Lori gave a slow nod as she pushed long mahogany hair from her face. “Yeah, but remember they’re men, and they’re camping. The male brain short-circuits when it involves the outdoors and hunting.”
“That’s not surprising.” Tina snorted. “The male brain goes on vacation when he’s driving to the freaking grocery store.”
Chelsey laughed and ran her palms of the smooth wood of the chair back as she stood behind it. “How’s online dating life?”
Tina rolled her eyes. “Met Mr. Oh-So-Wrong, but what’s new?”
“Yeah, I can sure pick ’em, too.” Lori grumbled and put her elbow on the kitchen table. “One of the last guys came to my company barbeque dressed in a wife beater with holes in it, ripped shorts, and flip-flops. I was so damned embarrassed when I saw him.”
Chelsey shook her head, picturing a real slob. “That’s not just tacky, it’s disrespectful to you and everyone at the BBQ.”
Tina made gagging sound. “Ewww. What did you do?”
Lori grimaced. “The moment he walked up to me at the park, I turned him right around and told him we’d pick up pizza, and then go through the DQ drive thru for ice cream, because the BBQ was a dud. After we got the goods, I dropped him off at home and never answered another call from him.”
“Jeez, what a loser.” Tina thumped Lori on her upper arm. “Why is this the first we’ve heard of it? Summer ended two months ago.”
“I was too pissed.” Lori lowered her head so that her hair covered her face, and she banged her forehead against the table. “Ouch.” Her words came out muffled. “Dating sucks.”
Chelsey smiled to herself as she stood near her sisters and enjoyed the back and forth between the three of them. Her sisters were fun and two of her closest friends. Blood was definitely thicker than water.
“I hear you, Sister.” Tina scooted up in her chair. “The guy I’m seeing now is on his way out the door. Everyone belches and farts, but not in front of other people. All the time.”
“Sounds like a winner.” Lori had a wry grin as she raised her head and sat up. “How is he in bed?”
Tina shrugged. “So-so.”
Chelsey waved her hand, as if brushing away dust. “Not worth your time. Who wants someone like that? You’re certainly not desperate.”
Tina put her arms on the table and leaned forward, her gaze focused on Chelsey. “Talking about dating, maybe you should go online, too.”
Chelsey’s thoughts bolted immediately to Grady, and she hoped her cheeks didn’t redden like they tended to do.
“Wait a minute.” Lori shook her finger at Chelsey. “You’ve met someone.”
Tina sat straight in her chair. “She has.”
Chelsey held in a groan. Busted. How did they always know? Her sisters were too intuitive for their own good.
“It’s nothing.” Chelsey gripped the back of the chair tighter as she shifted from one foot to the other. “Really.”
Tina leaned back in her chair, her arms folded across her chest, and looked at Chelsey with a gently accusing stare. “You’ve been holding back.”
“It’s not like that at all.” Chelsey shook her head. “A guy gave me his number at the skating rink yesterday.” She shrugged. “I haven’t called him.”
“Tell us about him.” Lori looked at Chelsey just as intently as Tina did. “Everything.”
“For cripes sake.” Chelsey huffed out a breath, half frustrated and half amused. “He plays on a hockey league and was practicing when Sandy and I went out on the ice. He’s a firefighter here at the Appleton Fire Department.”
“Oooooh. AFD.” Tina’s lips went from a firm line to tipping at the corners. “I bet he’s hot.”
It was Chelsey’s turn to roll her eyes. “Ha. Ha.” She couldn’t hold back the truth. “Okay, yes, he’s freaking hot.”
Tina and Lori gave each other high-fives.
Lori grinned at Chelsey. “About damned time.”
“I haven’t decided whether or not I’m going to call him.” His number was still somewhere in her purse. It was true she hadn’t decided, mostly because the thought of him being in a dangerous profession was giving her second thoughts.
Switch it to off, girl.
“You’re going to call him.” Tina held up her hand, as if she was holding a phone next to her ear. “It’s time you get out and enjoy life again.”
