Fourth Down

by Desiree Holt

  Yes, you would, she wanted to tell him, but she swallowed the remark. The invitation had come out of left field but without any rhyme or reason she was tempted to accept it. And he’d pronounced it “fahrfighter.” In other conversations with him, or whatever you called the previous exchanges of words they’d had, she’d sort of noticed it. However, she’d been too busy being Miss Independence I-don’t-give-a-shit to pay that much attention. Now her brain finally registered the warm drawl in his voice. Not really pronounced, but there, as if the remnant of someplace he’d lived for a long time still hung around in his words.

  “Texas.” She popped the word out. “Of course.”

  He lifted his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

  “The way you said ‘fahrfighter.’ Being from Texas, that’s how you’d pronounce it.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “And exactly how did you know I’m from Texas?”

  She felt herself blush. “I, uh, looked you up on the Internet. You and the Granite Falls Coyotes.”

  He stared at her for a long moment. “You did? Why?”

  Holly looked down at her feet. Why couldn’t she ever keep her mouth shut? “I just wanted to know a little more about you.”

  “Do you always research people you meet? I mean, is that a hobby of yours?”

  “I was just curious. That’s all.” Before he could ask any more probing questions, she rushed on. “Did you always live in Texas?”

  He nodded. “I haven’t lived there in almost fifteen years now, but I guess it never leaves you. And it probably kicks back in again whenever I get to go home and visit my dad.”

  “I, uh, sort of like it.”

  He frowned. “Only sort of? Too bad. I don’t think I can do anything about it.”

  “Sorry. That came out wrong. You may have noticed I have trouble giving people compliments.”

  He burst into a full laugh. “I’d say that’s the understatement of the year, so I’m going to take this as one for sure.” He paused. “Tit for tat here. You’re not from this part of the country, either.”

  She shook her head. “North Carolina.”

  “Nice place. What brought you to California? I’m here because of the Coast Guard, but I wouldn’t think you had to go this far to get a job as a firefighter.”

  No. Only to get away from an asshole who did his best to break my heart.

  “Personal reasons.” She hoped her tone of voice was enough indication that she didn’t want to discuss it any further.

  But Chase just gave a brief nod.

  “How about if I say I wouldn’t mind having coffee with a smartass? That work for you?”

  Now he was the one who laughed. “Works for me.”

  “Okay. I’ll go get changed.” She waited a beat to see if he changed his mind. When he didn’t she called over her shoulder, “I’ll be ready in fifteen.”

  “Meet you by the front door.”

  Holly headed toward the locker room, and as she turned the corner she ran smack into Adara. Of course. What had she expected?

  “So what’s with you and Mr. Hot Guy?” Adara demanded. “Don’t even think of denying whatever because I saw you talking to him, and for more than sixty seconds.”

  “Geez, Adara. We were discussing juice.” She pushed past her friend into the locker room.

  “Uh-huh.” Adara’s voice was heavy with skepticism. “Looked like a fascinating conversation.”

  “It was. Juice is very important to the body’s nutrition.”

  Adara burst out laughing. “Holly, it’s okay to admit the guy appeals to you. You’re not a nun, remember?”

  “Of course not. I date,” she snapped. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a shower.”

  Adara lifted an eyebrow. “Now? Usually you wait and shower when you get home, unless we’re going someplace after.” She paused. “Wait. Are you going someplace after?”

  Holly stripped off her clothes, wrapped a towel around her body, and headed for a shower stall. “None of your damn business.”

  How on earth had she ever expected to get away with this right under her friend’s nose? It wasn’t as if this was a date, she reminded herself as the hot stream of water sprayed over her body. It was just coffee. She could have coffee with a man and not have it be a date. Or be someone she was dating. That’s what this was. Just coffee. Not a date.

  She stayed in the shower as long as she could, hoping Adara would have given up and left. But she’d told Mr. Hot Guy—Chase—fifteen minutes, and she was running out of time. She turned off the water, pulled the curtain aside, and looked right at her friend who was standing not a foot away from her.

