Fire at Dawn: The Firefighters of Darling Bay 2

by Lila Ashe

  But today? Why was it that she could handle a regular date just fine, but pair it with another couple? Lexie was a wreck. She’d gone through her closet and tried on every single dress she had. All of them were wanting in one way or another—the red one was too short, and she’d probably show off her underwear if she sat down. The black polka dot dress was too long and made her look twenty years older. The yellow low-cut dress was TOO low cut and might get her arrested for indecent exposure. The green and black dress was too high necked, making her look like someone who would hush children in an arcade.

  She’d tried jeans and Tshirts, but rather than coming across as fun-loving, as she’d wanted to, she’d come across as slovenly. Each T-shirt she owned had something wrong with it: a tiny rip at the belly (how did she do that?) or too floppy at the neckline. She didn’t even own that many good Tshirts since she had so many department issued ones.

  With seconds to spare to get out of her house and to Coin’s on time, she’d thrown on her favorite outfit. A simple wrap dress—black and red—with her everyday black cowboy boots. She hadn’t wanted to wear it because Coin had seen her in this getup a zillion times. It was her go-to, what she threw on when she didn’t want to think.

  But then again, the date wasn’t with Coin, was it?

  It was, however, at his house. “You’re asking too much of me,” he’d said, “To not only go on a double date, but to do it in public. You love my backyard.”

  It was true, she did. With a sprawling lawn, a covered patio with surround-sound speakers, and a hot tub that sat ten, she’d spent many a night drinking beers with the other members of A shift behind Coin’s house.

  He’d continued, “And I love my backyard. We don’t know these people. We need the home team advantage.”

  “Because we’re going to play touch football with them?” she’d asked.

  He’d brightened. “Yeah! I could take a podiatrist.”

  Lexie had told him in no uncertain terms that there would be no touch football on a double first date.

  Now, Serena turned her head, and said, “Come on. He won’t mind.”

  Coin wouldn’t mind if Lexie barged in on him getting ready? She wasn’t sure about that.

  “I’ll wait in the kitchen.” She raised the bags. “I have things to put away and get ready, anyway. Want to help?”

  Serena nodded and yelled, “Dad! Lexie’s here! Hurry up!”

  In the kitchen, Lexie got out the ingredients for her mini caprese salad. “Look, I’m going to skewer all this stuff with toothpicks.”

  Serena’s eyes lit up. “I wanna stick things, too.”

  Lexie showed Serena how to spear a cherry tomato, then a ball of mozzarella, then a piece of basil. They piled them on a plate. “Later,” Lexie said, “I’ll drizzle them with olive oil and salt.”

  Lifting one eyebrow just like her father did, “And you’re calling this a salad?”

  “Maybe more like an hors d’oeuvre.”

  “A what?” Serena looked at her like she’d said a bad word.

  “It just means an appetizer.”

  Serena thought about this and then seemed to decide it wasn’t important enough to pursue. “So you’re not on the date with my dad tonight, is that right?”

  Lexie poked her finger with the toothpick. “Ow. No. Not really.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means we’re sharing a date. I’ll be on a date with a guy, and he’ll be on a date with someone else, and we’ll all hang out together.”

  “Me and my friends hang out all day at school. Why isn’t that dating?”

  Lexie knew Serena understood what a date was. “What’s eating you, kiddo?”

  Serena frowned. “I just don’t want …” She trailed off and sighed heavily.

  “You don’t want him to date? Is this about your mom?”

  “No.” Serena looked at Lexie as if she were stupid, which Lexie had to admit, she felt at that moment. “It’s not about my mom. It’s about my dad. He’s isn’t ready.”

  Oh, that was cute. Lexie smiled. “You want to take care of him.”

  Another long sigh. “It’s not that. I just don’t want …”

  Lexie took a guess. “You don’t want him to get hurt.”

  Serena stared at the cherry tomato she’d just poked multiple times. “When Mom and him broke up, he was sad for like fifty years.”

  “Well. Maybe not that long, considering you’re eleven, but—”

  “You know what I mean. He’s not that tough.”

