by Amy DeMeritt
Ashton opens the door for her and helps Skylar climb up into the truck. And when she gets in on her side, Skylar leans across the center console to pull her into a slow, soft kiss that causes warmth and giddiness to rush through both of them.
As Skylar pulls away smiling, Ashton gently caresses her cheek with the backside of two fingers then combs them through her long silky caramel hair. “You are breathtaking tonight. Thank you for allowing me to take you out to dinner.”
“You’re such a romantic, Lieutenant. Thank you.” She kisses Ashton’s lips with a blushing grin. “I really love your style. This outfit is hot. So, how terrible were my parents to you when I left the room?”
Ashton releases a small laugh as she does a three-point turn. “They weren’t too bad. Your father did promise to ruin me if I hurt you, which was good. I would have been disappointed if I didn’t receive at least one threat. It shows he cares. When your mom asked you to be home by eleven, is that because you’re going on a date or is that just a house curfew to not disrupt their sleep?”
“Oh,” Skylar laughs a little and nods, “yeah, that’s just the time they like to unwind. My mom has trouble sleeping and has to follow a pretty strict routine at night or she won’t sleep at all. If I’m performing with the band, I can’t always help what time I get home, but as long as I wait long enough for her to fall asleep and she knows I’m going to be home late, she’s usually okay. That’s another reason I can’t wait to get my own place again. I can’t stand the curfew. I mean, I know I’m typically home by then anyway, but it’s just the idea of being patrolled that bothers me. Gloria has shown me some really great places. I just don’t know which one to pick.”
Ashton reaches her right hand out and Skylar takes it with both of hers to hold on her lap. “Are you afraid to live alone because of the fire?”
Her grip slightly tightens on Ashton’s hand. “I don’t know. I was in the shower when the fire started. I can’t help but wonder if I had a roommate if we would have gotten out of there before it got so bad.”
“It’s possible, but it’s also possible your roommate would have been at work or out shopping because it was the middle of the day. The problem wasn’t that you didn’t have someone there to warn you. The problem was the fire alarms failed to warn you. If the fire alarms had been working, you would have known to get out sooner.”
“I guess that’s true. I think maybe my parents have infected me with their fears. I was so ready to get right back into my own place the day after it happened. But now… I’m dragging my feet and I don’t really have a good reason for it.”
“Skylar, you went through something truly traumatic. It’s completely normal to feel scared and uncertain. It’s normal to take time to process what you’ve been through and learn how to move on.”
“I know. It’s just frustrating. I’m just going to pick a place this week and put in the application. I won’t be able to move in right away because I have to buy all new furniture and everything else, so that will be the time I allot myself to mentally prepare.”
“If you need help with anything, please let me know. I can’t lift anything heavy right now, but I’d be happy to help with anything else. And if you need to talk about it, the fire I mean, I’m here for that as well. I’ve been through quite a few of them, you know.”
Skylar smiles as she leans over the center console to kiss Ashton’s cheek. She lays her head on Ashton’s shoulder and releases a hum of contentment.
“You smell really good.”
“Thank you.” She kisses Skylar’s head, and Skylar releases another adorable hum.
Skylar remains perched on Ashton’s shoulder the rest of the ride to the restaurant, but after Ashton parks, she lifts her head to press her lips against Ashton’s. The soft, warm swell of Ashton’s bottom lip slightly juts out to catch the underside of hers in a soft embrace that causes a wonderful sensation to spread through her veins. She parts her lips, and Ashton promptly follows to share a tender, loving kiss for a couple of minutes.
When Skylar pulls away blurry eyed, Ashton asks, “Ready to go eat?”
Skylar nods and Ashton hops out of the truck. She rushes around to her side to open the door for her and help her out of the truck. While holding Ashton’s hand for balance, Skylar tucks a hand behind her thighs to brush her skirt down so it doesn’t fly up as she slides off of her seat.