  “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on.” Adara grinned. “And don’t tell me nothing, because I’m smarter than that.”

  “Yes, very smart.” Holly brushed past her and began pulling on clean clothes. “Now if you’ll keep your questions to yourself, I want to finish dressing so I can get out of here.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Humor tinged Adara’s words. “Anxious to get home tonight, are you?”

  “Yes.” She yanked up her jeans, zipped and buttoned them. “I have things to do.”

  “Things that required you to shower before leaving here.”

  “I just figured it would save time.” She pulled on the clean T-shirt she’d brought. “That way I’m all ready to do…stuff.”

  “Uh-huh.” Adara laughed. “You are so full of shit. You’re not getting out of here until you tell me what’s going on, you know.”

  Holly moved to the mirror over the sinks and brushed her hair into a ponytail before securing it with one of the colored bands in her bag. Not for the first time she was grateful she had hair straight as a stick. It would dry nice and smooth in the tail. “Nothing’s going on.”

  She brushed past Adara to get to the rest of her things. No makeup. Oh, well, she wore only minimal cosmetics, anyway. Besides, this wasn’t a date. Right? Right, Holly? She zipped her gym bag closed, slipped the strap of her purse on her shoulder, and turned to face her friend.

  “We’re having coffee.” She swallowed a laugh at the shock on Adara’s face.

  “Uh, Holly, I said I wanted you to loosen up, and even ogle this guy’s buns. But what do you really know about him? He could be one of those macho guys we both hate.”

  “I know he’s in the Coast Guard and coaches kids football. And doesn’t wear a wedding ring.” Although that might not mean anything.

  “Still…” Adara’s voice trailed off. “Listen, I just want what’s best for you. This guy might have a girlfriend. Why don’t you…”

  “I’m a big girl. And it’s just coffee, Adara. It’s not a date.”

  “For real?”

  She hopped over the bench seat and hurried toward the door. “Not a date,” she repeated, and headed out toward the front of the building.

  * * * *

  Why the fuck did I do that?

  Chase kept bouncing that question around in his brain while he showered and changed. He thought about shaving, then reminded himself this wasn’t a date. Nope, not a date, he repeated. She’d already seen him with the day’s growth of scruff on his face and why did he care? He was sure she didn’t expect him to be anything but clean for this. Not a date, he repeated yet again. Remember that. No date. Just coffee. So why did he feel compelled to splash on a little aftershave on his scruffy shin and neck?

  Again, why was he doing this? Oh, wait. Because the words had fallen out of his mouth before he could stop them. What was wrong with him? He could sniff trouble a mile away with this woman. He’d never be that vulnerable again, never be the one left behind. Lesson learned three times.

  Holly was the complete opposite of every woman he dated in nearly every way. But he got the feeling from her, from the vibes she gave off, she wasn’t interested in a relationship any more than he was. It was the attribute that appealed to him the most, but so what? Beyond that he had a feeling they�
�d be like two firecrackers trying to fit in the same holder.

  However, he was unattached at the moment, and Holly Funchess intrigued him on so many levels. He’d have coffee with her, get his curiosity satisfied, and then they could be pleasant to each other whenever they happened to be together afterward. Like, for example, the barbecue to set up the softball games and then the games themselves. That was all he wanted here. Just to find out what was beneath that layer of sass. And maybe why she carried a boulder-sized chip on her shoulder. If she was a ballbuster like Cheryl, well, he’d find out soon enough. This time he knew what to look for.

  Stuffing everything else back in his gym bag he headed for the front of the building. It might not be a real date, but he still didn’t want to be late for it. Punctuality was important to him, something Coach Fenelli had drilled into his head.

