Page 119 of Deck the Fire Halls

He swatted me playfully for using his full name. “Let’s have some coffee. I need to get the turkey in the oven, then we can watch Christmas movies on the television and have breakfast, and maybe then some soapy hand jobs in the shower before we make a start on lunch.”

I laughed. “Merry Christmas to me.”

He shook his head. “No. Merry Christmas to us.”

EPILOGUE

THREE MONTHS LATER

Gunterand I stood in the empty store next to the youth center, staring at the ceiling, waiting, tapping our fingers, pacing. Outside, through the glass front, the sun was shining, the trees outside that lined the river were in blossom, the flowers were in bloom, the birds were singing, and I was growing impatient.

Gunter hummed. “So, I heard Doctor Humphries is so happy with you he might retire as early as next year.”

I nodded. He was only doing two days now and I was doing the three on my own. “It’s going well. And he’s ready to hang up his coat. He’ll be seventy-five next year.”

“Can’t see yourself working until you’re seventy-five?”

I grimaced. “Not if I can help it. When he does retire, I might have to look at getting another part-timer so I can still have my four days off. Going for bike rides with Soren, helping you out whenever I can. Life’s too short not to be happy, right?”

“No cap.”

I burst out laughing. “Okay, you need to start spending time with grownups.”

He laughed. “Oh, Chuck and Delaney’s site got cleared and approved for a rebuild, I hear.”

The change of topic was welcome. “Yes, thank god. The insurance is all through now. They can finally look at rebuilding; it’ll be good for them. Fingers crossed they might have a new home by Christmas.”

“That’ll be nice.” Gunter nodded slowly. “So will Soren move back into his house when they move out.”

“Uh, no,” I said with a smile. “He wants to rent it out. But he’s staying with me.” Then I spoke louder to the utility hole in the ceiling we were both impatiently watching. “Well, that’s if he hurries up.”

Then Soren’s smiling face appeared. “I heard that.”

“Please say you’re done,” I whined.

He handed me down his clipboard, then his face disappeared for a second before his boots appeared atop the ladder, followed by long work pants as he stepped down, then a sliver of abdomen showing his very defined Adonis belt, his white Hartbridge Fire Department T-shirt, and bulging biceps as he lifted himself down.

Damn.

Gunter gave me a nudge, but I wasn’t even sorry.

Soren was sexy AF.

And I’d learned what AF meant from the kids at the youth center...

“And?” Gunter asked.

“Fire regulation check done,” Soren answered. “And approved. Congratulations.”

Gunter and I hugged each other and then I hugged Soren. “Thank you.”

“All part of the service,” he said, innuendo fully implied. “For you.”

Gunter cleared his throat.

Soren laughed. “No, seriously, it all looks good up there. Circuits are new, wiring’s all tagged. Sprinkler system couldn’t be more than three years old.” Then he nodded to the shell of a storefront. “Once you get any remodeling done and all your displays installed and all that fun stuff, we’ll need to discuss operational things, such as fire blankets and extinguishers, of course.”

“Of course,” I repeated.

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