Firecracker

by Firecracker (retail) (epub)

  Arden’s mouth dropped open. “Really? Shit. I never thought of that.”

  “Really. I took their names and email addresses and said I’d send them your information. So, give me your email address and phone number and I’ll pass it on.”

  “Oh my God. I can’t believe that.” She pressed her hands to her face. Would this really lead to more business? And if it did, could she even do that? It had been a big undertaking, and her little kitchen wasn’t really equipped for much more.

  She gave Destiny the information to pass on nonetheless. If something came of it, she’d deal with it. Probably she’d never hear anything.

  She carried the chafing dishes and leftover supplies home, made an attempt to clean up the disaster in her kitchen, then got ready for work.

  “Hello, Arden darling,” Liam greeted her when she walked into Shenanigans. His mood seemed to have recovered since their outing to the Firefly Supper Club. “How did your breakfast go?”

  “It went great!” She filled him in on it, and shared the feedback she’d gotten from Destiny. “I don’t know how I’d manage much more than breakfast or maybe a cocktail party with my small kitchen. But I’m sure nothing will come of it anyway.”

  “You could use the kitchen here.”

  She blinked at him. “What? Really?”

  “Sure.” He hitched one broad shoulder. “The only times we’re really busy is lunch and dinner. In between, things are quiet, and the kitchen’s bigger than what we need for the size of this place anyway.”

  Wow. That would…solve a lot of problems. Refrigerator space. Counter space. Ovens.

  But still. She shook her head. She’d done one favor for her brother, and yeah, it had gone well, but nobody else was going to call her.

  What if…what if she actually sought out jobs like that, though? Small catering jobs. Not big dinners or fancy parties. Business breakfasts or lunches. Cocktail parties. There were all kinds of things…

  Excitement curled in her belly at the thought.

  “Better look after table two,” Sorcha said, passing by with a tray full of food.

  Right. She had a job to do. She’d daydream about possibilities later.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “I love my vagina.”

  Tyler choked. Arden rubbed up against him, both of them naked in his bed. “Um, good. I love it too.”

  “I believe you.”

  “Why wouldn’t you believe it?”

  “Some guys are assholes. Like Garth.”

  Garth? What the fuck? What did Garth have to do with… “Okay, just stop right there. Wherever this is going, I don’t want to hear it.”

  Arden smiled. “I just want you to know that I appreciate your appreciation of my vagina.”

  “Babe. I more than appreciate it.” He flipped her onto her back and moved over her. He met her eyes. “I worship your vagina.”

  Her lips parted and her eyes darkened. “Oh.”

  “I’m not that crazy about the word vagina, though.” He started kissing his way down between her breasts. “Too clinical. I like—”

  “I know what you like.”

  He snorted out a laugh, now kissing her lower abdomen. Her breathing had shifted. “Let me show you how much I like it.”

  “Just so you know…that’s not why I said that…” Her fingers slid into his hair.

  “No?” He spread her thighs with his hands and kissed the inside of one.

  “If I wanted you to lick me, I’d just ask.” Her voice had gone low and smoky. “But if you want to show me…I’m fine with that…”

  “Wanna come over tonight and watch a movie?”

  “I…can’t.”

  Tyler was finishing the work on the fireplace in Arden’s apartment, wiping his hand on a rag. “Oh.”

  “I’m going to a book club meeting. I think.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

  “What do you mean, you think?”

  “I’m nervous. I don’t know any of these women. Other than Imani, who did my hair.”

  “Well, you don’t have to go.”

  “I want to.”

  He bit back a smile. “But you’re nervous.”

  “Just a little. But Imani was really nice, and we like the same kinds of books, and I want to make new friends, so I want to go.”

  “Want me to drive you there? And I can pick you up after. Just call me.”

  She worried her poor pretty bottom lip again. “Would you do that?”

