Page 16 of A Very Grumpy Firefighter

SEVEN

Lilou

Wakingup the next morning and finding Milo crammed on my couch is surreal. When I first opened my eyes and remembered last night, I convinced myself that it was just a crazy dream. Now, as I stand and watch him sleep, I realize that it wasn’t.

I want him, but I can’t tell him that. He’s only doing this to be nice, to rescue me from some creep buying me.

How am I going to hide my feelings from him?

I’m starting to panic, but I don’t have time to. I need to get ready, and out the door for my shift at On the Grind, and then after that, I’m supposed to go to Wet and Wild and do a few hours there, helping Maple with inventory.

I turn, trying to put Milo and my growing attraction to him out of my mind, but it’s hard with all of his stuff crammed alongside mine. Still, I do my best as I rush through a shower and then pull on my uniform for the coffee shop. It’s just a T-shirt with the shop’s logo on it and a pair of jeans. I bundle up, shove my feet into my boots, and sneak out of my apartment, being careful not to wake up Milo.

I hurry down the deserted sidewalk and shudder as a blast of cold wind hits me. I can see the glow of the coffee shop logo up ahead, and I jog the rest of the way to work.

“Brr!” I shiver as I step inside.

“I know! It sure got cold last night. I was hoping that we were over this kind of weather,” Lena says.

“Not yet, I guess,” I agree.

Lena owns the coffee shop with her best friend, Kerry. They were so nice to me when I first moved to town, and I’ve been working for them ever since. They make great bosses, and they’ve been good friends to me too.

“Did you do anything fun last night?” Lena asks me as we get started on opening the shop.

“Um, no. I was working at Shelf Indulgence. It was a pretty slow night.”

Part of me wants to tell her about Milo and everything that’s happened in the last twelve hours, but I haven’t wrapped my head around it yet. I need to process it all, and then I’ll be able to tell my friends. I know that they’ll all have questions. Questions that I won’t be able to answer just yet.

Lena’s phone rings, and I can tell by her smile that it’s Beau, her boyfriend. She had been in love with him for years, like since they were kids, but he’s her brother’s best friend, so neither of them ever made a move. Not until last year, when she wrote him a love letter and they both finally admitted how they felt for one another. They’ve been together ever since and are head over heels in love.

Jealousy gnaws at me, and my mind flashes back to Milo. I can’t deny it any longer. I love the guy. I have for a long time. I just didn’t know what to do with those feelings, so I tried to bury them and convince myself that Milo would never want someone like me, so there was no point in entertaining my silly little crush.

Now I can’t do that.

Milo has to like me, at least a little bit. He wouldn’t have bought me to marry him otherwise. I just wish that I knew why he was doing this. Why does he want to get married? Why was he on that site?

The bell above the front door dings, and I glance up, smiling at Lilliana as she comes in.

“Jeez! It got cold out,” she says as the door slams shut behind her.

“I know. You in for something to warm you up?” I ask her.

Lena is still on the phone with Beau, and I move up to the counter to take Lilliana’s order. She’s a usual here, so I don’t bother asking her what she wants, and she doesn’t bother asking what her total is. She just passes me a five-dollar bill, and I smile as I pass her change back to her.

“Coming right up,” I tell her as I get started on her caramel latte.

The bell rings above the door again, and I look up, freezing when my eyes lock with Milo’s.

“Morning,” he says, and I can see him gauging my reaction as he closes the distance between us.

“Morning. What can I get you?” I ask him as I pass Lilliana’s latte to her.

“Thanks. I’ll see you later,” she says, looking between me and Milo.

She raises her eyebrows at me before she turns and heads out. I look for Lena, but she’s locked herself in the office, probably still talking to Beau.

“I’ll take a coffee. Can you take a break? Want to join me?” He asks, and I clear my throat.

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