highway for a while. Deputy Ryan is on leave because his wife just had a baby so they need someone to fill in. Trust me, I think it’s insane, too. I plan on parking by the side of the road and getting some editing done. I’ve let some work pile up with everything going on.”

“God. Me, too. I thought I would get some writing done while I was here, but it’s been impossible. I’ve also noticed how many couples here are like the ones I write about and I’m feeling some imposter syndrome. How can I write about these relationships and the sex when I’ve never been in one like it?” She scrubbed her hands down her face and shook her head. “Enough about that, though. When are you starting your new job as a Deputy? That’s a crazy sentence for me to say to you, by the way.”

I grinned but as soon as the slightest bit of happiness hit me, the sadness consumed it. “Tomorrow morning.”

“They couldn’t wait until after I leave? I’m going to miss you so much.”

Tears filled my eyes. “I’m going to miss you, too.”

She blew out a shaky breath and stood up. “I’m going to grab more ice cream. We’re going to spend the night being emotional and sappy. And then in the morning, you’re going to go be a badass Deputy and I’m going to go say goodbye to my brothers. And then tomorrow night, we’re going to eat more ice cream and do it all over again.”

“And then?” I gave her a watery smile.

“And then I have to go back home.” She wiped her eyes and shook out her hands. “Okay. It’s fine. Everything is fine. It’s not like one of us is dying. There’s no need to be this dramatic.”

There was a knock at the door which interrupted what was quickly becoming a crying session. Vera wiped her eyes and blinked rapidly to get rid of the remaining tears.

“Can’t let anyone else know I’m a ball of mush.” She winked at me and then hurried to the door as someone knocked again. “I’m coming! Jeez!”

I rolled over in bed and looked at my phone. There were dozens of messages and missed calls from Mark. A sense of guilt weighed on me. Despite everything, he’d been my best friend for a long time. Hurting him wasn’t fun. I didn’t want to hurt anyone or make anyone feel the way I was feeling.

“Um, Eve? There’s someone here for you.” Vera stood in the bedroom doorway, a frown on her face. “This town…a serial killer could wipe everyone out in no time. All you have to do is ask around and someone will tell you exactly where the person you’re looking for lives.”

I sat up, my heart stupidly climbing up my throat. “Who is it?”

Her frown deepened. “It’s not…I’m sorry, Eve. It’s Mark.”

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