Page 43 of The Great Maple Mistake

Luke makes a disgruntled sound. “Why didn’t she ask me for help? I do that kind of stuff for a living.”

Graham shrugs. “Maybe that’s exactly why. She didn’t want to make you do work on your day off.”

“That’s ridiculous. If you wait until I shower, I’ll go with you.”

Graham nods. “Deal.” He turns to us. “See you guys later.” He and Luke head upstairs.

I push my chair back and stand, collecting the remaining dishes into a stack. “Guess that leaves us with dish duty.”

Alex grabs the glasses and silverware, and I follow him over to the sink. “This won’t take long. We’ll put most of these into the dishwasher, hand wash the pans, and be back upstairs in fifteen minutes.” He opens the dishwasher and loads in the glasses.“Any chance you can stay for a bit?” He meets my gaze, eyes sparkling with the good kind of mischief.

I shake my head. “Unfortunately, no. I need to get home and check on Tux, do some laundry, and see if Aunt Viv needs my help with anything before my shift tomorrow.” I drop the dirty silverware into the dishwasher basket as Alex runs a sinkful of soapy water. “What areyougoing to do today?”

“Probably go for a run since Finn and I bailed on it this morning.”

I don’t remind him that he’s the one who canceled the morning run. Though I’m far from complaining about that. Waking up with Alex snuggled against me is my new favorite way to wake up. I close the dishwasher and grab a dish towel, drying the pans as Alex finishes washing and rinsing them. He wipes off the counters and the table, drains the sink, and we’re done. I glance at the clock on the oven. “Fourteen minutes. You’re almost spot on.”

He takes my hand and leads me back to the third floor. I find my shirt and pull it on, then sit on the edge of the bed to pull on my socks and boots. “So when can I see you again?”

He plops down next to me on the bed, making the mattress bounce a bit. “You tell me. You’re the one with the irregular schedule.” He puts his hand on my thigh and looks me in the eyes. “Not that it bothers me. I just meant it’s not a typical eight-to-five, Monday through Friday job.”

“You sure it doesn’t bother you? The schedule’s a lot to get used to.” It’s been the cause of many breakups for other firefighters.

Alex shakes his head. “No. Really. It doesn’t bother me. I have to work weekend festivals and cover any big events whenever they happen. Those don’t always stick to a typical forty-hour work week either. But of the two of us, you have a moreregularly irregular schedule, so you tell me when you want to do something.”

I nudge his shoulder with mine. “Okay. Fair enough. Have anything in particular you’d like to do?” He shakes his head. “Okay, well, something I’ve been wanting to do since I moved here is go to the farmers’ market. I think it’s next Saturday. Right?” Alex nods. “And I’m off. How about that?” Alex looks a bit down at the suggestion, which is disappointing, but I guess I could go some other time on my own. “We can do something else if you want.”

“No, I like hanging out there. We can go early, and I’ll bring my camera. I always get great candid shots there. But do we have to wait all week to see each other again?”

I’m relieved he wants to go with me to the farmers’ market, and more than a little happy that he can’t wait to see me again. I wrap him in my arms and kiss him soundly on the lips. “No. We don’t have to wait a week. How about I take you to dinner at Sparky’s on Tuesday? That will give me time to recover from the shift and catch up with Aunt Viv.”

Alex grins and hugs me tightly. “That sounds great. And we can text each other between now and then.”

“Sure. And if you’re bored, and we’re not out on a call, you can stop by the firehouse and say hi. As long as you don’t mind a little ribbing from the crew.”

His eyes widen, and he nods quickly. “Yeah. That would be great.”

“Okay, then it’s a date.”

Alex laughs. “Two dates.”

I nod. “Two dates. With my boyfriend. My gorgeous boyfriend.”

Alex grins. “Mygorgeous boyfriend.”

I let him have this one because I know the truth, even if he won’t admit it.He’sthe real deal. Perfect for me in every way.And I only have to wait two days to see him again. It’s going to feel like an eternity.

Chapter 17

Cody

August - One week until the cook-off

“You and Finn run all the way here and back?” Driving from town to the fairgrounds is only about fifteen minutes, but running the distance one-way is like a half marathon.

Alex’s joyful laugh fills the car and makes my insides do little flips. I reach across the console and take his hand just because I can. He squeezes mine and laces our fingers together. “No way. I said we used to drive here and run around the fairgrounds. We could easily have run here. Or run back. But not both. Neither of us is that sort of long-distance runner. Plus, it would have left one of our cars stranded.”

I glance over at him. “Used to? You don’t anymore?”

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