Fighting the Flames (Firefighter Romance #1)(30)

“Whoa, take it easy man.” Shane said, hanging onto the bag. “You’ve been down here all day.”

“Need something, Shane?” Ryan flexed his fingers and winced. Fresh blood ran down the back of his hand. He went to the sink in the corner and ran it under cold water, wincing from the stinging pain.

“We’re ordering food. You want anything?”

“No.”

“Dude, what’s up with you?” Shane leaned against the counter, folding his arms across his chest. “You haven’t been this miserable since you took that whole summer off after Vikki—”

“Shut the f*ck up!” Ryan pointed in Shane’s face. “I told you I never wanted to talk about that summer!”

Shane put his hands up in a show of surrender. “Whoa, okay, sorry man. Didn’t mean to piss you off.”

Ryan wrapped a towel around his right hand, which had borne the brunt of his anger, and shook his head. “No, I’m sorry.” He blew out a breath. “I’m gonna get out of here. Page me if there’s a call.”

“Yeah, sure. Hey, you wanna grab a beer later?”

Ryan considered it for a moment. He wasn’t thrilled at the idea of socializing, but it would get him out of the house and maybe get his mind off Jess. “McGillicuddy’s? Eight o’clock?”


“First round’s on me.” Shane said, attempting a smile.



Ryan arrived home to find Jess outside, in her yard, camera in hand. The mere sight of her clutched at his heart; making him want to cry. Dammit. Ryan had only cried three times in his entire adult life. Once when he’d buried his parents; once when Vikki had pulled her shit; and then once when he’d woken to Jess’s note. All he wanted was get out of his truck, stride across the lawn, and take her into his arms. He wanted it with a desperation he’d never before experienced. Maybe he should be her friend. At least she’d be in his life, and he wouldn’t feel so damn empty all the time.

He sighed and got out of the truck. “Hey, Jess,” he said as he walked across the lawn toward her.

“Ryan.” She seemed genuinely surprised to see him. “Hi.”

“What are you doing?” She’s taking pictures, you dipshit.

“I’m taking pictures for my portfolio. I have an interview Monday for a part-time position with the local paper. It’s not great, but it’s a start.”

“No, Jess, that’s fantastic.” He knew how much she loved to take pictures, and he was really happy for her. “You should include that photo you took of the lake.”

“You think so?” She smiled.

Ryan smiled too, a real smile, the first since he’d walked out of Jess’s house. “Yeah, I do.”

“So, what brings you by?” She brushed the hair from her forehead with the back of her hand.

It never ceased to amaze him how beautiful she was. Every time he saw her, it was like the first time all over again. “Uh, there’s a flea market just outside of town. It runs every weekend through the summer. I was wondering if you wanted to go tomorrow, with me.”

Jessie put her hands on her hips. “I haven’t heard from you in three days. Now you want me to go to the flea market with you?”

“Yep.” He smiled again. “Look, Jess, I’m making an effort here. I’m trying to do the friend thing.”

“In that case, yes, I’d love to go.”

He really hadn’t expected her to say yes. Not to say he wasn’t happy, because he was, but he had no idea how he was going to spend an entire day with her and behave. “Good. We should get there early if we want to get any good deals.”

“How early is early? You know I’m not a morning person.”

Ryan chuckled. “I was thinking we could leave around seven.”

She rolled her eyes and then laughed. “Okay, I’ll be ready.”

Things seemed to be going well, so he decided to push his luck a little further. “Want to go grab some lunch?”

“I can’t.” She held up her camera. “I have to finish putting my portfolio together. How about a late dinner?”

He frowned. “I’m meeting some of the guys from the station for drinks.” The look on Jess’s face confused him. She looked disappointed, almost sad. It was her idea to just be friends. She couldn’t possibly be upset or angry that he made other plans. Talk about frustrating. “I can cancel,” he blurted out before cursing at himself under his breath. What a dick he was, groveling like some underfed puppy.

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s okay.” She smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, well, have fun.” He hesitated for a moment before turning and walking away. That hadn’t been as painful as he’d expected it to be. But spending tomorrow with her was going to be a different story. He had no idea how he was going to handle it. Besides… maybe this would be for the best. The more time he spent with her as a friend, the more he’d get used to it. Kind of an ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ in reverse.



Ryan walked into McGillicuddy’s at eight, fighting through a crowd to get to Shane, who was waiting for him at the bar. “Place is busy tonight,” he said, surprised to find an empty stool beside Shane.