Page 36 of Under Control
“No shit.” Gavin pulled up the hem of his T-shirt and mopped his forehead with it. “It’s so hot, I’m not even hungry.”
“Great.” Rick shook his head. “It’s the end times and I’m spending it with you idiots.”
* * *
Olivia did something she rarely did. She deviated from her schedule to sneak in a visit to Derek. But her appointment had been closer to his side of the city than hers, and she’d make it a quick visit. The accounting review could wait. As much as she protected her evening leisure hours, it wouldn’t hurt to look over the documents tonight.
After she found a place to park near the address for the fire station he was in—having taken her own car just in case this kind of opportunity popped up—she sent him a quick message. It was brutally hot and she wasn’t going to walk all the way there if he wasn’t around.
I’m nearby. Are you around? I thought I’d pop in and say hi. And see your fire truck.
We’re here now. I can never guarantee more than two or three minutes, but I’d like to see you.
I’ll be there in a minute. So we should get at least two. :)
After grabbing the paper bag off the passenger seat, she locked the car and walked down the sidewalk to the three-story brick building with old-fashioned, side-by-side arched openings for the trucks. The doors were open, so she stepped inside.
Derek was waiting for her, and there was nobody else around. He kissed her hello, and then kissed her again. “Did you writemake Derek’s day by surprising him at workin your planner?”
She laughed. “No, so let’s not even talk about my planner right now. I brought a couple of chocolate chip muffins. It’s a weird time, I guess. After lunch and before dinner.”
“I’d love a muffin. There’s a card table and some chairs back there. We can sit for a few minutes.”
“Is that your truck?” She’d always thought fire engines were big, but she had no idea how huge they were until she was standing right next to one.
“No, that’s Engine 59. Danny, Aidan, Scott and Grant belong to her. Ladder 37’s this one. She’s mine, though I have to share her with Rick, Gavin, and Chris. And technically Rick’s in charge.”
“They’re always so shiny.”
“Polishing the apparatus is pretty much the go-to chore around here.”
Once they were sitting, he pulled the muffins out of the bag, along with the water bottle she’d bought. At this point in their relationship, they could probably share if she got thirsty.
The thought startled her, because that somehow made everything seem crystal clear. She’d found the man she’d share a water bottle with.
He was also a man she was willing to sacrifice her schedule for and who complicated things with his job and his location and his children, which made trying to keep perspective difficult. Why couldn’t she have met him in a few years, when she had a couple more books out and had built her client base to the point she could turn people away rather than having to go out and court their business?
“So you just hang around and wait for a fire?” she asked when the silence stretched on. He was focused on his muffin and didn’t seem to notice it, but she did.
He shrugged. “Some days it feels like that. But we have a lot of stuff that keeps us busy, and we’re constantly inspecting equipment. And then other days, we’re lucky when we have time for a sandwich on the run. Today’s been a bitch, actually. And the heat’s kicking our asses. Half the guys are sleeping upstairs right now.”
“You could have told me you were busy if you need to sleep or do something else.”
“I’d rather see you than sleep.” That made her smile, but then his expression turned unusually serious and her stomach tightened. “And I actually wanted to talk to you about something. And I know I call you at night, but it’s more of an in-person thing.”
“Okay.” She tried to brace herself, but without even an idea of what was coming, she couldn’t help the dread that settled in her stomach.
“The kids told me Amber’s pregnant.”
Olivia took a sip of the water, buying herself a few seconds to think. His tone and expression weren’t giving her much to go on right at this moment, but it was obviously important to him if he felt the need to talk to her about it.
If he didn’t still have feelings for his ex-wife, then why would her having another baby affect him?
“Are they excited about it?” she asked.
He shrugged one shoulder. “I’m not sure they’ve figured out how they feel yet. Isaac’s probably more excited than Julia, but he’s younger and more self-centered, so she probably has a better grasp of how much things will change.”
“And how doyoufeel about it?” When he didn’t answer right away, her heart tightened in her chest.
