Page 9 of She's Got that Heat

“Yeah. Tidy’s has been here since the beginning of the town, in some form or another. We’re not big enough for a mall or specialty stores, so it’s the catch-all for things we need.”

Three bites into dinner, a lightbulb in the deep recesses of my mind turns on. “You know, they’re going to need a cashier in a few weeks. Katelyn is going back to school in New York for another year.”

“Really?”

“Really. It might be perfect for you. Air conditioning, no stove to blast heat up your nose. You could sit on a stool now and then so you’re not on your feet all day.”

“Hey now. I’m not that fragile, buddy.” Allie squints at me. “There are a few things I need to keep an eye on, but I’m not some delicate Victorian lady who needs to spend half the day on a fainting couch.”

“I know.” My palm lands on her knee. “But in case you haven’t noticed, I really like you, Allie. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I don’t know, this protective thing came out of nowhere and I’m not used to it. If I overstep, just tell me. Okay?”

“Deal.” She starts to take a bite of pasta, then pauses. “Um, is it okay to ask you about the firefighting stuff? I know that it must be super dangerous. I guess I just want to know what I’m in for if we…” Her cheeks have the most adorable little glow along the top of her cheekbones. “You know.”

“Get together and live happily ever after?”

There’s a twinkle in her eyes that makes my heart swell. “Mmm… Something like that.”

“Well, the triangle doesn’t have any massive industrial buildings or high-rises. So right away, we’re a lot safer than firefighters in any city.”

“True.”

My fingers wander an inch higher, and my thumb lightly strokes her outer thigh through her jeans. “Even though we’re spread out, a handful of us always arrive fast, along with the water truck and the gear truck. At least half the time we don’t even need those, just an extinguisher, or a garden hose.” I chuckle. “I heard one of the older guys talking about how he put out a fire with a dozen stomps of his boots. Dunno if that was entirely true or not.”

“How often do you get calls?”

My hand slips an inch higher, making her eyes light up. “Well, that’s the only annoying part,” I say gently. “We don’t get a ton of calls, but they’re unpredictable. If I got a call in the middle of this dinner, I’d have to ditch you and run.”

“Oh, I understand.” Her delicate fingers twine with mine. “I certainly wouldn’t be offended. People’s health and safety come before one dinner.”

“Will you still say that if it’s our fancy special one-year anniversary dinner?”

“Yes. One hundred percent.” Her lovely blue eyes blink quickly as she realizes what we just admitted. Then she glances at the clock. “Hang on.” She gets up to retrieve her purse, takes out a yellow bottle, and swallows a large orange pill.

“If you don’t mind my asking, how many pills do you take a day?” I ask gently.

Allie grins. “Depends on the day. Thyroid pill first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. That bad boy was a super turbo multivitamin that I take with food. Beyond that, it’s just painkillers if I need them. And since I have that early warning system down pretty well now, I can take them preventatively, which means I take fewer overall.”

“And you promise to tell me if there’s anything I can do to help?”

“Cross my heart.” She lifts a forkful of pasta. “This is amazing, by the way. And we both know that great home-cooked food is the best medicine for anything and everything.”

We both dig in, and our conversation wanders from the best music for working to dealing with weird roommates or neighbors and the cheesy parts of summer that are still amazing.

“I’d like to get to a beach next year,” Allie says thoughtfully. “Maybe even this October after it’s cooled down.”

“You like beaches in the fall?”

“Oh yeah – walking around, listening to the waves, searching for beach glass. I’ve made some jewelry with cool chunks of it.”

I’m just adoring her casual, earthy vibe. “Well, maybe we can go together.”

After dinner, she insists on helping me clear the dishes, but I notice she pulls back a bit from the sink as I’m running the hot water. As I put some things back in the fridge, I sneak a peek at her reflection in the toaster and notice she opens and stretches her jaw several times. She’s also been speaking a bit more slowly.

The poor girl doesn’t want to admit that an air pressure headache is kicking in.

“It’s still pretty warm up here. How about a movie in the basement? It’s cooler and quieter down there.”

Her stunning blue eyes light up. “Perfect.”

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