  The words were surprising, coming from Serena. Didn’t all little girls think their fathers were gods? Tough as nails?

  “I mean,” continued Serena, “He saves lives all the time. Remember the time he pulled that guy who weighed, like, a ton, out of that fire?”

  Lexie did remember that. Hearing Coin’s voice on the radio as he labored to breathe in his SCBA, as he announced he and Tox were trying to make their way out of the house, was one of the scariest moment she’d ever had on the radio, and she’d had plenty in her time. “Yeah. He’s good at his job.”

  Serene nodded somberly. “He sees people actually die, did you know that?”

  “Yeah,” said Lexie. She wanted to touch the girl, to reach out and put her hand on her shoulder, but they didn’t have that kind of relationship. They were buddies. Not huggers. “I know. It’s something I’m glad I never have to do.”

  “Because you’re on the phone.”

  “Yep.” Lexie heard people die. That wasn’t uncommon. But she never had to see it.

  “So I know that makes him strong. He’s stronger than most men, I think,” said Serena.

  Lexie felt a warm glow in her stomach. That was Coin, all right. “What’s worrying you, then?”

  “What if he falls in love?”

  That was the whole point of their plan. Lexie would never tell her that, of course. “What if he does?”

  “No one is going to be good enough for him.”

  “Oh, I’m sure there’s someone out there.” Really, Lexie wasn’t at all convinced of that herself. “What are you doing tonight?”

  “Mom’ll be here soon. She’s taking me to the movies and then tomorrow we’re making waffles, even though she’s not eating gluten right now.” Serena gave an eleven-year-old eye roll.

  “How about this? I promise I’ll vet whoever your dad dates.” She’d been planning on doing that, anyway.

  “Vet? Like a veterinarian?”

  “Different word. It means I’ll test them. Make sure they’re good enough for him.”

  Serena’s dark eyes met Lexie’s. In them, she could see Coin’s intensity, and something that was the little girl’s own strength. “Yeah. I guess you’ll do okay at that.”

  “Thanks.” It felt strangely reassuring to hear.

  “You let me know what you find.”

  Lexie saluted smarted. “Wilco.”

  The doorbell rang, and Serena grabbed her backpack and ran for it, yelling goodbye at Coin as she went.

  The front door slammed.

  Lexie poked another tomato with a toothpick.

  Coin entered, his hands at his throat wrangling his tie. “Where’d she go?”

  “She left.”

  “She didn’t even kiss me goodbye,” Coin said sadly.

  Lexie needed a knife and reached around Coin to get one out of the drawer. She felt as comfortable in this kitchen as she did in her own. Impulsively, she pressed a kiss against Coin’s cheek. She meant it lightly. A joke. The kiss he didn’t get from his daughter.

  But the way it felt—Lexie didn’t see it coming.

  Coin’s skin was smooth, as if he’d just shaved. He smelled of shaving cream and something spicy.

  He froze when her lips touched his cheek, like she’d turned him to stone. In turn, Lexie stilled, too. Everything went silent except for the blood rushing in Lexie’s ears.

  Coin turned his face and met her eyes. They were less than two inches apart. If he lean
ed forward, or if she did, their lips would touch.

  In a low voice, Coin said, “You shouldn’t have done that.”

  Lexie felt herself heat, deep, low inside. A shiver danced through her, a quicksilver quake of excitement.

  Then nerves took over. She stepped backward, knocking the knife against the counter on accident. “You’re right. I’ll end up cutting off my hand or something.” Lighten the moment. She needed to bring it back to what it always was, two friends, comfortable with each other. Hanging out. Waiting for their respective dates to arrive.

  Coin didn’t move with her into that lightness. His eyes held hers, and she could almost feel the heat radiating from his body. “Lexie—” he started.

  She fumbled with the plastic bag on the counter. “So I marinated the thai beef all afternoon and it should be ready for you to throw on the grill when they get here. Did you remember to buy the bean sprouts?”

