She wished she knew her place in the world.
Optimism shot through her. Now that she was completely on her own and in control of her destiny, she would figure out her place in the world.
When Jake reached her car, Lacey climbed out and met him next to her fuel door. “Thank you so much,” she said, beyond grateful for his help.
He smiled right at her, and her heart did an unexpected flip.
What was that?
Irritated with her body’s response so soon after telling herself that she was going to focus on herself, she held back a frown.
“It was my pleasure,” Jake said as he opened the fuel door, unscrewed the cap, then tipped the gas can nozzle into the opening. “This should be enough to get you to the gas station.”
Trying to forget the way her body had responded to Jake’s smile, she focused on the task at hand. “What do I owe you?”
Jake’s smile grew. “Nothing. It’s my good deed for the day.”
Stop smiling like that. “Are you sure?”
“It’s only a gallon.” He laughed. “Gas prices aren’t that high. I think I can afford it.”
That was good, because she was down to her last twenty dollars.
He emptied the can, screwed the cap back on, then closed the fuel door. “There you go.” He stayed where he was, his eyes appraising.
Captivated by his attention, Lacey didn’t move.
“I was wondering,” he began, then he smiled and seemed to hesitate.
Oh no, she thought. He’s gonna ask me out.
Though she found him amazingly attractive, she wasn’t going to go there. Not after so recently escaping a two-year relationship that had become stifling. It was all about getting her feet under her. She had to remember that.
He shifted the gas can from one hand to the other. “Would you be interested in grabbing a coffee or a hot chocolate or something?”
He had been so nice to her, and now she was going to turn him down. Even so, she didn’t let that sway her. “I, uh, I have kind of a full plate.”
That wasn’t exactly true. Unless she considered catching up on her favorite shows between shifts a full plate.
He nodded like he didn’t want her to feel bad for shooting him down. “Okay. Well, I’ll let you get on with your day then.”
The earnestness in his face jabbed at Lacey, making her want to agree to his offer despite her reluctance. That, plus the way he focused on her so intently, like she was a great puzzle he wanted to solve.
Why did she have to be so anti-romance just then?
Still, she knew she needed to focus on herself, no matter how tempted she was to accept Jake’s offer. She dragged her gaze away from his face. “Thanks again for your help.”
Jake watched Lacey walk to the driver’s door of her car and climb inside. Disappointed that she had turned him down, he didn’t let it put him in a sour mood, and as she turned on her engine and pulled onto the road, he forced himself to think about the items he needed to buy at the hardware store so that he could continue the renovation on his guest bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, as he filled his cart with the materials on his list, he couldn’t get Lacey out of his head. He’d hardly spoken to her, yet when he thought about the depths he’d seen in her blue eyes, he had the strongest need to learn more about her and what made her tick.
What was up with that? Yeah, she was definitely hot, but that didn’t usually make him go all soft in the head. Besides, he didn’t know anything about her—not her last name, not where she worked, not even if she was just a visitor to Park City—so how would he possibly find her?
Frustrated that he had failed at securing a date, he grabbed a bag of thin set and a trowel and set them into his cart.
Park City wasn’t exactly a small town, but it wasn’t all that big either. Maybe he would run in to her again.
Not particularly satisfied with that remedy, but with no other way to find her, Jake finished his shopping, then headed home.
Lacey set the mugs of steaming coffee on the table in front of a man and a woman at Caty’s Cuisine. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked, her voice bright.
“Just the check,” the man said, hardly taking his eyes off of the woman sitting across from him.
Nodding, Lacey went into the alcove where the servers printed the checks, then brought it out and set it on the table. “I’ll be your cashier when you’re ready.”
The couple didn’t even acknowledge her, making her feel invisible. But she didn’t mind. Clearly, they were really into each other.
A memory filled her mind. A time when she and Eric had first started dating. He had taken her out and his attention had been so completely on her that she had been nearly overwhelmed. At first she had loved the way she had seemed to fill his every thought, but eventually it had become too much. He’d begun to act as if she belonged to him and he had seemed to feel the need to control everything she did—where she worked, who she spent time with, how she spent her money, what she did in her free time.
Stomach cramping at the memory, Lacey forced her thoughts somewhere else. Her happy place. Where was it? That was what she needed to think about.
The scenery she had discovered on her drive that day popped into her mind. When she’d woken that morning, she’d had a strong desire to find something to inspire her and to begin sketching again. Eric hadn’t liked it when she had sketched—it had taken her attention away from him. With all of his complaining, she had given in and put her love of drawing on the back burner.
Now though, with only herself to please, her passion for drawing had come roaring back. After breakfast that morning she had picked up her sketchbook and had begun driving in the direction Amber had earlier suggested, ending up in a forested area not too far outside of town. After a short walk, she had found a meadow that had captivated her and had spent several hours sketching, nearly losing track of the time before hurrying to her car and getting on the road.
That was when she had run out of gas.
An image of Jake flashed into her mind.
