Hook & Ladder 69: Eighteen Authors...One Sexy Firehouse.

by Anthology

  “Those are for Ryland.” Benjamin smacked Oz in the back of the head.

  “I hope there’s more than just Bs and Ds and some frou-frou salads.”

  “There’s a drive-thru on your way to the firehouse, numbnuts.” I shifted my crutches to one hand and maneuvered around the picnic table to snatch the plastic bowl he’d been holding onto. There was no way I was going to let Oz eat more than one bite of the chief’s corn and tomato salad.

  “I still don’t understand how you got injured running a marathon, but you’re invincible on the job.”

  Shrugging, I placed the salad closer to where I planned to park my ass on the patio with a beer later. “Shit happens. I’m lucky I’m on crutches and don’t need surgery.” There was nothing worse for a runner than a debilitating leg cramp in the home stretch at mile twenty to take you down.

  “Thank God for that, Ryland.” My chief clapped me on the back and discreetly moved the salad bowl back to the middle of the table. Damn, I’d have to watch out for that later. The chief refused to give up the recipe, so I had to hold summer BBQ’s like this to get some.

  “I’ll be off the crutches in a week and doing rehab. Doc said I’ll be fine—full recovery.” No one was happier about that than me. Being a fireman was my career; I hadn’t sufficiently planned a good backup if this didn’t work out. I was second generation and proud of it. Dad had recently retired and taken my mom on her long-awaited second honeymoon to Hawaii. Someday I hoped to do the same with a pretty girl at my side.

  “Hi, y’all.”

  Speaking of pretty… I turned my head toward the voice, and my throat nearly closed at the sight of Summer Rose Feeny sneaking her way out onto the patio. She made my heart pound like a teenage track sprinter who didn’t know how to pace himself for the distance. A chorus of welcomes followed with her brother—my best friend—Ford joining us outside. Oz tossed him a beer and walked over to take a tray of something that looked suspiciously like cookies from Summer.

  I couldn’t speak, but I could certainly stop Oz from moving in on my girl… and my food. I pushed one of my crutches out, catching Oz on the ankle as he brushed passed me.

  “Shit!” Oz stumbled forward, and luckily Ford grabbed him before the cookies were sacrificed.

  Elbowing my way through, I stood in front of Summer, resting my arms casually over my crutches. My knee didn’t hurt all that bad. The crutches were mostly for precaution, but I didn’t need everyone else knowing that, especially with Summer looking concerned and nibbling her bottom lip. My work clearance would come next week. Today I was being an opportunist.

  “Hey, Summer.” I looked up into her clear grey eyes and watched pink infuse her cheeks.

  “Hi, Ryland. I, um, I brought cookies. Chocolate chip.” She held the plate out cautiously in her capable hands, but my smile must have faltered because she frowned. I didn’t eat regular cookies, hadn’t had one in years.

  “Cookies!” Oz had recovered and was now interrupting my moment with Summer.

  “They’re vegan—carob chips. I found a great recipe online.” Summer shrugged her shoulders shyly, and I would have kissed her senseless if most of the department wasn’t there watching us.

  “Ah, fuck it. Eat your pussy cookies.”

  Damn right I would if given half the chance with Summer. “Ha! All mine, Oz!” It was too easy to taunt him with his quick temper.

  I took the tray in one hand, leaned on my stronger leg, and held them up victoriously. Summer was the most thoughtful person I’d ever met.

  She looked so worried when the ambulance crew wheeled me in on that ridiculous gurney. The medical staff at the marathon pulled me from the race and had insisted I take the ambulance to the emergency room where she happened to be a nurse. It was a blow to my ego I was still recovering from. It didn’t help that my buddy Dana, a paramedic, had insisted on belting me down on the bed as a joke. I still didn’t think it was funny when she howled with laughter about it when I saw her last. Dana should know by now that paybacks were a bitch among our prankster group of friends.

