Desperately Seeking Fireman

by Jennifer Bernard

  AN UNPLEASANT BANGING woke Nita from vaguely disturbing dreams about tsunamis and sand castles.

  “Nita! Nita Moreno!”

  Ugh, it was the senator’s deep, carrying voice, the voice that didn’t even need a microphone to speak to a crowd of thousands. When he called for her in that angry tone, it meant that he’d screwed something up and needed her right away. That tone meant stress, panic, adrenaline.

  She sat up with a jolt, horrified at the thought of her boss catching her in bed with a man.

  Except there was no man in her bed.

  Right. She’d feigned exhaustion, then dropped off to sleep. Then she’d woken up when he’d tried to tiptoe out of the room. Panicked at the thought of never getting to make love with him again, she’d lured him back to bed, where they’d explored every inch of each other’s bodies and she’d come twice more, once under the skillful stroking of his tongue, once at the touch of his fingers.

  He was too skillful. It made her nervous. They’d fallen asleep again, and he must have left sometime after that.

  Thank goodness he had, because the senator was in a mood.

  “This statement is shite,” he growled as soon as she threw on a robe and opened the door.

  “It’s perfect.”

  He waved the pages in the air, then violently crumpled them in a ball and tossed them on the floor. Then he stomped on them.

  “You do realize that’s just one copy,” she said dryly. “The original’s on my computer.”

  “I can’t go out there and say those words.”

  “Which ones? ‘I’m sorry?’”

  He stormed to the window. “I’m a state senator. A senator! Apology is a sign of weakness. Can’t I just regret if someone was offended?”

  “That’s not going to cut it.”

  “It’s my private life! I’ll go as far as apologizing if someone was offended, but that’s all.”

  “Very gracious of you. I’m sure your constituents will appreciate that.” Nita felt a slow rise of disgust. Did everything have to be a word game? What would Jeb do in this situation? He was a fire captain. Would he think apologizing made him “weak”?

  “Don’t get rude with me. Now rewrite that garbage statement and book me a helicopter. I want off this island.”

  A spitting rain, pushed by gusts of wind, clattered against the windows. Nita folded her arms over her chest, pulling her robe tighter around her. “No.”

  “What?”

  “The statement is fine. It’s what you need to say. Anything less and you’ll be crucified. I’m not changing it.”

  “Damn it, Nita. You work for me. That means you do what I tell you.”

  “I’m not your servant.” She was starting to tremble. “I’m your press secretary. You hired me for my expertise.”

  “I hired you for your demographic profile,” he snapped. “Now fix the statement.”

  A chill rippled through her, rooted her to the floor. He’d hired her because her family was Mexican? Was that it? The sum total of five years of hard work and brutal hours? Did he really think so little of her? The icy cold feeling transformed into hot, molten rage. Red spots danced before her eyes. “Get out of my room.”

  “Get me a new statement.”

  “No. I’m never writing another word for you. I quit.”

  His jaw fell open. Scarlet flashed across his genial, lying face. “No, you don’t.”

  “Oh, I do. Do whatever you want to your statement. Whatever you want to your career. It has nothing to do with me anymore. Now get out of my room before I call the cops on you.”

  She didn’t even know if Santa Lucia had cops, but she could always call on Jeb.

  “I don’t accept your resignation.”

  “It’s not a resignation. It’s a quitting.” She clenched her fists. Why didn’t he leave? He was still standing by the window, staring at her as if she were a two-headed calf. Or a chupacabra, to use a reference from her “demographic profile.”

  The thought made her fury beat louder, the blood singing in her ears. She couldn’t stand to be in the room with him for another second. Cinching the belt of her robe tight, she stalked toward the door. “If you aren’t leaving, I will. Good day, and goodbye.”

  Flinging the door open, she burst onto the landing and took a deep gulp of air that was untainted by the senator’s presence. What a fool she’d been to pour her heart and soul into working for him, when it meant nothing to him. All this time, had he seen her as a checkmark on a quota form? Had he ever appreciated her skill?