She didn’t need a knight in shining armor. Not that she didn’t appreciate his help, because she did. But just then it was all about her and what she wanted.
She picked up the leather folder containing the check and credit card from the couple’s table and carried it to the register, her thoughts on Jake and his attempt to take her out.
It was good she had turned him down. She didn’t need the distraction. It didn’t matter how nice he had seemed, or that she was captivated by his eyes, or that he had come to her rescue. No dating. Not now. Not for a long time.
She gave the couple their receipt, wished them a nice day, then walked toward a table where a group of new customers had sat, all the while imagining what it would be like to spend time with Jake.
Three
Exhausted after a long shift, Lacey walked into the apartment she shared with Amber and sank onto the couch, then flipped on the TV. Amber’s door was closed, so Lacey assumed she was asleep—it was nearly midnight, after all. But moments later Amber came out of her room wearing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before plopping on the couch beside Lacey.
“Hey,” Amber said.
“What are you still doing up?”
Amber laughed. “I know, right? You didn’t know I was such a hard worker.”
Happy to have her good friend to talk to, Lacey asked, “Working on what?”
“Well…” Her eyebrows rose like she had big news to share. “I just found out today that I’m going to Vegas for a three-day software training conference. And I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow? Why so last minute?”
“The guy who was supposed to go got really sick.”
“That’s too bad.”
Amber’s face scrunched up. “I know. Poor guy.” Her face smoothed out. “But I’m super excited to go, which is why I’m still up. It’s a new software program we’re using at work, and I’m trying to
brush up on some of the basics beforehand.”
Lacey grinned. “Look at you. Overachiever.”
Amber chuckled. “Yeah, that’s me.” She paused, then asked, “What’s new with you?”
Jake’s face popped into Lacey’s mind and she again imagined what it would be like to spend time with him. Then she remembered how fabulous it felt to be the commander of her own ship—not having to worry about pleasing someone else, not having to hide the things she bought for fear of someone giving her a hard time about how she spent her money. Being able to focus on herself and what she wanted.
Yeah, she kind of loved it. Then again, it would be nice if she found someone who appreciated and respected her passion for drawing, someone who loved her just as she was, someone who didn’t want to change her to fit his idea of who she should be.
“Something kind of interesting did happen to me today,” she said.
Amber tucked her feet under her. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“First, I found some beautiful scenery to draw.”
“Nice! Can I see?”
Pleased by Amber’s interest, Lacey got her sketchpad, then handed it to Amber as she sat beside her.
“Ooo, I love it,” she said as she flipped through the pages. “I’m so glad you’re drawing again, Lace.” She turned to Lacey with a smile. “I remember how much you were into it in high school.”
Lacey tried not to think about the influence Eric had had on her and how she had put aside her passion just to keep the peace. “I know. I’ve missed it.” And no one would ever stop her from drawing again.
Amber set the sketchpad on the coffee table. “So what was the interesting thing that happened to you today? I’m guessing it wasn’t just drawing.”
The memory of Jake helping her brought a smile to her face. “First, I ran out of gas. But then, a handsome stranger came to my rescue.”
Amber’s eyes widened. “Do tell.”
“He offered to take me to a gas station where I could fill his gas can. But I…” She shook her head as she replayed their interaction. “I didn’t want to go with him.”
“I don’t blame you. I mean, you didn’t know the guy.”
“Exactly.”
“What happened then? Did he leave?”
“No. He went and got the gas and brought it back to me.”
“Oh. That was nice of him.”
Despite the fact that she had turned him down, Lacey’s smile grew. “And then he asked me out.”
Amber tilted her head. “So when’s the big date?”
Lacey shook her head. “I told him no.”
“What? Why’d you do that?”
“I just…I don’t think I’m ready.”
“Okay. I guess I can understand that.” Amber’s eyes began to twinkle. “Was he cute?”
An image of Jake’s face—especially his green eyes and his gorgeous smile—flashed before her. “So cute.”
“Hmm. Too bad then.”
“I guess so.”
Amber stood. “Well, I think it’s time for me to go to bed.”
“Yeah. Me too.” Lacey stood as well. “When will you be back?”
“On Sunday. I’m staying a couple of extra days to see a few shows.”
“That sounds like fun. Have a good time.” She gave Amber a quick hug, then went into her room. As she got ready for bed she thought about Amber’s comment that it was too bad she hadn’t taken Jake up on his offer.
Was it too bad? Should she have said yes?
She climbed under the covers.
She knew she shouldn’t second guess herself. Instead she needed to enjoy her life as it was. Not wish for something that may never happen.
With a sigh of resignation tinged with a measure of hope, Lacey let her eyes drift closed.
“Bout time, Davis,” Tyler said to Jake as Jake walked through the door of the firehouse two days later.
Jake laughed. “Why? ‘Cause I’m only fifteen minutes early instead of thirty?”
“Yeah. What’d you do? Oversleep?”
Jake shook his head. “Whatever.”