“Damn straight.” Lori nodded. “If we find out you haven’t, there will be hell to pay, big sister.”
Chelsey groaned. “This is exactly why I didn’t say anything.”
Lori scooted her chair back and stood. “You know you can’t keep anything from us.”
“Even if you try, we’ll find out.” Tina laughed as she got up, too. “I’m going for the cinnamon rolls. They’re shouting my name.”
“Same here.” Lori headed for the stove. “Dibs on the center roll.”
* * *
Chelsey hummed as she put away her folded clothing, tucking stacks of sweaters and jeans into her bureau. Her sisters had headed to their homes a good two hours ago and she had been catching up on laundry.
Her mind couldn’t seem to stay away from thoughts of Grady, no matter how hard she tried. The fact the sexy firefighter had left his phone number for her sent thrills zinging inside her belly. She’d taken his number out of her purse and set it beside her cell phone. She intended to call him in a bit—when she got her courage up.
Strands of hair fell over her face as she leaned down and picked the pile of silky panties and bras off her bed. The stack was small and she held them under one arm as she pushed hair out of her face with her free hand. She returned to the bureau before opening the top drawer.
The lavender scent in her lingerie drawer had faded and the sachet needed to be replaced. She tucked the undergarments inside before turning to the vanity where she kept a couple of extra sachets in sealed bags. She pulled open the center drawer of her vanity. Her hand froze as her gaze rested on the picture of George and herself, from three years ago. They had married when she was thirty-three… By the time she was thirty-six, he was dead.
She picked up the picture and held it, her hands nearly shaking. Her heart thumped and her stomach tightened.
Her husband’s face had been so kind. Most of the time he was smiling, always teasing her, and cracking jokes.
However, he’d had a dark side that only Chelsey seemed to be aware of. His parents probably knew, but no one spoke of the fact that George had been an alcoholic. It had been a habit he had picked up in the military, when he was overseas and had lost friends to the war. Fortunately, he wasn’t a mean drunk, but would become aloof and would want to spend time alone, lost in his thoughts.
Many times she had wondered what he was thinking about as he sat alone in his man cave. The room would remain dark during those nights, no lights or TV to brighten the place. Those were lonely times for her. She’d loved George—the good and the bad.
She hadn’t known he was an alcoholic until after they were married. Maybe she should have suspected something, but he had been careful to keep it from her and never drank in her presence while they were dating. She’d been angry that he hadn’t told her, and he had apologized, but it took time to forgive him for keeping something so big from her.
Despite everything, she didn’t regret marrying him, she just wished things had been different in more than one way. A lot different.
Her eyes burned, but she held back tears. It had been three years since George’s death, but sometimes it still hurt so badly her chest ached from it. She took the picture and walked to her bed, staring at his features. Her heart in her throat, she slowly sat on the edge of the mattress and put his picture in her lap. She closed her eyelids and dragged in a deep breath.
She would never forget that day. She’d been warned just before her phone rang.
Something is wrong, had screamed inside her head when she went to press the answer button on her phone.
She opened her eyes. After her husb
and died in an underground mining accident, she had told herself she would never again be involved with a man who worked in a dangerous profession. And here she was, considering dating a firefighter. Hell, she’d been more than considering it.
As she studied the picture, she traced one finger along the gilded frame. She had felt like a piece of her died when she’d heard a mineshaft had collapsed on George and his crew.
If something happened to another man she loved—if she ever loved again—she didn’t know if she could take it.
Her throat felt raw as she looked away from the photograph. Her gaze rested on her cell phone on the vanity, next to the piece of paper with Grady’s name and phone number.
The familiar ache of the old pain had never gone away, and pain blossomed in her chest. Her stomach clenched and she felt sick as she stood, walked to the phone, and picked up the paper. She tore it into tiny pieces and threw them into the wastebasket next to her vanity.
She felt as if she’d been punched in the gut as she turned and walked out of the bedroom.
