Page 23 of Strike
“Justin the firefighter,” I said. I’d forgotten all about the guy and his innocent flirting, but it seemed he hadn’t forgotten about me.
“Expecting someone else?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. He was wearing his navy blue uniform, the emblem for the Metropolitan Fire Brigade printed over his left pec.
“No, I, uh… I was just here with the contractor,” I replied. “I was just about to leave.”
“So I caught you just in time.” He grinned, looking like the cat that got the cream.
My fingers tightened around the handle of my bag.I wish you were Mark. The thought alarmed me, and I scolded myself internally for being such a dismissive bitch. At least Justin was interested. That was a plus, I suppose.
“I just wanted to see how things were going,” he said when I didn’t answer. “I was on my way past and saw the door was open.”
“I’m okay,” I replied with a shrug. “The insurance is covering everything, so it’ll get fixed. It’s just… It’s a pain in my ass.”
“Yeah, it takes time, but it’s good that everything is covered.” He stepped closer, forcing me to turn to the side away from the door. “And you’re okay. That’s the main thing.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I stood there awkwardly, my cheeks a healthy shade of red. He was well put together, had a fantastic job, and was completely interested in me. He was handsome, sweet, and everything was perfect on the surface, but… I didn’t really feel anything when I looked at him. My heart didn’t flutter, my pulse didn’t race, and my lady bits didn’t tingle. Not even a little.
“I’m on my lunch break,” he said after a moment. “Do you want to…”
“Oh, I have another appointment I have to get to in the city,” I said lamely. “I’m sorry…”
“Sure, that’s okay.” He looked disappointed, and I began to feel guilty for brushing him off. “I figured it was a long shot.”
“Sorry.” I shrugged.
He backed away, smiling, and turned. Man, I felt rotten. Was I making the wrong decision here?
On the one hand, Mark was handsome and alluring, but was it the mystery I was attracted to or something else? On the other hand, Justin seemed like a genuine, well-adjusted guy and could turn out to be perfect for a girl like me. Was I letting him go too soon?
After years of zero prospects, now I had two men orbiting my heart. I was so confused.
“Hey, Justin?” I called out.
He paused at the door and glanced back.
“Thanks for checking on me. I really appreciate it.”
His lips curved into a cheeky smile. “Anytime.”
10
Storm
Thanks to Hamish, my face was a mess. I knew I was getting a range of interesting looks from people, but I generally didn’t make eye contact. Anyway, who cared?
Walking down Brunswick Street, I pulled my sunglasses from the neck of my T-shirt and slipped them on. The judgmental staring was beginning to bother me, and when I got bothered, I was a handful to deal with.
Across the street, I saw Callie’s shop and stopped in my tracks. Staring at the boarded-up windows, my breath caught as the door opened, and a man walked out. It was some old dude with a book of some kind under his arm and a pencil behind his ear. Must be her builder. Things were happening to get her back on track to open. Good.
Realizing I was starting to linger like a stalker, I hissed.What the hell was I doing?
Turning, I studied the window display of the store behind me. Books and comics were lined up in a colorful array, but I wasn’t really looking at them. The reflection offered me a distorted view of the unconscious reason I’d been walking this way.
Despite knowing I wasn’t any good for Callie, I still wanted to see her. What was that saying? A glutton for punishment? That was me.
If the builder was hanging around, then there was a chance she would still be inside, but I would have to be quick. The door was still open, signaling someone was still there. Hastily, I made a rash decision.
Turning, I dodged some pedestrians, weaved through parked cars, and legged it across the road. Reaching the other side, I approached the shop and peered into the charred interior. My heart was beating fast like I’d been running on the treadmill for an hour.Why was it doing that?
