“Oh. Sure, I’ve hardly eaten anything since I got sick and any place is okay. I haven’t been to Salt Grass.”
“You’ll like it. Their food is excellent and the service is good. It’s on I35 near the 3094 exit.”
* * *
The parking lot was nearly full and they had a short walk from the truck to the police department entrance. Chip helped her out of the elevated truck. She linked her arm in his as they made their way through the parking lot. “We need to go to the Desk Sergeant,” Chip said.
In front of the Desk Sergeant, Carrie was feeling intimated looking up to the pedestal desk and the imposing figure staring down at her. She told him who she was and that she would like to get a restraining order against someone they were currently holding on arson charges and why she wanted the order. The sergeant said in a stern voice, “This isn’t the place to do that. He looked at Chip as if to say, “You should know better.” “It would be a good idea for you to have an attorney take care of this for you. “You can’t just walk in and pick up a restraining order. Now, Miss, you can fill out the papers yourself and submit them to the court. The judge will decide whether to issue the order. You have to pick up the papers at the courthouse.”
She looked with a plea for help in her eyes at Chip and said “Can we just go get the papers and then I’ll fill them out and file them.”
That took an hour and they left the courthouse at 11:30. Chip took her hand and said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. Why don’t we get a burger for lunch?”
With a smile, she squeezed his hand and agreed, so they stopped at a What-a-burger and ate lunch.
“I’ll see you at seven,” Chip said as he dropped Carrie off in front of her apartment.
“I’ll be ready and thanks for this morning. You gave me a big boost to my confidence,” she said. “In more ways than one.”
In her apartment, she changed into jeans and set about putting things out of the way so the painters could work unimpeded. As she worked, she thought about Chip. His presence just exuded strength and confidence. He was obviously someone very comfortable in his own skin.
“I wonder if he likes me or is this still part of the job. I hope he doesn’t think I’m too short. He must be six inches taller than me. Maybe I should wear heels tonight. Wonder what the typical dress is? Maybe I could call them and find out.” She looked up the phone number and breathed a sigh of relief when a feminine voice answered the phone. “A friend is taking me to dinner at your restaurant tonight and I’ve never been there. What is the normal dress?”
“Oh honey,” she laughed. “We’re not particular. A dress or jeans. Heels or no heels, it don’t really matter. I wouldn’t suggest shorts or tank tops.”
“Do you have dancing?”
“Unfortunately we don’t.”
“Thanks. It would have been uncomfortable to show up dressed differently from other people.”
She plugged her phone back in and found she had several messages from ATT regarding missed messages. There was one from her boss Mrs. Tompkins inquiring about the smoke inhalation, also saying they would run her story on the news. There were several hang-ups, where the caller didn’t speak but she could hear background noises and immediately attributed the calls to Nathan. “I wonder if the judge will grant the restraining order?”
She went to her closet to look over her choices for the evening date. “It is a date, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is, silly.”
“I’m going nuts here, talking to myself and then answering too.”
She picked out a light pastel summery looking dress, one that would not be too dressy based on what the person from the restaurant had told her. She decided to wear low heels. She glanced at her watch, and decided to take a nap.
She had just fallen asleep when the phone rang. She didn’t want to answer but was afraid it might be Chip so she said, “Hello.” There was no response. She could hear the same noises as before in the background. “Please don’t call me again,” she said with frustration in voice. Still no response. She hung up, wondering what she could do. “Would the restraining order, if granted, apply to phone calls? After all, it was harassment of one type. “I’ll ask Chip.” She realized she had said this aloud. She didn’t want to come across to Chip as some helpless female, always asking for help, but she was still feeling threatened after the fire and he provided a strong support wall on which to lean.
Later…
Carrie dressed, checked and double checked to make sure she looked all right. Satisfied, she sat in the living room in one of the chairs. Her sofa replacement had not arrived yet, but she couldn’t do anything about that, she was renting furnished. She checked her watch. It was still fifteen minutes before Chip was due to arrive. She took out her cellphone and checked for messages. She had none.
Finally, (five minutes early) there was a rap at the door. Looking through the small lens, she could see it was Chip. He was wearing an open collar pressed shirt and dress slacks. His short hair was moussed. She opened the door.
“You didn’t just open your door without checking, did you?”
“I checked you out through the lens.” “In more ways than one,” she added to herself.
“You look nice, Carrie. The dress really matches your eyes. I’ll be the envy of every guy at the Salt Grass.”
“Well, thank you very much. She looked into his smiling green eyes and said, “You look nice yourself.” She elevated to her full height waiting to be kissed. The touch of his warm lips on the sensitive skin of her cheek was electrifying. He was wearing Halston Aftershave again. “You smell good too. What more could a girl want?”
“I had to do a makeover. I worked out this afternoon. We have a mini-gym at the firehouse and I try to do my routine every day. I’ve missed the past two days so I worked harder today to make up for it.”
“I need to get more exercise myself. We don’t have anything at work. The apartment building has a treadmill and stair climber, but if you don’t get it early in the day or late at night, you’re out of luck. It’s tied up most other times.”
