Page 65 of The Fireman and the Flirt

“Uh…isn’t that the one that looks like a measuring cup?” I hadn’t thought about constellations since I was a little kid.

“Go and check it out.” Derek put his hand on the small of my back, sending shivers over my skin that rivaled the freezing temperatures.

I looked into the telescope and saw a cluster of nondescript stars. Weren’t there supposed to be lines connecting them?

“Very cool,” I lied.

Jolene and Derek shared a look that called bullshit on my response. I loved how they arched their eyebrows in the same way, the left moving higher than the right. In moments like this, seeing that Derek had imprinted himself onto another human being, I had a pinch of regret about not having children. (Although, being a single gay man, it wasn’t like it was really an option unless I was fabulously wealthy.)

“I’m sorry. I just see stars.” Funny enough, I also saw stars the last time I was with Derek, specifically when he was fucking me in his truck.

“You don’t see it?” Jolene asked. “You have to find the North Star. It’s the brightest star in the sky.”

“Jolene, not everyone is an advanced astronomer like you. Give Cary some grace,” Derek said.

I felt bad. Jolene was trying, and all I could come up with were lazy jokes about measuring cups.

“Here. Let me help. It’s a clear night. We can do this with the naked eye,” Derek said. Funnily enough, I was also naked the last time I was with him.

Derek stood behind me, the hairs on his beard dancing dangerously close to my neck. God, this man’s scent was addictive. A sense of peace, and a hint of lust, came over me when I inhaled.

Must not get boner in front of preteen daughter, I reminded myself.

Derek stretched an arm in front of me pointing into the darkness. “Follow my finger.”

“Gladly,” I said, not intending that to be a double-entendre but oops here we were.

My eyes traveled to where he was pointing, a star that did seem brighter than the others. It didn’t try to fit in. It marched to the beat of its own drum.

“That’s the North Star,” he said.

“I like it.”

“So that’s the North Star. And then you follow it straight up. Here.” Derek took my hand. Even through our coats, I could feel his warmth. He led our hands above the North Star to two stars on top of each other.

“That is the start of the Big Dipper,” Derek said calmly, owning the moment of being my celestial tour guide. “You have the square–”

“Trapezoid,” corrected Jolene.

“Trapezoid of the cup.” He traced the edges of the cup with our hands, then down to the handle. “And there it is. The Big Dipper. All for you.”

“There it is,” I said, a bit starstruck by the beauty of the sky and the man lighting the way for me.

Maybe Derek had made it all for me. Maybe he made me feel complete. Or maybe I was getting buzzed from ourBeautiful Mindripoff.

“It’s cool, right?” Jolene asked.

“Yep.” I could’ve stayed like that all night.

“I bet using the observatory would be unbelievable. I can’t wait until I get to college.”

“Why wait?” I asked her, sitting on a blanket Derek had laid out.

“She still has a few years before she leaves the nest,” Derek said, the adorably protective father.

“No, I mean why do you have to wait to work at the observatory? I’m sure they take interns.”

“College interns probably,” Jolene said.

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