Page 17 of The Fireman and the Flirt

The owner raised his arm, about to shoo me to the back of the line.

“BBLT,” I blurted out.

I breathed an epic sigh of relief as I shuffled down the counter to pay.

Derek gave me a thumbs up. This man was going to be the death of me.

Luck was on our side.A gaggle of co-workers with their company’s ID badges hanging from neck lanyards and belt loops cleared off their high top table. It was nestled in the crook of the front bay window, perfect for people watching. Downtown was alive with the bustle of the day. People walked past us carrying full shopping bags. I loved the buildup to the holidays. There was an indescribable excitement in the air.

“How’s your bacon? Bacony?” Derek asked. The man was only capable of taking big bites, his hardy, bearded jaw devouring his helpless food. No nibbling for him.

“Yummmm. Pig.” Though I couldn’t protest as I’d already made my way through a quarter of the sandwich. My arteries would have to deal. This was damn good bacon.

“Next time, you should get extra mayo.”

“Mayo is just liquid fat.”

“Sounds tasty,” he said with an extra-squinty smile that hid his eyes. Derek had a good sense of humor, a new fact I filed away in my head. He’d always come off as serious and reserved. Maybe the bacon brought it out of him.

He pushed his basket of chips in my direction. I spent way too long deciding on the proper amount to take. I didn’t want to be greedy, but taking a single chip would be abnormal human behavior.

I settled on three.

“Thank you.” The chips were a perfect burst of salty crunch. A theory: food taken from someone else’s plate always tasted better than your own.

“Baconandchips. Don’t tell your cardiologist.” Derek’s massive jaw easily took down a chip.

“I’m not a health nut,” I said, part of a compulsion to perpetually explain myself. “I don’t like to eat heavy while I’m working because it can drag down my energy and put me into a food coma. Nobody wants to buy a house from a guy falling asleep.”

“Okay. It’s cool if you are.”

“Not all of us are as naturally buff as you, Derek.”

Crap. Was that a flirtatious comment? For as long as I’d known Derek, he had a natural jackedness to him thanks to his size. I was merely commenting on his genetics.

“And don’t get me wrong. I really like meat.”

Crap. Wasthata flirtatious comment?

Derek chuckled while taking another huge bite, a wheel turning in his head. What did that smile betray?Do you know about the letter or don’t you?

“I like meat, too,” he said, but he was likely talking about bacon. Before I could dig into that statement and simultaneously dig myself further into this one-way flirtatious hole, he changed the subject. “Thank you for asking about the sinks.”

“Uh, yeah. I mean, that’s what I do. I want to get a full sense of what my clients are looking for.”

“You don’t have to call me your client.”

“But you are.” Calling him my client was a reminder to myself to curb my desire to climb him like he was El Capitan and I was theFree Sologuy. Besides, what else would I call him? We weren’t friends technically. “Why are you thanking me for bringing up a dual vanity?”

“Because nobody in my life ever will.” Derek put down his sandwich, a pained look creasing his brow. “It feels like people want me to stay the sad, lonely widower forever. You are the first person who hinted at the possibility that I could date in the future.”

I blushed slightly, happy that I could unintentionally provide this glimmer of light for him. I couldn’t imagine what it was like to continue on with daily life without your one true love or boo or whatever straight people were calling their spouses nowadays.

“I do miss my wife. It’s been a very tough year. But I hate how it’s this dark cloud hanging over every interaction in my life. Except with you. I like how we can just talk, and talk about my future, without you bringing up the sad, lonely widower thing.”

I had a twinge of guilt hit the back of my throat. Selfishly, I didn’t want to bring up his late wife because I clung to a one-percent chance that I actuallyhada chance with someone like him. Knowing how badly he wanted to move on from mourning, I was more determined to find him and Jolene a house they could fall in love with. I would help them make a fresh start.

“Cal and Russ and my friends…I can tell they’re always thinking about it, constantly worried about me.”

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