“Are you all set?”
“I’m ready,” she said.
The Salt Grass Grill was busy when they arrived and they had an estimated 20 minute wait. They were given a pager and sat in the waiting area, holding hands and making small talk, until the lights began to flash on the pager. Chip took it to the desk and they were led to a booth which seated four. They sat on opposite sides of the booth, looking at each other.
The wait-person took their beverage order and they scanned the menu. What’ll you have?” asked Chip.
“I think I’ll have the petite sirloin, medium well.”
A meat and potatoes man, Chip decided on a T-bone for himself. When the harried waiter took their order, Carrie said to Chip, “I have a question for you. I’ve been getting calls, and when I answer, there’s no response. I suspect it’s Nathan but since I don’t have caller ID, I can’t tell. I called the phone company to get it activated, but I have to get a phone with the feature. I realize there’s nothing I can do, but was wondering if the restraining order would cover it.”
“I’d have to say yes, but I’m not sure. If it is Nathan it could come across as stalking, and that’s something they worry about. On the other hand, it could just be a robo-call and if you don’t answer immediately, it rolls on to another call.”
“I don’t think this was anything like that. It was late in the evening. Do they let inmates make calls?”
“There’s a pay phone there. They can use it during a recreational break, if they have the money, or they can call their lawyer anytime.”
“I just wish it would stop. It’s very annoying and scary in a way.”
“That’s his way of trying to regain control. I know it’s easier said than done, but don’t let it get to you.”
She reached over and took his hand. “Thanks,” she said looking at their clasped hands. “My mother keeps a whistle by her pho
ne and if she gets a crank call, she gives them a blast of the whistle.”
Their salads arrived, the conversation stopped as they began eating.
“So, what do you do with your spare time?” Carrie asked Chip.
“Mostly I sleep. When I’m off work, I’m studying for the Firefighter Lieutenant’s exam, working out, or working on my T-bird.”
“What’s a T-bird?”
“A car. I have a 1964 Ford T-bird I’m restoring.”
“That sounds interesting. What color? I like old cars. I’d love to see it sometime.”
“It’s going to be blue. Right now it’s just bare metal. I have it stripped down to the frame and have been getting the rust off. I’m just about finished with that part, so next; I’ll paint the frame with zinc chromate primer.”
Chip had become animated, almost excited as he talked about the car. He moved his hands around, gesturing as he spoke. It was obvious this was something in which he really had a real interest. Carrie filed that tidbit away for future reference.
“How did you get started on that?” she asked.
“When my dad met mom, he was driving a ’64 T-bird. Mom says it was the most beautiful car she had ever seen. After they became engaged, he let her drive it to work and he drove an old VW Beetle. That’s what I call real love, to let your girlfriend drive your sports car and you drive a Beetle. They’re still that way and have been married over 30 years. I saw the T-bird advertised in the Green Pages and grabbed it.”
“I’d agree, it does show real devotion. You must have had a loving family growing up. Were you an only child?”
“No, I’m the middle of three. My older brother is in the department too. My younger sister just made me an uncle a couple of weeks ago. She had a little boy. What’s your family like?”
“We were a broken family, I guess you’d say. After the divorce, Dad took a job on the west coast and left when I was a teen ager. I don’t get to see him as much as I’d like. Mom pulled a lot of twelve hour shifts so Jonathan and I were pretty much left to do our own thing. My thing was school and I studied hard to get a scholarship. I waitressed as soon as I was old enough and I got a partial scholarship to SMU. Jonny and I both got a good education so I can’t complain.”
“What does Jonathan do?”
“He could sense the pride in her voice when she said, “He’s a baseball player in the Cardinal’s farm system. He went to TCU on a baseball scholarship, and was drafted and turned pro. He’s pretty good. He thinks he’ll get called up in September.”
“Why September?”
“Major League teams can expand their rosters in September and some of the better players are called up to let the veterans have a day off occasionally. With Pujols gone, there is more chance for him to advance without having to change positions. It’s going to be great to see him in a Cardinal’s uniform. When he gets called up, I’ll be going to see him play.”
“I guess you like baseball then.”
“I love it. I’ve seen a few Rangers’ games this year. I went to Memphis and stayed a few days with Jonathan and saw him play with the Grizzlies, a Cardinal farm team. I’d really love it if he got to the majors.”
He jumped at the opening. “I’d like to take you to a Ranger’s game.”
“That would be fun.”
“I’ll have to check their schedule with my rotation and see how they line up.”
“You’re looking at someone who follows the sports page. They’re on the west coast playing the Angels right now, then they’ll be home for nine games, then they go play the east coast teams. If you do get tickets, make sure it’s for an evening game. Arlington stadium day games are murder because of the heat.”
“You do keep up, don’t you?”
“I work for a TV station, remember?”
He looked at his watch. “It’s only eight o’clock. Would you like to take a look at my ‘Bird?” He blushed. It was cute. “I didn’t mean for that to come out the way it did. I meant my T-bird. I rent a storage place that I’ve turned into a workshop and that’s where I keep it.”
