One Hot Summer

by Melissa Cutler

  Chet surged forward, like he was ready to thump chests with Micah or some other macho bullshit, but one of the guys pulled him back. Lucky for Chet, because pounding through Micah’s blood was that old familiar need to protect his family and friends no matter how tough the fight or how mean he had to get. Micah held his ground and let his savage streak show on his face, in the flare of his nostrils and the hard set of his jaw.

  Dusty planted himself between Chet and Micah, his arms out as buffers. “Back down, Chet. You too, Chief. I’m not going to let this family lose its shit over some girl. She ain’t worth it.”

  Dusty was right. Not about Remedy being not worth it, because she was and then some, but he was right about Chet and the rest of Micah’s fire crew being his family, too, rather than an enemy threat to the people he loved. He drew a measured breath, tamping his anger down.

  “Look, guys. All I can give you is my word that I’m going to keep that hard edge between my private life and my personal life. And y’all deserve for me to trust you to do the same in your personal lives, too. No more rules about who you can and can’t socialize with when you’re off work. And what I need from you in return is that you give Remedy the same respect and protection we give all the other girlfriends and wives of the crew.”

  “To be clear,” Dusty said in a neutral tone. “You’ve told Remedy that the county commissioner finally went through with the burn ban until November? She knows the resort can’t do any kind of pyrotechnic or fireworks display?”

  Guilt pierced through his conscience. “The subject hasn’t come up yet.”

  Dusty’s eyes turned dull with disappointment. Chet snickered. “Right. Okay, Chief. No special treatment. We get it.”

  “I would like to think that my record for keeping our town safe is enough to keep your trust. I’d like to think you know me well enough to understand that my responsibility to the people of this town is solid enough to withstand my dating life.”

  “We’ll see, Chief. We’ll see.”

  They would see, because Micah was determined to handle all the complicated facets of his life tugging at his attention—his relationship with Remedy, his job, Ty Briscoe’s threats. Now he could add to that list repairing the trust he’d broken with his team.

  * * *

  On the day of the Firefighters’ Charity Ball, Remedy rose in the dark after only a few hours of restless sleep. Micah pulled her into his arms for a groggy kiss. The gesture was grounding and gave her hope the two of them would find their way back into sync after the relationship funk they’d fallen into during the past couple weeks.

  With him being in the middle of fire season and her being in the middle of the summer wedding season and with Cambelle and Wynd’s wedding date fast approaching, Remedy and Micah didn’t do a whole lot of talking in the late-night hours they carved out to see each other, the only available time they had. No more Sundays off, Remedy was pushing herself seven days a week. Micah, it seemed, was doing the same.

  Sometimes her instincts picked up the vibe that he was keeping something from her, but she didn’t need to have a psychology degree to figure out that she was probably just projecting, since she still hadn’t found the words to tell him about the Cambelle and Wynd wedding beyond the bare-bones explanation that she’d had a five-hundred-guest rush wedding dropped in her lap.

  She scratched her nails along the thick stubble covering his cheek. “I can’t wait to see you in a tux.”

  His eyes fluttered open, then closed again. “I can’t wait to attend a Remedy Lane signature event, this time as a guest.”

  She slipped out of his embrace and out of bed. “Go back to sleep for now. I’ll see you this afternoon when you come for your inspection.”

  His eyes snapped wide open. “Hey, about that. I’m bringing Chet with me for the inspection and we’re going to be thorough. My guys are grumbling about me giving you special treatment.”

  Perhaps that was the reason he’d been so stressed out and distant.

  “I’m on board with you going by the book, always. I don’t want you to go lax on my events because we’re dating.”

  Frowning, he sat up. “I haven’t been lax. I would never compromise people’s safety.”

  “I know that, and I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise. I was trying to say that I support you with whatever you have to do for your job.”

  “Then you should probably also know that there’s a burn ban in effect, countywide, along with most other counties in Texas. No more fire or fireworks or live explosives at the resort for the rest of the fire season.”