  “Of course.” He slid a hand around the back of her neck—thankfully a clean hand now—and kissed her forehead. “I’m sure it’ll be fun. What book are you reading?”

  “It’s called Love Shop by Meg Masters. I really enjoyed it.”

  “See, you’ve read the book, it’ll be fine. And I bet they drink wine.”

  She laughed. “Yes, Imani promised me there’d be wine.”

  “What time?”

  “It starts at seven.” She showed him the address on her phone.

  “That’s not far from here. Just knock when you’re ready to go. I’m going to go shower.”

  “Okay.” She grabbed his arm as he moved away and he looked into her eyes. “Thank you.”

  “I got another job!”

  Tyler looked up from his phone, a smile breaking out on his face. “No shit?”

  “No shit!” Arden bounded across his apartment to stand in front of him, holding her own phone. “Just now! One of the men at Jamie’s meeting loved the food, and he wants me to cater a meeting for his business!”

  “That’s fantastic, babe.” He set down his phone and stood, wrapping her in a hug big enough to lift her off her feet. This was fantastic news.

  She laughed breathlessly. “I can’t believe it!”

  “I’m not surprised.” He smooched her mouth. “You’re amazing.”

  “No, I’m not.” But she grinned.

  “Okay, let’s make a plan. Sit down.”

  She blinked as he released her. “Um, what?”

  He reached for his laptop sitting on the kitchen counter. “We’ll make a plan. The menu. The shopping list. I’ll take you shopping to get what you need. When is this? Jeez, I hope it’s not a day I work again.”

  She covered his hands with hers, stopping him from typing on the keyboard. “Whoa.”

  “What?” He looked up at her. “You know, we should really sit down and do a whole business plan for you.”

  “Wait. This is my job.”

  His eyebrows pulled down. “I know.”

  She slowly moved her head from side to side. “You don’t have to jump in and do everything for me. I can handle it.”

  “I know you can.”

  “Okay, then.”

  “But—”

  “Tyler. I don’t help you fight fires.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Not the same. Come on, I’m just trying to help.”

  “I need to do this on my own.”

  He fell silent. He remembered their argument that night at the supper club when he’d been er, jealous, of that other guy and she’d been upset because she could take care of herself. He knew she could take care of herself. Yeah, he wanted to look after her, but…hell. She needed to do this on her own, like she said.

  He smiled wryly. “Okay. But if you need help, ask. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  She beamed a relieved smile at him that told him he was doing the right thing. “Okay.”

  “Guns versus hoses.”

  Arden’s forehead furrowed, then cleared as she laughed. “Oh my God. Seriously?”

  Tyler grinned. “Yeah. We play each other every year. Firefighters versus police. Guns versus hoses.”

  They were on their way to his baseball game. He pulled into the parking lot near the baseball diamond, and they both jumped out. From the back of his truck, he grabbed the duffel bag holding bats and balls, then led the way to the diamond.

  Because she didn’t know anyone there, he took her around and introduced her to the guy
s (and a couple of women firefighters) already there, who in turn introduced her to their partners who were there to watch the annual event. Everyone was friendly to her, and Arden was soon seated in the bleachers, chatting away.

  He greeted his friend Dody, who was one of his partners in FPCF (Firefighters and Policy Charity Foundation), and some of the cops he knew from previous years with some good-natured trash talk about the game.

  It was a beautiful evening, the cool air holding hints of autumn.

  It was cool having Arden there watching. It made him want to show off a bit. He hadn’t been a bad ballplayer back in high school, and he’d kept playing since, so when it was his first time to bat, he readied his stance and focused on the pitcher for the “Guns” team. The ball whizzed toward him and he swung. The bat met the speeding ball with a satisfying crack, sending it soaring into the clear blue sky. He dropped the bat and sprinted to first, keeping an eye on the ball as the outfielders ran for it…but it was over the fence. Yeah! He pumped a fist in the air and jogged the rest of the bases, arriving at home plate to high fives from his teammates.

