All Summer Long (Fool's Gold #9)(42)

Olivia shifted in her seat. “You’re making this a big deal. Why do you care if he gets into the training program or not?”

“Because I do a lot of the training and he’s the best one we have. It pisses me off that he’s being dismissed because of how he looks. Probably because it’s happened a lot to me, but for very different reasons.”

Michelle drew in a breath. “She’s right. He knew more than the others. Not just about firefighting in general, but how we do things here. He’s put time into his research. Charlie has a point. Refusing to consider Clay because of how he looks or what he was doesn’t speak very highly of us.”

Olivia wasn’t pleased. “Fine. We’ll put him in the program, but if he screws up even once, he’s out.”

“No,” Charlie told her boss. “I don’t agree with that. We have very specific rules in place and consequences. If Clay breaks the rules, then the same consequences apply to him as they would to anyone else.”

“Whatever.” Olivia made a note on the list. “Who’s next?”

* * *

“I WAS so angry,” Charlie said at lunch. “They practically called him a piece of ass. It never would have happened if he were a woman. I don’t get it. I’ve been dismissed because of how I look. I know how it feels. Most of them do, too. So why are they acting like this?”

Annabelle reached across the table and grabbed a French fry from Charlie’s plate.

“Is that allowed?” Patience asked with a smile. “The fry, I mean. Not how the meeting went.”

Charlie eyed the other two women’s lunches, noting the big pile of greens in bowls. “If you don’t want salad, why do you order salad?”

“Because I don’t burn a million calories at my job and I’m as tall as a mushroom,” Annabelle said, then popped the second half of the fry into her mouth.

“I like the pretense of eating healthy,” Patience told her.

Charlie sighed and turned her plate so the fries were facing the other two, then motioned to Jo who stood by the bar.

Jo grinned. “They’re stealing again?”

“It happens every time.”

“I’ll bring out more as soon as they’re ready.”

“Thanks.”

Charlie picked up her burger. “What was I saying?”

“You were ranting,” Patience told her. “It was a good rant. I admire your ability to say what you think. My daughter’s good at it, too.”

“Lillie is good at a lot of things,” Annabelle said. “She’s so fun when she comes to the library. But we were talking about Clay and the meeting.”

“I’ve seen him around town,” Patience said, then sighed. “Wow. He’s seriously good-looking. It’s like he’s not really one of us. I admire you standing up for him.”

Annabelle, who knew a little more of what was going on with Clay, looked amused and concerned at the same time. Charlie had a feeling she was going to get a talking-to fairly soon.

“Me, too,” Annabelle told her. “And I’m surprised that it was an issue. I thought we were more evolved than that.”

“They think he’s going to be flaky. That he won’t follow through. If he’d given them any reason for that, I would totally support their concern. But he hasn’t. He’s shown up when he’s supposed to and done what he’s told.”

“An excellent quality in a man,” Patience said, her eyes twinkling. “I like him already.”

“Interested?” Annabelle asked causally, keeping her gaze on Charlie.

Charlie forced herself to take a big bite of her burger and chew as if she hadn’t felt a single twinge of jealousy. That sharp pain in the region of her heart was just, um, preindigestion.

“Wish I could be, but no. My ex cured me of ever being willing to trust a man again.” Patience’s smile turned rueful. “Not as much for me as for Lillie. Ned wasn’t interested in being a dad, so he signed away his rights to her. I’m not interested in breaking her heart a second time.”

“Not all guys are jerks,” Annabelle told her.

“I’ve heard the rumors. So far I don’t believe they’re true. Although your guy is pretty special.”

“I know,” Annabelle said with a sigh.

“Oh, the fries are ready.” Patience got up and walked toward the bar.

Annabelle watched her go, then leaned forward. “Be careful,” she said in a low voice. “About Clay.”

“I wasn’t reacting emotionally,” Charlie whispered. “I defended him because it was the right thing to do.”

“I agree, but I’m worried about you.”

“We’re just friends.”

“You’re having sex.”

“Not yet, but soon.” Anticipation sent an odd heat burning through to her thighs.

Her friend looked at her. “You’re messing with forces you can’t control.”

“You sound like a sci-fi movie.”

“Great truth can be found there. I’m serious, Charlie. I’m glad you’re healing and it’s great that Clay is helping, but things happen when a woman has sex. It’s difficult not to get emotionally involved.”