Читать книгу 8 Brand-New Romance Authors - Avril Tremayne - Страница 16

SEVEN

Josh couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation he’d had with Jamie. Was he just coming up with excuses? He had always been aware that deep down he had feelings for her. But what was he supposed to do about that?

Nothing. That’s what. He couldn’t act on them. It wouldn’t be right. He couldn’t take advantage of their years of friendship—no matter what he felt.

He needed a distraction, something that would take his mind off of Micah for longer than an afternoon. He needed to get a date. And soon.

He walked toward the exit of the fire station, his shift over.

“Excuse me.”

“Yeah?” Josh looked up to find a cute blond-haired woman standing next to the fire truck holding a cake. Distraction found. Wow, that was quick! “How can I help you?”

“The fire you guys put out yesterday was at my parents’ house. I just wanted to thank you. Because of you guys, my parents are alive. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.” She came closer to him, batting her eyelashes. “Here. I baked a cake for the station.”

“That wasn’t necessary, but we’ll take it, anyway. I, for one, have quite a sweet tooth.” He looked down at the cake as she handed it to him. Chocolate, frosted with the worst attempt at “thank you” written across the top. The u looked strange, different from the rest of the word. He inspected it closer, trying not to appear rude, but it had him curious. She started to giggle. He looked up to find her blushing bright pink.

“I have to make a confession. I ran out of white frosting so I used toothpaste at the end.”

“Oh.” What the heck? Toothpaste? It both grossed him out and made him laugh. “And just what made you think toothpaste would be a good idea?”

“Well, I figured that way your sweet tooth would be both satisfied and cleaned. Win-win.” A big white smile crossed her face. This girl was going to be fun.

“My name’s Josh Taylor. I don’t think I caught yours.”

“That’s funny. My name’s Taylor, too.” She flashed him a flirty grin that clearly showed she was interested. So was he. He would just have to talk to her about her multipurpose use of toothpaste.

“Well, come on in, Taylor. I’m sure the guys would love to meet you. And let’s not tell them about the toothpaste. That will be our little secret.”

He led the way into the firehouse to the common area. The guys were lounging on couches watching ESPN when they walked in the room. “Hey, guys. This is Taylor. She brought us a cake.”

That caught everyone’s attention. He couldn’t be sure if it was Taylor, the cake or the combination that brought them all to attention with a chorus of “Hi, Taylor.”

“We responded to the fire at her parents’ house yesterday.”

“Which one?”

“The one on Ninth.”

“Oh. How are they doing?”

“Good. They lost a lot of things, but it can all be replaced. We’re just happy they are both safe.”

“Do you have time for a piece of cake?” one of the guys asked her.

“No. I’ve got to get going. Thank you, though.”

“Thank you.”

“I just came to drop off the cake and tell you how much my parents and I appreciate all you did.”

“That was really sweet of you.” Craig, one of the youngest at the station, began to approach her and Josh knew he had to step in.

“Here, I was on my way out, too. I’ll walk you out.”

“Thank you. That would be nice.”

Josh guided her out of the room with a lightly placed hand on her back, staking his claim to the other guys. He glanced over his shoulder to see Craig stick his finger in the frosting, and the subsequent facial expression once he tasted the toothpaste mixed with fudge. Yummy.

“You didn’t get a piece of cake.”

He was hoping she had not noticed that.

“I’ll text them to save me a piece. I’ll be back later.” A lie. He didn’t want a piece of that cake. Not after knowing what she had used.

“Oh, good.” When they made it to the front entrance, she stopped and turned to him. Her eyes dropped to the floor for a moment before turning them up to look at him. “I’m not usually this forward...but would you like to get coffee or something sometime?”

“Yeah. I’m up for that.” They exchanged numbers quickly before she went her way and he went his. Man, he hoped this distraction worked. This was how he had handled it for the last decade. So why did he get the strong feeling it wouldn’t work this time?

* * *

Taylor sat across from him in the cozy restaurant; a question resonated in her big blue eyes. Was she asking him a question? Shoot. What did she just say? She sat there, waiting for a response from him.

