Light up the Night (Firehouse Three #2)(36)

Fortunately, Jesse had come bearing cupcakes from the same shop that had catered the fundraiser, and Everly was developing a serious addiction to them. Along with two extra dogs Jesse had brought in the house, it should have been a relaxing time. But Jesse’s offering of sugar had come with a serious price.

“So, Drake, huh? The guy on the website? Spill, now, or so help me God, I’m going to call your mother and then you’ll have to tell us both.”

“You—Jesse! No. You wouldn’t.” Oh God. The only thing worse than having to admit all this out loud would be having to admit it in front of Everly’s biggest critic. She meant well, but her mother was a perfectionist of the highest order, and Everly didn’t usually meet her expectations.

“Spill, woman.”

Everly shook her head vehemently. “Don’t ‘spill woman’ me. What about you?”

“I will tell you all, but only after you tell me what the hell is going on?”

Damn it. Everly shot her friend a glare as Jesse nibbled her cupcake like sugar couldn’t melt on her if it tried. Fine. She’d just lay it out there.

“I got caught in a tree, he rescued me, and then we kissed. A few times.”

“Everly Pitts. When?” Jesse’s stare made Everly squirm.

“Last week.”

“Why didn’t I know about this? Is this why I couldn’t find you Friday?”

“Yes.” Everly stared over Jesse’s shoulder, hoping her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.

“How did the fundraiser go? I… never mind. You first.”

“Great. The fundraiser… I had no idea it would be that successful.” That reminded Everly of yet another bone she had to pick with Jesse. She pointed an accusatory finger at her best friend. “And you! You! Two thousand dollars? I can’t—”

“You can. It already cleared my bank account. Now, Drake?”

Everly buried her face against the couch cushions and groaned. Maybe she could fall through the floor if she really, really tried.

“That good, huh?” Jesse’s grin was positively wicked when Everly sat up again.

“Yes.”

“Go on your date yet?”

“Yessssss.” The word really cost Everly. She shoved the rest of her cupcake in her mouth so she wouldn’t have to say anything else. Fortunately for her, Jesse took pity on her.

“I really should have paid more attention to the details of the auction. I didn’t realize I was bidding on a date—my bad.” Jesse licked blue frosting off her finger. “So… I had sex on Friday with my fireman.”

Whoa, wait, what the f*ck? Jesse? The only person on earth who was just as hung up on this kind of thing as Everly? The floor could have dropped out from underneath Everly and she’d have been less stunned.

“You—what?” Everly’s breath sucked out of her chest in a quick movement. “Who?”

“His name is Hunter. He’s got—”

“Tattoos?” That hottie she’d bought at the auction? Damn, Everly hadn’t seen that one coming.

“Yes…” Jesse was actually blushing. The girl who blew up shit for a living. Everly had really fallen through to the Twilight Zone.

“What? Seriously?”

“Yup. And then someone stole my keys, my truck and… that warehouse fire on the news?” Jesse stared down at the floor as the dog’s tail thumped against the couch. “Someone stole the C4 out of my demo locker and blew up that warehouse.”

“No…”

“Yeah, and… I keep thinking, what if someone got hurt? What if it was Hunter? Or Drake, right? What if it was them? I’m probably officially on the crazy list but I had to go up there, check on them. Because, what if I got someone hurt?”

Everly understood completely. In fact she had been tempted to go down there to check Drake over herself. “Wow. Do…do your brothers—?”

“Oh, God. I don’t even want to talk about them.”

“They know?”

“Justin tried to start a fight with Hunter and clocked me instead.”

“No.”

“Yeah.”

“And this precious little one?” Everly waved at the panting fuzz-face who was pressed up against Jesse’s leg like she belonged there.

“This is Hunter’s girl. Elsa.”

Elsa did her best please-love-me puppy face at Everly, and she obliged by scratching her behind the ears.

“You have his dog and he’s met your brothers. Is this serious?”

“I don’t know,” Jesse said slowly. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. It just… did. And now…I don’t know.” She looked as confused as Everly felt.

“You sound like me.” Everly petted Elsa, who looked entirely pleased to be worshipped.

“Drake and Hunter seem really close.”

“Drake moved here because of Hunter.”

“Yeah.”

Silence fell between them for a moment, and Everly wrapped her arms around her knees, propping her chin on them. She’d felt sick all morning, wondering about Drake. Apparently it had been eating Jesse, too, because she broke the quiet by saying, “Did you watch the warehouse coverage?”