Everyday Hero: The Volunteers - a Darling Bay Short Story (3 page)

“Sure?”

“Drive fast, young man. I want to feel the wind in my hair.”

***

For the thousandth time, Ruby thought about Noah. He’d appeared out of nowhere, literally, coming around the corner at the same moment she did, right before she knocked him over.

They’d had, what? Half an hour with each other before she went into labor?

Thirty minutes had felt like the prelude to a lifetime.

She’d thought he would follow her to the hospital. His eyes, when the medic had shut the ambulance doors, had said he would. He’d be right behind her.

Noah.

But he’d never arrived. Greg had, right afterward. Greg told her he’d met him. “What a great guy. Amazing that he was there. A firefighter, right there for you. We’ve gotta do something for that guy.”

“Volunteer,” she murmured. “He’s a plumber.”

Greg laughed, the way people used to laugh about her plumber father. “Ah, so he knows pipes. Sure got a good look at yours, huh?”

She’d grumbled and rolled over, turning her back on Greg who was already so natural with the baby, holding him as if he didn’t want to let him go, ever. Greg was a good man. He was going to make a great father.

Why, then, did it hurt so much that Noah had never come by to see her?

“Hey, mama, we’re going to go walk outside, is that all right?”

She didn’t roll over. “Of course. Make sure he has sunscreen on first, okay? The nurse said she had some at the nursing station.”

Outside the bed-level window, Ruby could see out onto First Street. She couldn’t see the marina from here, but when the beeping and clanging sounds of the hospital quieted, she could hear the arguing seagulls and the barking seals.

Just yesterday she’d been there. With a handsome plumber. Yeah, she’d been in a cupcake, but for that moment, she hadn’t been pregnant. She’d just been with him, and she’d felt something between the two of them that she hadn’t felt in years. Maybe ever. For one moment, she let herself imagine him in a tool belt, a wrench in his hand.

That wasn’t fair. She shouldn’t do this to herself.

Then, from behind her, she heard a man say, “I’m looking for a cupcake?”

***

It was a dumb line, but it was all Noah could think up at the last moment. Mrs. Finch, thankfully, had left him in the hallway, saying she needed to say hello to someone.

So he’d stood there alone in the doorway for a couple of seconds watching the line of Ruby’s back as she breathed.

When he spoke, she rolled over.

She met his eyes.

Oh, man. Noah had hoped that he’d gotten it all wrong. That when he saw her again, she’d be just someone he’d met once. Not someone he’d locked eyes with at the moment she was in the most pain a person could be in. Not someone whose soul he’d seen. Not someone who made
him
feel seen.

He was hoping she’d just be regular. A normal person. Someone he could forget about completely after wishing her and her husband the best with their future life.

But she wasn’t regular.

She was still extraordinary.

“Hi, you,” she said softly.

“You’re not wearing frosting. I barely recognized you.” It was an attempt at levity, but then he imagined her in nothing
but
frosting, and he lost every shred of cool he’d been hoping to keep.

She laughed, and he hoped it wasn’t at his expression which he didn’t trust himself to control.

He stepped forward, his hands feeling suddenly much too empty. “I should have brought flowers. Or at least a teddy bear for the baby.”

“It’s okay.”

“No. I’m a moron.” It was unnerving, this urge he had to tell her exactly what he felt. But he couldn’t tell her everything. He
wouldn’t
. It wasn’t right.

“How are you?” She stretched a hand toward him, and he took it.

There it was again. That connection, hanging palpably between them. A tension so electrical it almost snapped, crackling when they touched.

“Fine, fine,” he said. Then, with a jolt, he realized he was being even more idiotic. How was he? “Crap, how are
you
?” What was it about this woman that rendered him almost incapable of thought?

“I’m good. Really good.”

“And the baby?”

“He’s perfect. All his fingers and toes.”

Noah had seen her give
birth
.

As if she could hear his thoughts, she pulled back her hand and covered her eyes. “You met me in a cupcake and then you saw me give birth. You’ve basically seen more of me than any other man in the world ever has.”

“It was amazing.”

“It was possibly the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever been through in my whole life, and for me, that’s saying a lot.”

He grinned. “I’ll say it again, you were incredible.”