She tried again. “What are some things you like to do?”

She was so sweet and innocent. She had no idea he wasn’t listening to her. He felt guilty. He should feel guilty. This was not how he typically acted on dates. It did not seem fair to her.

“I am usually up for anything on my off days. I hang out with my friends, play baseball in the summer...”

“That sounds like fun.”

“Yeah. My friends are pretty great.” Micah came to mind again. Dang, that girl could not leave him alone. “What about you?”

She was talking, and he did his best to pay attention. She deserved that much, although he wasn’t starting out too well. He had already missed a good portion of her story.

“...when my brother died, it was one of the only things that made me feel safe again.”

“I’m sorry about that... Your brother, that is.” What was it that made her feel safe?

He really should be paying attention. But as he watched her lips move, his mind was invaded by thoughts of Micah’s lips and how her bottom lip was slightly fuller than the top. And once that happened, his mind had to take a detour to remember every heated detail of their kiss. How her soft lips had responded to his. How her supple curves felt in his hands. How her body felt warm and willing beneath his.

Warm and willing? He was letting his imagination run wild, apparently. He drained his glass of ice water and motioned for the waiter to bring more.

“There’s just something about Neil Diamond’s music that reminds me of those days when my brother was still alive and my family was whole. I feel at home again, safe and secure.”

Hold the phone. She was talking about Neil Diamond?

“Do you know what I mean?” She looked at him over the rim of her glass of water. She took his silence to mean he needed further urging. “Do you have something or somewhere that makes you feel like you are safe with them?”

“Yeah. I do.” Micah.

He was a jerk, a certified jerk for taking this girl out when his heart belonged to another. His heart had no business belonging to Micah, but that did not make it any less true. He needed to work harder to change that.

“Tell me more about your brother. What was he like? Older, younger...?”

“He was older, by five years. He was in the military. That’s how he died, in the war. Before that he liked to do all kinds of things...”

She talked and he tried, but he just couldn’t pay attention. Maybe she talked too much. Maybe it was the way she talked. Maybe he was developing adult-onset ADD. It was possible. He was sure of it. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not pay attention to what she was telling him. Instead he was noticing all the people in the restaurant: a group of friends laughing in the corner, a couple having a romantic dinner, another couple who appeared to be arguing and an older gentleman who sat by himself. All of them appeared more interesting than his distraction. Not much of a distraction at all. So much for that idea.

If he wasn’t careful, he would end up just like the man sitting alone in a busy restaurant.

* * *

Josh needed a cup of coffee. His date with Taylor had been last night, and although the night had ended early for them, he had found himself walking around for hours afterward. There was a lot on his mind and it was all cluttering up his head.

He was on his way to work, a big shift ahead of him, so that cup of coffee was vital right now. He swung open the door to the coffeehouse he frequented near the fire station and stepped up to the counter. The girl behind the counter flushed bright pink as she took his order. The uniform had a tendency to do that, even when it was just the navy T-shirt with the fireman logo.

“It’s on the house.” He didn’t think her face could get pinker, but it did.

Man, did he love the perks of his job. “Thanks.”

Just as he turned to leave, a familiar flash of red caught his eye. Micah. She sat in the corner, near the window, completely immersed in a book. She did that when she read. She would get lost in the pages and be completely unaware of the world around her.

This was the Micah he was used to.

Her thick black frames sat perched on her nose as if they were sliding down and she had not realized it yet. Her hair was piled high in a messy knot on top of her head, a common look for her. She had let the girls talk her into bangs that cut straight above her eyes. He could tell they were bothering her and interfering with her concentration by the way she would blow them out of her eyes. The rebellious red fringe would float up for a moment, then settle back down onto her forehead.

He approached her slowly, not wanting to disturb her yet. He enjoyed watching this side of her. As he got closer, he could see she was biting her lip. Her soft, full bottom lip enticingly trapped between her teeth. Torture. Pure torture.

As she turned the page, she switched to biting her thumbnail. The book must be a real nail-biter. He smirked at his own pun.

