Seeing Stars
Page 9
For a moment, Evie considered turning her wooden sign, the one painted with a sun on the “open” side and a moon on the “closed” side, back to moon. “Moon” was so much quieter and more peaceful than “sun.”
But a girl had to make a living.
“You’re going to be amazed, Mrs. Murphy, but I actually have heard that news already. We’re getting one of those hotshot crews that fight wildfires. It’s a good thing, with all the fires we’ve had the last few years.”
“No, no, that’s not the real news.”
Obviously preparing for something extra juicy, Mrs. Murphy settled onto one of the high chrome stools at the espresso bar and dropped her tote bag onto the floor next to her. “Honestly, Evie, these are the most godawful chairs. You should tear all of these out and put in some nice old-fashioned booths. My rear end gives me hell after I get back from here.”
Evie drew on the politeness that had been drilled into her since birth. “I’ll have to look into that.”
“You do that, and you’ll see that I’m right.”
Evie checked the espresso machine, which was still new to her. Just recently, she’d added the espresso bar in the hopes that it would bring in more customers to her little gallery. She’d opened the gallery as a way to channel her love for photography while still having time to take care of her mother. But now that selfies were all the rage, no one wanted landscape photos anymore. They wanted duck faces and cleavage shots.
“I just turned the coffee on, so it’ll be a few minutes. Can I get you—”
“Oh, I’m not here for coffee.” Mrs. Murphy adjusted her position on the stool and leaned forward to spill her big news.
But before she could say a word, the door opened again and Brianna Gallagher burst in. With her gingery-sunburst hair, wearing her usual work clothes of grubby overalls, she looked like some kind of comet streaking into the gallery. “I just heard the news, Evie, and I rushed right over!”
Mrs. Murphy bristled like a porcupine ready to defend its territory. “I was just getting to it.”
“No offense, Mrs. Murphy.” A worried frown drew Brianna’s eyebrows together. “But I feel strongly that this should come from a friend.”
Evie stared at her best friend. What news could possibly be this momentous? Nothing big ever happened in Jupiter Point. Their little town’s only claim to fame was its stargazing, and stars didn’t generally change much from night to night.
When the door opened yet again and her cousin Suzanne waltzed in, Evie gave serious consideration to simply closing down for the day. She could spend the time preparing for the dreaded city council meeting, an event that had been giving her nightmares for the past week.
“I can’t even believe it!” Suzanne exclaimed, swinging one leg over a stool. She was so tall she made it look easy. “The nerve of that man!”
“Someone better tell me what’s going on soon.” Evie packed espresso grounds into the portafilter. “I’m starting to fear the worst. Are the firefighters going to take over the city? March naked down Main Street?”
“I like that idea.” Brianna cocked her head in a dreamy way, as if picturing it at that very moment.
“You wouldn’t find me complaining,” Mrs. Murphy agreed.
Evie gave a double-take.
“I can appreciate a fine male specimen,” Mrs. Murphy sniffed, then pointed at Evie. “You, my dear, could learn a thing or two from me in that regard.”
“I can appreciate…” She trailed off, shaking her head at herself. Why should she have to defend her personal life? Everyone in Jupiter Point thought they knew Evie McGraw. But Evie wasn’t sure any of them really did. Not even Brianna, her best friend from the age of four.
“Speaking of fine male specimens,” Brianna said, stepping into the awkward moment, “let’s get back to our news.”
“Nice segue.” Suzanne reached over for a high five.
“Thanks.”
“Sean Marcus is coming back to Jupiter Point,” Mrs. Murphy blurted.
The tamper dropped from Evie’s fingers and thudded onto the floor. “What?”
Brianna glared at Mrs. Murphy. “You didn’t have to say it like that.” She bounded around the counter and picked up the tamper. “This is exactly what I was worried about.”
“She was going to find out sooner or later. I find it’s usually better to spit things out.“ Mrs. Murphy gave Evie an apologetic glance. “I didn’t mean to upset you, honey.”
Brianna put her arm around Evie and squeezed sympathetically. “Are you okay, Evie? I couldn’t believe it when I heard. Of all people to put in charge of the new firemen. Why him?”
Evie gathered her wits together. Sean Marcus. Oh sweet heavens, Sean Marcus was coming back. She wasn’t ready for this. Of course she was. No she wasn’t. Oh God.
* * *
Set the Night on Fire
About the Author
Jennifer Bernard is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her books have been called “an irresistible reading experience” full of “quick wit and sizzling love scenes.” A graduate of Harvard and former news promo producer, she left big city life in Los Angeles for true love in Alaska, where she now lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She still hasn’t adjusted to the cold, so most often she can be found cuddling with her laptop and a cup of tea. No stranger to book success, she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name that she’s happy to share with the curious. You can learn more about Jennifer and her books at JenniferBernard.net. Make sure to sign up for her newsletter for new releases, fresh exclusive content, sales alerts and giveaways.
Connect with Jennifer online:
JenniferBernard.net
Jen@JenniferBernard.net
Also by Jennifer Bernard
Jupiter Point ~ Firefighters
Set the Night on Fire ~ Book 1
Burn So Bright ~ Book 2
Into the Flames ~ Book 3
Setting Off Sparks ~ Book 4
* * *
Jupiter Point ~ The Knight Brothers
* * *
Hot Pursuit ~ Book 5
Coming In Hot ~ Book 6
Hot and Bothered ~ Book 7
* * *
Too Hot to Handle ~ Book 8
* * *
One Hot Night ~ Book 9
The Rockwell Legacy
The Rebel ~ Book 1 (out on September 4, 2018)
The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel
The Fireman Who Loved Me
Hot for Fireman
Sex and the Single Fireman
How to Tame a Wild Fireman
Four Weddings and a Fireman
The Night Belongs to Fireman
Novellas
One Fine Fireman
Desperately Seeking Fireman
It’s a Wonderful Fireman
Love Between the Bases
All of Me
Caught By You
Getting Wound Up (crossover with Sapphire Falls)
Drive You Wild
Crushing It
Double Play
Copyright © 2018 by Jennifer Bernard
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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