  He didn’t deserve her. A feeling of power swept through her. God, it felt good to quit. Good to claim her own life. She should have done it long ago. She should have done it when . . . a hiccup of a sob broke out . . . when he’d given her a grand total of a week off to recover from the miscarriage. Which she’d told him was an allergic reaction to nuts. That’s how afraid she’d been to lose her precious job.

  Well, it was gone now. No baby. No boyfriend. No job. She was three for three.

  Chapter Nine

  * * *

  “I KNOW ABOUT the storm,” Jeb told Brody over the phone. They must have gotten the tower back up, because he finally had cell service again. “Have you forgotten that I’m here, and I can look outside and see the weather?”

  “What does it look like?”

  He lifted the hem of one of the Knit, Purl, and Tea’s lacy curtains. A wash of gray greeted him, as if the bed and breakfast was going through a car wash. “Wet. Windy.”

  “Well, I don’t like it. I want Melissa home. Now.”

  Jeb sighed. Of course he understood Brody’s fear, but what did the man think he could do? “She’s trying to protect her story. As soon as the press leaves, she will too.”

  “I don’t want my baby’s life hinging on the fucking press,” Brody growled. “I hate the press.”

  “Your wife’s a reporter.”

  “Don’t remind me. Jeb, I think I’d better come out there. I should be able to leave tonight or tomorrow morning. She’ll be fine until then, right?”

  “I’ll make sure of it.”

  “I owe you, Stone.” He gave a dry laugh. “Anything except my first born child.”

  “A joke. That’s good. Try to relax, will you?”

  Brody didn’t answer. Jeb knew he was pacing, because there wasn’t much else he could do at this point, from that distance. Maybe the man needed a distraction.

  “Got a question for you.”

  “Shoot.”

  He gave a quick glance around the deserted breakfast room. “How long did it take before you knew you and Melissa would end up together?”

  “You met someone.”

  “Not an answer.”

  “I don’t have a solid answer. It was a wild ride and I never knew what was around the next corner. Are we talking about Melissa’s friend Nita?”

  Jeb’s jaw shifted from side to side. Brody knew Belinda, of course. But he didn’t know everything about Belinda. Maybe he wouldn’t support the idea of a new woman in Jeb’s life. “Yeah,” he said finally.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “That’s your word of wisdom? Uh-huh? Come on, Brody, I know you’re famous for your cryptic comments, but you can give me a little more than ‘uh-huh.’”

  “Maybe that’s all you need.”

  Jeb’s irritation grew. The firehouse crew had lots of fun trying to decipher Brody’s statements. He was legendary for them, as well as for the number of lives he’d saved. San Gabriel Station 1 was a highly sought after assignment because of Brody. But that didn’t give him the right to drive Jeb crazy. “Care to explain?”

  “Look, Jeb. You pull a structure fire. The whole house is one big bonfire. Everyone’s saying no one’s left inside. But you see something move at a window, something that looks like a hand waving. Then it’s gone. No one else saw it. Maybe you imagined it. Logic says it was probably your eyes playing tricks with you. Your gut instinct says someone’s in there. What do you do?”


  “I get a ladder up to that window and go in.”

  “There you go.”

  “What? What are you talking about?” But Brody had covered the mouthpiece of the phone and was saying something to Danielle, their adopted daughter.

  “Gotta go, Stone. Do as I said, and you’ll be fine.”

  “But—” He was speaking to empty air.

  Empty except for the rattling of the windowpanes. Outside, a white lawn chair tumbled across the garden. Someone lost a red umbrella, which went somersaulting down the street. The storm was on the rise.

  Charlie, wearing orange rubber rain gear, burst through the front door, followed by a vicious swirl of wind. Panting, he pushed his dripping rain hat back on his head. “I have . . . to secure my boat.”

  “Your boat?”

  “Yeah. When I’m not a volunteer fireman, I’m a fisherman.”

  “Gotcha. Better get moving; it’s getting nasty out there.”

