by Debra Kayn
“Are you sure this is the most popular restaurant in town?” She glanced across the street at the updated Pancake House. “I wouldn’t mind a dinner of pancakes and eggs.”
Gregg chuckled. “Don’t let the outside fool you; this place has the best seafood platter you’ve ever had. Once you try it, you’ll be a regular customer.”
“Okay, I’ll trust you. I owe you for sitting through the most sappy chick flick tonight that I’ve seen in a long time. And last weekend, you did take me up on my suggestion of entering the kite-flying contest.” She shook her head. “I’m still sore from running on the sand so much.”
“Hey, I told you it was harder than it looked. Some of those guys have spent thousands on their kites and are serious flyers.” Gregg rubbed her back. “Our little six-dollar kite didn’t stand a chance.”
“It was fun though, and it was nice to get out in the sun. I’ve been working so hard at turning my sunroom into a cat haven for Cleo and any other cats that might come in the future that getting outside with you did a world of good.”
“You know what makes me happy?”
“What?” She slipped her arm around his waist.
“You’re not afraid to try something new. I like that.”
“Port View has a lot to offer. Not at first glance, but it seems like there’s an activity or fund-raiser every weekend.” She waited for him to open the door, and stepped inside the restaurant. “Wow, this is crazy packed.”
“This is the place to go on a Saturday night.” He laid his hand on the flat of her back and guided her to the hostess counter. “Although I hope you’re not in a hurry to get home. Sometimes it takes a while for the food to arrive when there are so many people here.”
“Not at all. I’m having a great time.” She stretched and gave him a kiss. “Thank you.”
“The night’s not over yet. You can thank me later.” He leaned down and whispered, “You can also kiss me later.”
“Hmm...” She glanced at the hostess and back to Gregg. “I might just take you up on that.” Her stomach fluttered the way it always did when Gregg came close. She’d never met a man who gave her so many good feelings when he was fully clothed.
“A table for two, Chief McKee?”
“Yes, thank you.” Gregg nodded at the hostess and slipped his fingers into Amber’s hand.
The young woman picked up two menus and motioned for them to follow. After they arrived at the small table in the back of the restaurant, Gregg pulled out her chair and waited for her to sit. She smiled. Feeling feminine and cherished was a new experience for her as well. One she liked a lot.
She laid her hands on the menu in front of her and leaned forward. “Does everyone know you in this town? It seems wherever we go, someone is calling out your name.”
He nodded. “Pretty much. If I didn’t grow up with them, then I’ve meet them through the fire department.”
“Do you get a lot of calls for house fires?” She unfolded her napkin. “I can’t imagine doing something so dangerous.”
“Not too many. This is a very small coastal city with a lot of people who live here only during the summer, but we have enough to keep us busy. Plus, we go out with every medical call and there are the kitchen fires and false alarms to check on.” He set his menu down. “There are a lot of things I do that most people don’t associate with being the chief.”
“Like what?” She lifted her shoulder. “This is all new to me. It’s fascinating.”
“Well, I guess what people don’t realize is there’s more paper pushing than actual fighting fires.” He leaned back in his chair. “There are inspections, safety patrols whenever someone plans an event, burning permits to hand out, and we sponsor a cadet program for seniors at the local high school that has really grabbed a lot of attention.”
“So, it’s not just about fighting fires and rescuing women stuck in a tree?” She opened her menu, but kept her gaze on Gregg. “I’m impressed.”
“I don’t understand.” He set his menu down.
She raised her brows. “Your job allows you to be active in your community. I like that. I grew up with parents who drew attention to themselves because of their jobs. They were looked upon as pillars of the community. Yet, it was their money that did the dirty work. I don’t remember them once volunteering to lead a bake sale or help build a senior center. That kind of stuff. You are right in the guts of the city making sure it runs well and people are kept safe. I’d like to do the same thing. I want to feel proud of what I can do, and people like you give so much of themselves...well, you’re a part of what makes Port View appealing to me.”
