by Brynn Hale
I turn around and lift the grand prize trophy. The five-hundred-dollar check in the envelope is normally donated to a scholarship fund, which is what the chief was telling me.
“Thank you. Thank you. I’m very honored to have won today’s coveted best brisket award. I’m going to donate the $500 to the scholarship fund that the chief usually donates his winnings to. I’m not sure of the name…” I turn around and Josie’s face is ghost white.
“Josie? You okay?” I ask.
She shakes her head and I’m going to make this short and sweet. “But we’ll get it figured out. I’m glad I found a home here at Station 1 and I’m thankful I was able to share some of my history from Louisiana with all of you. Massachusetts is my new home and I can’t wait to be here for a long time.”
The chief’s eyebrows rise. “Okay, enough. Let’s eat!”
The crowd cheers. All of them have been waiting for this. They line up and are served a meal that the BBQers and local chefs have created. They each paid an entry ticket amount and that paid for the scholarship and awards as well as food.
It’s a fundraiser as well as community support event. We get to know some of the people we serve and they in turn get to know us.
Josie crosses the crowd to my booth as people start disbursing. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you. You looked rather surprised that I won.”
“Well, yeah. It’s kinda my dad’s thing to win.”
“Speaking of, Captain Holman.” I nod my head.
“Grimm…” He picks up a piece of the brisket and drops it into his mouth. He shakes his head and his jaw tightens. “Cherry?”
“Maple.” I smile, providing the special wood that I used to give the brisket just a hint of something different. Most would think a fruit wood, but I decided to make mine a little of my past and a little of my future.
I stare at Josie. My future. I wonder if it could include someone like her.
Or her.
He chuckles. “Very New England of you.”
My father calls Josie over and starts showing her some of his well-earned awards. He retired two years ago and to stay out of my mother’s hair he started doing BBQ for family and friends and then Blue-by-Hugh was created.
“Thank you. And the barbeque has real maple syrup in it, instead of—”
“Molasses,” we say together.
“Exactly, sir.”
He shakes his head. “It’s fantastic.” He holds out his hand. “Great job, Grimm.” He squeezes a little harder than I expect and pulls me in to speak close. “I still expect your commitment to no dessert.”
I tip my head. “I’m not sure I’m getting what you’re saying, sir.”
“My daughter. She’s off limits, Grimm.”
My stomach plummets. “Oh…”
“Do you understand me now?”
I swallow. “Can I ask why?”
“That scholarship, it was my son who died to create it. I don’t want my daughter crushed like that again.”
“Sir, I didn’t know.”
He slaps my shoulder. “Well, now you do…” He backs away. “So, for winning, you’ll be cooking brisket once a month for the station.”
My excitement falls a little. “But I won’t have my father’s rig.”
“You can borrow mine.”
“I look forward to serving my fellow firefighters, sir.” I grit the words out.
“Great.” He looks behind me. “Josie. Hey, let’s go.”
“Dad, you have to come see Mr. Grimm’s awards.”
The chief steps to my father and they bullshit.
Josie returns to my side, her eyes so hopeful. “So dinner?”
The chief’s eyes laser to me.
“Sorry, Josie, I…” My brain works fast. “I need to spend some time with my dad tonight.”
Dad huffs. “Nonsense. I’ll be fine. Chief, you and your wife wanna go show a southerner how the northerners do things around here?”
“Mr. Grimm, I’d be glad to, but I have plans tonight. And unfortunately, my wife and I divorced last year.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Captain.” My father shakes his head. “There are days when Archie’s mother tests my patience, but I don’t think I could live without her.”
“Well, this was for the best. Losing a child changes you.”
“I can’t imagine. My three children are my world.”
Captain smiles. “Obviously. You drove, what? Twenty hours to get here?”
“Two days with stops and a sleep.”
And that was another reason why I couldn’t go to dinner. I’d let my unchecked libido forget what I had here. It had been eight months since I’d seen my parents and my mother wasn’t even able to come along this time due to church commitments. I could see how losing his son made Captain Holman seem affected, I would be crushed to lose my parents.
My father slaps a hand on his shoulder. “Captain, I talked to that lovely woman, Ms. Dynas, who owns an Asian-fusion place and she offered a booth to Archie and me, why don’t you join me and let’s let the kids have a night without their old men nagging them.”
He looks over his shoulder. “Fine. One night.”
I get the drift.
But will one night be enough…
Chapter Five
Josie
I’ve showered again to get the smoke smell out of my hair and off my body. My mandarin orange body wash, strawberry shampoo, kiwi and lime scented hair protectant, and peach body spray make me smell like a fruit salad. I’m wondering if he’ll want to eat me.
I shiver. That’s never happened before either. I don’t think I avoided it. I thought that wasn’t part of being good when I was trying to be the replacement Matt.
The fact is, I wanted to be bad. I wanted to let loose for a night. I wanted to get drunk, sit on a bridge hanging my feet off the edge, singing songs into the moonlight. But I’d flipped a switch inside of me. Something that said I had to do this or…I didn’t know what would happen, but I had an idea that it wouldn’t be good.