  “That’s what I came to tell you. The Danny B. is suspending service after this afternoon’s run. If you don’t make that boat, there might not be another chance for a while.”

  Jeb stiffened in alarm. Brody would be furious if Melissa got stranded by the storm. He had to get her on the boat.

  Charlie thrust a pager into Jeb’s hand. “Take this. Beep me if you need anything.”

  “You’re a good man, Charlie Scott.”

  Charlie saluted, flinging drops of water across the lace curtains. Just as he retreated out the front door, rapid footsteps sounded in the corridor. Jeb swung around as Nita flew into the breakfast room, still in her bathrobe. Her eyes looked enormous and her hair rioted loose and wild down her back.

  He met her halfway across the room and caught her in his arms. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing. Everything’s great. Where’s Angie? Where’s Melissa?”

  “Melissa’s in her room, wrapping things up. I just got the news that the last ferry’s this afternoon. I want her on that boat.”

  “I’ll help her pack.” She tried to pull herself out of his grasp, but he held her tight.

  “Wait. Don’t rush off yet. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Nothing’s wrong. Well, I quit my job.” Her hand flew to her mouth. She looked astonished by her revelation.

  “Congratulations.”

  “Huh?” Two little lines appeared between her eyebrows. He longed to smooth them away.

  “You could use a break,” he said.

  “A break.” She leaned back in the circle of his arms and tilted her head to look at him. “Is that what I need?”

  “I think it’s helping already. You aren’t doing that thing you do with your cheek.”

  She touched her own cheek. “You noticed that?”

  “Of course. It’s hard to miss.”

  “No one ever noticed before. Not even Bradford.”

  “Really?” That seemed impossible to him. “You were doing it at the wedding.”

  “It’s a stress reliever.”

  He brushed her wild hair away from her face. “May I suggest an alternative stress reliever?” A wolfish grin accompanied that offer. He felt like a wolf right now, a big bad wolf who could eat her alive.

  She started to tremble in his arms. “I can’t believe I quit my job. What am I going to do? Where am I going to go? What am I going to be?”

  He ran one hand down her back in an attempt to soothe her, though it had the simultaneous effect of exciting him. “Whatever it is, I can’t wait to see.”

  “Nita.” A sharp voice spoke from the other side of the room. The senator stood poker-straight in the doorway, looking stiff and offended. “You’ve made a mistake. But I’ll let you come back if you acknowledge it.”

  Nita tore herself out of Jeb’s arms and faced off with the senator. “I suppose you’d like me to apologize. I suppose it’s okay for a lowly peasant like me to apologize.”

  “Not necessary. I ordered a helicopter to get me off this island. It’ll be here soon. I want a statement presented to the press before then. I want you to do it.”

  “But I don’t work for you anymore.”

  “I’ll take you back. I’m sure we can work a mutually agreeable arrangement.”

  “We can’t,” said Nita flatly. “I don’t want to work for you anymore.”

  “But I bet you want Bradford Maddox back.”

  Jeb’s breath stuttered in his chest. Nita went white. “What are you talking about?”

  “I can get Maddox back for you. There’s a bill pending that will make him a lot of money. So far I’ve refused to support it. But if I do, so will the rest of the Los Angeles area delegation. I’ll do that for you. I’ll even make sure he puts a ring on your finger. As long as you deal with this situation.”

  Jeb thought about how happy Nita had looked with Bradford. The man was wealthy. Powerful. At the reception, when Jeb had talked to her at the bar, she’d been nestled against Bradford like a dark-haired, beautiful kitten. Did she want her old boyfriend back? Did she want him back enough to condone what amounted to a bribe?

  Nita had drawn further away from him. His hands itched to snatch her back, to show her that he was better for her than Bradford. Better than a guy who abandoned her when she was pregnant. He clenched them into tight fists to stop himself. This was her choice, not his. And he hadn’t even told her his feelings. He didn’t even know his feelings. But he wanted a chance to figure them out.

  She took a step toward Stryker. Jeb’s stomach plunged. She was going with the senator. Accepting his offer.