“I’m just a regular guy working to pay my bills.” Gregg glanced to the left, waved across the room, and turned his attention back to Amber. He shrugged. “That’s all anyone does, isn’t it?”
She shook her head and smiled. “It’s more than doing your duty. You have relationships with all these people. Like right now, you waved to someone you know, and the smile on your face was genuine. That’s worth more than money to me.”
“Well, considering that was my cousin’s wife, I hope it was genuine.” He leaned back in the chair. “It all comes as a package deal. When you grow up and live in a small town your whole life, everyone becomes part of your family, whether related to you by blood or memories.”
“I like your views of the world.” She closed her menu. “You’re very lucky, Chief McKee. Some of us have to work harder to make friends. That’s what I admire about you. You are responsible, likeable, and open.”
He seemed to study her. “Thank you. I think you’re selling yourself short though. You’re new in town, a smart entrepreneur, and always have something positive and refreshing to say. The town will soon fall in love with you, just wait and see.”
“I’m hoping.”
He set his menu at the edge of the table. “Did you grow up in Seattle?”
“Yes, but not within the same area, though. I changed schools every time my parents decided to redecorate by building a bigger house in a better neighborhood. I never formed relationships that survived the move. As an adult...” She shrugged and glanced away. “I was too busy trying to find the right career to put much energy into a social life.”
The waitress came back and took the notepad out of the front of her apron. “Are you two ready to order?”
“I’ll have what he’s having.” She laughed at the way Gregg’s jaw dropped. "I'm hungry."
“OK, that will be two Fisherman’s Platters, extra tartar sauce, and two mugs of beer.” He grinned across the table at her. “You should see the size of the platters.”
“Chief McKee has that right. He always orders our biggest plate.” The waitress laid her hand on Gregg’s shoulder. “I’m surprised you aren’t over with the rest of them celebrating your mom’s birthday.”
Gregg ran his hand along his jaw. “They came here?”
The waitress nodded and grinned. “They reserved the back room for...” She glanced at her watch. “...one more hour.”
“Thanks Connie.” He took a deep breath, shook his head, and exhaled loudly. “I should have stuck with the original plan it seems.”
“It’s your mom’s birthday and you weren’t planning on going to the party?” Amber sipped a drink of her water. “Oh Gregg, I hope you didn’t skip out because of me. We could have gone out any night.”
“I explained to her how I had this hot date...and she understands.” He lifted the corner of his mouth. “Although, if you don’t mind, since everyone came here, we could go back and wish her a happy birthday together.”
He scooted back his chair and stood. "I promise, we'll be in and out."
“Sure, I don’t mind. If you think it’s okay that I crash a private party.” She took his hand and followed him.
“Mom won’t mind a bit. In fact, she’s excited to meet you.” He passed the waitress and paused to inform her that they’d be in the back room.
Gregg led her through an archway at the
rear of the restaurant. She peered into the room and glanced up at him. This wasn’t a small party but a packed house. These people weren’t friends or other firemen; they were his family.
She had never lived up to her parents’ expectations. What if she didn’t live up to theirs, either?
“Gregg, maybe this isn’t a good idea.”
He raised their linked hands and kissed the back of her fingers. “Sure it is. It’ll give me a chance to introduce you to everyone at once. Then we’ll eat and go back to the house and... unwind.”
They stepped into the crowded room, and heads swung in their direction. An older woman pushed through the other people and headed in their direction with a smile on her face. Amber squeezed Gregg’s hand, and tried to appear as if she belonged at the party.
“Happy Birthday, Mom.” Gregg dropped her hand to pull his mom into his arms.
Mrs. McKee closed her eyes and smiled. Amber stepped back to give them a moment. The love they shared was apparent in the way they kissed each other’s cheeks.
Amber swallowed. More uncomfortable with the ease they had being together in the same room than she was used to. She couldn't remember the last time one of her parents were actually happy to see her.