  Good start to the game.

  He caught Arden’s beaming smile and vigorous clapping, and he inhaled a long, satisfied breath.

  She was so pretty. The low sunlight gleamed on her long dark hair, and her smile flashed. She leaned over to listen to something Tremon’s wife said to her, nodding her agreement. Then she caught him looking at her and waved.

  He couldn’t stop the big grin that tugged at his mouth. Yeah. He liked having her there.

  Over the last couple of months, she’d helped him paint her apartment, and she’d made him laugh when she’d swiped her paintbrush on his nose, so he’d had to retaliate, which had turned into an attempt to cover each other in as much paint as possible, followed by a shower together to get it all off. They’d shopped together, cooked together, eaten together, shared a bunch of fun times with their friends together.

  He knew she was scared about getting too involved. He got it. He’d been trying so hard not to push things…to let her make her own decisions and lead her life. He’d stopped showing up at Shenanigans every night, because he knew how important it was to her to be independent, even though he worried about her. He didn’t flip out when she went out with the girls, for the same reason, even though he wanted to be there and make sure no assholes said anything offensive or tried anything handsy.

  Something had grown between them, something big and powerful, also intimate and beautiful. His crush had deepened, and as he got to know her better, as they became closer and closer both sexually and platonically, and he learned more about her, he was falling for her. Hard.

  And it was getting harder and harder not to tell her how he felt.

  Playing second base, he made a nice catch to tag one of the “Guns” out and quickly threw the ball to first, so Tremon had Dody out. Three out and they were up to bat again.

  It was a close game, ending up six-five for the “Hoses.” After the game, they all went to a nearby tavern for beers and more trash talk.

  “You know what they say about cops and firefighters,” one of the cops said to Arden.

  “What?”

  “The reason they made police is so firefighters could have heroes too.”

  “Ha ha.” She smiled as she sipped her beer. “Funny.”

  Dody grinned too. “Firefighters are the guys who couldn’t pass the police exam.”

  “Hold on,” Ronda said. “Not just guys.”

  Everyone laughed. “Okay men and women who couldn’t pass the police exam,” Dody replied.

  “Well,” Tremon said. “Everyone knows police are the people too out of shape to be firefighters.”

  “What do cops and firefighters have in common?” Tyler asked. “They both want to be firefighters.”

  More laugher rose around them and Arden leaned into him. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer still.

  “I have to stop at my mom’s place on the way home,” he told Arden when they were in the truck again. Her cheeks were pink from sitting in the fresh air, her eyes sparkling. “Her toilet won’t stop running, and I need to have a look at it.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  He drove to North Center and parked in front of the house. Arden made no move to get out of the truck when he opened her door. “Coming in?”

  “I thought I’d just wait here.”

  “Come in. I won’t be long, but you may as well say hi.”

  She hesitated, but slid out. “Okay.”

  “You’ve met my mom, right?”

  “Oh yeah. Long time ago, though.”

  He used his key to open the door and stepped in. Mom appeared from the living room. “That you, Tyler?”

  “It’s me, Mom. Me and Arden.” He drew her forward. “You remember Arden Lennox, right?” He knew that wasn’t her name now, but Lennox was how Mom would remember her.

  “Of course! Hello Arden, how are you?” Tyler read the interest and curiosity on Mom’s face. Uh-oh.

  “Very well, thanks. It’s so nice to see you again.”

  “Come in. I was just watching a Netflix show.” She led the way into the living room. “Have a seat. Who’d like something to drink? Coffee? Iced tea? Beer or wine?”

  “We just had a couple of beers so I better not have more,” Tyler said. “We’re good. Won’t stay long. I’m just gonna have a look at the toilet.”

  “I already called a plumber,” Mom said. “He’s coming tomorrow.”

  “What?” he frowned. “I told you I’d come by.”

  “You had a baseball game. I know you’re busy.”

  “Mom.” He swallowed his frustration. “I can do things like this for you.”