“You’ve seen me push a baby boy out from between my legs.”

“I know.”

“Let me clarify. It came out of my
vagina
.”

“I’ve honestly never seen anything more wonderful in my whole life.”

She drew back, looking surprised. “You actually mean that.”

“Heck, yeah.”

“You’re not horrified.”

“I’m horrified when people die and I can’t help them. The way you make a volunteer firefighter the happiest is by letting him deliver a perfect tiny human being. That gives me bragging rights like you can’t even believe.”

She grinned, and her eyes, those gorgeous dark eyes, snapped with what looked like happiness. “Well. That’s very good to know.”

“Why?”

“Because,” she said slowly. Then she pointed a finger at his chest and brought it back toward her. “Because of this. Between us.”

“What?” Noah looked over his shoulder. She couldn’t mean …

“Oh, no.” Her face went red. “I was imagining it. I was totally imagining it.
Crap
.”

“What do you mean?”

She waved her hands frantically in front of her. “Forget it.”

“Ruby … ”

“Forget I said anything. I didn’t think there could be anything worse than you seeing a baby come out of me, but apparently I was wrong.”

“But I don’t under—”

Greg entered the room, the baby in his arms. “Noah! Oh, man, it’s awesome to see you! I’m so glad you came by!” He gave Noah a whack on the back.

Noah coughed. “Hey.”

“You get to meet your namesake. For real, this time.” Greg held out the baby who was sleeping, his small face squinched tightly.

“My … ”

“This is Noah! Isn’t that great? It was Ruby’s idea.”

Ruby kept her gaze steady on the thin gray blanket lying over her knees.

Noah’s head swam. “Good looking baby.”

A blond woman with her hair pulled back in a high ponytail entered the room. “Hiya.” She gave Noah a curious glance.

“Hi, mama,” said Greg, kissing her on the cheek.

Noah’s head got more fuzzy.

“This is Big Noah. Noah, this is my wife, Joani.”

Joani stepped forward and grabbed Noah in a hug. “Thank you. For being there for my sister, even though I hear she almost gave birth in a Twinkie or something, and for being there for Little Noah. We can’t thank you enough.”

Noah said they were welcome, of course, but his mind could only think of one thing.

Sisters.

They were sisters. That meant …

He met Ruby’s gaze. “I didn’t know.”

He saw the realization dawn. She said, “You didn’t know? Oh, cripes, how would you have known? It wasn’t like I wore a sign saying ‘Surrogate’ around my neck. All my friends knew, and I didn’t really talk about it anymore.”

Joani gave a peal of laughter. “He thought you and Greg were together? No wonder he didn’t show up last night.”

Noah rested his hand on the rail of her hospital bed. “You were looking for me last night?”

In a low voice, Ruby said, “All night.”

“Go out with me.” He could have found different, better, more eloquent words, but there wasn’t a second to waste. He’d already wasted a whole day of being at her side.

“Yes.” She nodded firmly.

He gulped. “Soon.”

“If I could get out of this bed, I’d go out with you tonight.”

“Really?”

Ruby reached forward and took his hand again. “Really. Can I try something?”

“Anything.”

“Come here, I want to whisper it to you.”

He leaned in close. At the last minute, she turned her head and kissed him on the lips.

And Noah kissed her back. He didn’t care about her sister or her brother-in-law, who by the sound of it, were finding this highly amusing. He didn’t care that Mrs. Finch had come back to the room and was squawking like a chicken about what she’d missed and how somebody better catch her up before she died of curiosity or something more itchy.

He only cared about the way her mouth felt under his. It was the perfect first kiss, warm, sweet, with a heat and an intensity that he couldn’t wait to explore.

When they didn’t have an audience.

He pulled back and looked into those incredible eyes of hers. “All right, cupcake. It’s okay if I call you that, right?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

It would be their story. He knew it. Years from now, they’d be telling this story at dinner parties and baptisms and weddings. Every time he told it, the story would get bigger, and she’d laugh and slip her arm around his waist and say that she’d really only wanted him because of his tool belt.

Noah couldn’t wait. And by the look in her sparkling eyes, neither could Ruby.

