Page 48 of Her Maine Distraction

“My purse is still in there. Behind the counter in the cubby beneath the register.”

“I’ll make sure to get it.”

“Thank you.”

“Just stay here and sit and drink more water. No one will bother you. I promise.”

“Okay.” I nod.

I watch him walk away, and I can positively say the only good thing to come of this has been seeing Tyler like he is now.

Tyler in firefighter mode is a walking wet dream. Just like Tyler in jeans and a t-shirt with a cocky smile is walking wet dream.

He’s too much of everything a woman wants in a man. I really hope I’m not in over my head with him…

Chapter 11

“This really isn’t necessary,” I tell Tyler again.

“I’m not just going to leave you alone in your apartment to overthink and freak out all night. Plus, I want to monitor you in case that smoke did more damage than you think.”

Sighing, I cross my arms and sit back into the passenger’s seat of his truck.

“Keep pouting, sugar.” He laughs. “It’s a cute look.”

“Shut up.”

Laughing harder, he pulls out of the lot behind The Rusty Anchor and takes the short drive to his house.

After everything was resolved at the café, I drove back to my apartment, and Tyler came a little while later to pick me up. He had to go back to the station to change and sign out of his shift first. His shift was supposed to be over at seven, but when the alarm went off, he stayed longer. Tyler came forme.

When we get to his house, he carries the small bag I packed inside, and places it by the door. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving, actually.”

“How does pizza sound?”

I take a seat at the kitchen island. “Like heaven.”

“I make the best in my family,” he says proudly, puffing his chest out.

“Do you now? Well, lucky me, then.”

“Friday nights growing up were always DIY pizza nights. My brothers and I would put some weird shit on ours to experiment until our mom finally told us that if we wasted any more food, we’d start having no dinner on Fridays. My brothers and I would have to watch while just her and our dad ate.”

Laughing, I picture four boys throwing food around the kitchen, trying to get one of them to eat their weird pizza, waiting to see who’d spit it out first.

“I’m an only child, so I don’t have any bitchy sister or annoying brother moments. I always wished I had someone to play with when I was little, or talk to when I was a teenager. But then I met Ally, Ash, and Mel freshman year of high school, and they became my sisters.”

“You’re lucky to have them. Not many people can say they have friends close enough to be family. I’m lucky to say that my family are my friends. I don’t know what I would have done without my brothers. We fought, but we were always there for each other,” he says, gathering ingredients from the fridge. “I have the guys at work, too, and I consider them family. I trust them with my life, and vice versa.”

“You’re lucky to have such a big family. I always wanted that.” Looking down, I study my hands when an idea hits me. “I’ll need you to tell me the other firemen’s favorite desserts. I want to thank everyone who had to witness my stupidity tonight and prove that I’m good at what I do.”

“They already know you’re good, sugar. I took my donuts and cupcakes in with me and refused to share. They had to watch me eat in bliss while they had packaged cookies they found in the cabinet.”

“Tyler!” I laugh. “That’s mean. Make me a list, or I’ll just make a bunch of everything.”

He perks up. “Oh, that sounds good. But can you make a special box just for me so that I’m sure to get some and no one can steal any?”

---