  No fireworks? Cambelle and Helen weren’t going to like that one bit. Her expression must have revealed her panic, because Micah said, “That going to be a problem?”

  “No. Of course not. It’s just that this wedding I’m planning, the rush one for next month, it’s got my stomach tied in knots.”

  “Why did you take on this rush wedding job if it’s so stressful? Don’t you have a policy about x number of planning months minimum or something? If you don’t, you should.”

  Her attention shifted to the clock. She was set to meet Litzy and Tabby at seven thirty to start prepping for the ball. Tabby had been a revelation. She’d helped Litzy focus in a way that Remedy had been unable to. In a matter of weeks, the two of them had become a dream team of assistants—something Remedy had previously wondered if she’d ever find, given the betrayal by her last assistant in Los Angeles—but they didn’t do her any good if Remedy wasn’t there to give them guidance that morning with the millions of tasks that needed to be accomplished before the ball. But this conversation with Micah was long overdue. She needed to tell him now about who the rush wedding was for or it would be a lie of omission, a serious breach of trust between them.

  She could feel her heart beating fast against her ribs and in her throat. “I do have a policy like that, but this wedding is for two family friends.”

  Those serious dark eyes shuttered. “You haven’t mentioned that you know the couple who’re getting married.”

  “I know. And I don’t know why I didn’t.” How did that lie pop out like that? Was she really so afraid of Micah’s reaction? “Actually, that’s not true. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you wouldn’t take it well. You hate wealth and these friends are … kind of snobby and really famous. It’ll be a huge wedding that will get a lot of media attention.”

  Hunching, he propped his elbows on his knees and tapped his thumbs against each other. “It sounds like the kind of wedding you’ve been wanting to plan that will put your good name back on the map.” He spoke slowly, as though selecting every word carefully.

  She walked to his side of the bed and perched on the edge, her arm around his waist. “That’s exactly what it is.”

  He angled his face away from her. His tapping thumbs stilled.

  “I’m not planning on leaving Dulcet anytime soon. I’m not ready and, besides, one high-profile wedding alone does not reinvent a career.”

  She braced herself for him to get angry or jealous or for his prejudice against wealth to rear its ugly head, but instead he angled his lips over hers and kissed her. His hands roved over her backside and bunched her sleep shirt higher.

  Her attention shifted to the clock again. “I want to stay here with you, but I have to go.”

  “Yeah. I know you do. But I don’t have to like it.”

  Did he think she’d meant leaving Dulcet for Los Angeles? Because that was true, too. Wasn’t it?

  That question haunted her while she showered and dressed for work and while she stood in the silent kitchen and ate an apple cinnamon muffin, the latest treat left for them by Micah’s secret admirer.

  “Hey,” he called when she was near the front door.

  She turned and found him standing in the doorway to his bedroom, clad in black boxer briefs and a deep scowl that turned his eyes hard. “You know I’ll support you in whatever your goals are—I’d be a shitty boyfriend if I didn’t—but consider yoursel
f warned that my goal is to make it mighty tough on you to choose Los Angeles over me.”

  Her throat constricted. “Micah, it’s not as simple as an either-or choice.”

  “Like hell it’s not.”

  It was the seed of an argument that could have no winners but would make losers of them both. She walked to him and planted a kiss on his unyielding lips. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The Dalmatians arrived in the ballroom two hours ahead of schedule. The two dogs had been Remedy’s bright idea, as part of a whimsical Polaroid photo opportunity she’d created for the ball guests, but that had been before she’d found herself placating a runaway elephant or being stalked by thirty vagabond homing pigeons.

  She’d vowed to never again incorporate live animals into the events she planned, but as long as these dogs stayed with their trainers, leashed to the fire hydrant props in front of the old-fashioned firehouse facade she’d commissioned from a Dallas theater company set building crew, all would be well. She’d take a pair of trained dogs over pigeons or elephants any day of the week.