  Ford narrowed his eyes in my direction, and I felt the guilt for lusting after his sister squeeze my heart. Ford didn’t like guys mooning over Summer and would pull an Indiana Jones witch-doctor move on anyone who was inappropriate with her. Unfortunately, every guy in the department had probably had inappropriate thoughts about Summer at least once after meeting her. He was my best friend and I liked my organs intact, so I kept all those thoughts to myself. Over the years, it grew harder to keep quiet, and I struggled with how it would affect our friendship.

  “Man!” Throwing his hands up, Oz made a big deal of not getting any real cookies and walked down to the hot tub.

  “Never met a rookie nearly as focused on food as you, man.” Ford shook his head, squeezing my shoulder meaningfully. He took a long drag of his beer and followed after Oz, leaving me with Summer. I’d been pretty sure Ford knew nothing of my whole spank bank of thoughts about his sister right up until he dug his fingers into my skin. Yeah, I wasn’t good at hiding my feelings from Ford, but since I was on crutches, he probably thought I was harmless… for now.

  Tucking a curl behind her ear, Summer watched her brother walk away before she leaned in close, her smile timid. “I also brought ribs from Pappy’s Smokehouse, but we should probably keep that a secret for a bit longer. You know… until the rest of the crew gets here.”

  I tugged on that teasing curl of hair, whispering back, “Your secret is safe with me, mostly because I don’t eat meat.” Adorable giggles pursed her lips I wanted to kiss.

  “And me! We can’t have Oz eating it all,” Benjamin interrupted from the grill, where he was clearly listening in. I was once again reminded that our group was worse than a bunch of church ladies gossiping in a sewing circle.

  “I think I need to get off this leg for a bit,” I said loudly enough for Benjamin to hear as I hobbled back, making a little show of how unsteady I was.

  Benjamin snorted, flipping more burgers onto the grill. I was pretty sure he saw right through my bullshit, but he said nothing.

  “Oh no! Is it not healing properly?” Summer’s face paled as she covered her mouth with her shaking fingers.

  Unable to stop my staring, I pulled her hand away from her beautiful face wishing she would stop hiding and tugged her along with me. I was starting to think that maybe she was just as nervous as I was, and maybe more than a little interested. Summer didn’t make everyone cookies, and not a special recipe she had to look up either. I hoped I wasn’t reading too much into this, but my gut was telling me to go for it.

  “The doctor said I should stay off my leg whenever possible.” I moved to the covered double swing in the corner and sat down, resting my crutches on the floor and bringing Summer with me.

  “But Beau said you wouldn’t need surgery, right?” Summer sat down next to me, resting her hand delicately over my bad knee. I swore the temperature outside rose about ten degrees as her slim fingers got dangerously close to my fire pole. I didn’t feel bad at all having her undivided attention for a change and let my arm stretch out behind her pulling her in closer.

  “Dr. Lassiter?” I bristled, thinking about her ex-boyfriend giving me discharge instructions when I landed in the ER. “No, I went to an orthopedist and got checked out. It’s a bad sprain, and sometimes the knee doesn’t fully support me yet. I’ll wear a brace and go to regular rehab to strengthen it.”

  Dr. Beau Lassiter was a douche canoe. I knew Summer had dated Doctor Dick. The asshole had scooped her up on her first round in the ER and cheated on her the entire time. I wouldn’t trust my neighbor’s feral cat to that guy. Dana kept me up to date with whatever hospital gossip there was in exchange for my vegan chocolate banana shake recipe. Ford had been strangely cryptic about their breakup, and if he seriously thought I was interested in his baby sister, I could predict a five-alarm emergency quicker than a tornado touch down.

  “You know I’m not seeing him anymore, right?” Sh
e avoided eye contact and moved her hand from my knee to pick at a loose string on the hem of her white cotton halter dress. Yeah, I made her nervous, and that made me strangely happy.

  “I’d heard that.” Seeing Ford engaged in conversation with another lieutenant several yards away, I took a chance and tapped my finger on the end of her nose, playfully letting it linger there.

  She peeked up at me from under thick lashes, her eyes a darker gray now and her breath a mere puff of sweet air from between her lips. There was something special about Summer that made me poetic. She was unlike any woman I had dated in the past or was remotely interested in. She made me notice things like the moment the butterflies in my backyard slowed their wings and hovered over wildflowers. All the background noises faded to a hum of beer bottles hitting a can and friendly voices bantering back and forth. Summer was the kind of girl that made me want to hand over my man card, no questions asked.