“So, is this another one of those books about the color gray?”

Her head snapped up. Big brown eyes stared back up at him from behind smudged lenses. “Hey. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

There was no smile, merely an acknowledgment of his presence. She usually greeted him with a big smile, one that made him melt.

“I work right around the corner.” He indicated with his coffee cup.

“Ah. I guess I forgot about that. I’m here all the time, though, and I never see you.”

“Maybe you’re never looking. Too busy engrossed in your shady book.”

“I am not reading that kind of book!”

“Just messing with you. What are you reading? Judging by your nails—” he lifted her hand to get a closer look “—it’s pretty intense.”

“A mystery.”

“Makes sense.”

She snatched his cup of coffee and took a sip. He would never allow anyone else to do something like that, but it was just one of her annoying traits—she was always curious what others were eating or drinking.

“Uck! What is that?”

He had to laugh at the grimace she produced.

“Are you gonna call that number?”

“What number?”

“The one written on your cup.”

He lifted the paper cup and inspected it. There, above the logo, were digits hastily written in black Sharpie with a heart and the name Carrie. He looked over his shoulder to find the blushing girl leaning on the counter, staring in his direction. Upon realizing she had been caught, she quickly jumped up and got back to work.

“Um, maybe.” He liked getting a rise from Micah. He wouldn’t call her. He had no interest in blushing college students. They were a dime a dozen.

“Are you kidding me? She looks like she’s barely out of high school.”

“No, she doesn’t. She’s obviously older than that.”

“Don’t you have to get to work?”

“Yes, but I can take a few moments to hang out with my best friend. Don’t you enjoy spending time with me?”

“Oh, sure, I love feeling like I’m at the center of an episode of The Bachelor.”

He almost choked on his coffee as he laughed. “You know, sometimes you are really funny.”

“I have an annual quota. That was my last one for the year. Hope you enjoyed it. Now go to work. I’m trying to read, and that girl is going to get fired if you don’t stop distracting her.”

“Okay, I’ll let you get back to your book. See you later, Mike.”

“See ya.” With that she was back with her nose in the book. It was as if he had never even been there. He tried not to be offended by that as he headed to the door. He noticed the girl behind the counter again, still looking his way. He lifted his cup in her direction, acknowledging her, causing her to blush red again. It never got old.

* * *

Micah had set about her day purposely ignoring the dream she had the night before. A dream like that could easily set her back again.

Her mind wanted to get lost in the past again. Her heart craved the love she had once believed would last forever. But she couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t let herself go through this again.

Knowing her empty apartment was the last place she should be in this vulnerable state, she’d found refuge in a busy coffee shop and within the pages of a mystery novel. She’d never expected to see Josh, and with the current betrayal and instability of her heart and mind, he was the last person she wanted to see.

She didn’t want to talk to him. Didn’t even want to see him. His presence was a complication, and only made matters worse. How could she address one problem while he was creating new problems?

She’d kept the conversation light and casual and hoped her traitorous body wouldn’t reveal anything about the effect he had on her. She had to stay away from him. For now, at least.

Micah had left the coffee shop shortly after Josh did, unable to focus on her novel any longer. She found herself back in her quiet and empty apartment. Sabina wouldn’t be home until late, leaving her alone with her overpowering thoughts.

She tried to fight it, but the pull was intense. Her plan was an absolute failure. In an effort to neatly contain her grief in a box, she had only further remained lost in this grieving process. Healing would never happen until the grief was faced head-on, until she allowed herself to work through the emotions and to feel them one by one.

She was pissed. None of this was fair to her. She had hopes and dreams, and long ago they had been centered around Drew. In an instant, everything had been stolen from her. She would never know what it would feel like to stand opposite him as he lifted her veil and claimed her as wife. She would never see the children they would have had. Would they have had Drew’s bright blue eyes and her red hair?

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to hit someone.

It wasn’t fair!

She needed a distraction. Turning on some music, she cranked the volume and cleaned the apartment from top to bottom, hoping to redirect some of this hostility toward the grime building in the bathroom.