  “You have your own life,” she protested, as she always did.

  He wanted to look after her. She was his mom and she was on her own now. “Well, I might as well look at it while I’m here.” He blew out a breath as he turned away.

  As he left, Mom said to Arden, “I’m sorry he dragged you here.”

  “It’s fine!” Arden protested.

  Damn. He had dragged Arden here, and it turned out he probably didn’t even have to come.

  He jogged upstairs to the bathroom, lifted the lid of the tank and peered in, then flushed the toilet. Water spilled into the overflow tube. Should be easy to fix. He just needed a screwdriver.

  He ran down two flights of stairs to his dad’s old tool bench in the basement and grabbed one, hearing the muted conversation from the living room. Hopefully Mom wasn’t interrogating Arden.

  He adjusted the fill level in the tank, flushed again, and boom, fixed.

  He washed his hands and returned the screwdriver before heading into the living room. “All fixed,” he announced.

  “Thank you!” Mom shook her head, but smiled. “I appreciate it. Now I don’t have to pay a plumber.”

  “No problem.” He sat beside Arden on the love seat. “I don’t mind helping, Mom.”

  “I know. Are you enjoying being back in Chicago?” Mom asked Arden.

  “I really am. I love Chicago. I didn’t even realize how much I missed it until I was back. It’s nice to be around family and friends again. Although the only family here is Jamie.”

  “Well, if you need a mom-cooked meal or help with anything, you just come on over,” Mom said.

  “Oh, that’s so sweet of you. Thank you.”

  “We were just at a baseball game,” Tyler said. “Our annual Guns versus Hoses game.”

  “The Hoses won,” Arden added. “Tyler got two home runs.” She turned and met his eyes. “You played great.”

  Pleasure expanded in his chest. He shrugged modestly. “It was a team effort.”

  Mom’s avid gaze darted back and forth between them. Hopefully she wasn’t going to start talking about grandchildren. “Guns versus hoses.”

  “It’s so funny, the rivalry between the firefighters and the police.” Arden chuckled. “Both such admirable professi
ons, but they pretend to hate one another.”

  “Not sure it’s all pretend,” Tyler muttered. “I think those guys really do believe we just sit around watching TV all day.”

  Arden’s laugh was low and musical. “And you think they spend their day driving around and stopping for donuts.”

  He grinned.

  “You do pretend to hate each other,” she said. “But I also heard that you and Tremon and Dody started your charity organization together.”

  “Ah. Tremon’s wife was talking to you.”

  “Yes. So apparently the police and firefighters do work together as a team when there’s a need.”

  Tyler snorted. “The only reason cops are allowed on scenes is because the firefighters are busy, and someone needs to direct traffic.”

  She laughed. “I love all these jokes. But you know what? When it comes to popularity, firefighters always win. Lots of people hate cops, but nobody hates firefighters.”

  He met her eyes and his heartbeat quickened. “Eh, it’s true. Despite the rivalry, we do work together when shit hits the fan. We all respect one another.”

  Mom’s forehead creased and she watched them with a weird expression. “I keep hoping Tyler will change his mind about going back to college and do something else.”

  Arden’s head tilted. “Why would you want that? He loves what he does so much.”

  “Um. Well. Firefighters don’t earn that much money.”

  “I think it’s more important to do something you love,” Arden said quietly, leaning into him so her shoulder pushed against his. “And Tyler really does love his job.”

  Mom’s face tightened. “I guess he does.”

  “He’s good at it too,” Arden added. “His coworkers and his superiors really respect him.”

  “How do you know that?” He looked down at her with amusement and surprise.

  “I heard lots of stories about you tonight.”

  “Oh, great.” He rolled his eyes, but apparently they hadn’t been all bad.

  “He’s a very smart firefighter,” she added. “And brave.”

  Mom’s face wore a look of worried confusion. Like she’d never realized that he was smart and brave. Christ.