  As he entered the lobby he scanned the area, but he didn’t spot her anywhere. Maybe she had changed her mind. After all, it was just coffee. A trickle of disappointment wriggled through him, which he promptly squelched. Firefighter or not, she was probably as flaky as most of the other women he met. He’d just go on home and stick a frozen pizza in the oven. But as he turned to leave a message at the front desk—just in case—here she came, hurrying from the women’s locker room, slightly out of breath.

  “Sorry, sorry, sorry.” She stopped in front of him and blew out a breath. “My friend could talk the ears off a rabbit.”

  He grinned. “No problem. Let’s get out of here.”

  “I’m over here.” Holly pointed to her SUV parked off to the right.

  “I’m on the other side of the building. How do you want to do this?” Why hadn’t he figured this out before? “Shall I follow you home so you can drop off your car? Do you want to leave it here?” He hoped he didn’t sound as stupid as he felt. “Or you can follow me.”

  She frowned and nibbled her bottom lip, something that inexplicably made his cock stand up and want to wave hello.

  “Hmmm. We probably live at opposite ends of the city,” she told him, “so that’s probably not practical. Anyway, if we leave my car here, my friend, who has been stalking you since the first night you came here, will be waiting for me when I get home with a long list of questions.”

  “Butts into your business a lot, does she?” And didn’t that just sound so familiar.

  “Don’t tell me you have a friend like that too.”

  Chase sighed. “He thinks it’s his life’s mission to mind my business. Listen. Do you happen to know where Ralph’s is?”

  She frowned. “I don’t think so.”

  “It’s just a few blocks from here, and they’ve got great burgers. I’m suddenly hungry for more than coffee. What about you?”

  He waited while she thought it over, wondering what was so difficult about the question and at the same time unsure why he gave a damn about her answer one way or the other.

  She nodded. “Yeah, I guess I am. I could go for a bite to eat.”

  Chase was surprised at the relief he felt. This wasn’t a date, right? He needed to repeat that over and over.

  “Good. Let’s meet up there.” He grinned. “And just in case your friend decides to tail you, they’ve got parking in the back.”

  “Good deal. See you there.”

  Twenty minutes later they were seated across from each other in a booth in the corner of the small restaurant. The air was filled with the heady aroma of grilled beef and crisp french fries. Instead of coffee they had soft drinks in front of them. And they sat there looking at each other, stiff as statues.

  Finally Chase broke the silence. “You look as if you’re waiting for me to poke you with a stick.”

  Holly’s giggle had a slight hysterical tinge to it, as if he’d hit the nail on the head. “And you look like you expect me to throw a rope around you.”

  They stared at each other for a long moment. Then they both broke into full laughter. Holly laughed so hard she had tears running down her cheeks. The waitress started to approach them to get their orders but apparently thought better of it and moved away. At last the laughter subsided. Chase took a long swallow of his soft drink and watched Holly do the same with hers.

  “So.” He cleared his throat. “I get the feeling you’re suffering from the same disease I am.”

  Holly wrinkled her brow. “Disease?”

  “Yeah, you know. Like I said before, buttinsky friends who insist on sticking their noses in your life. Who think they need to be all up in your business.”

  She grinned. “Always for your own good. Did I get that right?”

  “Yeah! That’s it!” He felt something tight loosen inside him. “They’re convinced you aren’t happy.”

  “Right.” She nodded. “Even when you insist to them you are.”

  “They won’t leave you alone,” Chase went on.

  “Which is how we both ended up in that mob scene at El Caliente,” she added.

  They stared at each other again.

  “I don’t know about you,” Holly said, “but I’m hungry. I only had a protein bar before I went to Pump It Up.”

  What? A woman actually admitting she was hungry? That was news to him. Or else he’d been dating the wrong kind of woman, which probably wasn’t too far from the truth. Oh, wait. He’d have to see what she ordered.

  “I understand the salads here are good,” he ventured. “Although I’ve never had one myself.”

  “Salad?” She cocked an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? Not that I don’t love salads, because I do. But this place smells so good my mouth is suddenly watering for a big juicy burger and a heaping order of fries.” She looked at her soft drink. “And maybe a chocolate shake.”