  She took another step, then another. He closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight of Nita giving herself to people who didn’t appreciate her.

  A sharp sound ricocheted around the room. His eyes flew open in time to catch the tail end of a mighty slap across Senator Stryker’s face.

  “That’s what I think of your disgusting offer. Don’t ever suggest such a thing to me again.”

  Jeb’s heart raced. Did that mean she didn’t want Bradford anymore?

  “Here’s my offer,” Nita continued. “I will craft a new statement. I’ll even read it to the press. No charge. I don’t want anything from you, ever again. The only thing I want is for you to take Melissa on the chopper with you. She needs to get off the island and the ferry would be miserable in this weather. Jeb too.” Without looking at him, she gestured his direction. “He needs to stay close to Melissa.”

  “I don’t know if there’s room—”

  “Make sure there is. I’ll also expect a hefty donation to the Santa Lucia Fire Department for the crowd control they’ve been forced to deal with.”

  “What crowd control?”

  ”The volunteer firefighters have been swinging by to check on things,” Jeb put in, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest. She wasn’t going back to Bradford.

  “Take it or leave it,” Nita told the senator. “That’s my final offer.”

  “Done. Have the statement ready in fifteen minutes.”

  NITA COULDN’T BELIEVE she’d just survived a standoff with the senator. Blindly, she turned to Jeb and threw herself into his arms. For some reason, that was the only place she wanted to be at that moment. He held her tight, his warmth surrounding her.

  “Well done,” he murmured. “Stryker didn’t know who he was tangling with.”

  She couldn’t stop shaking. She couldn’t stop burrowing her head into his big body. “I have to get to work on that statement.”

  “I should pack, and let Melissa know we have a ride out of here, thanks to you.”

  A shudder passed through her, as it finally occurred to her what she’d just done. She’d arranged for Jeb’s departure from her life.

  It was for the best, of course. Not just because Melissa would be safer back on the mainland. But because Nita would be safer. No matter how much she gorged herself on this man’s steady presence and skillful lovemaking, he wasn’t for her. For those moments with him, she hadn’t felt like a failure of a woman. She’d fe
lt wonderful. Which meant it would be all the more crushing when it ended. Which it would.

  Because he wasn’t ready for the kind of relationship she wanted.

  Maybe quitting her job had clarified her thoughts. Because suddenly it seemed perfectly clear that what she wanted was another chance to make a baby. She couldn’t have her baby back, the baby on which she’d lavished four months of love and care. That baby was gone. Safe in the hands of the eternal. But another baby awaited, and that baby needed her. That baby needed a real father, too, not someone who offered nothing more than a monthly check.

  Jeb had raised his daughter. He’d stayed married through some pretty challenging times. Now he was free. Why on earth would he want to do it all over again?

  She drew away from him, wiped her eyes, and tightened the belt of her robe. “I’ll be holed up with my computer. Come say goodbye before you guys go.”

  AS BLOW-OFFS WENT, that one was pretty masterful, if you asked Jeb. Furious, he threw his things into his overnight bag, slung it over his shoulder, and crossed the narrow hallway to Melissa’s room.

  “Come in,” she called.

  She was just sliding her laptop into its sleeve. “Are we leaving?”

  “Nita arranged seats for us on the senator’s chopper.”

  “That Nita. Isn’t she amazing? She’s so good at organizing everything. And incredibly thoughtful. Don’t you think?”

  Jeb didn’t trust himself to answer a question about Nita at the moment. Anyway, he had more pressing problems at the moment. He’d seen the wince Melissa had tried to hide as she zipped her laptop case. He spun Melissa’s chair around so she faced him, then leaned down, fixing her with his captain’s stare.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “What?”

  “This isn’t something to mess around with. Tell me exactly what’s going on.”

  Something flickered in those deep green eyes. “You’re so much like Brody it’s eerie.”

  “Melissa,” he warned.

  “First, tell me if you like Nita.”

  He wanted to wring her neck. Not even hormones were an excuse for extortion. “Of course I like her,” he ground out.