Free Hot In Here (Ashton Heights Fire # 3) by Sami Lee Page B

took off as soon as she shut the door. Blair stood there and
watched her go, feeling the reality of her leaving hit him hard and
cold in the gut.
    Then he glanced down and saw her shoe still
lying on the veranda.

 

    Leo dipped the sponge into
the bucket of sudsy water, then lifted it and slapped it wetly
against the side of the fire truck. He covered the driver’s door
with the detergent and scrubbed. When he was done, he stepped back
and switched on the hose to rinse off the section he’d washed. Then
he went back to the bucket and started the process all over
again.
    Most people thought
firefighting was an exciting job. There were days when it could
be—it was certainly unpredictable. When a call came in, no matter
how much detail they’d been given, they never really knew what they
were going to face at the scene, and some days they answered call
after call after call.
    Then there were days like
today, when nothing seemed be happening, and it was up to the guys
on duty to tend to the maintenance of the station and its vehicles.
Days when the hours dragged out monotonously. Kind of like my life , Leo thought
morosely.
    “ Smoko time!” The
announcement came from the front of the station, where Rob
McConnell had just walked in with a tray of something from the
bakery down the street. “We’ve got apricot Danish, cheesecake slice
and some of those choc-chip scones you like, Chats. My
treat.”
    The other guys called out their approval.
Blair, whose job this morning was to tidy up the break room, came
out and said, “You’re in a good mood, Curly.”
    “ That I am, Blue.” In
fact, Rob was grinning from ear to ear as he walked into the break
room and set the pastries on the table. He reemerged a moment
later, his smile still in place. “I’m moving in with
Sierra.”
    A couple of the guys made sounds of
approval, followed by jokes about Rob being pussy whipped as they
made their way to the food. Rob took it all with good humor,
obviously not willing to have his mood derailed. Not even by Blair,
who scowled at the news.
    “ So you’re leaving us in
the lurch.”
    Rob rolled his eyes. “Come
on, Blue, you must have known it was coming. I spend most of my
time at her place anyway.”
    “ Yeah, but—”
    “ It’s great,” Leo
interrupted before Blair could issue whatever complaint had been
about to come out of his mouth. Drying up with a towel, he walked
over to Rob and held out his hand. “Congratulations,
mate.”
    “ Thanks. I’m really crazy
about her.”
    Leo smiled wryly. “We noticed. You going to
make an honest woman out of her soon?”
    “ You can bet on it.” Rob
turned his attention back to Blair, who was still glowering. “Cheer
up, Blue. You guys will find someone else to split the
rent.”
    But who else would
tolerate our loud three-way encounters? Leo
thought, and wondered if that same thing had occurred to Blair when
his look turned uncharacteristically sheepish. “Leo’s right. If
this is what you want, then it’s great.”
     
    The two men shook. Rob beamed and clapped
them both on the back before disappearing into the break room,
where he was greeted by raucous applause. Leo opted to avoid the
festivities and went back to washing the truck.
    “ You’re not going to take a
break?” Blair asked.
    “ Not hungry.” He also
wasn’t in the mood to be around the others. He really was happy for
Rob. He was a decent guy and he deserved a good woman like Sierra.
Still, there was a part of him that was unsettled by the whole
situation, although he’d gone out of his way not to let Rob see
it.
    Blair came over and leant on the front grill
of the truck. “So I guess we’ll have to start looking for a
lodger.”
    “ We can afford the place on
our own for a while.” The next words were out before Leo even knew
what he was going to say. “Or we could all go our separate
ways.”
    The guys in the break room
laughed. The sound seemed so far away, as though it were behind a
Perspex