Page 21 of Her Silver Fox Firefighters
“It’s just that you never let me meet your girlfriends,” Luke replies. “I figured that must mean Olivia’s special.”
“She is,” Leo says, his eyes locked on mine.
My heart swells as I try to keep my demeanor cool and composed. Part of me worries that this will blow up in my face somehow, but another part of me actually dares to envision a future with Leo, Dax, and Beck.
It sounds nice, really nice.
Luke also adds a new dimension to what I thought I knew about Leo. It makes him even more attractive, even more appealing to me. And paired with Dax and Beck, he’s downright irresistible.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Luke, I’ll tell you that much,” I say to the kid.
“He’s hanging out with us today,” Leo says. “His school is doing some major repair project, and they wanted to do online classes, but the parents banded together and got the principal to just give them a day off.”
“Sounds much more fun than online classes,” I say, then look around at the apparatus floor. “Do you come here often?”
“Yeah,” Luke says.
“So you’d be able to tell me more about the trucks and the tools these guys use, right?”
“Of course. Dax showed me how to use the Halligan tool last week,” Luke exclaims. “I could teach you.”
“Another day for sure. I have to get back to work now before Jim checks the time and realizes I’m still here,” I reply with a soft smile.
Dax comes in for another kiss on the cheek. “The diner’s not that busy at this hour, is it?”
“Nope, but I’m supposed to reorganize the cutlery compartments for table service, among other things,” I tell him. “Earning my pay.”
Suddenly, the siren blares, and a red light flashes just above the hall’s entrance, followed by the dispatcher’s voice booming through the wall-mounted speakers, announcing a structure fire somewhere across town.
“Okay, that’s us,” Dax says.
“I’ll just go inside like normal,” Luke sighs.
“Or you could hang out at the diner with me,” I suggest, genuinely eager to get to know him a little better. Behind his calm façade, I can see a curious boy with a big heart. In some ways, he reminds me of me. “It’s no trouble, especially if he helps.”
“Jim won’t mind,” Leo replies with a shrug. “We’ve got him by the short hairs because of those chocolate chip cookies. I know he won’t say no.”
That makes me laugh.
“Okay, yeah. I’ll go with Olivia,” Luke says.
“It’s settled then,” I conclude. Leo kisses my forehead, followed by a peck from Beck on the cheek before they all rush back to their trucks, getting their gear ready as they jump in.
In less than a minute, the trucks and the ambulance roll out into the streets, their lights flashing and sirens wailing, as the faint scent of smoke lingers in the air. Luke and I stand back and listen until the rumble fades and the firehouse is silent once more.
“Guess they’ll eat those cupcakes later,” Luke mutters. “The Oreo one looks really cool.”
“You should take it,” I suggest.
“Won’t they know it’s missing?”
“They don’t have to know. It’ll be our little secret.”
Luke gives me a broad smile, then grabs the Oreo cupcake and joins me as we cross the street to the diner.
I have a feeling he and I are going to get along just fine.
An hour fliesby while Luke and I are at the diner.
