Light Up The Night (Firehouse Three Book 2)

by Regina Cole

  To do anything else was pure insanity.

  It was kind of a relief to be back at work for his regular shift. There wasn’t the constant reminder of Everly’s presence—or absence—to contend with.

  Drake climbed out of his truck and stretched, glad that his morning workout had been extra gratifying. The happy burn in his muscles meant there was something else he could focus on.

  It was almost annoying how much of his brain was occupied with this girl he’d only known for a week.

  The gray fingers of night were finally fading, and as Drake walked into the building, a yawn escaped him. It was good to be at work. He knew what to do at work. Problems had solutions, and he was good at matching the two of them up. At least, he was when they didn’t involve beautiful, nervous women named Everly Pitts.

  It was still early, and the firehouse was as quiet as it ever was. There were polite nods and grunts from a few of his coworkers, but no sign of Hunter. Drake had given up on talking to his best friend about his issues. Hunter had made no bones about his distaste for Belinda. Not that Drake could blame him. Belinda wasn’t exactly a member of Hunter’s fan club either, and the two of them in the same room had been a recipe for disaster. But as much as Drake trusted his best friend’s opinion, he couldn’t help but worry that Hunter’s opinion of Everly might be unfairly colored by Drake’s past relationship mistakes. It was stupid, but Drake didn’t want Everly painted with the same brush as Belinda.

  The two couldn’t be more different.

  Drake dropped his bag in his locker, then headed toward the kitchen. He needed some coffee. The only person there was a girl with long, reddish hair, glasses, and a big frown as she yanked at a snarl of colorful yarn on the big dining table.

  “Hey,” Drake said a she glanced up at him. “Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb you.”

  “Not a problem,” she said, giving him a warm smile as she pulled a long tail from the yarn…thing…she was holding. Oh, she was knitting. The pointed needles in her lap had been covered by the red, orange, and purple strands. “I was just frogging this project. I need this yarn for something else.” Her sniffles acted like punctuation to her sentence.

  “Frog, what?” Drake shook his head. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I think Hunter told me, you’re a reptile fan, right? You’re making something for a frog?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “Well, as I’m sure you know, frogs aren’t reptiles, but yeah, I am. Frogging is the term for unraveling a knitting project.”

  “Huh, today I learned,” Drake said as he sat across from her. “I’m Drake, by the way.”

  “Abby,” she said, sticking her hand out. He shook it. “Abby Winters.”

  She went back to her frogging, and for a long minute, Drake just watched her. It was kind of soothing, actually. She’d pull a section free, then wind it into the ball of yarn in her lap. Pull, then wind, pull, then wind. Rhythmic and colorful, it was just the kind of thing his brain was happy to watch, because it gave him plenty of space to think about Everly. Again.

  Not that he’d spent all night thinking about her, but he’d spent all night thinking about her. Wondering if space and time were the right things to give her, or if presence and reassurance would be better. She’d wanted him. That was clear. And when she’d put the brakes on, it wasn’t because of anything he’d done that he could figure out. It was just—a thing. An unnamed, uncertain thing, and that made it all the more frustrating.

  He must have sighed aloud, because Abby looked up at him, one reddish brow cocked. When she did that, she looked an awful lot like someone else. He couldn’t place who at the moment, though.

  “Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout?”

  “Not much,” Drake said, leaning against the arm of the couch.

  “About a girl?”

  “How’d you know?”

  She stopped winding to pick a small knot out of her yarn, a small cough escaping her. “You’ve got that look on your face. That ‘bitches be crazy’ kind of look that Kyle gets.”

  That startled a laugh out of him. “Yeah, I guess. Not crazy, but confusing. I’m into her, and she seems to be into me, but she’s giving me these mixed signals that I just can’t interpret.”

  “How long have you known her?”

  “Not that long. She bought me at the bachelor auction the other night, and it went well. But since then…” he trailed off and shrugged one shoulder. “It’s been hot and cold.”

