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“I assure you,” I cut her off, “that I have no idea what a ‘Brooks brother’ even is, or means. Easton offered to show my son the station and that is the only reason I’m here.”

“I really am sorry,” Rory laughed, which made her apology seem disingenuous. “You’re in that dress, your hair is perfect. It was easy to assume.”

There was no way I was going to express any forgiveness. She may have meant it as a joke, but I took it as a snide remark, andmyperception wasmyreality. Even her compliments were backhanded andrude.

“Easton Brooks is the kinda guy that breaks the heart of every woman he walks past. He’s broken mine once, and the sad part is, I’d let him do it again,” Rory huffed. “You officially hate me because I’m bad at jokes, but the truth is, if you’re here with Easton, I’ll never see you again anyway.”

Chapter Ten

EASTON

Jesse showedup in a sundress that flowed all the way to her ankles, with her shoulders bare of anything except the thin straps. I had to bite my lip to keep from drooling as she approached the bay where I was standing. The sun shining brightly made her dark brown hair look lighter, and with the wind blowing, she looked as if she were in a movie, walking sexily toward me in slow motion.

The crew scattered once I announced that we had a visitor, giving me space to show Jesse and Max around alone. Max didn’t seem like the kind of little guy who enjoyed too many strangers, so I asked them to steer clear for a while. I should have known that at least one person on shift that day would make things difficult.

After showing the excited toddler all the buttons and lights of the big rig, I managed to get him inside. But I was all the way down the hall and around the cornerbeforeI looked back and realized that Jesse hadn’t followed us. When she still hadn’tappeared after a few minutes, I decided to head back out to see if she was okay.

“Let’s find your momma,” I suggested to Max, setting him down on his well-worn blue tennis shoes. “We don’t want her to miss the fun.”

He nodded with a happy smile and held my hand as we made our way back toward the door we had just entered. Once we were at the end of the hall, I looked up from my charge and through the side window out into the bay. My stomach plummeted as I saw what had held her up.

Jesse was talking to Rory, and I’d have bet West’s entire life savings that Rory wasn’t welcoming Jesse to Harmony Haven. She wasn’t telling her where to find the best cup of coffee in town, or inviting her to the yearly music festival. By the look on Jesse’s face, Rory was pissing her off—which was on brand.

Rory and I had grown up together, and during our senior year of high school, I had mistakenly led her to think we could have been together. I never felt anything for her except pity because she never took no for an answer.

After graduation, she stormed out of town and lived in Atlanta for a few years. Her parents told the whole town I had taken her innocence and thrown her away, so she had no choice but to find peace somewhere else.

By the time she came back to Harmony Haven, the rumors had died and I decided to let it be a part of the past. Rory joining the fire department didn’t even bother me. Everything between us had been friendly and manageable since.

But that didn’t mean I was an idiot.

After scooping Max back into my arms, I pushed open the door to the garage way harder than I needed to and put on a fake smile as both women looked my way.

“Hey,” I breathed. “You coming?”

“Coming?” Max repeated.

Jesse’s eyes shot to Max when he spoke and her entire face softened. “Of course I am.”

“We thought we lost you,” I laughed, although I was feeling the opposite of humored. Jesse walked past me, through the door, while I held it open and eyed Rory with the biggest amount of mirth that I could muster.

She smirked and shrugged, acknowledging that she understood I was upset. When Jesse left, I was going to talk to her, it was time I drew new lines for Rory not to cross. But at that moment, I turned my attention to following Jesse inside and setting Max back down.

He grabbed Jesse’s hand and started to lead her down the hallway we had just gone down. He had been down that hallway and back, so he knew exactly where to go and took his role as the line leader very seriously.

“Com’ere,” he kept repeating, making Jesse smile. I could tell that his joy was making her quickly forget anything Rory may have said, so I wasn’t going to ruin it by bringing it up.

Yet.

“Right in here is the day room,” I explained as we walked through a door at the end of the hall. Most of the crew that had left the garage were sitting on the couches playing video games, or scrolling on their phones. They all looked up when we entered and waved awkwardly to Jesse. “We usually just hang out here, as you can see. It's basically a glorified living room.”

It was a luxury for our small service area to have leather theater seating, state-of-the-art appliances, and an 80-inch TV. But thanks to my brother, the station in Harmony Haven was elite. Sometimes, it was almost more fun to be there than in our own homes.

“Nice,” Jesse nodded, not very impressed, and slowly backed out of the room.

“Hey, are you the ‘no charge’ call from the other night?” One of the probationary firefighters, Theo, started to stand, but I shook my headnoand made him sit back down.

Then I grabbed Max, who was standing quietly at my side, back into my arms, and backed out of the room with Jesse.

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