Light After Dark: Gansett Island Series, Book 16

by Marie Force

  “Please don’t. How about some more ice?”

  “That’d be good. Thanks.”

  With her body still tingling from the orgasm, she refilled the ice bag, got him settled and then headed for the bathroom to shower and get herself together for her first day of work on the rescue. Mason had sent over a uniform that consisted of navy blue pants and a light blue button-down shirt with the Gansett Island Fire Department patch on one short sleeve and a paramedic patch on the other. As she buttoned the shirt and tucked it into the pants, her new job began to feel official.

  After she dried her hair, she put it up into a ponytail and applied sunscreen and a light layer of makeup that included mascara. When she emerged from the bathroom, Quinn let out a low whistle.

  “That is one sexy paramedic.”

  Mallory felt her face heat with embarrassment. “Stop.”

  “What can I say? I have a thing for a smart, sexy babe in a uniform.”

  “Any babe, or one in particular?”

  He reached out a hand to her.

  Mallory crossed the room to take his hand.

  He brought her hand to his lips and brushed them over her knuckles. “Definitely one in particular. You’ll be careful, right?”

  “I hardly think there’s anything to worry about around here, but I’ll be careful.”

  “Good.”

  “You want me to make you something to eat before I go?”

  “Nah, I’ll be fine.”

  “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. There’s eggs, cereal, yogurt, fruit. Whatever you want. How about coffee? Should I make some?”

  “I wouldn’t say no to that.”

  “You got it.” She bent over to kiss him. “Take it easy today. Let’s get that leg healed so you can get back to normal, okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Whatever my nurse tells me to do.”

  She waggled her brows at him. “That’s good to know. I’ll text you later to check on you.”

  “I’ll look forward to that. What time are you off?”

  “Four.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  Mallory started to leave the room, but then turned back. “Are you sure you’ll be okay? I can tell Mason that today’s not a good day—”

  “I’m totally fine. I did the crutches for months before I was ready for the prosthesis. I’m used to them.”

  “Okay, then, but if you need anything, call me. I won’t be far away.”

  “You got it.”

  Mallory left the bedroom, made the coffee and downed a container of yogurt before grabbing her keys and cellphone and heading for the barn with ten minutes to spare before her first shift began. As she left the house, she hoped Quinn would be okay on his own.

  *

  Lying in Mallory’s bed, Quinn reached for his cell phone and dashed off a text to Jared. I need a favor. Are you around today?

  Sure, what do you need?

  A run to the boat for some clothes, and then a ride to work?

  You can take a day off, Quinn.

  Mac is running through the final punch list today. I need to be there. You still have a key to the boat, right?

  Yep. I’ll head out there now and bring your stuff to Mallory’s. It’s off Ocean Road, right?

  Yes. He typed in the address. Thanks.

  No problem. See you soon.

  Quinn absolutely hated having to ask anyone else for help, but he knew his brother wouldn’t mind, especially since he felt responsible for Quinn getting hurt on his property. Quinn sat up and reached for the dreaded crutches that he hated with a fiery passion. More than anything, he hated that he needed them and glared at the prosthetic leg and foot sitting next to Mallory’s closet, almost mocking him with what he couldn’t have today.

  Because he didn’t want to have to explain about his leg to everyone he encountered today, he would strap on the prosthetic after a shower, keeping it loosely affixed to his sore leg while he continued to use the crutches. It wouldn’t feel great against the bruised stump, but it was better than having to deal with questions about his missing leg.

  With Brutus following close behind him, he hobbled to the bathroom, where he broke open the toothbrush Mallory had left for him and put it to use. Next he headed for the kitchen, poured coffee into the mug she’d set out for him and filled it with the cream she’d placed on the counter to make it easier for him. She was a gem. He’d known that before he got hurt, and she’d only confirmed it for him with the way she’d come running to him last night and offered him a place to stay while he recovered.

  Brutus sat on the floor looking up at him, his adorable face scrunched inquisitively, as if to say, What’s going on, Dad? Why do you need those sticks to walk? Brutus had come into his life after he had the prosthetic, so he’d never seen Quinn on crutches before.

  “Temporary setback, buddy,” he said. “We’ll be back to normal in a few days. At least I hope so.” Because he couldn’t manage the crutches and the coffee, he stood in the kitchen and drank his coffee, looking out the kitchen window to the backyard and the ocean in the distance. After he finished his coffee, he took a closer look at her home.

  This really was an adorable little house that Mallory had rented from her sister, and in a very short amount of time, she’d put her unique stamp on the place with eye-catching art on the walls and bookshelves full of mysteries, thrillers, romances and nursing references. On the mantel, she’d placed photos of her with a woman who was probably her mom, a group shot with her siblings and cousins from Laura’s wedding last year and another with her and her dad.

  There were other framed photos of groups of women he didn’t recognize. He’d have to ask her about them. He wanted to know the details, and that alone made her different from any woman he’d been with in a long time. When he’d been on active duty, most of his “relationships,” such as they were, had been about sex. His relationship with Mallory was about so much more than that. They hadn’t even had sex yet, and he was already more committed to her than he’d been to any woman.