  “That is pretty fast,” Abby said, looking at him in a cryptic way. Her eyes were a little bloodshot as she stared him down. “Is she the kind of girl that wants to jump into things quickly? Or is she a, ‘one toe in the pool at a time’ kind of person?”

  Drake blinked, and blinked again. Damn. This girl was right. He’d been expecting Everly to jump into the deep end with him, because he’d just cannonballed there himself, but she wasn’t that kind of person.

  “One toe. Definitely one toe.”

  “So give her some time. Let’s be honest, people like us, who run into burning buildings for a living, we’re deep divers. Not everyone else is. Be there, be close to her, and encourage her, and maybe splash her a little if she looks like she’s into that, but you can’t drag someone in the pool against their will. At least, you can’t if you’re not a dick. And you don’t look like you’re a dick, even if you are friends with Hunter.” She winked at him, and Drake laughed.

  He stood. “Thanks, Abby. You’ve been a lot of help.”

  “My pleasure.” She held up the loose end of her project, all the knitted rows having disappeared into the ball of yarn at her side. “Now, to knit a sweater for a frog.”

  “Frogs aren’t reptiles,” Drake said with a mock sneer, and Abby laughed.

  “Touché.”

  He left the room feeling much lighter than he had when he’d entered. She was right. He was rushing things, and Everly would come around when she felt she could. He just had to be patient with her.

  So when he entered the hall running parallel to the gator pit and found Hunter leaning on the glass looking like he was either solving a complex problem or was severely constipated, he had no qualms about ribbing his friend a little.

  “There you are. Was beginning to wonder if you were showing up to work today.”

  “Yeah.”

  Well, that was weird. Normally Hunter would quip right back.

  “You’ve been MIA since the auction. I thought I’d at least see you at the gym even though you ignored my calls.”

  “Wait—what’d you say?” Hunter shook his head and finally looked over at Drake.

  “I said, haven’t seen you since Friday. Way to ditch the clean-up, asshole.”

  “My date wanted to see the merchandise.” Hunter delivered the line flatly, without any of his usual attitude. Something was going on.

  “What’s up with you?”

  His friend was silent, staring into the empty gator pit.

  “Earth to Hunter.” Drake waved a hand in front of Hunter’s face, snapping his fingers to wake him up.

  “Stop it, fuck face.” Hunter swatted his hand away with a snarl.

  “Someone’s touchy. Guess your date didn’t like the merchandise?” Drake would have laughed at the expression on Hunter’s face except for the fact that it was so unlike him. He lost the teasing air and got real. “Seriously. What’s up with you?”

  For a moment, Drake thought that Hunter would stay silent, that he’d just tell him to fuck off and stalk away. But then Hunter looked over at him, and the weird light in his eyes made Drake pause. And then, he spoke.

  “Why’d you stay with the bitch?”

  Drake’s guts did a somersault.

  They didn’t talk about Belinda. It was an unwritten rule of their friendship, and one of the only reasons it had survived Drake’s relationship with her. Hunter had moved out of the fucking state rather than see Drake stay with her. It had been a bitter pill to swallow, but Drake knew why Hunter had done it. Still, experience had taught him that these co
nversations very rarely ended well.

  “Why do you want to talk about Belinda?”

  Hunter’s expression was inscrutable. “I want to understand.”

  Desperation tinged Drake’s reply. “I’ve told you, it’s over with her. I thought we were good.”

  “We are. This, I just… I’m trying to wrap my head around the idea of… being into someone so much you lose sight of everything else. I figure, I’ve never been in love but you have.”

  Well, fuck. Hunter had never, ever talked this way before. Every time he mentioned Belinda, it was about how stupid Drake was to fall into her trap, how shallow, evil, and manipulative she was. Hunter could have confessed his love for the latest boy bands and vegan cheese and Drake would have been less stunned.

  “Shit. What happened to you in the last two days?”

  “I always thought… no, I’ve always known there’d come a day when I’d meet someone. Someone special. And I realize now… I don’t know a fucking thing about keeping someone like that around.” Hunter stared straight ahead.

