Dear Mr. Firefighter: The Match Maker Series

by Callahan, Kelli

  “I want to watch that one!” Abby pointed at the screen.

  “Abby, that’s a cartoon.” Bridget shook her head back and forth. “Let’s find something else.”

  “Then I want to watch Benji!” She pointed at the movie underneath the one she originally chose.

  “I watched that a few times growing up because it was always on basic cable.” Chloe squinted slightly. “Wait, is that a remake?”

  “Yeah.” I exhaled sharply. “Another classic ruined.”

  “It’s awesome!” Abby tried to grab the remote.

  “I’m okay with watching it.” Chloe looked over at Bridget. “Or have you watched it a million times already?”

  “A million and one, but it’s okay.” Bridget chuckled and started the movie.

  At least tonight isn’t about romance—well, not the passionate part of romance at least. I guess this is as important as that. If Abby hated her, it would make our relationship very complicated.

  I was pleasantly surprised to see how well Abby and Chloe got along. I was also entertained by their reactions to the movie more than the movie itself. Abby kept getting Chloe’s attention and making sure she was watching every time a good part came up. By the end of the movie, they were both laughing and very happy with the ending. I knew what was coming next—Abby was going to ask for a dog and Bridget was going to have to tell her no.

  “Mom, I want a puppy!” Abby looked at Bridget and practically pleaded with her eyes—the best expression of puppy-dog eyes she could pull off. “Chloe, tell her we should get a puppy.”

  “I’m willing to support you on your position about dessert, but a puppy requires a lot of work.” Chloe gave Abby was a warm smile and a slight grimace. “Trust me, they’re not always as cute as they are on TV. Plus, they need lots of room to run around—like a big backyard or something.”

  “Okay.” Abby nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”

  Hold on. Did Chloe just totally shut down the puppy discussion without a single argument from Abby?

  I couldn’t hide my shocked expression and when I looked at Bridget, she had the same one etched on her face too.

  “Alright young lady. You’re up way past your bedtime.” Bridget leaned forward and put the remote down.

  “I still get a story, right?” Abby looked at Chloe. “Will you read me one?”

  “I’ll read you one.” I waved off Abby’s request. “Chloe is our guest.”

  “I don’t mind.” Chloe stood and motioned for me to stay seated.

  “Brush your teeth…” I watched as Abby led Chloe down the hallway.

  “Okay—did that just happen? Abby didn’t throw a fit about the puppy and she’s going to bed on the weekend without asking to stay up late playing Minecraft?” Bridget looked at me in shock.

  “I’m impressed.” I nodded in agreement.

  “If you don’t marry this girl, I might switch teams and put a ring on her finger myself.” Bridget grinned and shook her head in disbelief. “I even hear the water running—and she’s brushing her teeth without us having to make her get up and do it because she forgot!”

  Chloe got Abby in bed without incident and read her a story. Ten minutes later, she was back in the living room listening to Bridget gush about how good she was with her daughter. We talked for a little while longer before Bridget decided to head to her room for the evening. It was definitely out of the ordinary for her not to stay in the living room until she was ready for bed, so I assumed she was just trying to give us a little bit of time alone. I thanked her with a smile and a nod before she was gone.

  “This was fun.” Chloe reached over and took my hand. “Thank you for inviting me over.”

  “I’m glad you came.” I squeezed her hand. “You amaze me every day—this one is no different. You wouldn’t believe how many tantrums I’ve sat through when we told her she couldn’t have a puppy.”

  “Maybe she was just trying to be on her best behavior—she’s trying to make me her aunt after all.” Chloe giggled. “I’d even be her favorite—wait, you don’t have any brothers, do you?”

  “No.” I chuckled under my breath. “You’d be her only aunt.”

  “She’s clever—I like that.” Chloe slid closer until she was in my arms. “I needed this. I haven’t been able to get out of my own head since the interview blew up in my face.”

  “I know.” I squeezed her in a hug and let her snuggle against my chest. “But things like that take time and there’s nothing wrong with being bummed out over it.”

  “It’s more than that.” She exhaled sharply. “That’s the only place that has even offered me an interview and I couldn’t even make the most of it.”

  “I’m sure you’ll have more interviews.” I ran my fingers along the edge of her brow and brushed away a stray hair.

  “Will you take me in if I’m homeless? I could sleep on the floor in Abby’s room.” Chloe looked up at me with a comically sad expression on her face and pouted.

  “If you lived here, you wouldn’t be sleeping on the floor—trust me.” I pulled her closer.

  “Maybe you should show me where I’d get to sleep.” She lifted up slightly until her lips were against my ear. “Show me where you take all those pictures that you send me.”

  “I’m not sure the two of us should be alone in my bedroom…” I exhaled sharply. “Fuck it.”

  Resisting temptation would be hard, but at least Bridget and Abby were in the house. That would keep me from chasing my desires further than Chloe’s lips—but my hands would probably explore more than I dared to in the cab of my truck. I led her to my bedroom and closed the door. I had avoided devouring her lips as long as possible, even though I had been thinking about it all night, so I quickly pulled her into an embrace, followed by a kiss.

