He thought about having her over for dinner and hoped she would be up to it when he was off in a couple of days.
“Uh-huh,” Tyler said, still grinning.
Wanting a change of subject, Jake said, “Hey, have you gone to Pineapple’s lately?”
“Yeah,” Tyler said as he slowed his pace on the treadmill to cool down. “I haven’t seen you there though.”
Jake set the weight back in its holder and went to the elliptical. “I was actually there last night training Boston for the boxing match.”
“You’re one busy guy, Davis.”
Jake adjusted the setting on the elliptical. “Right? Between the renovations on my house and trying to manage my clients, I’ve been pretty slammed.”
“If you’re too busy to follow up with the brunette, I might know someone who could check in on her.” Tyler chuckled.
“Her name’s Lacey,” Jake said with a smirk. “And I’ll definitely let you know if I can’t fit her in.” They both knew that would never happen.
Tyler grinned. “Perfect, Davis. Always glad to help.”
Jake smiled as he shook his head and focused on his workout.
During the slow two-day shift, Jake went on three calls—a car accident, a heart attack, and a dumpster fire. And when it was time to turn the firehouse over to B crew, the first thing Jake thought of was that maybe Lacey would be feeling well enough to come to his place for dinner that night.
Eleven
Friday morning, and so very little to keep her occupied.
Lacey frowned as another day stretched in front of her. She would take a walk or two around her neighborhood as she’d been doing every day, and though her walks brightened her mood, there was also a downside. The beauty around her often gave her bursts of inspiration, making her want to pull out her sketchpad, but then she would remember that she wasn’t quite ready to pick up her pencil.
She had actually attempted to begin a sketch the day before, but after struggling with the basic skill of holding a pencil, which had resulted in something that looked like the scribblings of a preschooler, she’d given up, and her worry that she would never regain the skill she’d worked so hard to acquire had settled over her like a shroud.
Now, her eyes went to her sketchpad, which sat on a corner of the coffee table. Gazing at it with longing, she tried to convince herself that her skill would return.
She would get there eventually. She would.
Not sure if she believed it, whenever discouragement started to take over, she repeated the words Jake had told her. Every day you’re healing a little more, Lacey. Remember that.
Beyond grateful for those ten little words, she thought about Jake and what he was doing right then. How had things gone at work? Had he ever been in any danger?
She pictured him running into a burning house, flames surrounding him as he searched for an injured child. Imagining him getting seriously injured made her heart race.
Was that some sort of hero complex she’d placed on him, or was she actually interested in him? Pretty sure it was the latter, she’d been unable to get him out of her mind. Even on her walks, Jake had kept creeping into her head.
Half an hour later, as she was about to head out for another walk, her phone rang, and when she saw Jake’s name on the Caller ID, her eyes widened and her heart began to pound.
Chill out, she thought.
“Hello?” she said after swiping to answer.
“Good morning,” Jake said, his voice chipper.
At the sound of his voice, an instant smile lit Lacey’s face. “Good morning.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
Her eyes went to the TV, which she had yet to turn on. “Nope.” She paused a beat. “How was work?” Had he been in any danger?
“We had a few calls, but nothing too crazy.”
Relieved to hear that, Lacey relaxed. “Good.”
“How about you? Are your hands feeling any better?”
She looked at the hand not holding the phone and gently moved her fingers, as she did frequently in an attempt to keep the skin on her palms from becoming tight as they healed. “Yeah, I think so. I can’t believe it’s been a week since the fire already.”
“In another week you’ll feel even better. The body’s an amazing machine, don’t you think?”
Lacey hadn’t ever thought about that, but she did now, and she had to agree. “Yeah. It is pretty cool the way it can heal itself.”
“Exactly.” Jake paused. “Hey, I’d still love to make you my lasagna. If you’re up for it.”
Kind of desperate to get out of the house for a while, but also wary about where a date with Jake could lead, Lacey was torn. “Uh…” Just do it, she told herself. Come on. What will it hurt? “Sure. Okay.” Now that she’d made a decision, relief swept over her, and eagerness replaced the reticence she’d been feeling.
“Great! I’ll pick you up about five. Does that work for you?”
She would be caught up on her latest binge watch, so yeah. Holding back a laugh, she said, “Yep. Five will be fine.”
They disconnected, and Lacey immediately texted Amber to tell her the news. Amber replied moments later: That’s great! But dang it, I won’t be home yet so I won’t be able to meet this hot firefighter.
Smiling despite her concern over her readiness to go on a date, Lacey sent Amber an emoji of a person sticking out their tongue, then she started planning what she was going to wear. She looked at the jeans she had on. Too much work to change into another pair of pants, so those would work fine. But she did want to wear a shirt that made her feel pretty.
She went into her closet and looked through her small selection of blouses until she found one that matched her eyes. Since she wouldn’t be able to put on make-up—she grimaced at the thought—the color of the shirt would be extra important.
Once she’d made her choice, and before getting changed, she took a walk, an extra spring in her step as she anticipated an evening with Jake.