He pulls up in his lifted truck about five minutes before he’s supposed to pick me up. My father’s standing at the door when I step from my bedroom.
“Josie, I don’t think—”
A knock on the stops his train of thought.
“I think you should—”
Another knock. He calms himself with a deep breath.
“Dad I’m just meeting someone new. I’m not going to marry him.”
That was the truth. I didn’t have any plans to do anything more and it seemed pretty farfetched to believe it would happen.
“But he’s—”
“Josie?” the voice calls out from the other side of the door.
“Impetuous,” my father mumbles.
I open the door. “Hello. Come in.”
Mr. Grimm steps inside. “Hello, folks. My Josie, you’re looking very pretty tonight.” He whistles.
“Dad, that’s not appropriate in today’s world,” Archie admonishes him.
He throws a hand up in the air. “What a man can’t compliment a beautiful woman?”
“No, you can’t compliment a woman half your age without it coming off as a little…”
“Creepy?” I offer.
Mr. Grimm chuckles. “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind, son. So Captain, ready?”
I grab my purse and slip by my father. He turns and opens his mouth to say something, but I grab Archie’s hand and start out the door.
“Have fun tonight, Dad, Mr. Grimm,” I call out while I keep both of us moving. “Just keep moving,” I mumble under my breath.
Archie looks back. Bad move. “Goodnight, Mr. Holman.”
“Before midnight, Grimm.”
“Understood, Captain.”
At his truck, I stop. “I knew that he was going to say something that would ruin this night and I just wanted him not to.”
“Sorry.” He opens the door. “But he didn’t ruin anything for me.” He smiles softly
and my heart races.
I’d dated in college. Even thought I was going to have a boyfriend, once. But they were all not right. Kind of just okay. And I’ve been just okay for too long. I want to be more than okay. I want to be…
Me.
“My father was right. You’re beautiful tonight.” His head starts to lower.
I look up at him, wondering if he’s going to kiss me. But movement inside the house catches my eye. My father’s standing in the bay window like a complete creeper.
“My dad’s in the window,” I say quickly out of the corner of my mouth.
His eyes never leave mine. “Maybe we should just go.”
“Good idea.”
His large hands help me into the truck, holding my waist and assisting me.
I might have chosen these jeans because of what they do to my ass.
He clears his throat. He pulls out the safety belt. “Okay, let’s get going.”
He rounds the truck. “Where do you want to go?” he asks as he climbs in.
I sigh. “Anywhere that isn’t here, Archie.”
“You’ve got it.”
Chapter Six
Archie
The conversation on the drive out of town is casual. She’s a little lost right now and I can relate. Having my dad here is both a blessing to show me that he’s still in my corner and making me a little homesick.
“I have a lead on a job and an interview next week.”
“That’s great.” I pull down the lane.
“Ummm. Can I ask where we’re going? Cause I’m kinda feeling like I’m going into the woods to be never found again.”
I burst out laughing. “I have a cabin on Lake Cardinal.”
“Oh. My dad has a cabin up this way, too. He got it after…” She swallows.
“After?” I take another turn and then glance over at her.
“My brother died.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“He was a Station 1 firefighter.”
My stomach echoes as it hollows with her words and then I remember seeing the name in the memorial cabinet—Matthew Bradley Holman.
“The display case…” I reach over and grab her hand. “I’m sorry, Josie. Sometimes I can be a little…dense.”
She squeezes my hand. “He was the best big brother. He had this way of knowing when I needed to get away from my parents and he’d take me out for a milkshake or to the arcade. We were ten years apart, but he made sure that I knew he was there for me.”
“Sounds like a great guy, maybe a lot like your father.”
She huffs. “My father used to be like that, but the last couple of years have been rough.”
“I can’t imagine. I have two sisters and if anything ever happened to them, I don’t know how my mother and father would get past it.”
“Probably why they divorced, they just couldn’t. What was eerie was that they didn’t technically yell at each other, they just stopped talking to each other.”
I put the truck into park and turn to her. “Maybe there weren’t words, Josie. Maybe they’d said what they need to. Sometimes what people don’t say speaks louder than what they do say.”
“True.” Her eyes light up when she sees my cabin. “Wow, this is amazing.”
“Yeah, well, it’s the better of my two places, so don’t expect too much when you see my apartment.” I freeze. “I mean, I don’t expect you to come over or anything. Just…just that…”
“No worries, Archie. I know what you mean. I’m impressed that you have a cabin. A lot of guys your age have two game consoles, a bunch of online purchases, and not much else.”
And she doesn’t have to say more.
That’s exactly right. I don’t have time for video games and I’d much rather prefer to be in the outdoors. After you’ve smelled smoke for years, you understand the benefit of fresh air.
She opens her door and jumps out with happiness. “I love the country. It’s like you can…” She inhales deep. “Breathe.”
I grab a to-go bag from the backseat. I’d preordered food and picked it up on the way to her place. Captain Holman’s place.
No dessert, Grimm.