  Coin leaned forward, placing both hands on the counter. Lexie watched his knuckles whiten as he grasped it. A muscle jumped in his jaw.

  Then he exhaled, and it was okay again. “Yeah. In the fridge. What should I do about this friggin’ tie?”

  Lexie smiled, trying her best to make it a normal one. “Take it off. You don’t need it.” He didn’t. He looked amazing as he was, in the light blue button-down shirt with thin gray pinstripes. He wore dark gray pants with the creases still in them. “You look great.”

  His smoky gaze met hers again. If he did that much more, she’d have to rethink this whole double date thing. How could she flirt with someone else when her friend—her best friend—was pinning her down with that oddly hot stare?

  She held up the knife and pointed the tip at him. “Cut it out, dude.”

  “What?” Coin blinked, as if waking up.

  “You’re being weird and I don’t like it.”

  “I’m not doing anything.”

  “You’re looking at me funny.”

  “Like how?”

  She drew a circle in the air with the knife. Honesty was always best. “Like my dress is too low. It’s kind of freaking me out.” She glanced down. “Oh, dang, is it too low?”

  Coin cleared his throat and didn’t say anything.

  She tugged at the vee of the dress. “Get me a safety pin.”

  “No.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Your dress is fine.”

  “You’ve seen it a million times,” Lexie said. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

  Coin seemed to shake himself. “Sorry. Maybe I’m nervous.”

  “No. Get over that. Right now.” She tapped the cutting board with the knife. “And please give me the mint from that bag. I have things to chop.” He didn’t get to be nervous. She wouldn’t let him. “It’s going to be a great night. I will it to be a great night.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  It was a terrible night.

  Ginger arrived first. She was as beautiful as her picture had been, like someone from a magazine plopped down in his house. She adored her job, in which she took care of a woman with late-stage cancer, and spoke in glowing terms of her family. Her laugh sounded like bells.

  Coin loathed her. He preferred people he understood. People who had things wrong with them, who were self-conscious and made mistakes. Perfect people couldn’t be trusted.

  Within minutes of stepping through the door, Ginger was in the kitchen, dancing around Lexie like they’d been friends for years, mixing a drink that combined sweet vermouth with mint and bourbon. How did women do that? How did they become best friends within seconds, smiling and laughing with each other as if they were on a date with each other?

  Well, shoot. He supposed they kind of were. After all, Lexie had chosen her, right? It was Lexie who’d done the corresponding, who’d sent that first email.

  Thomas arrived next. He was tall and looked like some Clark Kent wannabe, all the way down to the chunky, hipster glasses. Sure, Coin’s clothes were good, too, as nice as this guy’s, but he knew he didn’t look comfortable in them. Coin felt best when he was in a firehouse T-shirt and cargo pants, clothes that had been washed a million times and gave comfortably when he moved. The shirt he wore tonight was so crisp he could hear it whooshing as he moved his arm to shake Thomas’s hand.

  “Come on in. I’m Coin. Should we call you Tom?”

  “Thomas, actually,” he said smoothly. “I’ve never liked Tom.”

  Neither did Coin.

  In the kitchen, the women greeted him with a handshake, but in the case of both of them, Thomas followed up the handshake with a kiss on the cheek. It was smooth. Both women smiled.

  Great. Now Lexie had kissed both of them on the cheek tonight. And she was only on a date with one of them.

  “Get you a beer, Thomas?” Coin gestured with his own bottle.

  “Actually, Lexie mentioned that we’d be eating Thai, so I brought a bottle of white, a nice vintage I picked up the last time I was driving through Napa. My friend owns the winery, and this is a special reserve. They only bottled a hundred of these, and I think the ladies might enjoy it.” Thomas gave Lexie a toothy smile. “May I open it and pour you a glass?”

  “Sure,” said Lexie, her voice a little breathy.

  Coin reached for the wine opener. “Let me. This opener can be a little tricky.”

  “Oh, no problem.” Thomas took it from him smoothly. “I’m good at this.” And he was. A flick and a twist, and the bottle stood open.