Why was he so nervous?
Frowning, Jake walked toward Lacey’s door with a sense of trepidation. Then he told himself to approach this like any other date—calm and cool. He wasn’t looking for a relationship. He was looking to have a pleasant evening with an attractive woman. Something he’d done dozens of times.
He blew out a breath of air.
Then why did it feel like so much more?
Not sure what he was feeling, he knocked on Lacey’s door, and when he heard her footsteps approaching, his heart began to pound.
“Hello,” she said as she swung the door open.
The first thing he noticed was that she’d put on a blouse that perfectly matched the blue of her eyes.
“You look…beautiful,” he said. That was an understatement.
“Thank you.”
Her face seemed to glow, and Jake found it hard to look away. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah.”
Jake wanted to take her arm or her elbow or something, because he knew her hands were still healing and he felt like he should help her, but she didn’t use her hands to walk. He silently laughed at himself. It was a little early in their date for him to want to hold her hand, but he did help her get into his truck.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile after he helped her climb into the passenger seat.
He closed her door then went around the front of the truck and got behind the wheel.
“Tell me about the calls you went on,” she said as they pulled away from the curb, so he did. “What made you want to be a firefighter?” she asked as they drove.
“It’s kind of a family tradition, I guess. My dad’s a firefighter and his brother’s a firefighter.”
“And you like it? Putting out fires and helping injured people?”
Jake glanced in her direction and saw the earnest expression on her face. “Yeah. I do.”
“What is it you like about it?”
“Well,” he began with a chuckle, �
�anytime someone has a problem, they can call us and we’ll take care of it. There are a million different things that could come up on any given day.” A half-smile turned up his lips as he looked at her. “Never knowing what’s gonna happen is half the fun.” He turned his focus back to the road with occasional glances in her direction. “Could be a heart-attack, a high-rise fire, a hazmat spill, a trench collapse. Or a skier into a tree, appendicitis, a car fire, electrical lines down, an uncontrollable nosebleed—”
“Wait,” she said, interrupting him. “People call you guys for nosebleeds?”
He laughed. “If they’re serious, yeah.”
“What else?” Her eyes were steady on him.
She was impressed. Nice. With Robyn, his ex, he’d found himself keeping a lot of work stuff to himself—it seemed to bore her. Having someone to share it with who was genuinely interested was novel and he loved it.
“I’ve dealt with femur fractures, third degree heart block, and of course house fires.” He laughed. “And yes, cats stuck in trees.” He looked at her to see what she thought, and she seemed enthralled. “Within minutes we have to process, respond, and mitigate anything the world or the people of the world can throw at us.
Her body was turned halfway towards him. “Wow. That sounds fascinating.”
He grinned.
“You’re really lucky,” she said. “To get to do what you love, I mean.”
He knew he was lucky. And he was grateful every day. “I know.” He looked at her for a moment before focusing back on the road. Time to learn more about her. “What do you love to do?”
I love to draw, she immediately thought. She looked at her hands. She wouldn’t tell him. “I don’t know. I guess I’m still trying to figure that out.” The lie left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Why couldn’t she just tell him the truth? Was it because she didn’t want his pity? But she knew it was more than that. There was a part of her that wanted to keep her passion a secret, almost like that would protect it from being shut off by someone. Someone like Eric.
“I hope you figure it out soon,” he said as he drove. “And I hope you can do it for a living.”
She already knew that making a living off of her sketches wasn’t a realistic possibility. But that was okay. As long as she could draw whenever she wanted to, she would be fine.
Jake turned into the driveway of an older house and shut off the engine. “Here we are.” He turned to Lacey with a half smile. “It might not look like much, but it’ll get there.”
Lacey took in the wide wraparound porch, the upstairs balcony, the angles of the roof and all of the windows. “I love it.” Then she turned to face him. “I bet you’re having a blast fixing it up.”
Thrilled that she got it, got him, Jake laughed. “Yeah. I am. I spend most of my free time working on it.”
Another difference between her and Robyn. Robyn had hated the time he’d spent on the house. Especially when it took his time away from her. She had wanted nothing to do with it. Too messy. Too time-consuming.
“How long have you been renovating?” Lacey asked.
“About six months. I bought it last fall and started making changes not too long after that.”
“Can I see it?” she asked. Her eyes were bright with excitement—something he hadn’t seen before. He liked it.
“Sure. I’ll give you the tour.”
A few moments later he was ushering her into the entryway.
“Let me just heat up the oven before I give you the tour,” he said, anxious that their dinner would be perfect.
Twelve
As Jake took her around the house, Lacey could picture the changes he was going to make, and she felt a pinch of envy. She would love to have a home of her own, a place she could fall in love with and turn into a reflection of her.
“Well, that’s it,” he said as they ended in the kitchen.
“This place is going to look amazing when you’re done,” she said as she looked at the spacious room lined with built-in cabinets and long countertops.
“I hope so. It’s gonna be a lot of work.”