3
After loading a large bag of Spot’s favorite dog food onto the bottom of the cart, Grady pushed the shopping cart to the breakfast aisle. He went from one end of the breakfast aisle to the other. Along the way, he grabbed a bag of rolled oats, a container of granola, a package of breakfast bars, and a jar of malted milk powder.
At the end of the row, he picked out his favorites—Fruit Loops and Cap’n Crunch’s Peanut Butter Crunch. “Food of the gods,” he said as he tossed the boxes into the cart. “Dionysus would be proud.”
One advantage to being a bachelor was he could eat anything he damned well pleased. He rounded the corner of the aisle and stopped by the end cap, where he snagged a twelve-pack of Pepsi before heading for the dairy case. Pepsi and peanut butter cereal didn’t go well together. He’d tried it once when he ran out of milk. Once was enough.
He pushed the cart toward the dairy case when he came to a stop. “Well, hello there,” he murmured to himself as his gaze rested on none other than the woman of his fantasies.
Chelsey Daniels opened one of the glass doors, grabbed a large tub of Greek yogurt, and set it in her almost full cart. She had an awful lot of food piled in the basket and he wondered if she lived with anyone.
Did she have a kid or two? Or three? There was a hell of a lot he didn’t know about Chelsey, but he sure wanted to find out everything he could.
He frowned. Did she have a significant other? He mentally shook his head. She wouldn’t have agreed to call him to make dinner plans if she had. But then she hadn’t called him either, so she could have a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend.
Hmmm…
Every man’s fantasy—to be in a ménage with two women.
The possibilities…
He smiled to himself. Fantasies were one thing, reality another. He couldn’t picture sharing Chelsey with anyone.
Let’s find out.
She was looking at her phone’s screen. Shopping list, he guessed.
He pulled his cart beside hers and caught her soft, flowery perfume. “What’s for dinner?”
Chelsey jumped. Her gaze shot up from her phone and her eyes met his. She paused a moment as he smiled at her. “Grady.” His name sounded so sexy on her lips, it caused his groin to ache.
“I’m for dinner?” He did his best not to laugh. “Just tell me when.”
She looked flustered. “No. I meant—” She clearly saw the teasing in his eyes and she made a face. “Smartass. What are you doing here?”
He did laugh this time and gave a nod in the direction of his basket. “Same as you. I think.” He pointed to the mound of packaged food and fresh vegetables she had in hers. “Not half as good a job of buying out the store as you are.”
Her cheeks reddened and he grinned. Freaking adorable.
“Of course.” Her chest rose as she sucked in her breath then fell as she blew out her breath. “That was a silly question.”
He rested his forearms on the handle of his cart. “You look like you’re shopping for a small army.”
“Habit.” She shrugged. “I raised my two sisters and our younger twin brothers, and we never seemed to have enough. The boys ate like they’d never seen food before, and the girls almost rivaled them.” A smile touched her lips as if the memory was a fond one. “So I tend to fill the pantry and always have enough when anyone pops over, which is fairly often.”
“No roommate?” He did his best to sound casual.
“Nope.” She gripped the handle of her own cart as if it was holding her up. She looked slightly amused, as if knowing exactly why he wanted to know.“ Just me, myself, and I.”
Nice to know. Didn’t sound at all like a significant other was hanging around.
“I live alone, too.” He shrugged. “Hence the nearly empty cart and the kids’ cereal.”
She glanced at his basket before meeting his gaze. “I can see you have a dog, too. A big one considering the large bag?”
“Spot has a hell of an appetite.”
Chelsey grinned. “Spot?”
Grady gave her a quick grin in response. “He was a gift from my sister, Lexi, when I moved here to Wisconsin. He’s a Dalmatian and she named him Spot. She figures every firefighter should have one.”
“That is awesome. Lexi has a fun sense of humor.” Chelsey glanced at his basket again. “I take it you’re also not crazy about cooking.”