  He had no idea how long he stood there, looking at her pictures and thinking about her, before a knock on the door had him pivoting on the crutches toward the door to admit Jared. “That was quick.”

  Brutus greeted Uncle Jared with unbridled enthusiasm.

  Jared squatted to give Brutus some attention. “Kara took me out and waited for me while I packed up a bag. Hope I got everything you needed.”

  “If you got clean clothes, I’m good.”

  Standing upright, Jared carried the bag into the house and put it in the bedroom. “At least now I know why you don’t own a pair of shorts.”

  “I have shorts. I just don’t wear them anymore.”

  “Because you didn’t want anyone to know.”

  Quinn shrugged. “Something like that.”

  “Why does it matter? It’s not like you lost your leg doing something stupid. You lost it serving your country.”

  “I don’t know why it matters.”

  “Where the hell did you get all those muscles?” Jared asked, gesturing to Quinn’s bare chest and arms.

  “In the gym after I lost my leg. Upper-body strength was key to my recovery.”

  Sighing, Jared sat on one of the two barstools that had been tucked under the counter. “I wish you’d told me.”

  “Why? So you could swoop in and throw money at the situation and try to fix everything for me?”

  “I wouldn’t have done that.”

  Quinn raised a brow in disbelief.

  “Okay, maybe I would’ve, but at least you wouldn’t have been alone.”

  “I was okay.”

  “Lizzie told me I’m not allowed to be pissed with you, that this was your situation to handle as you saw fit.”

  “I really, really like your wife. She’s probably way too good for you.”

  “She definitely is, because, left to my own devices, I’d probably say some things that couldn’t be unsaid or unheard.”

  Quinn
held his brother’s gaze. “Thank goodness for Lizzie, then.”

  “Yeah, thank goodness for her.” Jared looked down and then back up at Quinn. “I know you prefer to go it alone, but I hope you know you’ve got me, and you can count on me.”

  “I do know that, and I appreciate it. You and Lizzie have given me a whole new purpose by hiring me. You’ve already done more than you know.”

  “I guess that’s something.”

  “It’s everything, Jared. I’m going to grab a shower, and then we can head out to the site, okay?”

  “Sure, whatever you want.”

  “Have some coffee while you wait.”

  “Don’t mind if I do. You don’t… Do you need help in there?”

  “Thanks, but I’ve got it.”

  Quinn went into Mallory’s bathroom, giving thanks for the tiny house that required very little effort to get around. He was used to showering on one leg, so that wasn’t a problem either.

  He moved slowly and carefully, because the last thing he needed was to fall again. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he went into the bedroom, sat on the bed, put on the sock he wore over the stump and wrangled the prosthetic into position, wincing when the padding made contact with his bruised and swollen stump. He secured it using the loosest possible setting and then got dressed, the way still sitting, the way he’d been taught to do in rehab. Everything was such a major production when one of your limbs was missing. Balance and coordination were nonexistent, and the simplest things became a struggle.

  It took fifteen minutes to put on boxers, khakis and a button-down shirt that he left untucked because that was easier than standing and tucking it in while balancing on one leg and two crutches. He made his way into the living room, where Jared watched CNBC as he drank his coffee.

  “You can take the boy out of Wall Street,” Quinn said.

  “But you can’t make him ignore his portfolio,” Jared concluded.

  They shared a laugh that went a long way toward putting things back on track between them.

  “Ready?” Jared asked.

  “Yep.” Quinn grabbed his keys and cell phone from the counter where Mallory had left them the night before and put both items in his pocket. “Hey, Jared?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m sorry if you were hurt by what happened last night. I never meant for that to happen.”

  Jared stared at him, incredulous. “You’re sorry? Dude, I feel like shit because I knew that hole was there and never did anything about it. I’m the one who should be apologizing to you.”

  “Don’t sweat it. Better me than someone who would sue Daddy Warbucks.”

  “Ha! That’s true. It’s getting fixed today. I called Alex to take care of it.”

  “Are you really so far gone that you can’t fix a hole in your own lawn by yourself?”

  “Nah, I just have better things to do today.”

  “Such as?”

  “Drive my big brother around and make sure he’s got everything he needs, such as breakfast. Did you eat yet?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Let’s hit the diner on the way to the office.”

  Realizing Jared intended to spend the day with him, Quinn made his way to the door, grateful for the time with his brother even if he hated the reason for it. “That sounds good. Thanks, Jared.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Chapter 22

  Mason greeted Mallory when she arrived at the barn for her first shift. She met the rest of the guys on her shift and memorized their nicknames—Shorty, Boner and Trip—rather than their real names. Shorty and Boner were firefighters, and Trip was the other paramedic.

  She’d agreed to work day shifts on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for the summer, wanting to avoid the weekends when everything was a hundred times busier. As this was the Summer of Mallory, she planned to enjoy her weekends rather than deal with the partiers who invaded the island every weekend.

  No, thanks. She was too old for that crap, or so she’d told Mason when he asked about her preferred schedule.

