Page 6 of Kissing the Beach Town Fire Chief
Focus, Ami. Now it's time to get ready to go see Aunt Maggie.
After a quick shower, I throw on my favorite sundress that Aunt Maggie gave me and some sandals. With my coffee mug for the day in hand, I head for the door, stepping out into the sunny morning. The air smells like salt and blooming flowers.
I take a few steps down the driveway, my eyes fixed on the beautiful sky above, but then…
Suddenly, I collide with something solid, nearly spilling my coffee.
I look up, and of course, it has to be Ethan.
His hands grip my arms to stop me from falling over, and we are suddenly very close.
Almost too close. “Watch where you’re going, Ami.”
“Maybe you should watch where you’re standing,” I retort, but my pulse quickens at the closeness of his body near me.
“You always did have a way of running into trouble.”
“And you always have a way of being right in the middle of it,” I snap back, but my voice is breathier than I would have liked.
His closeness is doing weird things to my brain. I think that his deep blue eyes may have some magic in them.
He smirks, his eyes flicking down to my lips for a fraction of a second.
“Missed me, didn’t you?”
“Like a hole in the head,” I say, but the words lack conviction.
Ethan's hands slide down my arms before he finally lets go.
I take a step back, trying to regain my composure, but my skin tingles where he touched me.
“Still making a mess of things, I see,” he says, gesturing to my nearly spilled coffee.
“Better a mess than a bore. What’s your excuse for being out here, anyway? To make another disaster?”
“No, just fixing up the fence. But I could use a distraction. Care to help?”
“As tempting as manual labor sounds, I’ll pass. Besides, I have better things to do.”
“Like avoiding more collisions?”
Ah… He is the same smug, grumpy, infuriating Ethan. I swear, he lives to annoy me.
“Like finding a way to get through this summer without strangling you,” I reply sweetly, giving him a mock smile. And then I turn away, heading down the street to do what I left my home to do before I bumped into him. That is, if my brain can remember what that was.
Chapter three
Ami
I make my way down the sun-dappled street, and then, finally, my destination is in sight.
Aunt Maggie’s bookstore, Salty Pages.
It's a quaint little shop with its decrepit old sign and inviting display window.
The air smells of the sea and freshly made pizza from the next-door pizzeria. The combination is intoxicating, reminding me why I love this town.
As I approach the door, my phone buzzes.
