Free Hot Mess by Anne Conley

her entire body, throwing her head back, and shaking her shoulders. In addition to that, Amanda had more fun than Sam had seen in a long time. Sophia was great for Amanda. Something about the little girl with pig-tails was drawing Amanda out of the shell she had crawled into when her mother died. Sam wanted to spend every spare minute he had at Rachel's house, but he could tell she was scared, and he wasn't going to push things. He liked her more than he'd liked a woman in…well, ever. And he didn't want to fuck it up.
    Now, he was still trying to get used to his new sleep schedule. Forty-eight hours on, then forty-eight hours off. So far, so good. After the first night, which had been abnormally quiet, he'd been out on at least six runs a shift.
    Thankfully, his new crew had accepted him as a transfer and wasn't trying to put him through the wringer once they got through the first two weeks of pranks.
    His crew now, was JT, Justin, Mike, Juan, Cade, Morris, Derrick and Dave.
    JT was a bear of a man, taller even than Sam, and bigger around, though not as muscular as Sam. The man was strong as a bull, though, and testy as one, if he didn't get a cup of coffee before the first call-out.
    Mike was a young guy, early twenties, maybe. His blonde hair was cut in a crew cut, and his eager blue eyes belied an innocence that Sam knew would be gone soon, if he stayed with the career he seemed so proud of.
    Juan was a short, stout Hispanic man with a goatee. He was a lifter, too, and he and Sam had become work-out partners, pushing each other to lift more, become stronger.
    Dave was quiet, and when he wasn't working out solo, he was reading or playing solitaire. He was quiet and intense, but Sam figured out really quick that he could be counted on to perform under pressure, as could the rest of the crew.
    Justin was loud and obnoxious, but a good firefighter and worked well with the team on calls. Morris, the oldest, had been with the department forever, it seemed, and he liked to kick people off their cooking detail, if he didn't like the food. Sam felt confident that he would be kicked off soon, unless Morris was in love with breakfast.
    Derrick was taciturn most of the time, and seemed to be a hot head, both in and out of the field. He had lightened up a little, but Sam still hadn't gotten the scoop on him and Brenda, and any history they may have had.
    All in all, he was satisfied with the bunch, and felt a sense of pride at having a group of capable men he trusted to work with.
    It was two thirty in the afternoon, and he knew that Rachel would be waiting in line to pick up Sophia. His gut burned when he thought about her and not in a bad way. Apparently, his thoughts were a little transparent, because Juan pulled up a chair next to him, sitting in it backwards.
    "Who is she, bro?"
    Startled, Sam looked up at his new friend. "What?"
    "You sound like a little girl over here, sighing and shifting. You thinking about a woman, I'm thinking. Who is she?"
    "My neighbor. I was thinking about texting her."
    "Ooohh. How romantic." Juan's eyes lit up, and he pulled an imaginary pencil from behind his ear. "I'm going to take notes, you got skills."
    "Whatever, man."
    "You wanna lift some?" Juan prodded.
    "Sure, give me a minute." Sam pulled out his cell phone and sent Rachel a text. What's for dinner, hot stuff?
    He waited for a reply and didn't have long to wait. His phone dinged a minute later.
    R U fishing for an invite?
    Do I need to?
    What do you like to eat?
    Anything but chili. I'm sick of chili.
    LOL. How about pasta primavera?
    Sounds almost as delicious as you. He could see her blush in his mind, and it made the anticipation of seeing her tonight even greater.
    What time?
    I get off at six and will pick up Amanda on the way. Is that okay?
    Of course! See u then.
    Can't wait.
    He put his phone away, but before he and Juan could get started on their work out, a call came in for an address that was already familiar to Sam. Being a