Читать книгу The Fireman Finds a Wife - Felicia Mason - Страница 14

Chapter Five

Cameron could not believe she had changed her mind, but he was sure glad of it. While he’d teased Summer Spencer about not needing to know the reason why, he was a bit curious. He had enjoyed watching her interact with the homeless and indigent who flocked to Manna at Common Ground. On at least a couple of occasions throughout the evening, he’d caught her looking at him.

He wondered what she saw. Although he had his father’s blond hair and blue eyes, he knew he was not considered classically handsome. Cameron was a battle-scarred army veteran who had caught more than his share of bad burns while fighting fires, first during his enlistment and then as a civilian.

The buddies he’d summoned to help out at Manna, on the other hand, had the good looks that seemed to attract women.

In between cooking and serving, he had managed to keep an eye on the pretty blonde who had captivated him from the moment she collapsed in his arms. And the one thing he noticed as Manna at Common Ground’s guests arrived—and as his friends ogled her!—was that Summer seemed completely oblivious to his friends’ efforts to catch her eye.

A stab of jealousy arced through Cam until he realized that Summer gave his buddy Rob the same gracious and polite treatment that she gave everyone.

Was he just imagining a warmth that seemed to come into her eyes when he himself spoke with her?

He didn’t know, but he was grateful and happy that she had agreed to go out with him.

“Chief?”

Cameron started, then focused in on the room. He was in a special meeting of the Cedar Springs City Council and the department heads. While not a regularly scheduled meeting, this one was open to the public because they were discussing town business. A handful of residents sat in the audience.

A few people exchanged amused glances.

“I’m sorry,” Cameron said. “What was your question?”

“We wanted to make sure you can meet with the architect when he comes in,” Mayor Bernadette Howell said. “We haven’t even seen the plans for the development project, let alone voted on anything, and there’s already been an uproar in some parts of the city. I keep getting an earful about destroying historic sites and overburdening emergency services, especially the fire department.”

Cameron nodded, making a note on his smartphone. “What’s that date?”

“Gloria will set you up with an appointment,” the mayor said.

Cameron nodded toward the town clerk who doubled as administrative assistant to both the mayor and deputy mayor.

Mayor Howell then asked the city manager for an update on the title search for the two properties under consideration for a new mixed-use residential and retail development.

“The surveyors will be starting some preliminary work in the next few weeks. There’s some ambiguity with a few of the parcels that are either adjacent to or possibly that overlap with the Darling land.”

The mayor sighed.

As the late meeting went on around him, Cameron’s thoughts had been on Summer Spencer more than the new development proposed for Cedar Springs.

Darling land? Wasn’t Summer Spencer’s sister’s last name Darling?

“John, what do you mean overlap?” Cameron asked.

“That’s my question, as well,” the mayor said.

“Apparently, there were some, er, shall we say gentlemen’s agreements regarding property lines many, many decades ago,” the city manager said.

“Great,” Mayor Howell muttered. “Just great.”

“I foresee trouble,” a voice rumbled from the end of the table.

“Well, let’s not buy trouble before we have to,” the mayor snapped. “Everything is preliminary right now. All we’re doing is assessing potential sites,” she said.

“I, for one, would rather not get into a protracted land dispute with Lovie Darling.”

Everyone turned toward Joe Marchand, who had been on the City Council longer than its youngest members had been alive. Joe kept getting re-elected despite his protestations that there were others who should take over the seat. Since he rarely had anything to say at the council meetings, when he did speak, people tended to pay attention.

Cameron leaned toward the police chief, who always sat next to him in council meetings. “Who is Lovie Darling?”

“Old money,” the police chief whispered back. “Her husband’s family basically founded the town that became Cedar Springs.”

Cameron sat back frowning.

He’d been excited about the prospect of taking out Summer Spencer. Now that he suspected she was one of the wealthy Darlings, he wondered how he could beg off from the date.

The last thing he wanted was the high-maintenance drama that went along with a wealthy woman. He’d been down that road once before and it had led straight to misery—and divorce. He didn’t plan to head down that path ever again.

* * *

When Summer opened her front door, Autumn was not alone. She had somehow managed to round up both Spring and Winter.

Summer groaned. “I knew I should have kept my mouth shut.”

“Too late,” Autumn said, barging in with a take-out drinks tray.

“Starbucks?”

“What else? She mainlines the stuff,” Winter said, following with a small cloth satchel.

Summer nodded toward it. “And what is your contribution to this little intervention?”

“It is not an intervention,” Spring said. “It’s a little sisterly chat. We haven’t had one of those in a while.”

“And since I am apparently the only person on the planet who doesn’t know about this man you’re seeing,” Winter said, “I expect to be fully filled in and compensated for the misdemeanor of leaving me out of the loop.”

Summer groaned as she shut the front door behind her sisters, who all headed to the room their mother had dubbed The Salon.

Overstuffed chintz chairs, lamps with frilly-edged shades and plenty of pillows in coordinating solids and clashing floral prints made it a room ideally suited for chitchats and tea among girlfriends or for snuggling in with a cozy mystery novel on a rainy day.

Summer noted, not for the first time, that her style and those of her sisters varied widely. If they didn’t actually resemble each other, no one would imagine they were related.

Spring, in crisp khaki slacks, penny loafers and a white button-down shirt, had clearly come straight from the free clinic. All that was missing was her white doctor’s jacket and a stethoscope.

Autumn sported black yoga pants, a T-shirt in bright fuchsia and black flats. And, as always, Autumn’s thick blond hair was pulled into a ponytail, with a baseball cap to top it off.

Winter was the surprise today. She had on a tiny floral print sundress that hugged her curves and suspiciously looked like it had come straight from Summer’s closet.