  “This probably was a bad idea.” She gasped when my lips were finally pulled away.

  “Do you want to go?” I tilted my head to the side.

  “No.” She shook her head back and forth. “I’m not going anywhere—yet.”

  I continued kissing her and she backed up until her legs were against the bed. I pushed her down against the mattress and climbed on top of her. Everything inside of me begged to forget that we weren’t alone and to throw the rules we were supposed to be following out the window. Her friend Lola did that with the guy she got matched with—I had no doubt in my mind that Chloe wanted to do the same thing. My hands slid underneath her shirt as my lips smeared the color of Chloe’s lips and traveled down to her neck.

  “I want you.” Chloe moaned and her back arched.

  “I want you too.” I exhaled sharply and pulled back. “But we can’t—definitely not tonight.”

  “It doesn’t have to be sex, right?” She slid her hand down abdomen and squeezed my cock through my pants. “It could just be a little touching—we could stop before we finished.”

  “That would be worse than getting dirty pictures from you.” I grimaced and hated to have to push her hand away when I craved her touch so much.

  “You’re right.” She sighed and nodded. “I’m not sure I could stop anyway.”

  We continued kissing and making out for nearly an hour before she decided that it was time to go. It was a damn good thing too, because I was creating every barrier I could put up in my mind, but my lust was just shattering them like they were made of cardboard.

  “You know I’m going to do dirty things to myself when I get home, right?” Chloe looked up at me once we were outside.

  “Are you going to send me pictures.” I put my hands on her hips.

  “Probably.” She grinned and winked at me.

  I walked back inside after we kissed one last time. As soon as I got to my room and stretched out on the bed, I could smell her perfume lingering in the air. I started to wonder if any of the couples on the wall at What the Heart Wants made it to the three month mark before they were intimate. There was a time when it was common to wait, but it felt almost unnatural. Chloe had me tied in a knot
of lust and desire while my heart tried desperately to keep me on the right path—but was it the right path? I had questioned it so many times, but I was running out of sensible things to throw back at the voice in my head telling me to just go for it.

  At least I can battle that demon on my own now that she’s gone.

  One month later

  I felt like I was treading water in all aspects of my life. After bombing the interview at Cardinal Advertising, I had gotten two more with other firms, but neither of them resulted in a job offer. My bank account was tapped out except for some emergency funds that I was desperately trying to hold onto. Lola was being generous and taking care of my expenses as they came up, but I was at the point where a full-time job at Starbucks was looking more probable than it ever had before. I was letting pride hold me back, but pride wasn’t paying the bills. Pride just had me booked on a one-way flight to homelessness if Lola’s generosity ran its course.

  My relationship with Cain was still going strong. Bridget was becoming a friend. Abby was becoming the most adorable thing in my life. I went to their house for dinner every weekend, followed by a movie of Abby’s choosing most of the time.

  Cain and I spent as much time together as we could, but sexual frustration was becoming a reality for me. It was something I never dreamed of feeling, but it was churning inside me like a tornado. We were at the halfway mark. It felt like an eternity had passed and we still had an eternity to go. I was no longer trying to fight it—I had changed from a virgin afraid of everything sexual to the living embodiment of a succubus straight out of fantasy novel. My finger was no longer enough—it was turning into a tease. I could no longer close my eyes and imagine Cain there with me when I pleasured myself—I needed the real thing too much. I needed the closeness, his lips on mine, the satisfaction of desire while everything collided in bliss. I was afraid Cain was going to have to beat me off with a stick—something he had jokingly mentioned more than once.

  It’s time to get some answers—and figure out why we have to wait so damn long when we both know it’s right.

  Grace sounded shocked when I called her, especially when I told her that I needed to have a sit down meeting. I didn’t tell her what it was about, and I still couldn’t believe I was going to talk about sex with her, but I had nobody else that I could really discuss it with. She was the one who tied our hands, so she was going to have to talk me off the ledge I was hanging onto by a thread. Lola barely came home unless she was changing clothes for work. She spent every night with the guy she was matched with. Their relationship seemed to be perfect—and they weren’t holding back at all. Why couldn’t I have that?

  “Chloe!” Grace greeted me with a smile. “Please, come to my office and we can talk.”

  “Thank you.” I nodded and followed her.

  “I must say, I was rather surprised to hear from you. I thought things were going great with Cain.” She sat down behind her desk.

  “They are.” I nodded quickly. “Really great, actually—wait, how did you hear about that?”

  “I talked to Lola last week. She called to give me an update—I don’t ask for them, but some of my clients like to keep in touch.” Grace leaned back in her chair.

  “Did she mention that she’s not following the rules?” I tilted my head to the side.

  “Oh?” Grace raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  “The three month rule.” I exhaled sharply.

  The one that is killing me every time I have to say goodnight to Cain in a text message instead of falling asleep in his arms.

