Page 55 of Heating Up (Nugget)
The three of them made several trips carrying up boxes.
“This is it?” Rhys asked.
John nodded. “Just this and what’s in the shed.”
Clay and his sons had left, but he figured McCreedy had been serious about sending the kids over to the firehouse for cleaning duty. In Aidan’s opinion, that was the right way to bring up children. And knowing Captain Johnson, he’d have them washing the engines. The boys would probably get a kick out of it too. Aidan, Arron, Shane, and Sloane used to wash engines at his dad’s station before Marty had become a battalion chief. Hanging out with their father and the other firefighters had been one of the highlights of being a kid. Water fights. Watching the Bears. Eating spaghetti dinners. The guys at the station were the McBride kids’ extended family.
He and Rhys returned to the shed and loaded up the rest of the pyrotechnics in their two vehicles. Rhys agreed to store the cache at the police department until they figured out what to do with it.
“Nice job in there,” Rhys said. “Don’t take what John said personally. Even back in high school he was a dickhead . . . always thought the world owed him . . . always resented anyone he perceived as having more than he did. His wife’s good people, though. Believe it or not, she’s softened his edges. He never would’ve given in to us if she hadn’t been standing there. The kid, Sean, is a holy terror. I was kind of hoping John would’ve volunteered Sean and Seth for work at the firehouse like Clay did . . . keep that kid out of my hair for a while. Clay’s boys are good kids, though, even if I am biased.”
“Hey, fireworks are pretty seductive to boys that age, hell to men my age.” Aidan laughed. “They at least got the goats out and called 9-1-1. And Rigsby probably has insurance on the barn.”
“Yeah,” Rhys said and flashed a sardonic grin. “But let’s hope it’s a bitch of a deductible.” With that, he drove away, leaving Aidan thinking that he and his sister’s boss were going to get along just fine.
Aidan followed him to the highway and headed back to the fire station, needing to write up a report on the incident. Then he’d take the rest of his day off and see what Dana was up to. Maybe they’d go to dinner in Reno. She’d grown up there, so she was bound to know where the good restaurants were.
When he got home later, he found her at the kitchen table, eating one of his Otter Pops.
“Hope you don’t mind that I stole one?” she said.
“Have as many as you’d like.” Jeez, watching her eat the pop . . . yeah, not gonna go there. “What’s going on?” He eyed the maxi dress she had on. Not her usual style, but he liked it. A lot.
“My client countered today on the Rosser Ranch. A few days ago, I don’t think old man Rosser would’ve accepted her counter, considering it’s not the full thirty thousand more he wanted. But due to new circumstances, we may have a done deal.” She crossed her fingers.
“Yeah?” He couldn’t help pulling her out of the chair and getting his arms around her. She felt even better than he’d imagined, soft and round in all the right places. “That’s great. We’ve got to celebrate.”
She tugged free of him—he might’ve been crushing her—and her face glowed with a combination of delight and surprise. “Really?”
“Hell yeah. This is a huge deal, right?” What, didn’t she ever celebrate things like this?
“It’s the biggest sale I’ve ever had . . . will probably ever have. But I don’t want to jinx it.”
“Okay.” Aidan understood being superstitious. “Then we’ll just go out to dinner. We’ll do the celebration thing when everyone’s signed on the dotted line.”
“All right.”
This, Aidan could tell, pleased her. He couldn’t say why, but he liked pleasing her. She was no pushover but seemed inordinately appreciative of any overtures of friendship. Last night, at the party, he didn’t think she even realized how charming she’d been. Once people got her talking, she’d been open, friendly, and nonjudgmental. It sounded like her family’s candy business dwarfed Hutch’s, yet she acted like they were in the same league. Sue always compartmentalized people. They were either in her strata or not worth her time.
“Where do you want to go?” Dana asked.
“What about Reno? I haven’t really checked out the place.”
“We can go there. You in the mood for Italian? I know a good place.”
“Absolutely. Do we need a reservation?”
“I’ll make one on the way.” She held up her phone, then looked at the time. “But let’s go now; I’m starved.”
“Okay. Let me change first.” Aidan was in shorts and a T-shirt he’d put on at the fire station. “This place have a dress code?”
She laughed. “You’re in the West now. A nice pair of jeans will get you in just about anywhere.”
He decided on a pressed pair of khakis and an Oxford shirt anyway. If it had been Sue’s outing, she would’ve insisted he wear a tie. Instead, he splashed on a little cologne and called it a day. When he came out of his room Dana looked twice.
“Should I get dressed up too?”
“You are,” he said and pointed to her dress. “That new?”
