Page 10 of From the Flames
“Fine. I was just teasing you a little. Geez, you don’t need to bite my head off.” He grew quiet for about two seconds. “But I must have hit a nerve. I take it this professor is cute and you like him.”
God, this sounded way too much like high school. “Yes. Willy is—well, I’m not going to jump into anything,” Kevin admitted, toning down his firm voice. “He says he needs to take things slow, but I don’t know what the hell that means.”
Chase rolled his eyes. “For God’s sake. Do you jump into bed with every guy you meet?” Kevin pulled to a stop at a light and gave Chase a cold stare. “You do. You think that because you look like that, everyone is going fall at your feet or something. You are handsome and built, but—”
“No. It’s not like that. It’s just I don’t know what ‘take things slow’ means. It’s confusing.”
“Of course it is. But then again… it’s not. If he wants to go slow… then woo him.”
“Huh?” Kevin asked.
“Take the guy out. Go on picnics, or find out what he does for fun. If you like Willy, then find out everything there is to know about him… and not in a creepy way. Really get to know him. The bed stuff will come in its own time when you’re both ready.” Chase rolled his eyes. “Haven’t you ever dated anyone before?”
“Yeah, but it was a while ago.”
Chase patted his shoulder. “Then you’ll figure it out. But really get to know the guy and his kids. Show them that you wantto be part of their lives. After all, there’s nothing hotter than someone who really cares for you.”
Chapter 5
“SORRY ABOUTyour apartment,” Carol said as she left class. Apparently stories about the fire and the fact that Willy had been caught in it were all over the college. Many of his students had said how sorry they were, and a few had asked if he needed anything. It was nice that they cared and made some of the blackness of the loss seem less dire. He headed down the hall and was joined by a colleague.
“Do you have a place to stay?” Evelyn asked as they stopped in the lounge for a cup of coffee. He poured her a mug and got one for himself.
“Yes. After my classes I need to see about some furniture. I also got a message from the insurance company that some money was on the way, which is a big relief.”
“Where are you staying now?” she asked as she took the mug he offered her.
“One of the firefighters took us in. He’s put me and the kids up for a few days. But I don’t want to impose on him, and I really think it’s best if we are all able to get on with our lives, you know?” He sipped the coffee and closed his eyes, thinking instantly of Kevin. It would be so easy to get used to having him around. The kids liked him already, and Willy wasn’t sure if that was good or not. He didn’t want them getting hurt if things didn’t work out.
Evelyn’s mouth hung open for a second. “So you and the kids are who my nephew took in. I didn’t draw the conclusion right away.”
“Kevin is your nephew?” Of course they were related. How many Messiers could there be in a town this size? “Then yes.He took us in. Grant and April have already adopted some of his dogs, and I think it’s going to be a fight to get them to bed without Elsa and Benjamin after we move into the new place. Your nephew is quite a person. The night of the fire, he rescued the three of us from the building, and then when the Red Cross was running out of space, he offered his extra rooms so the three of us wouldn’t end up in a shelter.”
“That’s Kevin. He was always kind and caring. I was thrilled when he became a firefighter, though my brother tried to worm his way back into Kevin’s life and convince him to go to business school and work on Wall Street or some such thing.” She shook her head. “Anyone could see that Kevin was a born firefighter.”
“He told me the story,” Willy said.
“And those dogs…. He rescued each of them in one way or another.” She set down her mug and leaned over the table. “Kevin has a huge heart, but his taste in partners is terrible. He dated Delia while he was in college, and man, she was awful.”
Willy swallowed. “I see.”
Evelyn shrugged. “They lasted about six months. Then he started dating Jeff, which pissed Clair off to no end, but he was no better than her. Jeff was a track star and had to be the center of attention, so whenever Kevin was in the spotlight, Jeff would make a scene or tear him down. It was not a good time.”
Willy couldn’t help listening and wondered if she should be telling him all this. “Maybe Kevin should be the one to tell me about his past.”
“My point is that he has bad taste in the people he dates.” She watched him over the mug as she sipped. “I’m wondering if a certain colleague of mine might have captured his interest.”
Willy huffed. “I’ve known Kevin for, what, four days? Don’t go playing matchmaker or trying to push us together. Kevin is a good person and he helped us out a lot, but….”
Evelyn grinned. “Kevin is super hot, isn’t he?”
“He’s your nephew!”
“And I’m not blind.” She smirked. “You know I’m right.”
Willy huffed and shook his head. “What you are is incorrigible, and you know it.” He finished his coffee and checked the time. He still had half an hour before his next class. Willy thought about going to his office, but he didn’t want to blow Evelyn off. He just wished she would change the subject.
“Sure I am. But I also have eyes, and Kevin is very easy to look at. I know you noticed,” she teased.