She admired him for taking it on. “It’ll be worth it.”
“I know.”
How did he know how to do all of this stuff? But he seemed so capable, she had no doubt he could figure anything out. She remembered the expert way he’d treated her hands in the ambulance. He was so sure of himself. Maybe someday she would be sure of herself.
Jake went to the refrigerator and took out a covered dish.
Turning her thoughts away from herself, Lacey asked, “Is that your famous lasagna?”
He laughed. “Yeah.” Then he peeled the tin foil off of the casserole dish and put the dish in the oven.
Still dazzled by the fact that he liked to cook—and was probably good at it—Lacey wondered what else he was good at. “Do you need any help?”
He shook his head. “I’m just going to toss a salad, and after the lasagna comes out I’ll broil some French bread.” He gestured to a table in the adjoining dining room. “I already set the table.”
She was super impressed, but how often did he have women over? She immediately tried to suppress the thought as it made her unreasonably jealous. To turn her mind away from that line of thinking, she leaned against the counter and watched him chop a tomato. “Did you look at a lot of houses before you chose this one?”
He dumped the tomato chunks into the salad then ran a knife around an avocado. “Yeah. I’d gotten my realtor’s license a few months before and decided it would be better for me when I tried to sell houses if I’d bought one myself.” He paused as he glanced at Lacey, and when his clear green eyes met hers, she found herself drawn to him.
“I looked at a couple dozen houses,” he said as he tossed the salad ingredients together. “But when I saw this one, it was instant. I knew it was the one.” He lifted his gaze from the salad and looked at her again and she felt a jolt, like he was trying to tell her something.
He’s not, she thought. He’s talking about his house.
She had to get over herself. Besides, she wasn’t looking for a relationship, so why would it matter if he was having delusions involving her?
Not quite convinced, she tried to gain control of the emotions swirling inside her.
The spark Jake had felt when he’d said those words and had met Lacey’s gaze took him by surprise. What was going on? Had he been trying to imply something? Why would he do that?
He looked away, focusing on the salad, which was thoroughly tossed.
“Would you mind putting this on the table?” he asked Lacey with a quick glance in her direction.
“Sure.” She took the salad from him, holding it carefully in her partially bandaged hands, and carried it to the table.
He watched her go and couldn’t tear his eyes from her. He had to get a grip. Forcing his attention away from her, he opened the fridge and took out the salad dressing, then set it on the counter. Next, he grated some cheese, and before long the timer went off for the lasagna.
By the time they were seated across from each other at the table, Jake had corralled his wayward feelings.
“Besides being a cook, a firefighter, a paramedic, a realtor, and a house renovator,” Lacey said, then she smiled at him. “Not to mention a rescuer of women who’ve run out of gas, what else do you do?”
Liking the way she made him feel, as if he was accomplished and talented, he chuckled as he placed a serving of lasagna onto each of their plates. “I like to ski and hike. And I like to work out.”
Lacey’s gaze shot to his biceps as if yanked by a magnet. She could tell he worked out, and when she realized she was staring, her face heated.
Stop looking at his muscles!
Tearing her eyes away from his body, when Jake held out the plate of French bread, she took a slice without meeting his gaze, positive he’d seen her checking him out.
Jake set the plate of French bread on the table. “What about you, Lacey? What d
o you like to do?”
Grateful for the distraction, Lacey considered his question as she picked up her fork, self-conscious of the awkward way she held it.
If she didn’t tell him she liked to draw, she had nothing. Did she really want him to think she didn’t have any hobbies? How dull would that make her? Why would he be interested in her if she was that boring?
She held back a grimace.
Did she want him to be interested in her?
With a quick glance in his direction, she knew she did. Even if she wasn’t ready for anything beyond friendship, it was suddenly important to her that this man find her interesting and attractive.
“I like to draw,” she heard herself say.
Jake’s eyebrows went up. “Really?”
A soft blush rose on Lacey’s cheeks as she nodded and placed a forkful of lasagna into her mouth. The cheese, meat, and noodles seemed to melt on her tongue. After swallowing, she said, “This is delicious.” She grinned. “Much better than the frozen lasagna I’ve made.”
He laughed, and she could tell her compliment pleased him. “It’s the oregano,” he said. “That, plus all the cottage cheese. The cottage cheese makes it creamy.”
“Maybe you can give me the recipe.”
“I’d be happy to.” He ate a couple of bites. “What do you like to draw?”
That was an easy question. “Mostly landscapes.” She thought about the day she’d first met Jake. “When I ran out of gas that day, I was coming back from sketching a meadow I’d found.”
“Oh. Well, I’m glad I came along.”
“Me too.”
“How long have you been an artist?”
Hearing him call her that meant the world to Lacey. Especially after the way Eric had always denigrated her passion for drawing, calling it a waste of time, energy, and paper. She had never told him how much that had hurt, but it had cut deeply. As she remembered it now, the pain she’d felt washed over her and her eyebrows bunched.
Rescue My Heart: Park City Firefighter Romance Page 6