<<<>>>

Did you enjoy
Everyday Hero
?

Read the rest of The Firefighters of Darling Bay series:

Fire at Twilight: The Firefighters of Darling Bay 1

Fire at Dawn: The Firefighters of Darling Bay 2

And check out Cupid Island, where romance is tropical and sweet:

Kitty’s Song: A Cupid Island Novella

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. . . or keep reading for an excerpt of
Fire at Twilight

About the Author

Lila Ashe is a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. She's lived in the big city long enough to know she craves the stars at night, and living on the rugged northern coast of California is just right. Lila is happily married and addicted to all things romantic, including surprise getaways to San Francisco for clam chowder or overnight trips to Napa for wine, but she's also found that being romantic at home can be even more exciting.

Enjoy this excerpt from Lila Ashe:

Fire at Twilight

CHAPTER ONE

Everything was fine until the air conditioner caught on fire.

“It’s not a big deal,” said Grace, blowing at the tendril of smoke that rose from the plastic cover. “Don’t get up.”

Steve Swanson, who had been reclining with his needles in, popped his chair forward. His eyes bulged behind his thick glasses. “Kind of looks like a big deal to me.”

Mrs. Little—who was anything but—also sat forward, adjusting her bosom as she went. “It smells like my toaster when the bread gets stuck. You sure it’s not on fire in there?”

Eliza Cross, ninety years old if a day, didn’t even open her eyes. “Just let me know if we need to evacuate. Till then, I’m napping.” The
hush
was implied in the retired librarian’s tone.

Grace waved her hands at the smoke. “I think it’s dissipating,” she said hopefully. No, this wouldn’t do, not at all. A fire in her group acupuncture treatment room wouldn’t be the best thing for business. Darling Bay was as progressive as small towns got, but residents were still figuring out what community acupuncture
was
. Word of patients being treated for smoke inhalation would be downright embarrassing.

The innards of the air-conditioner gave a startling crack followed by pops, as if something were being cooked inside. A larger cloud of noxious-smelling black smoke curled into the room.

“Oh, dear,” said Mrs. Little. “Should I take my needles out?”

“No, no, let me …” said Grace. “Just one sec. I think I can …” She tugged on the front of the unit, pulling hard until the cover came off in her hands. When she peered into it, she saw a bright red flame leap. “Oh, crap.” What were you supposed to do for an electrical fire? Baking soda? This was an office, not a kitchen.

“Get a jug of water!” said Steve.

“Not water.” Grace remembered that, at least. “I’ve changed my mind,” she went on briskly, clapping her hands. “I think the three of you should wait on the lawn. Eliza, let me help you. You can leave your points in—it won’t hurt them to move around a bit.” She kept her voice as even as she could, but inside, she was terrified. What if her whole office burned down because she waited too long to call the fire department? Her fingers shook as she dialed 911. Fire insurance was good from the day she purchased it, right?

Lexie answered.

“It’s me, Grace.”

“You usually text me. Why are you calling me at work?”

“Um, I might have a fire.”

Grace heard Lexie sigh, and the clicking of a keyboard on the other side of the phone. “What’s on fire?” She gave Lexie the information as fast as she could. The fire was getting bigger, flames licking out the top of the unit now. The metal Venetian blinds were charring, and the cord started smoking.

“We’re on the way,” said Lexie. “Can you get everyone out?”

“I’m trying.” Grace ushered her three patients out, shooing them like chickens. Their acupuncture points bobbed, swaying lightly in their arms, legs and ears.

Steve, on his way out the front door with his pants still rolled up to the knee, said, “Aren’t you supposed to have a fire extinguisher?”

Of course she did! How could she have forgotten? Demonstrating she knew how to use it was one of the check-offs she’d done for the city before getting her business license.

Grace made sure Eliza was comfortable on the lawn (the old woman was remarkably unperturbed and appeared as if she might go back to sleep) and then rushed back inside. The air was acrid, smelling of melted plastic and something harsher, more chemical. Grace felt dizzy and wondered if it was possible to pass out from smoke inhalation when it wasn’t a
real
fire. It wasn’t, after all, like a wall was on fire. Yet. She was pretty sure it was still contained to the unit. Mostly. Hopefully.