Burning for You (12 page)

She didn’t want to hear it. Would never want to hear it. She wanted nothing to do with him.

So how had he gotten her number anyway? After their breakup, she’d changed phone numbers—a long process where she’d probably lost several potential clients who’d been unable to reach her. Staying far from Owen was the reason she didn’t even have a web site or do social media.

Fingers still trembling, she listened to her voice mails as she walked to her car. Both from her mother, reminding her about house sitting on Friday. She’d call her back once the check was in the bank. Heck, being in a good mood from knowing her rent and bills would be paid for the next month or so, maybe she’d even stop by.

*  *  *

“So, she agreed to do your burn book?”

“Isn’t that something like high school students do?” Reid asked, saving Joe from replying. “Like in
Mean Girls
?”

As part of a training drill, Kyle angled the Jaws of Life and cut through the A-frame on the driver’s side of a crumpled Chevy sedan. Kyle shouted over the din. “Reid, you saw
Mean Girls
?”

“Yeah, I did, so what of it?” Reid’s gloved hands pulled the cut metal out of the way. “Remember my sister is eight years younger. It was on cable. I was doing my brotherly duty in hanging out with my sis. Doesn’t hurt that Rachel McAdams is hot.”

“He’ll never admit it, but he watched it all by himself,” Chris threw out, his own Jaws of Life cutting through the A-frame on the passenger side. Joe waited for Reid, and then together the two of them peeled the roof of the car upward. “Almost there,” Joe called, a bead of sweat trickling down the back of his neck.

As part of their routine drills, he and his team wore full turnout gear, this morning practicing vehicle extrications on crumpled cars in the back lot of Kent’s Salvage and Parts. They’d been cutting through metal for most of the morning, each taking turns with the various tools they’d use in a real accident. Thankfully the morning had been quiet. Had a call come in, they would have immediately been in the truck, rolling out.

The roof removed, Joe signaled for a break. “Good work. And yeah, she’s agreed to help. Told you Marino charm wouldn’t fail.”

Kyle powered off the Jaws of Life, the sudden lack of noise allowing the pleasant sounds of the summer day to reach their ears. Now on their fifth extrication—or was it their sixth?—they’d begun to loosen up, losing the earlier extreme seriousness and intensity of the first two. As a unit, they’d been together for a while, and required drills kept them fresh, like Joe’s boxing practices kept him ready for the ring and his daily runs kept him prepped for the marathons.

After they finished this last extrication, they could head back to the firehouse. “She must be desperate if she’s falling for that Marino charm.”

“Nah, she just knows a good thing when she sees it,” Joe joked.

“And he’s not even paying her,” Chris added.

“Well, he could give her these.” Reid reached into the car and onto the floor in front of the passenger seat. He held up a pair of hot pink panties. “Looks like we hit pay dirt today.” The thin fabric of the thong dangled from Reid’s gloved forefinger.

“Put those down,” Joe ordered, but he couldn’t help but laugh with the guys. You never know what you’ll find when you cut into junkyard cars.

Chris laughed. “Lieutenant, you could wash these up and—”

“You’re not going to like what I’m going to do to you if you continue speaking,” Joe threatened, and Chris wisely shut his mouth. Still, laughter edged the lips of all his men, and finally Joe threw his gloved hands up. “Fine. That’s damn funny.”

They all then roared with laughter.

“So are you serious about her?” Reid asked, tossing Joe the panties, which he caught perfectly.

“It’s not a date. She’s just helping out on the book.” He tossed them back into the car.

“So much for the Marino charm,” Kyle said.

“You don’t go out on enough dates,” Chris threw out. He’d become engaged over the weekend. So far none of them had let him live it down.

“I’m not ready for the old ball and chain like you,” Joe replied.

“Hey, I wasn’t getting any younger. You aren’t either, lieutenant,” Chris responded.

“I could ask her out. I saw her at the restaurant. She was your waitress,” Reid said. “She’s like, what,
my
age? Same as your sister, right?”

“She’s twenty-six and, like my sister, you aren’t touching her either.”

“Ooh, he’s jealous.”

“Hardly,” Joe scoffed, although Reid’s remark hit close to the truth. “And we’re just working on a book.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Kyle said.