“Not at all.” He leaned forward as he drank her in. God, she was beautiful. Those amazing curves, all that blonde hair, and he’d never seen such an amazing shade of green as her eyes.
Damn.
“My favorite homemade meal is a bowl of Cap’n Crunch and a glass of malted milk.”
She smiled and it lit up the whole damned grocery store. “Maybe you should take a few cooking lessons. You might enjoy it then.” She had a warmth to her tone that made him think she was coming around.
He couldn’t hold back another grin. “Are you offering to teach me?”
“What?” She blinked. “No. I mean, well, no.”
“Too bad.” He held her gaze. “I might take to following you around like a lost puppy. I’d be hot for the teacher. Hell, I already am.”
Her cheeks flushed and she looked embarrassed.
Maybe a little too much too fast.
“I’m teasing.” He watched the tension leave her expression. “At least part of it was. You have to guess which part.”
“No dice.” She seemed to be able to jump right in when it came to the teasing. She was probably used to it after raising her siblings. “I know a losing hand when I see one.”
A laugh rose in his chest. “Something tells me you’ve played cards a time or two.”
“Try twelve hundred.” She rolled her eyes to look up at the perforated ceiling panels for a moment. She glanced back at him. “The kids—my sisters and brothers—always wanted to play when they were young. We started with ‘go fish’ when they were little and ended up with Texas Hold’em before they were teens.” He liked the way her eyes went soft when she talked about her brothers and sisters. It was clear she loved them.
“I’m the youngest out of a big, noisy, Irish family.” He shook his head. “Three older brothers and six sisters. Then there are all the aunts and uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces, grandparents, and of course my own parents. Longevity in our family tree is crazy.”
Except the alcoholics, who tended to live shorter lives.
Not going there now.
If Chelsey agreed to date him, he’d have to tell her sooner or later. More than likely it would be sooner.”
“Your family sounds huge” Chelsey tipped her head to the side. “We have just the five of us in our family. Five brothers and sisters sound like a lot to some people, but both of our parents were only children and we only had one living grandmother, Janice, before she passed away twenty years ago. We don’t have any aunts, uncles, cousins, or other grandparents—just us.”
She lo
oked a little sad as she continued. “Our parents were killed when the bridge they were driving over collapsed. The girls were five and six, and boys were two. Fortunately, none of the kids were in the car. After our mom and dad passed, our Grandmother Janice took us in until she died.”
Chelsey’s statement about her grandmother had a hard edge to it, and Grady had no doubt that Chelsey hadn’t been fond of the older woman. He wondered why.
“I have enough family for both of us, and then some,” he said. “We have fifty or sixty in our clan, including extended family, and that’s just in this country.”
Her jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me?”
He shook his head. “We might as well be a small town when we get together for a reunion.”
“How do you keep track of everyone?” She looked at him with amazement in her expression. “A spreadsheet?”
He laughed. “Now there’s a great idea.”
“I’m full of them.” She gave him a broad smile. “Grady Donovan is a very Irish name.”
“That it is, lassie.” He did his best impression of an old Irishman speaking in a deep brogue. He switched his speech back to normal. “You are amazing on the ice—I could watch you for hours. I can see how you were a world champion.”
“Thank you.” Clear confidence changed her expression, replacing the shy look. “It used to be everything to me. I lived to skate. I still can’t wait to get on the ice as often as possible.” She tilted her head to the side. “How did you know?”
He shrugged. “Small town.”
“Not that small.” She seemed to relax as they fell into conversation. “It’s not like the really small towns where everyone knows their neighbor’s business.”
“But you forget something.” Grady shifted his arms on his basket handle. “You’re a star. A home town girl who made it.”
Something entered her gaze that gave her a faraway look. “That was a lifetime ago.”
Grady watched Chelsey. “I work with Craig Roberts.”
She nodded. “I see him every now and again at the rink. I forgot he’s a firefighter.”
After a pause, he said, “I was hoping you would call.”
Fire and Ice (Firemen do it Hotter Book 1) Page 2