  At an hour until showtime, Remedy completed a final walk-through of her masterpiece, which had turned out even better than she’d imagined. Inspired by Emily’s insistence on serving Baked Alaska, Remedy had decided to take as many firefighter clichés as she could and turn them on their heads to create a whimsical theme that was both familiar and fresh. Dozens of delicate paper and wood prop trees clustered around the edges of the massive ballroom, their branches draped with tiny white strands of light. But rather than doing something corny such as having cats in the trees, as she’d joked to Emily and Alex, she’d commissioned an artist in San Antonio to create strands of origami butterflies hanging from the branches, with the number of butterflies representing the combined population of all the Texas counties represented by firefighters at the ball—the number of citizens whose safety rested in the hands of this humble group of first responders.

  On each round table she’d clustered framed copies of historical photographs of Texas firefighters and firehouses, then sprinkled the tables with vintage candies, from little boxes of Red Hots and cellophane-wrapped sarsaparilla drops, to taffy and butterscotch nips. At each place setting, Litzy and Tabby had set out clusters of peppermint sticks and cinnamon sticks bundled with raffia.

  And, of course, in the back of the room, near one of two cash bars, was Remedy’s brainchild, the old-fashioned firehouse photo set, where guests would be able to dress up in vintage costumes, including old-time firefighter gear, and pose for Polaroid photographs with the Dalmatians. Event staff members were on hand to snap the photos, then mount them in distressed vintage-style frames as the ball’s party favors.

  “It didn’t have the full effect when I was here this afternoon for my inspection. But with the lighting and those Dalmatians and that firehouse you created, I’m blown away. I can’t close my mouth.”

  Remedy turned at the sound of Micah’s voice, but she was the one blown away at the sight of him looking debonair in a perfectly fitted tuxedo, complete with a black bow tie and fancy black cowboy hat. “Micah, look at you.”

  “Forget about me; look at this room. Everywhere I turn, I see new little touches that blow my mind.” He gathered her in his arms and kissed her. “You blow my mind. I’ve never been to anything like this before. It’s a whole new level from the charity balls in years past.”

  She smoothed her hand over his jacket collar. “That was the idea.”

  “You’re brilliant, you know.”

  She felt brilliant and on top of her game. This was her first signature event at Briscoe Ranch and everything was perfect, including the man who was presently wrapping her in his strong, sexy arms. “Thank you, and I was just now thinking that you look pretty brilliant in that tuxedo.”

  “I’m serious, Remedy. Ty Briscoe’s not going to let you go without a fight. I think he and I are going to join forces on that goal.”

  He just had to go there, didn’t he? Right on cue, her stomach twisted into a knot. She squirmed out of his embrace. “Could we not talk about that tonight and enjoy ourselves without worrying about the future?”

  “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be making all those private plans of yours to leave and drop that bomb on me this morning about that celebrity wedding next month, then tell me not to think about it.”

  He was right, as usual. “Micah, I—”

  A loud whoop of joy sounded behind Remedy and silenced the workers in the room.

  Granny June strode their way, dressed head-to-toe in purple sequins and waving a darkly stained wooden cane. “Whoo, boy, if it isn’t the most handsome man I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

  Micah brushed past Remedy. “What are you doing here? I was supposed to come pick you up in a couple hours or so, so you could make a grand entrance after everyone else had arrived.”

  Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “Oh, we’re still on for that, don’t you worry. But I saw those Dalmatians arrive and wanted to come see what the fuss was about. I do love me some dogs.” She clapped her hands. “Say, here’s a thought, Micah. Let’s snap the first photo of the night together, now that those sweet doggies have arrived. Any time I post pets to my Facebook page, the people on there go crazy. Those are my most popular posts, besides all the pictures I snap of you. The ladies on Facebook just adore a hunky young man. Just imagine the kind of draw I’ll get by combining a hunk like you with one of those sweet puppies in the same shot.”

  She took Micah by the hand and dragged him toward the photo station.

  Micah craned his neck to look at Remedy. “Are you coming, too?”