Mrs. McKee slapped her son’s arm as she pulled away. “I thought you were on a date. You didn’t have to drag her over to the party.”
She stepped toward Amber. “Hello, I’m Gregg’s mom. You can call me Betsy.”
“Amber.” She held out her hand, but Betsy hugged her instead. She smiled at Gregg over the woman’s shoulder. “Happy Birthday.”
Mrs. McKee stepped back beside her son and winked at Amber. “Thank you, my dear. It is the one day out of the year I do absolutely nothing and eat up all the attention.”
Amber glanced at Gregg. He had the same kind eyes and confidence that his mother had.
“Actually, I took your advice, Mom.” He held out his hand for Amber and pulled her closer. “I took Amber to a movie and decided to come over to Ivan’s for dinner. I had no idea you’d be here. I thought Sam was taking you out for Chinese food.”
“We were planning to, but we decided there was more room here for everybody to relax and visit.” She offered her hand to Amber. “Come on. You two can sit at my table.”
Betsy led her and Gregg over to a round table in the center of the room, and pulled out chairs for them. “Gregg said you’re new to Port View. You can meet some of the troublemakers tonight who call this place home.”
“Troublemakers?” A man who could have been Gregg’s twin—except for the beard—stuck his hand out across the table. “I haven’t done anything since Shaun Banman and I toilet papered Mr. Linson’s yard years ago.—— I’m Sam, Gregg’s older brother. I hear you’re running a pet daycare out of your home.”
She sat down and put her hand on Gregg’s thigh underneath the table. “I ran a daycare back in Seattle, and thought I’d try my hand here in Port View.”
“Excellent.” Betsy leaned closer. “I can tell a lot about someone who loves animals. You’re a good person, Amber.”
“Thank you.” Amber nodded. “I believe that too, Mrs...Betsy.”
“You should see how those animals respond to her, Mom.” Gregg slid his hand up the back of Amber’s bare neck. “I think Amber could make anyone sit up and beg...for one of her treats.”
She raised her brows and bit down on her lip to keep from laughing. He winked and pulled her over for a kiss. Sure that everyone understood Gregg’s joke, she felt the heat rise on her cheeks. She turned her back to Gregg to try and forget about the way he made her insides warm. She laid her hand on Betsy’s arm. “Did Gregg tell you how we met?”
Sam’s laughter mixed with Betsy’s, and judging by the way they each smiled at Gregg, Amber knew he had obviously told them the embarrassing tale of being caught in a tree.
She grinned over at Gregg. “It was Cleo the kitten’s fault. Although I have to say, Gregg safely carried me down the tree without dropping me.”
“Even though I bet you were perfectly fine climbing down the tree by yourself. Am I rigiht?” Smiling, Betsy shook her head. “That’s my son, the hero.”
The waitress put the platters down in front of them on the table. Amber’s eyes widened and she turned to Greg.
“Dig in, Amber.” He held up one of his shrimp and grinned. “You’ve got a lot of food there.”
“Oh my. There is no way a person can consume all this.” She eyed all the different types of seafood on her plate. “This could last me a week.”
“You haven’t seen Gregg eat, have you? He’ll finish his plate, and manage to help you finish yours too.” Betsy picked up one of the fries off her own plate.
Between bites, Gregg introduced her to the other people at the party. Mr. Swanson had no trouble sharing poignant and hilarious stories from Gregg’s past.
“Gregg sat on the curb for half the day.” Mr. Swanson grinned at his wife. “Do you remember what he told you?”
Mrs. Swanson smiled. “He told me that he wasn’t going home until Sharon agreed to be his girlfriend.”
“Aw...that’s so romantic.” Amber cocked her head and tapped her elbow against Gregg’s. “Did Sharon ever agree to go out with you?”
Gregg shook his head and laid his hand on his chest. “She broke my heart that day.”
