Page 50 of Light My Fire Three Times
Heat rushes to my face, and I shake my head. “Is this a date?”
Karl leans in, eyes glinting. “Food, wine, a beautiful woman across the table… sure sounds like one to me.”
I try to fight a smile, but it sneaks out anyway. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Big word.” He grins. “I like it when you call me names.”
I roll my eyes, but the tension in my chest eases a little more. “Okay, fine. But if thiswerea date, don’t you think you’re moving a little fast? Gold stars already?”
“I’m an efficient man,” Karl says with mock seriousness. “Why waste time when you know what you want?”
His words land heavier than he probably meant, and I feel my breath catch.
I cover it by asking, “So what did you want to be when you grew up? Other than a line cook trying to woo unsuspecting women?”
That earns me a full laugh, the kind that makes his shoulders shake. “Honestly? A pilot. Thought it’d be the coolest thing in the world, flying above it all. But then I realized I’m terrible with motion sickness.”
I nearly spit out my wine. “You wanted to be a pilot, but you can’t handle turbulence?”
“Don’t rub it in,” he groans, rubbing the back of his neck. “I figured out really quickly that wasn’t my calling. So instead, I stuck closer to home. Less vomit involved.”
I laugh so hard my sides ache. “That’s… wow. Okay. Not what I expected.”
Karl’s eyes soften as he watches me. “What about you, Liv? Always dream of owning a coffee truck?”
The question makes me pause. My fork hovers halfway to my mouth. “Honestly? No. I thought my life was already decided for me. Someone else’s schedule, someone else’s dream. I didn’t even realize how much I wanted something of my own until… well, until recently.”
He nods slowly, serious now. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think you’re brave as hell. Most people wouldn’t take that leap.”
Something in me unclenches at his words. I smile faintly, shaking my head. “You make it sound like I’m some hero. I just sell coffee.”
Karl leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Yeah, but you sell it your way. That matters. You matter.”
And even though Leo’s shadow still lingers in this house, at the moment, it feels like Karl and I are the only ones here.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Karl
NOVEMBER 28TH
Mornings with Leousually run like clockwork. He’s up first, already got the coffee pot going, and I stumble out half asleep, trying to steal some before he drains the whole thing.
Today’s no different. He’s at the counter, scrolling through his phone with one hand and sipping with the other, acting like caffeine is the only thing standing between him and an early grave.
“Morning, champ,” I say, reaching for the pot. “Who’s stuck with station cleanup duty today? Please tell me it’s not us.”
He doesn’t look up. “It’s us. Captain rotated it.”
I groan, pouring myself a cup. “Figures. All that training, all those calls, and somehow, we’re still the guys scrubbing the bathroom tiles.”
“That’s because you keep skipping assignments,” he shoots back, deadpan. “Maybe if you showed up for every shift on time instead of rolling in with a smile and an excuse, we’d get better luck.”
I grin into my mug. “C’mon, you love my excuses. Admit it.”
“Can’t say I do,” he mutters, flipping through the roster. “At least I know I’ll actually get some work done today.”
That’s our usual rhythm, me pushing, him resisting, but there’s something sharper about the way he slams a cabinet shut. The sharp that’s not about work at all.
