by J. J. Cook
“I don’t have speeds—just an on and off switch.”
“You’re going to set standards that other people who follow will hate you for.”
“Look who’s talking. The man who built a dam on the Little Pigeon River by himself in his spare time while he made a tunnel through one of the Smoky Mountains.”
“Do they really say that about me?”
She laughed. “Something like that. You’re definitely mythological.”
“I kind of like that.”
“That’s what I mean. Get out of my way. I’m getting another ten recipes before I head back.”
Stella only ended up with three more recipes. Her mother called from Chicago. Her father had hurt his back trying to catch a child who’d jumped out of a second-story window during a fire. He was on medical leave for a few weeks.
“Tell him he’s supposed to go up and rescue them before they have to jump,” Stella joked.
Her mother relayed her message. Her father threatened to take back the Harley he’d let her bring to Sweet Pepper.
Stella told them about the barbecue and demonstration to raise money. She also told them about everything that was going on in the investigation of Barney Falk’s death. She left out the part about being kidnapped. She didn’t want them to worry about her any more than they already did.
“You know it was the oddest thing,” her mother said. “While we were there I took several pictures of the cabin so your aunts and uncles could see where you were living.”
“Let me guess—they couldn’t believe I could live someplace like that.”
“No. Everyone thought it was darling. Your Uncle Jamie wants to know when he can come down there and go fishing.”
Stella laughed. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“It was your Aunt Maura. She looked at one of the pictures around the stairs in your cabin. She swears she saw a ghost there. I looked at it. I don’t see anything. But I told her about the ghost haunting the cabin. You know she’s always claimed to have the ‘sight’. This time I’m not so sure.”
Stella had the phone on speaker so Eric could hear too. “What did she claim to see?”
“She said it was the ghost of a big, blond-haired man with his hair tied back. He was wearing a red shirt and boots. Kind of detailed, huh?”
“I’ll say,” Eric reacted.
“And you can’t see anything?” Stella asked her.
“Not a thing. But you know your father’s family—always full of Irish blarney. Anyway I only mention it because Aunt Maura says she’s sending you a ghost charm. I don’t know if it’s supposed to protect you or what. It’s some kind of root wrapped with twine. Just a heads-up in case you want to put it right in the trash.”
Stella said she’d take a look at it and they talked about Stella’s date with Rufus. She promised to send pictures of him, and of the new fireboat.
“I have to go,” her mother said with a sigh. “You know what a baby your father is when he’s hurt. I love you, Stella. Call me when you can.”
Stella had been walking through Sweet Pepper’s municipal park as she spoke with her mother. There were a few joggers, but otherwise she was alone.
“Maybe that’s why you can see me,” Eric said. “Maybe it runs in your family. You could start a business like Madam Emery. You’d have to change your name though. Madam Stella doesn’t sound right.”
“I think I’ll take a look at the ghost charm Aunt Maura is sending. Maybe it’s a charm that will make a ghost do and say only what you want.”
“What fun would that be? Living with a ghost should be full of excitement and a little fear. I am a supernatural creature, you know.”
“Yeah. My grandmother in Chicago called that kind of supernatural creature a buttinski.”
They’d reached the Cherokee and the end of Stella’s quest for recipes. She had to get home, take a shower, and get ready for her date.
“What are you wearing tonight?” Eric asked after they were in the truck and she’d started the engine.
“When did you become a fashionista?”
“A what?”
“Never mind. What do you think I should wear?”
“I think you should wear something demure for your first date. You don’t want him to get the wrong idea. Nothing too tight or low-cut. Don’t forget—you’re after marriage, not a fling.”
Stella laughed long and hard at that. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stopped at the stoplight going out of town.
Cindy Reynolds, whose claim to fame was that she had once seen a headless ghost on Second Street was in the car next to Stella’s. She made a cranking motion with her hand to get Stella to roll down the window.
“Are you okay?” Cindy asked.
“I’m fine. Why?”
Cindy shrugged. “I saw you on the news and I was worried about you.”
“Thanks. I’m fine. How are you?”
“I’m hanging in there. Worried about my mother’s old house being haunted. She can hardly get a wink of sleep for all the moaning.”
“That sounds bad,” Stella remarked.
“We’ll figure it out,” Cindy said. “Just an unhappy ghost, I guess. Probably my uncle. He was always miserable when he was alive.”
Stella waved and closed her window before she drove through the intersection when the light had turned green.
“Sounds like an unhappy ghost who wants people out of the house,” Eric remarked.
“You want to talk to him? Maybe you can help.”
“No, thanks. I have my own problems.”
“Like what? The cabin is safe now.”
“You.” His answer was blunt. “Keeping you safe is turning out to be a full-time job.”
Stella laughed. “You and my grandfather. He offered to hire security people for me.”
“Maybe you should let him. I don’t like the idea of you being out by yourself with everything that’s been going on.”
“I’m not taking your badge with me tonight. Nothing you say is going to convince me that you should go on a date with me.”
They argued about it all the way back to the cabin. Stella picked up Hero at the firehouse. He bounded out of the Cherokee as soon as she’d opened the door at the cabin. Eric ran around with him outside in the woods while she went inside to get ready.
