Page 13 of Burning Love
5
CAN REVISIT IT
“Hi. Remember me?”
Jace looked up from the desk to see Talia Carlisle standing in front of him a week later.
“Talia.” He reached his hand out for hers. She laid her much softer one in his and gave him a nice firm shake.
“That’s right,” she said. “I got your email.”
He had given Talia’s card to the chief, then was told to reach out and give a list of things they could always use or explain they raised money for the community and fire victims as well.
Sometimes donations came in better that way.
“I didn’t think you’d come down.”
“You told me you’d be back here on Thursday,” she said. “I wanted to get out of the house and away from my desk. Plus, I like to check out the applicants and see their needs. Or meet in person. If you’ve got time to show me around and talk, I’d love it. If not, we can schedule another time.”
“Hang on. I want to make sure someone knows where I am.”
He went to the offices and got the attention of the assistant chief on duty and told him what was going on.
Kent gave him the thumbs up. “Make sure you suck up good.”
“When have you ever known me to do that?”
“Good point,” Kent said.
He walked away and returned to Talia standing at the front desk looking around the department at what she could see. It wasn’t much without a full tour.
“How much time do you have?”
“Whatever time you need,” she said cheerfully. “I’m not pulling you away from something more important, am I?”
“No.” Only paperwork he hated to do.
“You’ll have to leave if you get a call though, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a dangerous job,” she said. “What made you want to do it?”
“I thought this was about the firehouse.”
She shrugged. “Why can’t it be both?”
She was smiling at him. The attraction he’d seen a flicker of last week blasted back into her eyes.
This time she wasn’t in haphazard clothing thrown on in a rush.
She was wearing light pink cotton pants that seemed almost a gauzy billowy material. They were wide and went to the floor. He had no clue what was on her feet until she moved. Her top was a soft pastel explosion of tiny flowers.
Her hair was lighter now that it was dry. Not dirty blonde, but a true blonde, only he was sure it wasn’t a natural color with the streaks of different shades blended.
Those sapphire eyes of hers were lined with black on top and some shimmer over that. Not really a color he could tell, but it was something.
Her cheeks had a faint pink tint to them, her lips a natural gloss.