“I am not seeing him,” Summer declared. “ I just agreed to go on a date with him Friday night. And, excuse me, but is that my dress?”

“Uh-huh,” Autumn said.

At the same time, Winter added, “It’s way too big for you.”

“She borrowed it when we were doing your bedroom,” Autumn the tattletale added. “Where’s my raspberry cheesecake?”

“There’s cheesecake?” Winter said. “Nobody ever tells me anything.”

“Chief Jackson enjoyed it,” Spring said, a slight smile at her mouth. Autumn and Winter whirled around.

Summer gasped and threw a tasseled pillow at Spring. “You’re supposed to be on my side in this!”

Spring winked at her. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

Summer pouted but couldn’t maintain it. She stared at her sisters and her eyes filled with tears.

“I’m so glad I came home. I’ve missed you guys more than you know.”

A moment later, the four Darling sisters shared a group hug full of tears and laughter.

“Just because we’re all cozy here,” Autumn said breaking free of the circle, “don’t for a minute think you’re getting any of my cheesecake, Winter.”

After they were all settled with either quiche or dessert, coffees and tea, Winter got down to business. “Since everybody except me knows about this guy of hers, who is going to fill me in?”

“He’s not my guy,” Summer said, feeling a need to defend herself.

The others turned to Spring. Autumn and Winter knew that as the oldest and most level-headed of the four, she would tell the truth.

“I was here when they met,” Spring said. “Chief Jackson came over to inspect the smoke alarms.”

“Is he cute?” Autumn asked.

Summer blushed.

“Oh, he is! Look at her! What does he look like, Spring?”

“I would guess he’s about your age, Winter. Mid-thirties. Dark blond hair. Blue eyes. He has that boy-next-door look about him, but a boy next door who had responsibility thrust on him at an early age.”

Three sets of arched eyebrows turned in Spring’s direction.

“What an astute observation,” Summer murmured before taking a sip of tea.

“Did you change specialties to psychology?” Autumn asked.

“No,” Summer said aloud. “She’s right. That’s it. He has an air of responsibility, like he’s used to taking care of people.”

“Cameron?” Autumn said coughing, as the coffee she was drinking went down the wrong way.

“Should I call an ambulance?” Spring asked dryly.

“Ha, ha,” Autumn said. “Cameron? Cameron Jackson?”

“You know him?” Winter and Summer asked at the same time.

“Of course,” Autumn said.

Summer’s tummy did a little tumble. If Autumn knew Cameron, her chances with him were suddenly diminished.

“I just didn’t put that whole chief thing in place until now. You’re dating Chief Cam? Way to go, Summer. He’s a really good guy. God, country and firefighting.”

She went back to forking up cheesecake.

Winter huffed. “Well, don’t just leave it hanging there. Spill!”

“Spill what?” Autumn said around bites. She shrugged. “Like I said, he’s a stand-up kind of guy. He plays basketball with the kids at the rec center every couple of weeks. The kids really like him.”

“Is he cute?” Winter said.

Autumn said, “Yeah, he looks like he means business.”

Summer frowned. “What kind of description is that?”

“Focus, please,” Winter demanded. “He came here to check Summer’s smoke alarm batteries and then what?”

Summer and Spring shared a glance.

And in that moment, Summer knew that her older sister would keep her secret. The fewer people who knew about her fainting, the better—and the less likely it would get back to their mother, who would fuss and probably set up temporary residence in the guest room.

“She was baking and gave the crew cheesecake and cookies,” Spring reported.

“You go, sis,” Autumn said. “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. With your baking and cooking, you’ll have him literally eating out of your hands in no time.”

Summer had a question burning in her. If she failed to ask it now, she knew she might regret it.

“So, you and he aren’t...you know...?”

Autumn’s eyes widened. “Me and Chief Cam? Goodness, no. He’s like the big brother I didn’t have. Chief Cam, he’s like everybody’s big brother. The kids love it when he plays ball with them. And, like I said, he’s the all-American kind of guy.”

“Apparently, he’s not everybody’s big brother,” Winter observed with a grin. “He clearly doesn’t see our Summer as a little sister.”

The blush that she thought had dissipated bloomed again on Summer’s cheeks.

“So, where are you guys going?”

“I don’t know,” Summer said. “And I don’t know what to wear.”

“No twinsets!” Autumn and Winter yelled at the same time.

Summer glared at them.

“And nothing starched,” Spring added. “Like those shorts you’re wearing.”

“What’s wrong with neat and pressed clothing?” Summer asked.

“It’s a date, not a committee meeting at the library,” Autumn said.

“I would not wear shorts to any meeting,” Summer declared. “And you three are not helping. What to wear is the least of my problems.”

Winter reached over and snatched the last forkful of Autumn’s raspberry cheesecake.

“Hey! Foul. Flag on the play!”

Laughing at her sisters, Summer rose and headed to the kitchen.

“The good thing about stress is that I make good use of it,” she said.

She returned with a tray bearing four dessert plates, forks and a double chocolate cheesecake.

“How is it you can bake all these sweets and not ever gain an ounce?” Winter asked.

As the curviest of the Darling sisters, every bite she put in her mouth landed on her hips. And unlike Autumn, who lived for every sport ever invented, Winter didn’t work off the calories with physical activity.

“That’s because I make sure that other people eat it all. So eat up, ladies.”

Summer and her sisters spent the next hour talking, laughing and teasing each other.

When she finally closed the door and turned off the downstairs lights to head to bed, Summer realized that not one of her sisters had expressed concern about her dating.

She smiled.

Maybe it was because of the man she had decided to see: a blond-haired, blue-eyed, stand-up kind of guy by the name of Cameron Jackson. Both Spring and Autumn had given him the A-OK. Now all Summer had to do was make it through the date without embarrassing herself.