Eric’s notions of what a woman should and shouldn’t do on her first date with a man prompted her to dress a little more provocatively than she might have otherwise. After her shower she pulled on a scoop-neck black sweater that hugged her body and teamed it with tight black leather pants. She zipped up her knee-high black boots and used a little more makeup than normal. She wore her bright red hair loose on her shoulders.
Eric’s face was hilarious when he saw her. He stopped inside the doorway and stared at her. Hero jumped around barking trying to get their attention.
“Well?” She turned around slowly. “What do you think?”
“Where’s that big brown dress you wore to the coronation dance?”
She laughed at him. “Women don’t really dress like that anymore.”
“Women don’t really dress like that either, do they?”
“I guess you don’t watch as much TV as I thought.” She put on a short black jacket and picked up her bag. “Don’t wait up.”
Eric and Hero watched her leave. Eric could feel that she’d left his badge behind as soon as she was gone. He found it lying on her dresser in the bedroom. He picked it up and rubbed his finger over the face.
“I hope she knows what she’s doing,” he said to Hero. “Neither of us will be there to help her if she needs us.”
Chapter 31
Stella was glad she didn’t dress up too much for her date with Rufus. They took a look at several boats moored in his family’s marina. One of them, a large sailboat, was where Rufus lived. They ate sandwiches and drank coffee while he showed her plans for the new fireboat.
“Maybe you should wait to put any more time into this
until the town council approves it.” She looked at the elaborate plans and hated that they might go to waste.
“No problem. I have the inside track on this now. Uncle Willy told me that Phil Roth put up a large chunk of money for the fireboat. So did your grandfather. The council hasn’t voted yet, but with that kind of financing they’ll vote for the project. That’s how things get done.”
Stella felt a little disappointed that Sweet Pepper was small but corrupt. It didn’t surprise her exactly—she was from Chicago. She’d thought it would be different here. It wasn’t.
Rufus had claimed to be a great cook, but his refrigerator was bare when they got to his boat. “I meant to make a cheesecake and a nice grilled chicken for tonight and really impress you. I got so busy I forgot.”
Stella accepted a pudding cup from him with a smile. “That’s okay. You know I’m not into cooking either. If you have hot peppers in that cheesecake, though, I’d love to have the recipe for it. I’m collecting for next year’s festival.”
“Sure. I can write it down for you. Doesn’t everything around here have peppers in it?” He grabbed a pen and a piece of paper. “No. I love to cook. Really. I get carried away with projects sometimes. I’m really excited about the fireboat. What do you think of calling the boat Sweet Pepper Teardrop?”
“You mean name it after the pepper everyone grows around here?” Stella wasn’t sure it was a great name for a fireboat—Sparky or Fire Jumper sounded better to her. But she didn’t know anything about naming boats. “That fine. I’m sure the council will like that idea.”
“That’s what I thought. I have a friend who works at the pepper plant. He’s also an artist. He’s willing to paint a teardrop pepper on the side of the boat with the fire brigade logo. He’ll do it for free to get his name on something.”
“I think that would be great.”
He looked across the tiny table at her. “Have I told you how awesome you look tonight? Maybe that’s not appropriate since you’re the fire chief and I’m a volunteer. I don’t know.”
“I’m not the fire chief right now.” She smiled. “Thanks. You look awesome too.”
He got them a drink. “I didn’t mean to make you feel awkward about being the fire chief. You do a great job.”
“I don’t feel awkward at all about it.” She took the rum-laced hot cider from him. “It’s part of me now. Probably like you building boats.”
“Yeah.” He held his drink in one hand while the other was in the pocket of his jeans. He didn’t sit next to her.
She couldn’t tell if he felt awkward about it now that she was there or if this was his normal dating behavior. He barely spoke answering any attempt at conversation that she made with monosyllables.
Stella wasn’t sure how to break through that barrier. She suggested listening to music. She wished they could sit out on the deck and look at the stars too. Rufus reminded her that it was colder with the winds coming off the lake this close to the mountains.
They found some common ground talking about the fireboat. Rufus liked it when she suggested he show her around the future fireboat.
They put on their jackets and trudged over to what would be the Sweet Pepper Teardrop when he was finished. He pointed out where the hose brackets would go to allow for greater coverage and range of spray during a fire and described how he was shoring up the front end to hold the weight of the water cannon.
Rufus laughed when Stella called it the rear end of the boat. “It’s the stern. I can tell you’re a landlubber. Have you been on a boat before?”
She described her tour of duty on the fireboat in Chicago. She didn’t mind being corrected about the boat. She didn’t really know much about boats or even firefighting on boats. She was going to have to do some research. While Rufus might be in charge of any firefighting the team did on the Teardrop, she was still the chief and needed to know her subject.
They walked through the galley and a small sitting area below the deck. The boat wasn’t as large as the one Rufus lived on, but Stella could see the potential for making the craft work for them when it came to fighting fires in the lake community.
As much as she enjoyed talking about Rufus’s plans for the fireboat she was a little disappointed that the time wasn’t spent getting to know each other better. As dates went this was more like a working dinner.