  “No kidding?”

  She put the menu down. “You invited me to a place with great burgers, right? The kind of work I do, I burn a lot of calories. I don’t go to the fitness center to lose weight; I go to keep in shape.”

  Dumbass. Of course. Firefighter. He should have figured that out. He was just so used to women who obsessed about their weight all the time.

  When they had placed their orders, he settled back in his seat and studied the woman across the table from him. Fresh. That was the way he’d describe her. She had a fresh, full-of-life look about her. She’d made no attempt to fancy herself up for this—whatever this was. Coffee. No, hamburgers, but still the same thing. Of course, she’d just finished working out, but her freshly showered look was what she went with. No makeup. Did she not care about impressing him? Most women wouldn’t be caught dead without a full face of paint on, even in bed. He’d wondered about that, but since he never connected emotionally with any of them, it hadn’t been a big deal.

  But Holly Funchess seemed to have no artifice about her. What you saw was what you got. She was the complete antithesis of every woman he’d dated. And it stunned him to realize he thought her look was very sexy. So what exactly did that mean?

  “That must be some thorny problem filling your brain. Either that or my company is totally boring.”

  Holly’s voice startled him. Apparently he’d zoned out while he was trying to analyze her. He gave an embarrassed little laugh.

  “Sorry about that. I was, uh…”Were what, dumbass?

  “It’s okay if I’m boring you.” Her mouth quirked in a little grin. “As long as this whatever it is isn’t over until I finish my food.”

  “I’m sorry. That was rude of me.” He’d better pay stricter attention here. “So tell me about Holly.”

  She cocked her head and gave him an inquisitive look. “Are you interested or just making polite conversation?”

  It startled him to realize he was genuinely curious about what made Holly Funchess tick. Maybe because she was so different than most of the women he knew?

  He took a swallow of his drink. “Believe it or not, I really want to know.”

  A corner of her mouth twitched with the beginning of a grin. “Curious about the female
firefighter? You wouldn’t be the first.”

  There was something about her manner that intrigued him. A slightly defensive, somewhat go-to-hell, don’t try to get to know me too well attitude. Where had he seen that before? Oh, yeah, in himself.

  “Maybe I’m just curious about you,” he answered. “Would that be so hard to accept?”

  She shrugged. “You’d be the first.”

  “You know, you look a lot better tonight without that friend you carry around all the time.”

  “Friend?” Her eyebrows flew up. “You mean Adara?”

  “No.” He grinned. “I mean that chip you keep balanced on your shoulder. Don’t you get tired hauling it around?”

  For a long moment he thought she was going to throw her soda at him, get up, and walk out. Then, to his utter amazement, she burst out laughing.

  “Actually, it’s more reliable than most of the men I meet. But I’ll do my best to keep it in line tonight.”

  “Thanks.” For a moment he thought he’d caught a flicker of vulnerability in her eyes and something loosened inside him. He opened his mouth to ask her a question, but at that moment the waitress delivered their food. He watched with fascination as Holly cut the burger in half and took a bite out of it. A moan of pure pleasure drifted from her.

  “Ohmigod.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “You weren’t kidding about these. This has to be the best burger I’ve ever tasted.”

  Yeah, she was a woman who enjoyed her food all right. Maybe the first one he’d ever met. Watching her eat was almost a sexual experience.

  Wait. What? Sexual? That wasn’t in the game plan.

  “That’s why I keep coming back here.” He took a bite of his own food, chewed, and swallowed.

  “I’ll bet the girls fell all over you when you played high school football.”

  He laughed. “Well, mostly they fell all over Joe Reilly, the golden quarterback, and Jake Russell, the star running back.”

  “Oh, I think you probably got your share too.”

  A slice of pain stabbed him, as he remembered senior prom and what happened with his girlfriend. Then he banished it from his mind. He would not let it intrude on tonight.