  As much fun as that sounded, she waved him off. “I can’t. Too much to do, but you two have fun.”

  “I’ll find you later,” he called.

  “Not if I find you first.”

  That turned out to be easier said than done. The ball was a smashing success, not that Remedy had a single spare moment to enjoy it. Though everything was going smoothly, with no noteworthy problems beyond the usual hiccups, she and her assistants never stopped moving, directing the replenishment of the bars, rotating the serving staff and bartenders, directing the food service, and keeping the live band happy and hydrated, among a thousand other duties.

  It weighed heavily on her that she and Micah had snapped at each other before the ball. She wanted badly to make things right with him and apologize, but every time she spotted him in the crowd he was busy mingling, dancing, eating, or being led around by Granny June and the leashed Dalmatian that she’d somehow convinced its trainer to let her walk around with for the rest of the night. The dog was being a good sport and the other Dalmatian was loving all the extra attention by being the only dog at the photo station, so Remedy couldn’t find it in her heart to ruin Granny’s, or Micah’s, fun.

  It was infinitely easier to be the person in the shadows, watching the revelry and making sure everyone else had a good time. Remedy’s comfort zone, as it had always been. Around the time that the beef tenderloin was served, she found herself hovering at the edge of the room next to Emily. She hadn’t forgotten Emily’s discomfort at the idea of being a guest at Albert and Tabby’s wedding. Though Emily and Remedy clashed at every turn, they did have that in common.

  “Sometimes I feel like an alien, if you know what I mean,” Remedy ventured.

  Emily blinked at her in her typical deadpan style. “Absolutely. I feel like you’re an alien all the time. That explains a lot, actually.”

  Remedy smacked her arm. “Shut up.”

  Emily’s wry gaze cracked into a smile. “We did good tonight.”

  “We did better than good.”

  “We’re about twenty minutes from the Baked Alaska presentation. Do you still want to help light one of them?”

  “I can’t wait. Thank you.” Remedy wasn’t sure what the bigger shock was—that Emily was following through with that long-ago promise or that she was sharing her moment of glory
. She still wasn’t sure if she and Emily were friends, but perhaps, more important, they were allies now.

  Emily nodded toward the crowd. “Your lover boy’s on his way. That’s my cue to scram. I’ll text you when it’s showtime.”

  “Hey, you,” Micah said.

  “Hey, yourself. Having fun?”

  He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Some. I would’ve rather had you by my side instead of stealing glances at you while you’re flitting this way and that, running the show.”

  “I would’ve rather been with you, too.”

  He nodded toward the photo station. “Got time to snap a picture with me while everyone’s busy eating?”

  Remedy surveyed the room. The bartenders looked relaxed, the band was on break, and the servers didn’t seem to be having any issues. Could it be that she had a spare moment to take a breath and be with her man? “You have perfect timing. I’d love to.”

  Hand in hand, they walked to the photo station in the back of the room. From the boxes of dress-up clothes Micah found her a parasol, bonnet, and dusty-smelling crocheted shawl that he wrapped around her shoulders. “There. You look like a virgin librarian from days of yore.”

  He swapped his cowboy hat out for a firefighter helmet, then peeled a fake mustache from the sheet of them displayed on an adjacent table, a fun touch that had been Tabby’s idea. “What do you think? Am I ready to rescue you?”

  “Ready, but just a sec. I’m curious about something.” Rocking up to her tiptoes, she angled her lips over his. She’d never kissed a man with a mustache before. It tickled her upper lip and nose, but it was kind of fun—right up until her mother’s voice popped into her head asking Remedy if Micah was anything like Tom Selleck. Gross.

  “You want me to grow a firefighter mustache?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

  “Nope. Your perpetual five o’clock shadow is perfect. No mustache necessary. Let’s take this picture before I have to get back to work.”

  Standing in front of the firehouse facade, Micah lifted her into his arms for the pose. She stretched out her parasol and tried to look the part of the damsel in distress. When the photographer gave them a thumbs-up, Micah set her down.