Page 2 of Hot For You

“Get back.” He shouted over his shoulder and she almost tripped over her own feet as she hurried to back up.

Fire crackled and hissed and her heart pounded. Even from where she stood, she felt the heat of the flames now coming from the car’s interior.

The firefighter had already started using the extinguisher, but the flames were growing too rapidly. Sirens filled the air and a part of her realized the fire department must have been close because in the next moment a fire truck pulled up behind the café. Immediately the fireman from the café tossed aside the spent extinguisher, hurried to the truck, and started working with his fellow firefighters.

Everything was a blur to Carilyn as the men hooked up a hose to a nearby fire hydrant and in the next moment the firefighters aimed a powerful burst of water on the car.

Then it hit her hard and she gripped her hands into fists. Her laptop was on the floorboard of the backseat of her car. It was more important than everything in the car combined and it was most definitely history. All she could do was watch as her car burned along with her livelihood.

Helplessly, she stared at the scene, her heart already having sunk to her toes. The fire was out within minutes, but her car was toast, along with everything in it.

Two police cruisers arrived and officers blocked off the area, keeping the growing crowd back, away from the scene.

The firefighter from the café turned and looked at her. He was the only one not wearing protective fire fighting gear and smoke streaked his face and bare arms. He started walking toward her.

“Your car?” he asked when he reached her.

Unable to speak, she nodded.

He dragged his hand down his face. “Are you all right, Miss?—?”

“Thompson.” She swallowed as she found her voice. “I’m Carilyn Thompson.”

“I’m Cody McBride.” He gave her a critical look. “Are you all right?”

“I’m okay.” She looked at her car and her breath came out in a rush. “My car sure isn’t.”

“You’ve been in the restaurant for a while.” He nodded to the car’s remains. “Any idea on how the fire started?”

She shook her head. “None.” She turned her gaze on her car. “My luggage is in the trunk. Do you think it’s all burned up?”

He nodded. “Not a chance.”

She bit the inside of her lip, having a hard time believing she’d probably lost everything that had come with her. Worst of all was the fact she’d lost her laptop.

“I take it you’re from out of town?” he said.

“Yes.” She cleared her throat. “I’m from Kansas. I came here to housesit for my friend, Leigh.”

“Leigh Monroe?” he asked.

She looked at him with surprise. “Yes.”

“I like Leigh,” he said. “One of the guys dates her.”

“That’s right.” She should have thought about that. She’d been too stunned over her car being on fire to remember that this firefighter, Cody McBride, might know Leigh.

She started shivering and rubbed her arms before dropping her iPhone again. He picked it up for her, but instead of handing it back to her he put his arm around her shoulders. “You’re probably feeling a little shock.”

“But nothing happened to me,” she said as he guided her toward the back of the fire truck.

“Your car burned up right in front of you along with everything you had inside.” He grabbed a blanket from out of the back and put it around her shoulders. “It’s normal to have a reaction like this.”

She sat on the curb and he crouched beside her and gave her the cell phone he’d picked up.

“I need to call Leigh.” Carilyn’s hands were shaking as she tried to go into her list of recently dialed numbers to redial Leigh’s. “I haven’t been able to get hold of her so she doesn’t know I’m in town yet.”

“Let me help.” He steadied the phone for her and Carilyn pressed the number for Leigh.

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