  “She didn’t mention that part.” Grace shrugged. “But it isn’t my business. If the relationship is working, then I assume people will do what feels right.”

  “Seriously?” I felt like my eyes were going to bulge out of my head. “Then why have it?”

  “It’s—a precaution mostly.” She pursed her lips. “In this day and age, all of the so-called dating apps out there have become nothing more than a way for young people to hook up. Most people don’t go on Tinder looking for love—they’re just looking for sex. I’m not selling sex. My goal is to help people find relationships that last.”

  “So, you don’t really expect people to follow the three month rule?” I titled my head inquisitively—and my heart started beating fast in my chest.

  “If true intentions bring people together, then they should do what feels right.” She nodded quickly.

  “Cain said that you told him people who have found meaningful relationships will swear by the rules—you made it sound like the relationship could fail if we didn’t follow them.” I shifted in my chair.

  “All of my clients are different. When I met the two of you, I felt like you needed that condition—mostly because it offered you the kind of protection that would allow you to explore your relationship without complicating it. Both of you had serious hesitations to begin with—taking sex out of the equation gave you freedom you wouldn’t have had otherwise.” She smiled warmly, and everything she said was true, even if I hated to admit it.

  “I see.” I nodded and held back some of things I wanted to say, mostly because I wanted to say them to Cain.

  “Go with your instinct. You’ve had enough time to get to know each other.” She reached for her coffee, took a sip, and put the cup back down.

  “Thank you, Grace.” I nodded and stood up.

  My hands were trembling as I pulled my phone out of my purse on the way to the car. I couldn’t wait to tell Cain that the rule was more of a suggestion—and really just a precaution. We had certainly taken the time to make sure our relationship was headed in the right direction before we did anything. I felt like we had been more then respectable and gotten to know each other as well as we could in the time we spent together. I was just about to fire off a text message to him when my phone lit up with an incoming call.

  Hmm. I don’t recognize this number.

  “Hello?” I pressed the phone to my ear.

  “Hi, is this Chloe West?” It was a woman’s voice.

  “Yes.” I nodded and held my keys in my hand, ready to start my car as soon as the call was over.

  “This is Ms. Williams from Cardinal Marketing. You interviewed with us about a month ago?” A pause followed her words.

  “Yes—of course.” I felt my heart starting to beat in my chest.

  They’re calling me back?

  “If you’re still looking for a job, Mr. Cardinal would like to schedule a follow-up interview with you. Are you free this afternoon? Two o’clock?” Another pause followed.

  “Um—yes. I’m free.” I swallowed hard.

  “Okay, great.” Her voice filled with a hint of cheerfulness. “I’ll see you then.”

  As soon as I hung up the phone, I cranked up my car and headed back to my apartment so I could get ready. Lola was at work and I wasn’t sure she would even be coming home that evening. Mr. Doctor had stolen her heart just like Cain had stolen mine, except she never even thought about waiting. It didn’t seem to hinder their relationship in the slightest. Obviously, I wasn’t privy to what went on behind closed doors, but she had never been happier.

  I guess I’ll hold off on breaking the news to Cain. Maybe I can give him two pieces of good news at once when he gets off work tomorrow.

  * * *

  “Hello Chloe, it’s good to see you again.” Mr. Cardinal walked around his desk and shook my hand as soon as I stepped into his office.

  “You too…” I tilted my head to the side. “I must say, I was surprised to get the call. I didn’t think I would hear from you again after the way my interview went.”

  “It wasn’t a bad interview.” He waved off my concern. “I told you that we’d be in touch.”

  A month later?

  “So, this is a follow-up interview?” I walked over and took a seat when he motioned to it. “That’s what Ms. Williams said on the phone.”

  “No.” He shook his head back and forth. “This is a job offer.”
/>   “What?” My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. “Are you serious?!”

  “Yes.” He leaned back in his chair after he sat down. “I didn’t have a spot for you when you interviewed with me last month. I needed someone with a little more experience, but I wanted to interview a few people for future opportunities. As it turns out, that opportunity has presented itself now. You were the first one that came to mind, because you handled my question very well—much better than the others did when I called them out on their canned answers.”

  “It—really wasn’t a canned answer.” I swallowed hard. “I meant what I said.”

  “I know. I saw a spark in your eye when you said it.” He nodded. “That’s why I want to offer you a job—at the new office I’m opening in New York.”

  “Wait.” I blinked in surprise. “New York?”

  “You said you were open to relocation.” He tilted his head to the side. “Is that not the case anymore?”

  “No—I mean, I’m definitely open to relocation, but I thought that was something that would come after I worked here for a little while.” My heart started beating hard in my chest. “I didn’t realize you meant—immediately.”

  “Flexibility is crucial in this business. I’ve got two new clients that want someone local, and I go where the money is. You’ll be working under two of my best guys—they’ll manage the accounts and you’ll be working with design team. As the office expands and we get new clients, you’ll have some accounts of your own to manage once you’ve proven yourself.” He nodded quickly.

  “Wow…” I looked down for a moment.