Page 23 of Spring Break with a Fire Chief

“Hi.”

“Hi.” He enters and hands me a small bouquet of flowers.

“This is so nice. Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

I quickly head to the kitchen pulling down a vase and filling it with water. “So, flowers? Are you trying to woo me?” I ask as he follows me into the kitchen. I face him. “Are we too old to woo?”

He shakes his head and grins. “Never too old to woo.”

“It should be me that woos you,” I say, placing the vase on the middle of the counter.

He leans on it, with one hand on his hip, and god, why is that so fucking hot? “I’ll never turn down a woo.”

My lips twist. “I heard that about you.” I grab a beer from the fridge and refill my wine glass, nodding toward the table. “Come sit. How was the firehouse today? Quiet?”

He nods. “As quiet as it can be when Maddox is working.”

I snicker. “Candee has told me so many stories about that boy.”

He sighs. “It’s nothing compared to being in the department when he and his dad were at the firehouse together.”

“I can imagine.” He sits at the table while I dish out plates and place them in front of him.

He quickly digs in. “This is really good. I forgot how well you cook.”

I narrow my eyes. “Are you making fun of me?”

He laughs. “No!”

“Because I remember I didn’t cook that often. I still don’t.”

He winks at me. “Well then, tonight must be special.”

“Mmhm.”

“So, how was your day?” He asks with a know-it-all tone and it makes me pause. When I look at him, a smirk is plastered across his face.

“He fucking told you!” I throw my napkin on the table and Ryan bursts into laughter.

He shakes his head. “It wasn’t Maddox.” I raise a brow and purse my lips. “It wasn’t! Think about the town we’re in, then think about who your realtor is. Let’s run through the neighborhood watch list, shall we?” I sit back in my chair and snicker at him as he begins to tick off names. “Saige and Wells are cousins. Which means Wells told Vienna. Of course Vienna told Jace because those two can’t keep secrets from each other. Jace told Poppy who swore she wouldn't tell her cousin Marigold. Butthatwas a lie. Marigold ran right to the firehouse to snitch to Maddox but by then Bill Baylor had already come down to ask when I was moving in with you.”

“Why would that lead to you moving in with me?”

“Because he and Candee love to play matchmaker.”

I sigh and lean on the table, chin in hand. “I wanted to surprise you.”

His eyes soften as he says, “You did.” He reaches his hand across the table and I place mine in his.

“I meant it, Ryan. I want things to be different this time.”

He nods. “It’s definitely a start. How long is the lease?”

“A year.”

He nods again, looking down at the table. I know he thinks it’s just an extra few months but to me, it’s a big deal. “And what happens at the end of that year?”

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