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Norman saved her yet again by giving her an escape.

Over-sharing was the last thing on her agenda. She hadn’t even acknowledged or processed those feelings, yet she vomited them all over her new neighbor.

Once in the safety of her room, she placed Norman in his house. “Thanks buddy. I’ll give you double exercise time tomorrow and extra snacks, okay?” Norman turned away, but in her mind, she saw him nod before he did so. “It’s just that man out there is frustrating. I mean, he is cocky and arrogant and. . .nice enough to help me move.”

Zee grabbed her pillow and screamed into it, then collected herself and went back to the living room, where she hoped he was gone.

No such luck. He was standing in her kitchen looking into her empty refrigerator. Before she could make a smart-ass comment about this not being his house, he closed the door and turned her direction.

“Celery and Kale, is that all you have to eat?”

“No,” she answered defensively. “Those are for Norman. I have bagels and avocados in the pantry.” It was lame, she could admit that, but because of her skydiving detour, she hadn’t had time to do real grocery shopping. Instead, she’d run in and grabbed only what she could carry in her hands, which was enough to get them through breakfast.

She didn’t feel the least bit bad about it until she saw pity in Barney’s eyes. “Avocado bagels are the best breakfast ever and Norman loves celery.”

“I don’t doubt that one bit, but look, we have a big gathering Saturday. You’re invited, by the way. Fair warning though, it’s just bribery with food to pick up trash and clean dry brush disguised as a party. Anyway, I’m making my famous chili and well, I could use help prepping it. . .and a taste-tester because my tastebuds get burned out after the first hour.”

Zee raised an eyebrow. If he burned out his own tastebuds, what would it do to hers?

“And what is the name of this mouth-scorching chili of yours?” When Barney didn’t answer, she added. “Please, I know it has some ridiculous name like butt burn or anal probe, so what is it?”

Barney’s laugh gave her butterflies low in her stomach. Not just the sound but his face transformation. Where he had looked like he carried the weight of the world, he now looked ten years younger and about thirty-two shades hotter.

“Anal probe, I like that one, but nothing so creative. It’s simply purple dinosaur.” She wasn’t buying it and she knew it showed. “After me, Barney.” His smile lit up the entire room. He wasn’t just fireman hot; he had a boy-next-door appeal that left a trail of panty-shaped dents in the earth.

Alarm bells clanged in her head at a deafening volume. She did not need to have those types of thoughts. A part of her was relishing it, though. Zee hadn’t had butterflies or flirted in over a decade. There was no need. And that was why the relationship went south long before Billy’s death.

Every woman deserves butterflies, and every man deserves his woman to have them because of him. She shook off her thoughts; they served no purpose. Regret was a useless emotion.

Stop blaming yourself.

Barney mistook her silence for doubt and put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, busted. They named it that down at the station because, and I quote,it’s so damn hot it causes you to see purple dinosaurs. I don’t think so, but there it is. Still up for being a guinea pig? But leave the real one here.” Barney shuddered again.

“I don’t want to go where Norman isn’t welcomed.”

“I didn’t say never, just not tonight, deal? I’ve got beer and I’m making homemade jalapeno cornbread to go with it?” He inflected the end of the sentence like a question and his school-boy charm won her over.

“Fine, but can I have a bowl before it hits the purple dinosaur phase? I have tender tastebuds.”

Barney acted put out. “Fine, I’ll pull some out before the secret ingredients of fire go in.” His sinister cartoon laugh was infectious, and Zee laughed right along with him.

“Okay, you chili making master, lead the way.”

“I like that,master. Remind me to explore that further.”

“In your dreams, fireboy, in your dreams.”

They grabbed the groceries from his truck and proceeded into his cabin. It looked exactly like hers except for the boxes.

She unbagged the groceries while Barney made a few more trips outside. What struck her most was he was moving in same as her, but he only had two small boxes and an oversized duffle other than fire gear.

“So, where do you live when you’re not on yogi patrol?”

“Nowhere. Everywhere.” His voice held notes of sadness. He didn’t mean. . .

“You don’t have a house? Trailer? Apartment?” He shook his head after each type of dwelling she mentioned.

“You don’t mean you’re homeless? How can that be? Did you just move here?”

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