  There wasn’t a lot Drake could say right then without delving into his own relationship issues. This was—no, it was way more than he could handle at the moment. He needed a break to come up with something good to say, something profound. Hunter didn’t ask for advice. Like, ever. This monumental moment definitely needed addressing before Drake could talk about his own shit. “Fuck, I’m not awake enough for this talk. Coffee?”

  “Nah.”

  “Suit yourself. Let me wake up and process this. I’ll get back to you.” Drake pushed off the wall and started to walk toward the kitchen.

  A huge sound, a wave of noise and movement encompassed the place. Slapping a hand on the wall, Drake felt the whole damn building shudder. His ears rang in the sudden silence around them.

  “What the hell was that?” Drake looked dead at his friend.

  Hunter’s face was pale and calm as he replied. “That was a bomb.”

  Together, they raced down the hall and out the door. The sky was clouded by ugly, dark smoke. Nate, Kyle, and several other firefighters crowded outside to see just before Chief Donaldson signaled them.

  His heart was pounding, but his movements were steady as he leapt onto the truck with the rest of his team.

  It was go time.

  12.

  Jesse’s presence in Everly’s ridiculously clean living room showed exactly two things. One, Everly could finally indulge in some much-needed girl talk, and two, the stress of both the situation with Drake and the fact that he’d had to work at a fucking explosion this morning had really gotten to her. He’d sent her a text, so she knew he was okay, but that was not exactly the way she’d wanted to spend her day off. Cleaning was the one way she could deal with stress in a proactive manner, so clean she had.

  Fortunately, Jesse had come bearing cupcakes from the same shop that had catered the fundraiser, and Everly was developing a serious addiction to them. Along with two extra dogs Jesse had brought in the house, it should have been a relaxing time. But Jesse’s offering of sugar had come with a serious price.

  “So, Drake, huh? The guy on the website? Spill, now, or so help me God, I’m going to call your mother and then you’ll have to tell us both.”

  “You—Jesse! No. You wouldn’t.” Oh God. The only thing worse than having to admit all this out loud would be having to admit it in front of Everly’s biggest critic. She meant well, but her mother was a perfectionist of the highest order, and Everly didn’t usually meet her expectations.

  “Spill, woman.”

  Everly shook her head vehemently. “Don’t ‘spill woman’ me. What about you?”

  “I will tell you all, but only after you tell me what the hell is going on?”

  Damn it. Everly shot her friend a glare as Jesse nibbled her cupcake like sugar couldn’t melt on her if it tried. Fine. She’d just lay it out there.

  “I got caught in a tree, he rescued me, and then we kissed. A few times.”

  “Everly Pitts. When?” Jesse’s stare made Everly squirm.

  “Last week.”

  “Why didn’t I know about this? Is this why I couldn’t find you Friday?”

  “Yes.” Everly stared over Jesse’s shoulder, hoping her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.

  “How did the fundraiser go? I… never mind. You first.”

  “Great. The fundraiser… I had no idea it would be that successful.” That reminded Everly of yet another bone she had to pick with Jesse. She pointed an accusatory finger at her best friend. “And you! You! Two thousand dollars? I can’t—”

  “You can. It already cleared my bank account. Now, Drake?”

  Everly buried her face against the couch cushions and groaned. Maybe she could fall through the floor if she really, really tried.

  “That good, huh?” Jesse’s grin was positively wicked when Everly sat up again.

  “Yes.”

  “Go on your date yet?”

  “Yessssss.” The word really cost Everly. She shoved the rest of her cupcake in her mouth so she wouldn’t have to say anything else. Fortunately for her, Jesse took pity on her.

  “I really should have paid more attention to the details of the auction. I didn’t realize I was bidding on a date—my bad.” Jesse licked blue frosting off her finger. “So… I had sex on Friday with my fireman.”

  Whoa, wait, what the fuck? Jesse? The only person on earth who was just as hung up on this kind of thing as Everly? The floor could have dropped out from underneath Everly and she’d have been less stunned.

  “You—what?” Everly’s breath sucked out of her chest in a quick movement. “Who?”