  I swallowed back something stupid to say; all I could seem to do around my best friend’s sister was turn into a dumb monkey when her eyes focused on me. This time it was me who was nervous. I wondered what her pink lips tasted like and eased into her personal space on the two seat swing. She didn’t move a muscle, didn’t exhale, and despite the other people crowding my house, I decided this was it. My lips touched hers, a brief press. She parted her lips and my tongue darted out for the smallest of tastes. She was a combination of fresh strawberries, dewy watermelon, and crisp apple slices, all things summer as fitting as her name. She made me hungry for things years down the road and I saw myself having a future with her. I knew I was a dead man hobbling once Ford confirmed what I figured he had suspicions over.

  “Hey, lovebirds, where should I put the ambrosia?” Summer jumped back and I wished like hell everyone would go home already.

  Growling, I looked up to see Ian, The Hammer, standing on the patio, holding a container of marshmallow and fruit salad. Disappointment flared—the moment was gone—and I’d have bet those white fluffs of sugar in the salad weren’t even vegan.

  “I’ll take that.” Summer flew off the lounger and grabbed the food from Ian’s hands, and with that, her light scent of perfume left me. “It should probably be refrigerated for now,” she mumbled before taking it inside to the kitchen.

  I looked up to see Lily, who was staring at me from the kitchen window. She held up one of the pairing knives and pointed to a blissfully unaware Ford in the backyard while making a slicing motion under her chin before pointing the knife at me. Yup, a real sewing circle this group had become. If Ford didn’t know, he soon would—whether anything more came of today’s kiss or not.

  “Too bad about the knee.” Ian handed me a new beer, ignoring my grunt. Taking Summer’s spot, he began to yammer on about strengthening techniques I should consider, but all I could focus on was my little bit of sunshine that had skittered away.

  SUMMER

  If Ryland O’Hara didn’t stop looking at me like I was his last meal, I was going to burst into flames and go to hell. I had already taken off my grandmother’s cross, which I’d worn since I was sixteen. I didn’t need Jesus looking down my cleavage while I tried to jump the hottest fireman in St. Louis.

  If my overprotective older brother had any idea I’d been lusting after his best friend for years, he’d take me to the station and hose me down in a flurry of public embarrassment. I swore he was worse than our dad ever was.

  But that kiss… that sweet kiss that was far too short and teasing. I didn’t think Ryland would do it even though my entire body was chanting, go for it. My only escape from self-humiliation was when Ian arrived with a salad that belonged inside rather than outside on the table in the sun. I was lucky I didn’t drop Ian’s bowl of food from the sweat that covered my palms.

  “You plan on mooning over that boy or helping me in here?” Lily snickered and pointed her sharp little knife at me rolling an onion down the counter I had to catch.

  “Maybe, is watching a crime?” The smile that split my face couldn’t be hidden under my loose hair and Lilly laughed.

  “Only when your brother kills him.” We chuckled and continued to prepare fresh bruschetta. I wondered if she given me all the onions to chop on purpose. By the time we finished, my light makeup had been cried off from the tears, and I smelled faintly of onions. Lily didn’t keep me long when I became more of a liability watching Ryland through the window than how I was chopping the vegetables.

  “Go on get out of here before you give yourself a good bleeder.” Lily took my knife away and shooed me back outside where I escaped to play volleyball in the backyard, teamed up against my brother and Oz. The object of my affections was in deep conversation and it didn’t feel right to interrupt him while everything was… well… whatever this was, it was still a secret.

  Letting the volleyball soar over the net, I noticed that Ryland’s backyard had a lovely view from where his house sat on top of a hill. He lived far enough from downtown that the top of the arch was barely visible as it glittered with a mix of silver and gold, reflecting the last rays of the afternoon sun.