I had ordered an actual dessert, to share, but the captain’s words echo inside of me. But what’s a man to do when a woman smells like a fruity drink. She’s so fresh and clean. The opposite from what I do, which is dirty and messy. But I can tell she’s innocent, maybe a bit jaded, too, and I wonder how untouched she really is.
I open the door and flip on the light, hoping no furry creatures have decided to invade. The last time I had to take an hour to get a raccoon out. It stayed on the front porch until I realized why…babies. I found them and scooped them into a box and took the box outside to the mother. They all walked off together. I found the entry point, sealed it, and thus far, no more invaders.
Josie looks around. It’s not much. In fact, it’s kind of plain. Thankfully, it came with basics. I brought a pull-out couch up from the city with Keegan, my buddy from the station.
Keegan had a rough call a couple night ago. Lost a mother and daughter in a car accident. He tried, but they couldn’t get to them. I’d never had a rescue and part of me hoped that I never had to. No firefighter wanted to have to rescue someone. It was more when it happened it happened, and you prayed that the outcome was one you could be proud of. Getting there a minute too late was my worst fear.
I turn on more lamps and the galley kitchen’s overhead light, before pulling plates, forks and spoons out. “Hungry?”
I start some music playing on my phone, hooking it to the sound system that the last owners left. It’s not high-end, but it gives the cabin some life.
“Starving.” She pulls off her coat. It’s a little stuffy in the cabin. “Well, obviously, I’m not near starving, but you know what I mean.”
“Josie, I think you’re beautiful.” I still. I have to stop saying stuff like that, but it’s like I can’t. I can’t not say it. And if it’s true, why shouldn’t I? Every woman needs to hear she’s desirable. And this one is one I desire. To my bones.
My cock pulses watching her walk the room, exploring. She seems comfortable here.
I make a little spread on the coffee table.
She sits next to me on the hard couch cushion. “What do we have?”
“Allergic to anything?” A fellow firefighter’s woman had just experienced anaphylaxis and I’d been first on the scene before the EMTs. Seeing someone blue on the floor, you’ll never forget that shit.
“Not that I know of.”
“Hate any food?”
“Oysters.”
I stop dramatically. “Oh.” I pretend like she’s shot me in the heart. “That hurts.”
“I’m sorry, slimy, gritty goo. You like those?”
“Well, sure. They’re a staple in Louisiana.”
She makes a face and I chuckle.
I open the containers. “No oysters. Italian.”
Her warm hand rests next to my thigh and I have to fight getting hard. I don’t know if it’s the forbidden nature or that I’m just completely taken by her, but my cock thinks I should be making moves.
I open the three entrees to redirect my brain. “Spaghetti and meatballs, cannelloni stuffed with ricotta, and chicken piccata.”
“Can we share all of them?”
I lean over and kiss her cheek. “I like your style, Josie.”
A blush brightens her cheeks to a rosy pink as a long shiver runs her body.
“You cold?” I start to take off my zip-up hoodie.
“No…” She turns. “I worshiped my brother, when he left our world, I promised myself I’d never fall for a firefighter.” Her face gets so sad when she talks about Matt. I know it can’t be easy, but I don’t understand the depths of her despair.
“I’m hoping there’s a but in there…”
A smile perks the edges of her lips. Those dusty rose-colored lips. “And…” she stretches the word, “I know my father wouldn’t be
all that happy…”
“But…” I help her as I lean closer to her.
One of her hands settles on my thigh, gripping the muscle and the other trails over my brow, down my cheek and brushes my lips. “But…Matt wouldn’t want me to be alone and you make me feel like there’s hope again.”
I claim her mouth. The food can fucking wait. I need her. I need to make her mine.
She’s the first to instigate a deeper kiss and I don’t waste time. We’re frantic, almost panicked with our kiss. Like it’s going to be the last kiss. It’s not. Her tongue tangles with mine, rolling over and over. Her mouth tastes like fruit, too. Maybe lemon. She’s a virtual fruit salad in the flesh. I move my lips to her jawline and down. Down that soft and graceful neck. My hands slide up her soft waist and my thumbs brush the fullness of her breast, waiting.
Her hands cup my hands and I think she’s going to keep them where they are, but she moves them to press into her breasts.
“Josie…” I groan against her collarbone. “Woman, you don’t know what you do to me.”
Her head drops back, giving me better access. “Tell me, Archie. I need to hear it.”
I nip the pliant skin at her collarbone. “I’ve fought a boner from the moment I saw you through that smoke. And my gut feels like I’ve been punched. Punched by some invisible force that I think is…” I back away to see those blue eyes. “I think is us, Josie.”
Her eyes soften. “I feel it, too.” She swallows. “But, Archie, I don’t think I can give you more than a night. I’d always be too scared—”
“Accidents happen, and that’s not discounting your brother’s death. That’s tragic. And I know it’s a fear of every significant other of a firefighter. I’ve read some of those accolades for your brother, he wasn’t one to sit on the sidelines, obviously. I guess what I’m saying maybe don’t let a memory of one man keep you from moving forward with another.”
“The job got him killed.”
“Line of duty deaths are very few.”
“But it happens. And it hurts so bad. I don’t think I could go through it a second time.”
