Free Fireman Edition by M.S. Willis Page A

the pan and asked, “Do you want breakfast?”
    Sighing out my relief that he was going to just let it go and not ask questions, I said, “Yes. And some aspirin. I think I drank too much last night.”
    “Which is why I’m cooking you breakfast. I know you have work this morning, so I wanted to make sure you weren’t feeling like crap when you left. I was just about to wake you so you would have time to get a shower.”
    I remembered that my car was at the burned-down restaurant and I hoped that it was in one piece. Luckily, the bookstore where I worked was in walking distance. Judging from what I could see outside, it looked like a beautiful day. That was definitely a plus.
    We sat down at the table and Rich filled my plate with all the breakfast fixtures. Eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast sat beneath my nose, the smell rising up to tempt my palate.
    I’d just shoved the first forkful in my mouth when he said, “So, you might want to dress nice today. You wouldn’t want to be caught off guard or anything. I hope you’re feeling up to seeing people.”
    I chewed my food and peeked up at him from behind squinting, suspicious eyes. “What do you mean? I’m just going to work. There’s no people.”
    He smiled. “I know. But I think you should make yourself look nice. You never know who you might run into.”
    Was this about Mark? Did he know something I didn’t know?
    “What’s going on, Rich? Did Mark call or something?”
    I realized the error of my question. The only number Mark had for me was my cell phone and that was still in my room. There would have been no way for Rich to answer it. Maybe Mark did something really romantic – something that would make up for leaving me horny and naked inside an empty firehouse. It didn’t have to be a grand display. Anything would have made me feel better.
    Twisting in my seat, I looked around the room for flowers or candy or anything that might have been dropped off personally or sent to the apartment. Everything was as it had been the day before: messy, mismatched and desperately in need of repair. There wasn’t a single rose, daisy or carnation in sight.
    “No. Mark didn’t call. I just realized that you are going out into the world today because of work and I think you should make sure you look nice.” He shrugged. “I mean, if the date was as great as you say it was, Mark might stop by the bookstore unexpectedly and you’ll want to look nice. I know you’re new to this dating thing, Jane, and I thought I’d give you some advice. If I had a great date with a girl, I’d want to see her the next day as well.”
    I wouldn’t call it great – but I wouldn’t let him know that.
    I eyed him funny before relaxing again and deciding that he had a point. “Okay. I’ll wear my nicest pair of jeans, I guess. Maybe some sandals and a pretty shirt?”
    “Sounds good.” After taking a swig of orange juice from his glass, he smiled. “Eat up. You have to jump in a shower soon if you hope to make it to work on time.”
    Breakfast moved along quickly and within an hour I was dressed and ready for work. Thanks to the aspirin, my head was no longer pounding and thanks to Rich, my stomach no longer felt like a science experiment gone awry.
    Switching the contents of my fancy purse to my everyday purse, I checked my phone to find no new messages and about a million emails in response to my ad.
    What the hell?
    I didn’t understand and I didn’t have time to investigate. I hoped that Brad wouldn’t be into work on time and I’d have a chance to get on the computer in his office and delete the ad.
    Shrugging the whole thing off, I shoved Flirting with a Fireman into my bag and remembered to grab the rest of the books on my way out. I was done with romance and I didn’t believe there was anything in those books that was true.
    “Okay, I’m leaving. Have a good day, Rich. I’ll see you when I get home.” I gathered the books in my arms and moved to open the door.