  Nosey, the cat he’d rescued from the tree years before, wandered in, yelling for food. This might be good, Coin thought, as he watched Thomas eye the cat. Nosey wasn’t particularly friendly, and he didn’t like strangers.

  But then Thomas said, “Gorgeous beast. Can I give him a piece of cheese?”

  “No,” said Coin.

  “Of course!” said Lexie, handing him a small ball of mozzarella. “Coin, don’t be mean to your cat.”

  “Watch out,” Coin said reluctantly. “He bites.” Hopefully, that was.

  Nosey—traitor that he was—took the cheese from Thomas and then wrapped himself around the man’s ankles. So much for loyalty.

  Lexie took a sip of the wine Thomas had poured for her and sighed. “This is wonderful.”

  “I’m so glad,” said Thomas. “So, will you show me the garden, Lexie?”

  The garden? Coin bristled again. It was his backyard, not hers. “I’ll go with you. I need to check the grill.”

  “I can do that, if you like. Happy to help,” said Thomas.

  Of course he would. He’d probably be happy to save Lexie from a speeding bullet, too.

  “I got it,” Coin growled.

  While Thomas ambled with Lexie through the back part of the yard—down where the jasmine was, Lexie’s favorite flower—Coin scrubbed the grill. Black ash flew from the grate and landed on his shirt. Brushing it off, he just made it worse, grinding the ash into the weave of the fabric.

  “Great,” he muttered, taking a long, deliberate pull on his beer. What kind of jerk brought white wine to dinner? And knew the vintner?

  It was his fault. He’d picked the guy.

  He heard Lexie laugh at something Thomas said, and it was her real laugh. The big one, the one she let out when she was surprised and delighted by something. It never failed to make him feel like a million bucks when he got her to laugh like that. Thomas sure seemed to have brought it out in her quickly.

  Fine. The grill was clean. Thomas and Lexie were hitting it off.

  He’d go hit it off with Ginger, then.

  By the time Thomas and Lexie came back into the kitchen, Coin was putting the food on the table and counting the minutes until the night was over. Ginger was delightful. Everything she said was sweet and kind and generous. Just to test his theory, he asked if she did any charity work in her free time.

  “Oh, yes,” she said with an enthusiastic smile. “On Wednesdays and Fridays, I work at the soup kitchen in Eureka. Just in my free time, you know.”

&nb
sp; Yep. She was fantastic. And absolutely, thumpingly boring. Coin nodded, attempting to look interested.

  They sat at Coin’s dining table. For one brief second, he felt embarrassment that his napkins looked as handmade as they were. Serena had made them—yellow and polygonal—when she’d been briefly obsessed with sewing. When Thomas shook one out onto his lap, he raised one eyebrow.

  The embarrassment faded and pure pride took its place. That’s right, his daughter had made the funny-looking napkins. Because she was awesome.

  As if Ginger could hear his thoughts, she said, “What about you, Coin? You have a daughter, right?”

  “I do.” What if he faked a migraine? Lexie wouldn’t buy it—he’d never complained of one before—but would she blow his cover? She might. She seemed to be enjoying Thomas’s company quite a bit, if you could judge that by the number of times she reached out to touch his arm as she laughed.

  “Tell us about her.” She sounded genuinely interested.

  Coin gave Ginger a second look. A real one. It was rare enough to find a woman willing to date a man with a kid, and even rarer still that she sounded interested. And with that long dark hair, and those snapping, sparkling eyes—this woman could get just about any guy on a string.

  Why, then, was it that Coin couldn’t keep his eyes off Lexie? For one night, you’d think he could fake it, but no. He couldn’t.

  Lexie filled in the awkward pause that had happened while Coin had been thinking. “Her name is Serena. She’s eleven, technically, but could pass for thirty in terms of world awareness. She says she wants to be an artist or a baseball player, but I think she’s going to be a writer. Every single second she has to spare, she has her nose in a book.” Lexie smiled warmly at Coin. “She’s supremely great. And Coin is amazing with her. They’re the best pals, except that he takes care of her, too.”