Page 13 of Love Songs

Signatures signed, Jackson smiled so big I thought his face might crack in half.

“Thank you,” he gushed, staring at them and not moving.

“Okay,” I said, getting things back on track. “Jackson, can you please go and take photos of the scene while I wrap up here?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” Jackson pocketed his notebook and shook both Dallas and Kirk’s hands. “It was amazing meeting you both.”

“You too,” Kirk replied.

“I don’t think you inhaled too much smoke. Maybe a breath or two, so you shouldn’t need oxygen,” I said to Dallas after Jackson left. He looked up at me with electric blue eyes. Now that the immediate danger was over, a new emotion rolled through my veins: desire. I shoved my hands into my pockets, as though that would curtail my wandering libido. “Keep an eye on your breathing. Go to urgent care right away if your breath gets short. Otherwise, keep the fluids flowing for a few more hours and you’ll be good to go.”

Dallas snorted at that.

Okay, then.

“Good talk,” I said, not hiding my sarcasm, and spun on my heel to leave.

And that was why it was a bad idea to meet your heroes in person.

“YOU AND THEhot fireman are totally going viral,” Jaylin exclaimed when I called her on Kirk’s phone after the show and short signing session, catching her before dinner.

“Okay, first of all,” I said, using my newly discovered dad voice, because I needed to shut that down ASAP. “Fourteen-year-old girls can’t be calling men in their thirties hot. Got it?”

Becausejustno. Especially when that fourteen-year-old was mine.

“Seriously, Dad?” She rolled her eyes at me dramatically. The video stuttered as she moved around her bedroom at Carolyn’s. The girl was ever in motion. “I’m obviously too young for boyfriends. Plus,eww. He’s way too old for me.”

Thank goodness for small miracles. Who knew my kid was so smart?

“But . . .” She leaned closer to the screen, and sweet as could be, said, “He’d be perfect for you.”

“Hold on now.” I laughed to deflect from the funny little thrill that raced through my veins at the idea. “I’m not looking, and I am definitely not having this conversation with you.”

“Fine.” She sighed the way only a teen could, as though she was having to carry all the world’s burdens on her slender shoulders. “We won’t talk about your nonexistent love life.”

I adored how open and accepting she was. Jaylin was more grown-up than half the people I knew in the music industry, but no way was I taking romantic advice from my daughter. Just the idea of her reaching the age where she even knew about all that was already terrifying. I never realized until this last year how scary it was to be the parent of a teenager. And a single parent at that.

“Anyway,” I said, taking a sip of my ginger tea. My throat was feeling better, but not a hundred percent yet. I wasn’t sure if it was the bit of smoke I’d inhaled or the singing. I prayed it wasn’t the latter. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to see the whole show, but Lieutenant Holliston killed my phone with the fire extinguisher.”

She snort-laughed, which made me snort, too.

“I saw that. But don’t worry.” She turned the phone to show me her open laptop. Frozen on the screen was the moment Holliston did just that. I was in the frame behind him with a look of outrage and shock on my face. “People were live streaming from their phones, so I got to see the whole thing from multiple angles.”

“Yeah?” The back of my throat tickled. “What did you think?”

“You were awesome. I told you you’d do great,” she said with genuine sincerity.

But the fire and shouting match with Holliston was what everyone would remember. I was probably going to be a meme from now on.Great.

“I wish I was there,” she said, her tone wistful.

“Me too,” I said, and coughed.

I took another few gulps of my drink to soothe the tickle, and her eyebrows knitted together in concern.

“Are you okay?” She stopped moving and her stillness was eerie.

Not really. “Yes,” I assured with a touch of rasp. “I breathed in a little smoke.”

---