  He gave her a tour of the small public safety building that housed both the police and fire departments, introduced her to everyone they encountered and set her up with a locker that was located inside the women’s restroom.

  After that, she received a handbook with department policies and procedures that Mason reviewed with her in detail in his office. Then he showed her where the supplies for the rig were kept and went over the routine that each shift followed.

  It was a lot of information to absorb all at once, but he was patient in answering her questions and getting her oriented to their way of doing things. At ten minutes to eleven, he asked if she’d like to join him at the AA meeting.

  “Are we allowed to do that?” She’d been resigned to missing meetings on the days she worked.

  “As long as we take a radio with us, we’re allowed.”

  “Good to know, and yes, I’d like to go.”

  “We can take my truck. If anything comes up, we can meet the others at the call.”

  “Sounds good.”

  In the truck, he said, “I’m sure you must have questions about everything we reviewed this morning. You can feel free to ask me about anything that isn’t clear.”

  “I’ll reserve the right to pepper you with questions once I’ve had more time to review the manual and work a couple of shifts.”

  “My door is always open. We’re really glad to have you and to have the opportunity to learn from you.”

  “From me? I’m the low one on the totem pole.”

  “And you have the most experience in emergency medicine. We’re all excited to have you on the team, even temporarily.”

  “Wow, that’s nice to hear.”

  “I was hoping I might be able to talk you into doing some training while you’re with us—anything you think we would benefit from. I’d leave the content up to you.”

  “I’d love to. Training was one of my favorite parts of my old job.”

  “Keep it up. You’re already in the running for employee of the year.”

  Mallory laughed. “And it’s only my first day. I think I’m going to love this job.”

  “I sure hope so,” he said with a note of wistfulness that put her on alert. “You know, Quinn asked about you when you were back in Providence.”

  “I heard that.”

  “So you’re seeing him?”

  “I am.”

  “Oh.”

  After an uncomfortable silence, she said, “Mason…”

  “Nah, it’s okay. I get it.”

  Ugh, Mallory felt terrible. “I hope we’ll be very good friends and colleagues this summer.”

  “Of course we will. Why wouldn’t we be?”

  That was his way of saying no harm, no foul, and she couldn’t be more thankful for his acceptance of the fact that she had chosen to spend her time with Quinn. She and Mason were friends, nothing more. She hated to disappoint him, but better now than later, when it might make things awkward at work. “Good.”

  They attended the AA meeting, where Mallory missed seeing Quinn, and returned to the station to help prepare lunch. Her first call of the day came right after lunch when an elderly island resident called for help after a fall at home. With Trip’s assistance, Mallory assessed the woman’s injuries and determined she should be transported to the clinic for X-rays and further evaluation by Dr. Lawrence.

  At the clinic, she briefed David and Katie.

  “Let’s get you comfortable, Mrs. Givens,” Katie said after they transferred her to a bed in the clinic.

  Mallory and Trip were on their way back to the rig when she ran into Maddie in the waiting room.

  “Look who it is,” she said to Hailey, who was with her. “Auntie Mallory.”

  She would never get tired of being called Auntie Mallory or grow immune to her niece’s excited reaction to seeing her. After receiving a hug and sloppy kiss from the little girl, Mallory lifted her into her arms.

&
nbsp; Hailey’s brows furrowed as she studied the patches on Mallory’s sleeves.

  “You look great in that uniform,” Maddie said.

  “The pants make my ass look huge.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “You’re too kind. Everything okay with you guys?”

  Maddie’s smile faded ever so slightly, but Mallory noticed. “Just my weekly checkin with Victoria. After what happened last time, we’re being extra cautious with this baby.”

  “Totally understandable, but I’m sure everything is fine.”

  “I won’t truly believe that until he—or she—is sleeping in my arms.”

  Aware that Tripp was waiting for her, Mallory handed Hailey back to Maddie. “Hang in there. You’re doing everything right.”

  “Thanks. I’m sure I’ll see you soon.”

  “I’m sure you will. No parties tonight?”

  “Not that I’ve heard of, but the day is young and so are we.”

  Mallory laughed at the witty retort. “Yes, we are.” She waggled her fingers at Hailey. “You girls have a nice day.”

  “You, too.”

  The rest of Mallory’s first day flew by in a flurry of paperwork, training and bonding with the guys she worked with, all of whom were handsome and at least ten years younger than she was. Trip was even younger, having told her he had just turned twenty-five. She felt like a mother hen around them as they talked about their plans for the evening, which included women and beer.

  “You guys have to work in the morning,” she reminded them.

  “We know, Mom,” Boner said with a wink, and with that, Mallory had a nickname.

  She left the station a little after four and drove the short distance home, wondering if Quinn would be there or if he’d gone to work. When she stepped through the door, she found Brutus there but no sign of Quinn, so she texted him.

  Just got home. Are you at work?

  Yep, finishing up here soon.

  How about a home-cooked dinner?

  That sounds fantastic.

  Do you need a ride home?

  Nope. Jared has assigned himself to me. I’ve made him my bitch today.

  Mallory laughed at that and was glad to hear the brothers had spent the day together. Go easy on the poor guy.