Page 14 of Blind Date with a #FIREFIGHTER
“How about this? We have pizza, go back home and read the books, then go for ice cream and take Thea home.”
“Yeah!” Aaron says.
“Thea?”
“That’s a lot of running for you. You could drop me off to get my car, and I follow you home?”
“We don’t mind,” Alex adds. “This is date night for us.”
Thea blushes. An honest to goodness blush that is so refreshing.
Clearing her throat, she looks at my son. “Do you and your dad go on a lot of dates?”
He nods. “Yeah, about once a week. But this is the first time we’ve had a girl with us.”
She looks at me and I take pity. “Alex knows about date night from one of our past sitters who would take her grandson for overnight ‘date nights’ so his parents could have private time.” I waggle my eyebrows, so she gets the idea.
There’s that blush again.
“I see.”
“I liked that sitter because she liked books too,” Aaron cuts in. “But now she has three grandkids, so she doesn’t have time to watch me.”
Our pizza comes and Aaron talks the whole time we’re eating. I can’t remember the last time he’s been this animated. We’ve just finished up when a guy that used to be in the fire department swaggers over. “Spark, that you?”
Never one of my favorites, the fact that he’s half-drunk doesn’t endear him to me any further. His drinking habits are what eventually cost him his job.
“Tyne.”
He squints at Thea and gives his head a shake. Then laughs. “Hell ,man, heard your wife dumped you but when did you sink to cougars?”
“Watch your mouth, Tyne.”
Too drunk to pay attention, he snorts. “She’s even older than me and about as responsive as a?—”
I spring from my chair and grab him by the shirt front, twisting his lead hand behind him. Pulling him in close, I whisper into his ear. “Shut your fucking mouth before I shove my fist down your throat and grab your balls. You feel me?”
He nods.
He grunts and I look down. My son just kicked his shin. “I got your back, Dad.”
I swallow my grin. Nodding at Aaron, I glance at Thea. Her face is red but she’s holding her own. “Aaron, you stay and take care of Thea while I show this fool out. I’ll be right back.”
Dragging him around the front, I shove him up against the side of the building. “If I hear any negative rumors about my woman, I’ll know who started them and where to find you. This is the only warning.”
Turning my back on the weasel, I keep my senses open and head inside.My woman. I think of her kindness to my son, hersweetness with the kids at the daycare, her blush. She’s the kind of woman who makes a man, and a boy better.
Inside the waitress is boxing up our leftovers and placing a paper bag on top. I pull my wallet. She smiles and shakes her head. “Your bill has been paid and the owner included some cannoli as a gift.”
“Who paid?”
“The gentleman in the corner.” She nods her head in the appropriate direction. The fire Chief nods. I tip my own head.
Thea stands and I slip my free arm around her shoulder, Aaron takes her other hand, and we walk out.
“So now, we go read the books then get ice cream,” Aaron says excitedly.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Thea start to speak, but my son cuts her off with his next outburst. “This is the best night ever, Dad. We need more date nights with Miss Thea.”