  “His name is Hunter. He’s got—”

  “Tattoos?” That hottie she’d bought at the auction? Damn, Everly hadn’t seen that one coming.

  “Yes…” Jesse was actually blushing. The girl who blew up shit for a living. Everly had really fallen through to the Twilight Zone.

  “What? Seriously?”

  “Yup. And then someone stole my keys, my truck and… that warehouse fire on the news?” Jesse stared down at the floor as the dog’s tail thumped against the couch. “Someone stole the C4 out of my demo locker and blew up that warehouse.”

  “No…”

  “Yeah, and… I keep thinking, what if someone got hurt? What if it was Hunter? Or Drake, right? What if it was them? I’m probably officially on the crazy list but I had to go up there, check on them. Because, what if I got someone hurt?”

  Everly understood completely. In fact she had been tempted to go down there to check Drake over herself. “Wow. Do…do your brothers—?”

  “Oh, God. I don’t even want to talk about them.”

  “They know?”

  “Justin tried to start a fight with Hunter and clocked me instead.”

  “No.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And this precious little one?” Everly waved at the panting fuzz-face who was pressed up against Jesse’s leg like she belonged there.

  “This is Hunter’s girl. Elsa.”

  Elsa did her best please-love-me puppy face at Everly, and she obliged by scratching her behind the ears.

  “You have his dog and he’s met your brothers. Is this serious?”

  “I don’t know,” Jesse said slowly. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. It just… did. And now…I don’t know.” She looked as confused as Everly felt.

  “You sound like me.” Everly petted Elsa, who looked entirely pleased to be worshipped.

  “Drake and Hunter seem really close.”

  “Drake moved here because of Hunter.”

  “Yeah.”

  Silence fell between them for a moment, and Everly wrapped her arms around her knees, propping her chin on them. She’d felt sick all morning, wondering about Drake. Apparently it had been eating Jesse, too, because she broke the quiet by saying, “Did you watch the warehouse coverage?”

  “I did.”

  Jesse shoved a stray piece of hair behi
nd her ear, staring straight up at the ceiling. “How do they do it? Run into danger like that?”

  For a minute, Everly pictured Drake. From the moment she’d met him, he had stepped up to every challenge he’d faced. Whether it was a bachelor auction, walking an ugly dog, or easing a nervous dating neophyte into her comfort zone, he’d approached everything with his take-charge attitude. She shrugged. “It’s who they are.”

  “I know, but… does it have to be so dangerous? I was so worried, wondering if the firemen I saw on the screen…”

  “Was him? Me, too.”

  “So much for finding nice guys.” Jesse laughed a little as she sank back against the couch cushions. “What’d you guys do for your date? We had take-out with the dogs. Sexy.”

  “Oh, uh…”

  “Everly, spill!”

  So she did. From the day they’d met, to the auction, to the picnic and their night together, to the disastrous ending to their make out session in the truck. Everly let it all go. Jesse’s eyes got wider and wider.

  “Yeah. So, I feel bad that I said no last night, when I really didn’t want to say no. And I don’t know why I did it. But I really, really like him, Jesse. What am I supposed to do?”

  Jesse shook her head. “Girl, if I knew that, don’t you think I’d be doing it?”

  The two of them sat in silence. It was kind of comforting that Jesse was in the same boat, but it would have been nice to get a little clarity.

  If nothing else, though, getting things off her chest had made her feel a little lighter. Even if she still didn’t understand herself.

  The keyboard clicked furiously under Belinda’s angry fingertips.

  Drake hadn’t responded to that text she’d sent of her and Mr. Lanky from the hotel in bed together. And even though she wanted to, she’d stopped herself from calling and texting him again.

  It hadn’t been working. So she’d tried a little reverse psychology.

  He had to miss her. After all, they’d been together for years. He’d said he loved her. Feelings like that couldn’t disappear overnight.

  And she was still working. Oh, she hadn’t given up on him yet.

  The little cursor blinking at the end of her Facebook status caught her attention again, and she re-read what she’d written.