With their fingers entwined, they walk across the parking lot, then Ashton grabs the brass toned door handle of the upscale steak and seafood restaurant, holding the door open for Skylar. The restaurant has an elegant modern feel to it with dim lighting, rich wooden floors and ceiling, and white and black décor that makes Oliver’s feel like a fancy yacht club.
As they approach the hostess, her red lips spread into a forced smile and she greets them with a sickly-sweet high pitch, saying, “Welcome to Oliver’s. Do you have a reservation?”
“Good evening. Yes, it’s under Ashton Hyland.”
She looks down at her seating chart and reservation list. She then hands two thick black menus and bundles of flatware to another woman, telling her a table number, then the woman says, “Please follow me.”
Skylar holds Ashton’s hand through the restaurant and allows her eyes to wander over the nice décor and nicely dressed couples and groups. With each step they take, the excitement in her stomach bubbles up, causing her lips to curl into an uncontrolled wide closed mouth smile. When they reach the table, Ashton pulls her chair out for her, and Skylar gracefully sits, carefully tucking the skirt of her dress under her thighs.
“Your waiter will be right with you. Enjoy your evening.”
“Thank you.”
As Ashton settles in front of her, she watches Skylar with joy warming her chest. Skylar is sitting straight backed with her head slightly turned to look out the window they’re seated next to. They have a perfect view of the lake, a nice walking pier with benches, and the lush forest on the opposite bank. It’s just before six, so there’s enough daylight left to cast the forest as a sparsely detailed silhouette against the gray sky. And the gray sky is reflecting in the gently rippling water’s surface, making the water look like molten silver, which is how the lake received its name – Silver Lake.
Ashton cannot help but be mesmerized by the serene smile on Skylar’s beautiful face as she admires the beauty of their natural surroundings. As Skylar turns to face Ashton, her smile broadens.
“It’s beautiful here and this place is really nice.” She gets a teasing glimmer in her eye, and asks, “Are you trying to impress me, Lieutenant?”
“More like I’m trying to show you every side of me.” Skylar gives her a quizzical grin, so she explains. “We’ve had meals at my place and in the hospital. We’ve been to the pub. We’ve eaten at a couple of casual restaurants. We’ve had steak sandwiches and hand-sliced chips from Lorenzo’s. We’ve been to Bernie’s 24hour Diner. And we’ve indulged in pizza and beer till we were passed out in each other’s arms on my couch. Tonight, we’re indulging in the finer things in life. My point is, I can enjoy a sloppy meatball sub from The Sub Hub just as much as I enjoy a hand-cut aged filet mignon from a five-star restaurant.”
Skylar leans forward with an affectionate smile as she places a hand over Ashton’s, and says, “I really liked you listing everything we’ve done together like that. So, the sky is the limit with you?”
Ashton grins with a shrug. “Who knows. If you find a record or two in my mom’s collection worth millions, maybe we could book a trip to outer space. The commercial space industry is really gaining speed and they might be flying people out there in the next several years.”
“That would be pretty awesome.”
“Hello.” They look up at the middle-aged man as he sets two goblet style glasses of ice water on the table. “I’m David and I’ll be taking care of you this evening. Can I start you off with something to drink?”
Skylar looks to Ashton to answer first. “I’d like a glass of the house merlot,
please.”
He nods, then looks to Skylar, who says, “I’ll have the same, please.”
“Absolutely. Can I see your ID, please?”
Skylar blushes as she nods and pulls her hands off of the table to open her small clutch purse. As she’s holding out her driver’s license, Ashton holds out hers as well, making Skylar smile affectionately. The man acts confused that she’s offering it, but he accepts both and checks them. His brows momentarily rise as he looks between the two of them, then he blushes with realization that they’re a couple as he passes the licenses back.
“I will be back shortly with your drinks.”
After he walks away, Skylar bashfully says, “Thanks. I don’t know why, but I always get kind of embarrassed when I’m the only person at the table being carded.”
“Since most of your friends are my age, it must happen pretty often.”
