Page 56 of Hot Zone

By the time we got off the phone, I had a full plan for our date, and I had Danni’s support, so I was feeling pretty good.

So good, in fact, that Fox’s update, which was basically that there was no update, didn’t even bother me, and by the time it was time to go home and get ready to take Mars on our date, I was excited about what I’d planned.

Chapter 18

Mars

I spent way too much time getting ready for this date. I had all these clothes that I bought since the fire, and still, nothing seemed quite right.

I finally settled on a pair of black jeans, boots, and a wine-red, crushed velvet shirt with flared sleeves and a lace-up neckline.

I hadn’t been sure about it, but if Samuel’s reaction was any indicator, I’d done pretty good.

“You look good enough to eat.”

“Thank you. You clean up pretty nice yourself.” And I wasn’t only saying that to be nice. The black pants, fitted black shirt, and cowboy boots looked really good on his muscular body. I didn’t know if all firefighters kept in such good shape, but Samuel sure did.

I followed him out to his truck, and he opened my door. I’d only ridden in his truck a couple of times, but I’d noticed that was a thing he did, and honestly, it was kind of sweet.

I climbed in and got seated, and he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. “Buckle up, Kitten.”

He shut the door, ran around to his side, and got in. As soon as I was all buckled in, he got on the road. I still wasn’t sure where we were going, and I hadn’t asked because I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.

He reached over, took my hand, and smiled at me. “I thought we would start with food. Have you ever eaten at The Spotted Dog?”

“I haven’t.”

“It’s pretty good. It’s owned by some old friends of mine, who were firefighters until they retired and opened up a pub. It’s a favorite for most of the first responders here in town.”

“Because of the food or because it’s owned by firefighters?”

“I’m sure a lot of guys gave them a shot for that reason, but their food is really good so that’s why they stay busy. I’m not a big wings guy, but that’s what they’re best known for. A lot of the guys love them.”

“Wings are okay, but I have to be in the mood for them. What are you going to get?”

“I don’t know yet. They have excellent burgers, and their chicken fried steak is really good.”

“I think a burger’s the best way to judge a place. If you’re going to call yourself apubor abar and grill,you should be able to make a good burger.”

“I agree.”

“Okay, then I’ll be trying the burger. How are their fries?”

“Hand cut.”

“Oh man, I’m sold.”

Samuel had said that a lot of firefighters hung out at The Spotted Dog, so it shouldn’t have surprised me to see a table full of the guys from his station there, but for some reason, it did.

“Chief!” one of the guys from his station called out, waving for us to come over.

“Let’s go say hi real quick.”

“Sure.” I shrugged. On the one hand, it was a huge green flag that Samuel brought me somewhere where his friends and coworkers would be, but on the other hand, I’d been looking forward to a date with Samuel, not an evening hanging out with his friends.

He took my hand, leaving no question to anyone in the place that we were there together.

“Hey, everyone,” he said when we reached the table.

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