“Let’s load up and clear out,” Joe commanded, diverting the guys’ attention. Soon they were back in the firehouse, and while Chris made lunch, Joe sat at his desk and began to tackle the never-ending stack of paperwork. His cell phone buzzed. Susie had sent him a text. “Laura’s confirmed. Can Taylor do Friday? Say around three?”

Joe typed back, “Will try. Will let you know.”

He leaned back in his chair. Unless the alarm sounded, he could take a few minutes. He dialed her phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Joe.”

“Joe.”

He liked the warmth he heard, as if she were smiling. “Can you do Friday at three for the first shoot?”

He heard a rustle, could picture her looking at her paper calendar. “Yes. That should be fine. I’m on call, but I don’t think I’ll have to work as I close Saturday night. Besides, Beth will want the shift. She and her husband are saving up for a house.”

Joe squashed the tiny thrill. This wasn’t a date. “Great. Do you want me to pick you up? Or meet you?”

“These are studio shots, right?”

“The first one is, yes.”

“Okay, it’s easier if we can use my mom’s garage. I’m house sitting. I store my stuff there, and it’s great light. I’ll text you the address. You can forward it along.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and I’ve scheduled your family photos for the start of next month. Your mother said you’re off.”

“If not, I will be,” Joe confirmed. He lifted a pencil, twisted it in his free hand.

“Perfect. Anything else?”

Joe tightened his grip on his cell phone. Yes. There was more. She was the first female in a long time that made him consider risking rejection, made him consider dipping his toe in the dating pool. “No. Thanks again for helping me with this.”

“No problem,” Taylor said. She hesitated the briefest of seconds, but he heard it. Felt it. “Bye Joe.”

Joe swiveled his hand, pressing the power button and watching the screen go black. What would he have said?
Hey, I told Reid he couldn’t ask you out. I didn’t like that he even thought about it. The guys think I should date more. Chris got engaged. I’ve thought of nothing but how I should have kissed you.
Joe stuck the pencil back into the holder with a vicious shove.

“Did that pencil do something wrong?”

“Nah,” Joe told Chris, who stood in the open doorway. “I assume lunch is ready?”

“Come and get it before Kyle eats it all. You know how he is with spaghetti.”

Joe rose. “Spaghetti again?”

Chris shrugged. “It’s all I can make. Boil noodles and open a jar of sauce. Bake the preseasoned bread at three fifty.”

“You’re pathetic.”

“Which is why I’m marrying a woman who can cook.” Chris tapped his forehead. “See, I’m thinking. She’s also really good at—”

“No need for the details,” Joe said.

“I was going to say baking. She dropped off a cake while we were out. Where was your mind, lieutenant? On those pink panties, I bet.”

“Keep it up and you may not make it to that wedding,” Joe threatened as they entered the common room. The aroma of simmering sauce and garlic bread permeated the space. “At least it smells good.”

“Ye of little faith,” Chris said, stepping aside so Joe, who was his superior, could go first.

As Joe grabbed a plate, he realized perhaps that that was the heart of the matter—faith.

He could rush into a burning building and take on a man in the boxing ring. But when it came to women, he was literally once burned and twice shy.

No amount of misguided faith would change that.

So this is where Taylor had grown up. Joe drove down the cul-de-sac directly across from Ursuline Academy and parked in the driveway of a ranch house in the middle of the block. As he exited, he heard the roar of the train that rumbled down the tracks directly behind her childhood home.

She opened the door as if she’d been waiting for him. “Hi.”

“Hey,” he said, drinking her in. Her blonde ponytail swished, and he couldn’t help notice the tank top that showcased her assets and the blue jean shorts that showed off long, shapely legs. Open-toe sandals revealed toenails painted hot pink. A dormant part of his libido stirred. “Can I get you anything? Soda? Iced tea? Lemonade? Beer? Water? My mom stocked up.”

He knew exactly what he wanted from her, but said instead, “Ice water would be great.” Remain professional, he chided himself, trying to ignore how tempting she was.

“No problem.” Taylor moved with ease in the all-white cabinetry, stainless steel appliance kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it from an automatic dispenser on the refrigerator. “You aren’t allergic to cats, are you?”

As if on cue, the two Himalayans she’d told him about appeared. “Those are Yin and Yang.” He arched an eyebrow and she laughed. “I know. My mom’s unique that way. It’s part of her charm. Plus, every winter she practiced her figure skating on the pond across the street until some school official finally put up a sign forbidding any skating. It was sad. The kids would also hold pick-up hockey games there.”