Betsy laughed and slapped the table. “What these goons aren’t telling you, Amber, is that Gregg was only six years old, and Sharon was graduating from high school.” She wiped the corner of her eye. “If I remember right, Gregg’s dad ended up buying him a goldfish to help him get over his heartbreak, and that was the last we ever heard of Sharon.”
Amber laughed. “See! Animals help make everything better.”
“That they do.” Gregg leaned over and gave her a kiss. “How about we slip out of here and go back to the house, before they tell more embarrassing stories about me?”
She pursed her lips and pretended to give it some thought. “Okay. Deal.”
Fifteen minutes later, they returned to Gregg's house. Fifteen minutes after that, Gregg had a fire going and a wine poured. Amber stared into the flames of the fire, a whirlwind of emotions swirling in her head. She’d pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, but then she’d have to move out of the cozy warmth of Gregg’s arms.
He’d taken her back to his place, but instead of sweeping her into the bedroom, he’d surprised her with a fire on the beach, a tender slow dance in the sand, and now, a cuddle in front of the small bonfire.
He’d given her his time, something no one had ever thought to give her. It was as if tomorrow would never come and they’d stay together here forever.
“What are you thinking?” His hand stroked her back.
“Mm...” She leaned her head back. “I think I got the best gift, instead of your mother, today.”
“How so?” The reflection of the fire lit up his blue eyes.
“This. You. Us. It’s so good, I have a hard time imagining anyone doing something so unselfish for just me.” She stretched and gave him a kiss. “Thank you.”
His hand pressed against her lower back, and his fingers seemed to burn against her skin. She wanted to move closer, to rub against him like a cat, and show him exactly how much she appreciated tonight. “You’ve given me so much.” She smiled. “This is a night worthy of writing in a diary.”
H chuckled and rolled her over on top of him until she was straddling his hips. “You keep a diary?”
She shook her head, laughed, and then leaned down to whisper in his ear. “I’m going to buy one first thing in the morning.”
Chapter Five
Pokey’s owner patted Amber’s arm, turned, and hurried down the path to the sidewalk. Amber leaned against the doorframe and sighed in frustration. This was the second customer in the last two weeks who withdrew their pet from daycare, and she was positive her neighbors were behind that decision. If she lost one more customer, she’d have a hard time saving up enoug
h money to pay the contractor to bring her house up to code.
It seemed kind of silly that the zoning department was making her install a sprinkler system and fire extinguishers in every room. The smoke alarms and better fencing she could understand, but it wasn’t like the animals spent the night here.
Seeing the yappy dog leaving with its owner, she imagined Pokey was telling her exactly what would become of her big attempt at running a pet daycare. You’re crazy. You’ll never succeed. Go do something real with your life. It was stupid to think you could run your own business.
Shutting the door on her negativity, Amber went back into the house, stepped into the living room, and sat down on the couch. Buster and Max jumped up on the sofa and laid their furry heads on her lap, vying for her attention. Scratching each of the dogs behind their ears, she closed her eyes. Thank goodness the nice man at the city hall gave her the three month grace period to do the building upgrades necessary for the business license. So far, he was the only person in Port View who made her feel as if her aunt had had any friends.
Somehow, she needed to convince her neighbors that she was a nice person and they had no reason to worry about her pet daycare in the neighborhood. Buster laid his head on her shoulder, and she threw her arm around him for a hug. Even bad boy Buster had stopped most of his excessive barking the last couple of days, and she’d followed all the sanitation laws that were required for animal care facilities. Things were improving, but she couldn’t wait until she had her feet solidly planted in the sand of Port View.
“OK, lazy pooches, we must do something productive today. How about you help me feed Cleo, and we’ll try to teach Ditto to say a new word?” She stood and patted her thigh.
Each animal took its place beside her and waited for her to move. She stroked their heads. “Awesome canine geniuses. You’re catching on.” She led them to the kitchen at the back of the house. The dog whisperer had nothing on her.
“Hello. Hello.”
Amber poked her finger through the wire enclosure and stroked the sides of the Congo Parrot. “Hello, Ditto. Are you hungry?”
