Page 15 of Kissing the Beach Town Fire Chief
He chuckles, his tone light. "Alright, the bookstore it is. Tomorrow after closing time?"
"Yeah, sounds good," I reply, a mix of relief and excitement swirling inside me.
"Cool, see you then," he says, flashing a genuine smile on me.
As I turn to go, I catch Ethan's lingering gaze. There's a glint in his eyes, a mix of understanding and something else I can't quite put my finger on. "
Well," I quip, breaking the moment. "I better bounce before Aunt Maggie sends out a search party." Ethan's chuckle is warm and familiar.
"Yeah, can't have that. Thanks for lending an ear, Ami. Seriously." I shoot him a casual grin. "No prob, anytime."
With a final nod, I pivot and saunter back toward the bustling party scene on the other side of my yard, where laughter and music still mingle in the air. Despite the lingering doubts and uncertainties, a spark of hope ignites within me. Maybe, just maybe, Seabrook isn't as intimidating as it appears. And who knows, in these random moments of connection, I might just find my groove in this quirky little beach town.
Chapter seven
Ethan
The blaring alarm clock disrupts the peaceful silence of my room, jerking me awake. Groaning, I smack the snooze button and roll over, burying my face in the pillow. It's far too early for this nonsense.
Rolling out of bed, I reluctantly stumble through my morning routine. A quick shower and a haphazard attempt to tame my unruly bedhead, and I’m ready to face the day. Or so I tell myself.
But as the fog of sleep begins to lift, so does the realization of what later today holds. Meeting with Ami. I glance in the mirror and pause.What am I doing? Why am I fussing over my appearance like I am going to a job interview? Why am I even bothering? It's just Ami, after all.
But despite my best efforts to convince myself otherwise, there's an undeniable nervous energy buzzing beneath my skin. "It's just Ami," I mutter to myself again, shaking my head. "Relax, Ethan."
I don my uniform, grab my keys, and head to the firehouse. I can't shake the nagging feeling that today is different somehow.Is it just me, or is there something in the air?
Heading out the door, the crisp morning air slaps me awake like an overly enthusiastic wake-up call. The sky above is murky gray, threatening rain at any moment. Fantastic. We love the sun, but we need some rain to tamper down fire threat from such dry grass and bush.
After an uneventful – no big fires – day at work, I set out for the meeting I’ve been musing over all day. The walk to Aunt Maggie's bookstore is a soggy affair, the relentless drizzle soaking through my clothes and plastering my hair to my forehead. By the time I reach the familiar storefront, I am a wet mess. All that work and what did it get me…
Unlocking the door, I step into the cozy warmth of the bookstore, the scent of old books and dust wrapping around me like a familiar embrace. I’m grateful that Aunt Maggie had given me a set of keys ‘just in case’ so I’m at least in out of the rain quickly.
"Ami?" My voice echoes in the quiet space. No response. Guess she's not here yet. Then I add “Aunt Maggie” just in case she decided to stay after hours for some reason. Yet again, no response.
The cheerful chime of the door behind me interrupts my internal monologue, and I turn to see Ami stepping into the bookstore. She's wet from the rain, her hair tousled, and her clothes clinging to her curves in a way that's... distracting.
"Hey, you made it," she says with a grin, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "The rain's really coming down out there, huh? I didn't realize it was going to be this bad."
"Yeah, it's pretty wild," I manage to say, tearing my gaze away from her and forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. "Looks like we're in for quite the storm."
Ami nods in agreement, seemingly oblivious to my sudden lapse in coherence. "Well, at least we've got plenty of books to keep us entertained," she says, gesturing at the shelves around us. "Shall we get started?"
"Sure," I reply, my voice coming out a bit more gruffly than I intended. "Let's see what we can find."
The storm outside intensifies, the sound of rain drumming against the windows providing a steady backdrop to our conversation. Suddenly, the lights flicker and then go out completely, plunging the bookstore into absolute darkness.
For a moment, I freeze, a jolt of panic coursing through me. Everything goes black, and for a brief, terrifying moment, I wonder if I am going blind.
"Whoa," Ami exclaims, her voice tinged with surprise. "Did the power just go out?"
I let out a shaky breath, relief flooding through me as I realize it's not just me. "Yeah," I reply, my voice sounding a bit more strained than I'd like. "Looks like it." I can hear Ami fumbling around in the darkness, and I reach out instinctively, trying to find her in the blackness.
"Are you okay?" I ask, my voice coming out softer than intended. "Yeah, I am fine," she says, her voice sounding a bit shaky. "Just... wasn't expecting that." I nod, even though she can't see me. "Me neither. "There's a tense silence between us as we stand there in the darkness, the only sound the howling of the wind outside.
"Okay, this is officially creepy," Ami says, her voice breaking the silence. "Any idea what's going on?" I shake my head, even though she can't see me. "Not a clue. Maybe it's just a power outage?"
“Talk about timing," she says, her voice tinged with amusement. "Looks like we're in for a candlelit adventure. "Yeah, it's definitely going to add to the ambiance," I reply,trying to keep the mood light despite the growing unease in my chest. I’m hoping any weather emergencies can be handled by the crew. But I have my phone on me just in case, and they know they can call me anytime.