“Now that you’re here, we can get started.”
Jake laughed. “That’s right. It’s not a party without me.”
Tyler grinned, then he and Jake walked over to the paramedics from C crew—the crew about to go off-shift—to do the narcotics hand-off. As the A crew paramedics, Jake and Tyler were responsible to verify what narcotics were on hand, to reseal the small case that held the vials, then sign off.
They climbed into the ambulance and went through their routine, then, along with the rest of their crew, they got started on the other tasks that kept the fire station running smoothly.
“No, thank you,” Lacey said to Ellen, one of the other servers at Caty’s Cuisine.
“Oh, come on,” Ellen said. “Why won’t you let me set you up? I promise he’s a really nice guy.”
Forcing a smile, Lacey shook her head as she put away a stack of menus. “I’m fine by myself. Really.” Lacey brightened her tone. “In fact, I prefer it.” Most of the time. She tried not to think about the times when she felt desperately lonely.
Ellen’s eyebrows rose like she doubted that could possibly be true. In her early forties, Ellen was on her third marriage and she seemed determined to find the perfect man for Lacey. “You’re too young to be alone,” she said. “Twenty-three and no hope for love?” Shaking her head in sync to the wag of her finger, she muttered, “Uh-uh. Not as long as I’m around.”
Lacey held back a sigh as she faced Ellen. “It’s gonna be kind of hard to make that work if I’m not interested.”
“Oh honey, you’re too young to give up on love.”
“I never said I was giving up. I’m just not looking right now. Kind of like a break.”
“That’s okay. I’ll look for you.”
Trying not to roll her eyes, Lacey turned away. “We need to get back to work.”
A short time later, as Lacey brought a tray of food to a table, a new customer walked in. Noticing him out of the corner of her eye, for a moment she thought it was Jake. But when she looked more closely she was disappointed to see it was someone else entirely.
Surprised at her reaction, she concentrated on doing her job, and when she got home late that night her mind went to Jake again and again.
She told herself to stop it. She didn’t need a man to be happy. She could sketch to her heart’s content and choose how to spend her time. Yes, she didn’t have anyone to share it with, but that was okay. She would be fine on her own.
Then she thought about Ellen and her attempts to play matchmaker. She would rather find her own match, thank you very much. Someone like Jake, maybe.
Frowning, she got ready for bed and quickly fell asleep.
The next day Lacey worked the lunch rush. Glad to be busy, she was able to focus on her job, and when things slowed down, she turned her thoughts to the local places she thought she would like to explore to find subjects to draw. Though she could draw people and was good at it, her favorite subject was nature. And now that she lived in Park City, she had lots of great places to go.
Smiling in contentment, Lacey wiped down a table. Moments later a shout from the kitchen yanked her out of her thoughts.
“Fire!” Thomas, the cook, yelled.
Lacey’s head jerked in the direction of the kitchen. Flames shot up from the stovetop, and without thinking, she ran into the kitchen to see if she could help. That’s when she saw that one of the cook’s sleeves was on fire.
The cook stood in place, his left arm straight out in front of him, his eyes wide. Without considering the consequences, Lacey swatted at the flames with her bare hands. Seconds later she cried out as pain pulsed through her palms.
“Stop, Lacey,” Caty shouted as she came into the kitchen and began using a towel to smother the remaining flames on the cook’s sleeve. Then she used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire on the stovetop.
Heart racing, hands aching, L
acey watched the chaos erupt around her. Moments later the sound of sirens shattered the air, and then several firefighters burst into the restaurant and raced into the kitchen.
Frozen to the spot, Lacey’s gaze went to her blistering palms.
“Let me take a look at that, miss,” a voice said beside her.
She turned and saw a man dressed in full firefighter gear, then held out her hands.
The man looked at her palms, then turned to another firefighter. “Hey, Davis,” he said. “Come take care of this.”
Lacey’s gaze went from the man in front of her to the man approaching her, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Jake?”
Four
Stunned to see Lacey standing in front of him, Jake pushed aside his happiness in having found her and led her to a chair so she could sit down. Her face was pale and she seemed shaky.
“Let me take a look at your hands,” he said as he pulled up a chair so he could sit in front of her.
“I didn’t know you were a firefighter,” she said.
She was more beautiful than he remembered. “Yep. I have been for about five years now. I’m also a paramedic.” He turned his attention to her hands, and when she flinched, he looked at her face. “I’m sorry it hurts, Lacey.” He wished he had found her under different circumstances. Those burns looked pretty serious.
“Me too,” she said, then tears filled her eyes.
Wanting more than anything to take away her pain, he knew all he could do was take the best care of her that he knew how. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut off your ring.”
A stricken look came over her, and her face paled further. “No. It…it was my grandmother’s.”
With the skin on her fingers burned, the ring had to be removed before her fingers swelled even more. “I’m sorry, Lacey, but it has to come off.”
Rescue My Heart: Park City Firefighter Romance Page 2