“It does. We’ve actually had problems at some places we perform at because even the performers have to be over twenty-one and they act like my ID is fake, just because I’m so much younger than the rest of the band. It’s annoying.”
Ashton laughs a little, and teases, “And in ten to twenty years, you’re going to complain you’re not getting carded enough. Gloria loves it when she gets carded.”
“Does Erin ever get carded?” She places her hands on her face and shakes her head. “Sorry, we shouldn’t talk about her. I’m a horrible date.”
Ashton releases a small laugh and offers her hand to Skylar, who quickly accepts it and curls her fingers around her palm. “Relax, you’re not a horrible date. And to answer your question, yes, fairly often. I never get carded anymore and haven’t since my hair did this.”
She points up at her gray hair, making Skylar’s shoulders relax and she smiles.
“I love your hair. The color is like smoky silver. When did your hair start turning?”
“In my late twenties. By the time I was thirty-five, I had a full head of gray hair. It’s a genetic thing – all of the women in my family turn gray very early.”
“What color was it before?”
“Similar to yours actually. It was light brown with some natural blonde highlights.”
Skylar’s eyes scan down her torso and her cheeks blush as she stares at the part of the table blocking Ashton’s lap. Ashton notices and releases a small laugh, making Skylar look up with bright red cheeks as she releases a nervous cough.
“Not everything has turned gray yet.”
Skylar laughs as she puts her face in her hands and shakes her head, saying, “I’m sorry. That was so inappropriate of me.”
“You’re adorable.” Skylar drops her hands with a cute smile. “Are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure I’m not too old for you? I promise, I will not be offended if you think this is too weird.”
Skylar waits to answer as the waiter sets their glasses of wine down in front of them, and he asks, “Are you ready to order or do you have any questions about the menu?”
“I’m sorry, we still need more time.”
“No problem at all. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
As soon as he is several paces away, Skylar quickly but quietly says, “Ash, I know other people are going to think it’s weird for the two of us to be together because of the age difference. But honestly, the age doesn’t bother me. I have never been more attracted to someone in my life or enjoyed life as much as I do when I’m hanging out with you. I know I want to be with you. Do you want to be with me?”
“I do.” Skylar’s eyes tear up and her nervousness visibly melts away. “I think you’re an incredible woman, Skylar. If you are positive this is what you want, then you can count me as being all in.”
She teases, “So, I don’t have to worry about someone else stealing you from me? I can call you mine?”
“I’m all yours, babe.”
Skylar’s chest expands with a deep breath of relief from the sincerity in Ashton’s voice and eyes. And those eyes – she can’t help but get lost in them every time their eyes meet.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Are you cold?”
Skylar shakes her head as she rubs the goosebumps on her arm with one hand and clings to Ashton’s hand with her other. “No, just a little chilly. I’m fine. It’s too beautiful here. I’m not ready to leave.”
“Here.” Ashton releases Skylar’s hand and takes her blazer off to drape over Skylar’s shoulders. “Better?”
She hums as she pulls the lapel up to her nose to take a deep breath of Ashton’s intoxicating scent. “Much better, but you know what would really help warm me up?”
The desire in her eyes and the playfulness of her smile reels Ashton in. She wraps her arms around her and bends down to kiss her lips. Skylar immediately presses her tongue forward, parting Ashton’s lips and flicks her tongue into action. While every warm slick rotation of their tongues ignites every nerve in their bodies, Skylar’s hands lightly palm over Ashton’s hips and up her back, further increasing their desire. As Skylar’s hands descend and drift just to the top of Ashton’s ass, she slightly jumps with a surprised squeal.
“What? What’s wrong?”
She giggles as she pulls away and looks in the inside breast pocket of Ashton’s blazer. She pulls her vibrating cellphone out and her smile turns upside down.
“It’s Erin.” She offers the phone to Ashton, who accepts the phone to slip into her left pants pocket. “You’re not going to answer it?”
