Page 10 of Always a Bridesmaid
With a huff, she let her arms flop down. “Thank you for your help…”
He extended a hand. “Ford. Ford McGuire.”
“How very James Bond of you with the introduction,” she said, slipping her small hand into his. As if he’d touched the end of a wire, a jolt coursed through his arm, and he had to force himself not to hold on past polite range.
A wet nose nudged the hand he’d dropped, and Ford patted his furry companion’s head. “And this is Pyro.”
Amusement flickered through her features, softening her exasperation and making him want to come up with more witty things to say. “A firefighter with a dog named Pyro?”
“I like to think I’m clever,” Ford said. “And you are…?”
“Violet!” Maisy pushed through the crowd, and the captivating firestarter in front of him dashed toward the woman who owned the bakery.
They collided in a hug, and the woman—Violet—began apologizing while Maisy asked if she was okay. There was also a comment about trying to do the safe thing andnotstart a fire before the conversation morphed into squeaky words he couldn’t decipher.
Easton approached, dressed in his police uniform. They nodded at each other, and Ford gave him a quick rundown. Given the hijinks they had pulled growing up, their friends often gave them shit about somehow ending up on the right side of the law. Having his buddy to help out on emergency jobs came in handy, and whenever they regaled the rest of the gang with their tales, they did the fishermen thing, their adventures growing larger with each retelling.
With Easton updated, they both fell silent, and Violet’s voice drifted above the din. “…not sure how I’ll afford it, but I’ll work on the nearest street corner to get you a new oven if this one is ruined.”
No stranger to exaggeration, Ford recognized the statement for what it was. The idea of the curvy Violet standing on the corner, however… Despite being on the up-and-up nowadays, he might not be able to refrain from swinging by.
Not that he’d ever had to pay for it, but it had been a long time, and…This just went down a weird path.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Maisy said, wrapping Violet in another hug. “I’m just glad you’re all right.”
“Yeah, but what if you’d been there? Or Isla?” Her voice pitched higher, panic coating the words. “Is she okay? Where is she?”
“She’s fine. Lottie, the woman who runs the craft store next door, is watching her while I get everything sorted out.”
“Okay, okay.” Violet wrung her hands together, and a fat tear tracked down her cheek.
Pressure grew underneath Ford’s ribs, his instinct to help kicking in, even though he’d never been very adept at dealing with female tears.
Pyro whimpered and glanced at him, silently asking how to console her. His dog had a better chance than Ford did, and at his nod, Pyro padded over and nudged her hand with his nose.
She let him sniff her before giving him a nice rubdown. “I forgot to thank you, didn’t I? You were trying to keep me safe, and I was too preoccupied to listen.”
Guess I should put my nose against her palm. See if she’ll run her fingers through my hair.He’d likely stick out his tongue and pant just like Pyro was doing. Later tonight, he and his dog were going to discuss how he’d done most of the work and Pyro still got the lion’s share of the attention.
A purple flash hit Ford right in the eye, and he squatted next to the tire of the firetruck and retrieved the…Yikes.Lexi’s wedding binder must’ve scared him more than he’d thought, because he swore this was similar to the one that’d been tossed on his coffee table. Only crumpled and speckled with fat flakes of black ash.
“Noooo,” Violet shrieked, taking a leap at him and yanking whatever it was out of his hands. She flattened the bundle of papers and the glittery purple cover to her chest.
“Sorry. It’s just…private.” She bent and gathered several stray papers—a few of which had definitely been burned, not to mention the globs of plastic melted to them. “Anyway, sorry again for all the trouble, and thanks for your help. Again. Yeah, so…” She straightened with so much force the top of her head bumped his chin, rattling his teeth together.
“Ouch,” she said, rubbing her head and backing away as ifhe’dbeen responsible. “I’m going to go put this up.”
Earlier, he’d been hoping to coax a full smile out of her, but the one she flashed him had a manic edge to it. Talk about a whiplash in moods.
A big part of his recent dry spell came from his indifference to dating. He’d given up on serious relationships a handful of years ago. Yet after a search and rescue mission down south, casual dating had lost its appeal. Shallow interactions didn’t seem worth the effort, and his life didn’t allow time to pour into activities that left him unfulfilled.
But Violet… There was something undeniably intriguing about her.
Figures he’d go and experience his first spark in ages with a woman who appeared to be in the middle of planning a wedding.
Possibly even her own.
…
