Free Fire at Sunset: The Firefighters of Darling Bay 4 by Lila Ashe

scene.” She released. “Thank goodness. Someone tell that woman to chill the heck out. What’s she going to do when he’s a teenager? People have to space out their reaction to trauma, otherwise they get all weird too early on. Parents. Sheesh. Oh! The fundraiser. Is that what you’re worried about?”  
    Bonnie nodded, grateful Lexie wasn’t focusing on her blush. “Yeah. Well, okay, no. We’ve kind of got that figured out.”
    “Already?”  
    “Yeah. We…met up yesterday and talked.”  
    “Oh!” Lexie looked intrigued. “The silent man of mystery, meeting you outside? Where real people live? What was that like?”  
    “What do you mean?” Bonnie kept her gaze high, just over Lexie’s shoulder, where the laminated map of the district hung.  
    “Whoa. You like him!”  
    Bonnie felt a burst of adrenaline shoot through to her fingertips, and she felt a deeper blush start at her hairline. “No way.”  
    “You do! You’ve been riding with him for what, two months? Max? And now you’re crushing!”  
    “I can’t stand him.” Bonnie thought of the bursts of static that crackled between them. Earlier in the day, when setting up a backboard for a patient, their hands had touched and Bonnie thought she could almost see the electricity jump from him to her. Her stomach had been in knots all day, but neither of them had mentioned the kiss.  
    “Mmmm- hmm .” Lexie leaned forward, lacing her fingers and putting her chin into them. “That’s how the best kind starts. I want to be your maid of honor. That is, unless Coin and I elope, which we might, depending on how Serena is acting the week we finally decide to do it. If I’m married, I’ll be your matron of honor. Whatever I am, I want to be it.”  
    Bonnie laughed. “Nothing like that is on the horizon. He can barely stand me. It’s pretty mutual.” So was that kiss…
    “Don’t tell Coin, but I’ll admit he’s a looker. Ride ’em, cowboy, and all of that.”  
    Bonnie sank into one of the spare dispatch chairs. “So you think he’s cute?”  
    Lexie smiled. “I do. But I don’t think he’s as cute as you think he is, apparently.”  
    “What?”  
    She waved a hand. “Look at you. Please. It’s all over you. You are blissed out on a crush.”  
    “Am not .” What would Lexie think if she knew that Bonnie had kissed him? To be fair, he’d kissed her first. But she’d definitely been a willing and very active participant. “Okay, maybe a little bit.” Bonnie reach ed forward to clutch desperately at Lexie’s arm. “Do you know what a pain in the butt this is going to be? I have to squash it.” Saying it out loud was the first time she realized she was so upset about it. “Sitting in the same rig with him for a whole year-long stint?”  
    “He’s junior. He could get moved wherever the chief wants him to go. Maybe he’ll move stations on you.” Lexie looked dreamy for a moment. “I hope he doesn’t, though. He’s got that perfect cowboy a—”  
    “Don’t make me think about that. Tell me what to do about it, instead. Tell me how to stop a crush.”  
    Lexie pressed her lips together. Then, as if reminded she had lips, she applied ChapStick while she stared at Bonnie.  
    Patiently, Bonnie waited.  
    Instead of answering the question, Lexie said, “What’s your fundraiser plan?”  
    “No, Lex, I need a man plan. I need a get-this-man-out-of-my-system plan. Who cares about the fundraiser? We’ve got that all worked out.”  
    “This is relevant. Go with me here. What’s your fundraising plan? Something delicious? Humiliating? Funny?”  
    Bonnie sighed and sat back, wincing as the hard plastic of the chair dug into her back. “Maybe all of those. Remember when we were kids, we played Truth or Dare?”  
    “Of course. I hated that game.”  
    “It was fun,” protested Bonnie. Okay, it was fun if you lied and avoided being dared to do anything. “What if we coordinated a pay-for-play