Page 13 of Rescue
The scene I find when I walk through the swinging kitchen door is a nightmare. The entire room is filled with smoke. I instantly start to cough and try to figure out what the problem is. It’s too smoky to breathe well, so I run to the front door and throw it open. There are a few windows down here, so I start to open them as well, coughing the entire time.
Just as I get the last window open, I see a truck whip into the parking lot and hastily park. To my surprise, I see Miles Carter jump out with a concerned look on his face. I run to the front door with a look of panic. “I lit a fire and went into the kitchen. When I came out the whole room was filled with smoke!”
“Have you checked the flue?” he asks as passes me in the doorway and crosses the room to the fireplace.
“No, I just had a chance to get the door and windows open. I completely forgot about it!” I say feeling like the biggest idiot. Now that he’s said something about it, I’m confident that’s what the issue is. I can’t believe I didn’t check to see if it was open. Everyone around here knows you’re supposed to close your flue in the summer to keep the cool air in. Of course it would be closed right now.
Miles is in a polo and some well-fitting khakis, dressed like he just got off work. He’s got his polo pulled up around his nose to help with the smoke. I see him search for the knob for the damper and find it just inside the top of the firebox. He carefully touches it and pulls his hand back. “It’s too hot!” he says, coughing with me now.
Instantly I think of all the potholders in the kitchen. We are a bakery after all. I run and grab the first one I see. When I come back, I find that Miles has taken off his polo and wrapped it around his hand. He’s standing there in a white undershirt and for a minute I'm lost with his muscles clearly on display under this very tight, mostly see-through shirt. He reaches in and twists the knob. It’s not immediately clear that anything has changed but I know enough about fires to know that it’ll take a minute for the smoke to dissipate. I’m certain that was the issue.
“Come on,” he says to me, “it’s too smoky in here.” He grabs my hand and it’s like he zapped me. I gasp and pull my hand back at the same time he does. Our eyes connect and I could swear he felt it too. Not wanting to talk about the tingles I’m still feeling, I make my way to the front door and sit down outside on the front steps. Miles is right behind me and takes a seat next to me, his breathing still slightly labored.
Still in shock from the near-emergency, I lean back against the banister breathing hard. Miles matches my position and we are so close that his arm is nearly touching mine. I can feel the heat radiating off of his body. He turns to look at me and I realize that I haven’t thanked him for his help.
“Thank you so much! You must have been driving by at the perfect time.” It really is a miracle that he happened to be driving by and saw all the smoke. “I’m so glad you stopped.”
“It’s no problem. My brothers are firefighters. They’d kill me if I saw something and didn’t help. Besides, I didn’t really do that much,” he adds, sort of bashful, as though he doesn’t want my praise.
“No really, I hadn’t even thought about opening the flue. I guess I’ve been in the city for so long, I forgot how to work a fireplace.” I laugh a little. “I’m sure I’ll never forget it again. It’s got to be bad for business to have the local cafe pouring smoke out of the building.”
That gets a chuckle out of him. “Nothing could hurt Mabel’s Manor. The coffee is too good,” he says and winks at me. It’s so sweet of him to be trying to make me feel better.
“What started as a relaxing evening in front of the fire has turned out a lot more eventful than I expected,” I say and look over my shoulder at the smoky dining room, or what I can see of it from this angle. It’s significantly better than it was when we got out here, though it’s still not inhabitable at this point. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to relax in there for a few hours.”
“Sure you can. Just set up some of those box fans Mabel keeps for the summer heat and you’ll blow that smoke right out of there. It’ll be chilly for a few minutes, but I’m sure you can salvage your evening,” he says, and I’m struck by how thoughtful he is. Most people would just agree with me and let me wallow in my failure, but not only is Miles offering me a solution, its well thought out and sounds like it will actually work.
“That’s a great idea, Miles, thanks for the advice,” I say quietly with a small smile. I consider inviting him in to join me for a glass of wine, but something tells me to stay quiet. I’m not ready for another relationship and it wouldn’t be fair for me to lead him on like that.
He smiles back and as though he can read my mind, he stands, “I guess I better get going and let you get back to your evening. Glad I was able to help.”
“Thanks again. Sorry we keep meeting like this. At this rate I’m going to have to give you free coffee for life,” I say with a smile.
“It’s no problem, I’m happy to help. I gotta admit, I wouldn’t hate free coffee for life, though,” he says as he’s walking away.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!” I say with a laugh. He laughs too and climbs into his truck. I watch him pull out and wave once as he drives away. I’m once again struck by how handsome he is and slightly regret my hesitation to invite him in. I know I made the right choice though. I need some time and space for me before I’m ready to jump into something with anyone else.
Turning to look back at the cafe, I spring into action. I go inside and grab the box fans out of the closet Nana keeps them in and plug them in. They get right to work removing smoke from the room. While I wait for them to clear the air, I dash upstairs to change into some less smokey clothes. I run to the bathroom and as I’m walking out, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My outfit is as unflattering as possible and my normally wavy hair is one big frizz ball sticking out all over the place. I remember belatedly that I didn’t blow dry it after my shower and now I’m paying the price.
Well, I think,no wonder Miles was practically running away from me. Who would want to date me like this? I laugh a little to myself and try in vain to get my hair under control. Eventually I just throw it up in a messy bun and head back downstairs. I’m going to get my relaxing evening if it's the last thing I do.
The fans have more or less finished the job, so I close the door and then work on closing up the windows. By the time I’m finished putting the fans away, the fire is roaring and the smoke is rolling out of the chimney, as it should be. My wine is calling me. I pull the big fluffy couch over to sit in front of the fire and grab my blanket and tablet that I brought down from upstairs to settle in for what's left of a leisurely evening. This is just what I need after all that commotion.
I think back on the hectic time I spent with Miles. I’m so thankful that he stopped to help me. I probably would have totally panicked and forgotten about the flue. Who knows what could have happened if he hadn’t been driving by when he was? And when I walked out and he had stripped down to his undershirt? It was almost like he started a fire in me. My reactions to him keep getting stronger and stronger and I’m beginning to wonder if there’s any hope in me staying away from him. I know I’m not ready to be in a new relationship, so I resolve to try a little harder. I’m not going to be rude, by any means, I just am not ready to explore this building attraction that keeps pushing its way into my life.
I nestle down into the couch and take a large sip of wine, doing my best to wash my thoughts of Miles away. I pull up the book I’m reading and enjoy losing myself in a popular romance novel.