  The patio was strung with miniature old-fashioned lightbulbs that crisscrossed from the beams above. For a bachelor pad, it had little touches here and there that made me wonder if his mom had come over recently. Mrs. O’Hara owned a decorating business, and I couldn’t see her letting her only child live like a typical single guy. His house was homey, inviting, and I wondered what it might be like to be with him, as in a girlfriend. Ryland was the first guy I even fantasized about the more with. Not even my disastrous relationship with Beau struck these thoughts within me.

  I spent my evening joking around with Oz, who told me a dirty little story about this cougar he was sort of hooking up with while Ian was giving him some solid relationship advice. I wondered why Ford tried to steer me clear of his co-workers, I thought they great and funny. Eventually, Ford pulled Oz and Ian into a deep conversation about Class A and B fire extinguishers. I sipped wine with Lily discussing potential baby names for her and Benjamin while Ryland played the good host. He would work the backyard hobbling around on his crutches and whenever we passed by each other I’d feel him touch me. It felt like a drive by and fleeting but when I would look up he’d smile at me and go right back to his conversation stunning me. The party wrapped up with a few guys and the chief shuttling food to the fire house for the crew working today.

  “Summerrrr Roooose.”

  Leaning over the railing, I turned to see Ford staggering up from the yard a little worse for wear. Oz was no better, taking a final swig of his beer on swaying feet before tossing the empty into a recycling bin.

  “Ford…” I was feeling grateful—I knew drunken Ford couldn’t lecture me about Ryland and any of the touches he might have glanced earlier. My brother still wanted to punch the doctor who cheated on me but settled for calling him a limp unicorn dick instead every time he assisted on a paramedic call. It made working in the ER awkward, but as long as my hotheaded, bossy brother steered clear of my business with Ryland, we would be okay. They were best friends, and I didn’t want to damage years of friendship with my crush.

  “I’m a gonna need you to drive my car.” He exaggerated each word, gesticulating with his hands in a dramatic roll along with his eyebrows and lips.

  “We came together, or did you forget?” I realized then that Ford’s truck was a manual, and I wasn’t the greatest at driving stick shift. I knew coming over here I should’ve just driven my little Prius, but Ford had insisted.

  “Summer, that’s okay, Benjamin and I will drop Ford and Oz off. They’re on the way, right, honey?” Lily was holding a box of party supplies when Benjamin rounded the corner with Ryland hopping behind him.

  “As long as they don’t puke or fall asleep in the backseat, sure. What about Summer, though?”

  Benjamin nodded at me, and I felt a little uncomfortable with five sets of eyes staring at me. In fact, it felt downright conspiratorial.

  “I can drop her of
f. She can’t drive Ford’s truck.”

  “Are you supposed to be driving?” Worried that Ryland was doing something he shouldn’t, I hesitated and considered leaving with Lily and the guys.

  “Summer, I’m fine.” Ryland smiled, but I still wasn’t reassured.

  “All right, it’s settled, then.” Benjamin took the box from Lily, gave me a conspiring wink, and left us there to hash out the details. Ford still had his mouth wide open, looking confused, until Lily poked the bottom of his chin with her finger.

  “Flies, Ford, you’re catching flies.” Lily shook her head, whistling some tune I probably wasn’t old enough to know. “Come on boys, your ride is leaving.”

  Oz followed behind her like a puppy, but Ford stood there, looking back and forth between Ryland and me.

  “Well, you heard the lady. Git moving, Ford.” Ryland used his crutch to point down the hall.

  “Ry…” Ford was drunk, but his tone held a warning. The two seemed to square off in this silent battle of wills before Ford threw his hands up in the air and staggered after Lily before slamming the front door closed.

  “What on earth was that about?”

  Ryland took a deep breath, not answering my question as he silently hobbled back to the kitchen. I followed him into the kitchen and stood by the small butcher’s block island where I had chopped onions hours earlier.

  “Ryland?”

  He leaned over the sink, looking outside, saying nothing.

  “I saw a few bottles left outside. I’ll just go clean those up and…” I felt awkward and uncertain why he wasn’t speaking to me.

  “Don’t.” Ryland hadn’t moved, but he didn’t say anything else. He stood with his shoulders tensed and his large hands gripping the counter.

  Anxiously, I rubbed the bare spot above my breastbone where my grandmother’s necklace usually rested. “But…”