“I can text her tomorrow to see what she wanted.”
As she’s wrapping her arms around Skylar, the phone vibrates again. She exhales hard and pulls the phone out to completely silence it and turn the vibration off. Before she can put the phone away, a couple of text messages come through.
“Ash, just look at the messages. It might be important.”
Erin: Ash, pick up!
Erin: Eric Fields is hurt. Call me!
With her hands shaking and her heart beating out of her chest, she dials Erin’s number as she grabs Skylar’s hand and starts quickly walking down the pier to get to the truck.
“Erin, what happened to Fields?”
“Ash, it’s really bad.” Erin is crying, which causes Ashton’s throat to constrict and her eyes tear up. “They just got him in the ambulance. You have to get to the hospital.”
“Which hospital is he being taken to?”
“Milltown General. They have the best burn unit.”
“Fuck. How bad is it?”
Skylar jumps in the passenger seat and Ashton runs around to the driver’s side. As soon as she pulls out of the parking spot, she turns her emergency lights on but holds off on turning her siren on till she needs it so she can hear Erin. She puts the phone on speaker and floors it.
“Ash, I don’t know if he’s going to make it. He was in the basement and the floor above fell on him. The fire was so bad it burned up his jacket and shirt underneath. Ash, his head and his chest…” Erin sobs into the phone and Ashton slams a hand down on her steering wheel. “It’s really bad.”
Ashton digs at her eyes to wipe the tears away, and her voice cracks as she asks, “Who was in command?”
“Decker.”
“That fucking son of a bitch! What happened? Erin, why did this happen?”
“Ash, you know I’m not good at judging if a situation is hopeless or not. I don’t know how to read the fire like you can. I just know where I’m supposed to aim the fire hose. I don’t know if Decker’s judgement caused this or not. Look, I know you hate the guy, but please don’t do anything stupid. Just find out from Perez what happened then read Decker’s report.”
“Did Decker go into the fire at all?”
“No, you know he never does that, not unless Captain Hunt is there and makes him. Hey, I have to go. Perez and I are jumping on this ambulance to get to the hospital to be with Fields. I’ll see you there. Please drive carefully.”
“Yeah, see you there.”
She hangs up, turns her sirens on,
and guns the engine, gaining speed to over 70 mph. Skylar reaches over to place a hand on Ashton’s thigh and rubs it up and down in a comforting way. She doesn’t know what to say, so they just sit in silence while Ashton expertly maneuvers through traffic and safely flies through red lights.
After parking near the emergency room, they run hand in hand to the entrance with every pounding step sending searing pain through Ashton’s ribs and incision.
As she’s about to ask a nurse where Fields is, she hears, “Lieutenant, over here.”
She looks to the right and quickly strides over to Juan Perez and Erin, both of whom are dressed in their firefighter uniforms with their helmets tucked under their arms.
“Where is he?”
“This way.”
Perez turns to lead them, but Erin remains like stone on the spot as she looks between Ashton and Skylar and to their clasped hands. Ashton is oblivious to Erin and just tugs Skylar along after her to follow Perez. As she gets a glimpse of Fields through the window of the burn unit, she quickly turns and grabs Skylar’s shoulders, walking her a few paces back so she’s out of view of the window.
“You shouldn’t see this.”
“Ash, I want to be here for you.”
Her jaw trembles with emotion as she shakes her head. She lightly grabs her face and gives her a firm kiss on her lips and forehead.
“Trust me, you don’t want to see this. Just wait right here. I’m going to check on him. I’ll be back.”
“Okay. Ash, I’m really sorry about your friend.”
She nods as she pulls away taking a deep breath and wiping her eyes to appear brave and strong for Fields. As Ashton turns and follows Perez into the burn unit, Erin steps in front of Skylar, looking her up and down with her face set like stone and her eyes as cold as ice.
“Looks like we interrupted a nice night.”
“It was a nice night, but this is more important.”
“Where did you go?”
“Oliver’s.”