About nine thirty, after Rufus had showed her everything on the fireboat, Stella thanked him for the tour and said she had to go home.
“We all have an early morning tomorrow to get in some practice before the barbecue. I hope you’ll be there.”
“I wouldn’t miss it. I plan to pull the Teardrop up on a trailer and haul her out to Beau’s for the event. I even made up a little box where people can put donations.” He took out the cardboard box he’d painted red.
“Great idea.” Stella picked up her jacket. “Thanks for dinner.”
Rufus put down the box. “I’m sorry. This wasn’t much of a date. Like I said, I get carried away when I’m working on a project. Thanks for putting up with me.”
He helped her put on her jacket and kissed her cheek. “I enjoyed spending time with you anyway, Stella. Maybe we can do this again sometime.”
“Definitely. Goodnight, Rufus.”
She left the boat and walked toward the Cherokee. Rufus was a nice guy—maybe a little preoccupied with his work, but so was she sometimes. She’d be willing to give him another chance.
As she reached the Cherokee, she saw Phil Roth. He appeared to be waiting for her.
“Good evening, Stella. I saw your truck out here.”
“Good evening, Phil. What can I do for you?”
“I wanted you to know that the fireboat is in the bag.” He went on to explain his part in the proceedings. “I know this is going to be good for the community.”
Stella wasn’t sure why he’d waited for her. It sounded like he wanted her to be impressed with his generosity. Okay, she’d be impressed.
“I’ve heard that. Thanks so much for your donation. Between you and my grandfather, I think we’ll have a fireboat up and running in no time.”
“I was wondering if you’d like to go and have a drink to celebrate.” He smiled at her as the overhead light shadowed his face.
“Not tonight, but thanks for asking. I hope you’ll be at Beau’s tomorrow for the barbecue. We’re trying to raise money for the fireboat and other necessities. Maybe you’d even like to volunteer.”
He moved very close to her and touched a long strand of her hair. “I hope you plan on having a kissing booth there. I’d be willing to pay a lot for a kiss from you, honey.”
Stella maintained her dignity. She wasn’t worried about him trying anything with her. She also didn’t want to alienate a big donor. “As far as I know there’s no kissing booth. If there were Willy would be doing the kissing.” She tried to make a joke out of it.
Phil didn’t laugh. He moved even closer to her wrapping the strand of her hair around his finger. “Maybe you could help me out right now. I am giving a lot of money to your fire brigade.”
She took a step back pulling her hair away from him. “I hope you didn’t donate to the fireboat because of what you’d get from me. It’s your fire brigade too. I’m happy to have lunch or dinner with you, but if I’ve led you to think there was something more between us, I apologize. Excuse me. It’s getting late and I’m tired.”
He looked her over with lazy insolence. “I don’t want you to feel obligated, Stella. Have a drink with me. Let’s see where it goes.”
She didn’t know how much plainer she could make it without knocking him down. “Maybe some other time. Goodnight.”
Stella walked around him and got in the Cherokee. She was glad when he stepped aside. He was still standing at the side of the vehicle when she started the engine and turned on the headlights. He even waved to her as she left.
Creepy. She shuddered and left the marina. Phil Roth was a man to avoid in the future no matter how many l
arge donations he made to the fire brigade. She didn’t appreciate feeling like he was stalking her.
She drove back to the cabin after a quick stop at the firehouse. Allen, Kent, and Petey whistled and made a big deal about her makeup and how she was dressed. They wanted to know how her date had gone with Rufus. She told them the dinner was fine.
“What’s wrong with that boy?” Kent asked. “When I was his age I wouldn’t show a woman like you a bad time!”
Stella blushed and changed the subject. Her volunteers—and Eric—were a little too interested in her love life.
Petey was on communications that night. Her doctor had told her she could be on light duty starting next week.
“Maybe that means I could get in gear and come along on a call. I could look for pets if a house is on fire. I could relay orders. I’m sure there are dozens of things I could do even if I can’t climb a ladder, carry people out of a house, or knock down doors. It means a lot for me to start feeling like part of the team again, Chief.”
“Okay. We’ll figure it out,” Stella agreed. “It’ll be good to have one of my assistant chiefs back again.” She told her about Ricky coming back soon.
“Oh well.” Petey frowned. “Nobody said it was a perfect life.”
Allen slapped her on the back. “Cheer up. It’s not as bad as poor JC fighting for the engine!”
Stella laughed. “Come on. Everyone works together.”
She listened to twenty minutes of why Ricky and Petey didn’t work out as a couple outside of the team. It wasn’t just her lovelife under scrutiny. They all drank a couple of Cokes together. Kent and Allen went on with their game of chess.
“Sorry about your date with Rufus,” Petey sympathized. “I’m beginning to think it’s a mistake to ever date a good-looking guy. They never seem to get it, you know?”
Stella agreed and then said goodnight. She drove back to the cabin. Lights came on inside and the door opened as she got out of the Cherokee. Hero ran outside barking happy to see her as always.
“Where in the world have you been?” Eric ranted as he worked on frosting a cake. “This is way too long for a dinner date. Did you go out for drinks or something? Hero and I were worried.”