She laughed. Her laugh was a soft tinkling chuckle, matching her bubbly personality. “Let’s do it,” she said.
Chip paid the check; they climbed into the big red Silverado and went to look at his T-bird.
Chapter 6
Chip came to a stop in front of the U-Storit access gate, entered a code into the box in front and the gate slowly rolled open. He pulled up in front of a climate controlled storage unit. He opened the combination lock and raised the roll-up type door. He flipped a switch and the unit was flooded with light. In the center of twelve feet by twenty feet room was a car chassis. There were no quarter panels, no doors, no hood and the trunk lid had been removed. “The doors, hood, trunk lid and stuff have been sanded and sent to be finished and painted. The engine has been rebuilt. It doesn’t look like much right now, but I have a poster showing it will look like when I finish. He took her hand and led her back to a desk in the corner.
He retrieved a rolled up picture of a 1964 Ford Thunderbird in a showroom. Carrie looked at the car on the poster, then looked up at the anxious face of Chip. “I agree with your mother. That is the most beautiful car I have ever seen. The flow of the lines from front to back is so smooth looking and I really love the front. It looks a lot nicer than other models.”
Chip beamed at this. He put his hand on Carrie’s shoulder and pulled her to him. “I think it is too,” he said.
Carrie laid her head on his shoulder, content to stay there. The embrace was warm, and comfortable and made Carrie feel all fluttery inside.
His arm touched her breast. She could feel shivers from the touch, even through the layers of clothes. He lifted his arm and pulled back from her. The feel of his arm about her shoulders had made her feel secure and comfortable. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry. He said.”
“Sorry? For what? You didn’t do anything. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
He replied, “I hope so. Come on and I’ll take you home.”
He drove her back to her apartment, opened the door and helped her step down from the truck. He walked her to the door of the apartment. She unlocked it and pushed the door open. Looking up, she said, “Would you like to come in for some coffee or a soda?”
“I don’t think so. Not tonight.”
“Okay. Thank you for one of the nicer evenings I’ve had in a long time. The dinner was great and I can hardly wait to see the car when you’ve finished restoring it. It must be nice to have a project like that and to see where you’re going with it. Did you take pictures of it when you got it?”
“I did. I took a lot of them, and I’m taking more after each time I do something to it.”
“That’ll make a nice collage. It would make a great human interest article for a newspaper. You know ‘Local firefighting hero and his beloved T’bird.”
“You’re making fun of me now.”
“I am not. I would never make fun of someone’s dream and I would never make fun of you.” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek.
“He looks so cute when he blushes,” she thought. “Good night Chip, and thanks again for a lovely evening.”
“May I call you again, Carrie?”
“I’ll be really upset if you don’t,” she said.
“Great, well good night.”
She closed the door. Peeking through the door lens, she could see he was just standing there, and then he spun around and strode down the hall to the elevator.
As the elevator door closed, She thought, “Either he’s extremely shy, or he doesn’t have much experience in dating or both,” she thought. “I really enjoyed tonight. I hope he calls me.” It was a pleased and happy Carrie Evans that crawled into bed that night.
* * *
On her way from work, Carrie stopped at Walmart and bought a wireless phone set that had three handsets and a built in answering machine. It also had caller id. When she returned home, she plugged it in.
She put the base station by her bed. Then, using her iPhone, she dialed the home number. It rang and up popped her iPhone number. Caller ID was active. Now she could screen her calls and also record messages. It was going to be great. Now if only someone would call.
In about an hour, her wish was granted. The phone rang, the screen indicated a pay phone. She had set the base station to answer after the fourth ring if she hadn’t picked up. She let it ring, the machine picked up the call. There was no one there. She had the number though. Going back through the user’s guide, she found she could block up to ten numbers. She entered the pay phone number and the screen said ‘Number Blocked’. Now all she needed was a real call.
At five past nine it rang. The screen indicated CR Reynolds. The machine’s pronunciation of the last name was funny. She picked up the phone, and said, “Hello, CR Reynolds.”
“You got Caller ID. Great. Any calls?”
She said, “One and it was a pay phone. I blocked the number.”
“That may not have been a good idea. It might have been better to just let the machine pick it up. Being blocked might make him furious.”
“You’re right. I didn’t think of that. I’ll unblock it, and just not answer if the number calls again.
How are you today?” he asked.
“I’m great. I enjoyed last night and I have been hoping you’d call.”
“Well, the reason I called, I’m not on the schedule this weekend. Would you like to go to the Ranger’s game Saturday night? The Sunday game is a day game.”
“I would love that. If you have nothing else to do, could we go early and watch batting practice? They really put on a show. The Rangers have some real power hitters.”
“Okay, let’s plan on it. What time would batting practice start?”
“I’ll have to check at the station and let you know. Did you work on the car today?”
He said, “Not really. I went to the refinishing shop and looked at the work on the panels. It’s really coming along. I should have them back next week some time. When I get it all assembled, I’ll put the seats back in and take it to the upholsterers and get the interior finished out and then have it all painted. The excitement in his voice was contagious. If you like, you can be the first passenger.”
Loving A Firefighter (Loving Series) Page 3