“Did you go to Ursuline?”

“Kirkwood. Ursuline would have been convenient, but I was quite boy crazy and Kennedy was too far.” Kennedy was a co-ed Catholic school. “Besides, Kirkwood had a great journalism program, and that’s where I fell in love with photography.”

“Yearbook staff.”

“Photo editor and proud to be a yerd.” Her grin widened as she handed him the glass. “Yearbook nerd. Follow me. Garage is this way. I’ve got everything set up.”

As Joe stepped into the garage, he saw she’d chosen a gray backdrop, which she’d rolled ten feet onto the concrete.

“Hello?”

“Back here,” Joe answered. Two women came into view. Joe introduced them. “Taylor, this is Laura and her mother Amanda.”

“Hi, Taylor.” Amanda reached out her hand.

An impish seven-year-old with red hair pointed to the backdrop. “Is that where I’m going to stand?”

“Why yes, it is.” Taylor nodded and reached for her camera. Joe caught her by the shoulder, leaned, and whispered in her ear. He’d seen the shocked expression she’d quickly masked.

“Hey, you okay?”

No, she wasn’t okay, Taylor thought. She’d never been one for surprises, and she’d assumed they were starting with Joe’s sister, not this young child who’d clearly suffered a great deal. Taylor, admittedly shaken, leaned into Joe’s shoulder, her face turned away from where Laura was chatting happily with her mother. That way they couldn’t see her shock or the tears that threatened. She inhaled a comforting breath, drawing in his unique woodsy scent. He calmed her, she realized. “I thought we were starting with Susie.”

“Laura’s off for vacation, and she and her family are leaving for Maine. They’ll be gone over a month, so I figured we needed to get this done.”

She fiddled with the camera, regaining control. “She’s so young.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t prepare you better.”

Taylor didn’t answer, but instead turned back to Laura. “You ready to be a model?”

“Yes!” Laura shouted, her enthusiasm contagious. “Models are beautiful.”

“You are beautiful,” Taylor said, meaning every word.

Laura’s hazel eyes became saucers. “Really?”

“Absolutely. Now let’s prove it.” Taylor smiled at the girl whose wrinkled face revealed that she’d had multiple surgeries to repair horrific burns that traveled down one side of her face and down her neck. “The camera never lies, Laura, so all I’ll need you to do is follow the directions.”

Laura made a pose. “I’m good with directions.”

“I can see you are.”

Two hours later, once Laura and her mom had left, Taylor opened the refrigerator and withdrew two bottle of Schafly’s Pale Ale. She handed one to Joe and passed over an opener. “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

“Here, by the looks of the microwave,” Joe said, popping the top. “Good work today.”

“Thanks.” She drew down a long swallow. She’d thought weddings were draining. Those were a piece of cake compared to this. Several times, like when she’d photographed the newborns that night at the hospital, she’d bitten back tears.

Joe took a long drink and clinked his bottle to hers. “You were fantastic. Did you see how happy Laura was? While you were putting away your camera, Amanda told me how impressed she was.”

“Good to know.” He stood so close, mere inches away. Taylor’s hand shook as she lifted the bottle again. “I thought I could handle this.”

“You did. You made Laura feel beautiful. Special. Just like that mother in the hospital.” He reached forward, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You have a gift that way. That’s why I asked you for your help. Why you are so perfect … for this project.”

She’d heard that little pause, and her body liked the way his hand stroked the side of her cheek. She faced him. “Tell me it becomes easier.”

“What?”

“Easier,” she repeated, leaning her cheek into his hand.

His brow wrinkled. “The photos? You were great. Or are we talking about something else?”

She didn’t even know. His touch had short-circuited her nervous system. Her emotions were all over the place. “She was so young.”

“Hot grease. She pulled a frying pan off the stove, and it crashed down over her face. Today helped ease some of Amanda’s guilt.”

He set his beer on the counter and drew her into his arms. “Come here. You did great today. You gave Laura a gift. A beautiful gift.”

A sniffle escaped her. “Then why am I crying? I don’t cry, and I’ve cried more since meeting you than I did when I broke it off with Owen. Even when things were bad with him, I never cried.”