Hearts Ablaze (Hearts On Fire Series) (3 page)

“Hey, lady! How was the field trip?” She unlocks the car doors and we climb inside.

“Oh, it was good. The kids had a blast. But you’re never going to believe who gave them the tour. I still can’t believe it.”

“Who?”

“Noah. Freaking
Noah
. What are the chances, huh? Why did it have to be him?”

“Sounds to me like you like him. Why can’t you just admit that to yourself, Aubs? I know your life is hectic with your dad, but maybe Noah would understand if you just talked to him. I see the look in your eyes, so why not call him?” Kennedy’s just staring at me while we sit at a red light.

“I just can’t. Not right now. My dad is my priority. School is out for the summer in six weeks. Maybe then I can spend more time with Dad, but dating is not gonna happen. Yeah, he’s a really nice guy, and pretty hot too. But it isn’t the time.”

Kennedy leaves the subject alone, but even I know I’m lying to myself.

I barely know him, so why can’t I stop thinking about him?

CHAPTER 4

NOAH

“Well, shit, man. She was hot!” Grayson announces once Aubrey and the class have left. I’m still at a loss for words. What a coincidence. And once again, she put up that steely exterior, as if I did something to offend her. Well, fine, I’ll just let it go. Clearly, she isn’t interested. I must’ve read her wrong the other night at the bar.

“Yeah, she’s gorgeous, but she seems so different from the woman I met a week ago. She was laughing and smiling. Hell,
she
was having a good time. I mean, you can’t fake fun. But then once we stopped dancing, she got all weird and left. The same way today, all proper and cold. What’s up with that shit?”

“Chicks, dude. Who the fuck knows?” Grayson chuckles before heading back into the bunkhouse. Our shift was over earlier this morning, but we’d agreed to hang out later and give the tour to the kids. I walk inside and grab my duffle bag, ready to go home. We went out on two calls last night, but they were long ones, so I’m in need of a serious nap. I tell Gray I’ll call him later, see if he wants to hang out and shoot some pool or something. Because our shifts are twenty-four hours on, forty-eight hours off, we always get together between shifts with some of the guys from our crew.

I drive home, planning to catch up on some sleep then head over to my parents’ house. My mom’s been asking me to come over, so I figure I’ll do dinner with them before meeting up with anyone else. I don’t even bother with getting any food or taking a shower once I get home, just shuffle straight upstairs to bed and crash as soon as my head hits the pillow.

Later that night, I pull into my parents’ driveway, bottle of my mom’s favorite wine in the front seat of my truck. I love my parents’ house. They have a small ranch on a private and secluded three-acre plot, surrounded by trees. My sister, Carmen, and I used to love playing in the woods when we were kids, climbing trees and whatnot.

My mom and dad are sitting in their rockers on the front porch, waiting for me. As I make my way up the front steps Mom stands and comes to give me a hug. I bend over and wrap my arms around her shoulders. She’s a little thing, no more than five feet tall, but that woman is the boss—she rules the roost. Dad claps me on the back when I let go of my mom and heads inside to grab another beer. I hand Mom her wine and follow them into the house, Dad offering me a beer as we stand around the island in the kitchen.

“How’s work going, son?”

“Going well, Dad. Gray says hello, by the way. We had a group of preschoolers come in this morning for a tour of the fire station. That was pretty sweet.”

Mom’s looking at me funny. She can tell I’m leaving something out, that something’s bugging me.

“Noah, what’s going on? Everything okay?” She pops the cork from the bottle and pours herself a glass of wine. Sitting down on one of the stools, she motions for me to do the same.

“Remember how I told you I met that girl when Gray and I went to that new bar last week? Well, she was there today. She was the teacher.”

Mom raises an eyebrow, but waits for me to continue. I take a sip of beer and place the bottle on the counter.

“I don’t know, Mom. It was weird. When we were talking at Wheelers, she was so spunky, cracking jokes and giving me a hard time. She was awesome. And then she just up and left without so much as a phone number or anything. I just figured she needed to get home or something, whatever. But today, she was so cold and closed off with me. She was clearly shocked to see me, but I don’t know… I really thought we had a connection. Guess I was just wrong. It sucks.” I take another pull of my drink, playing with the label.

Mom reaches over and pats my hand. “Well, honey, maybe she has a lot going on. Maybe she’s really shy when she’s not in an environment where she’s had a few drinks in her, you never know. I hate to see you so disappointed, but it’ll be okay. Now, I hope you’re hungry. Dad’s going to throw the steak on the grill, and I’ve made my world famous potato salad.”

“Not really sure about ‘world famous,’ woman, considering your children and I are the only ones to have it.” Dad ducks as Mom tries to whack him with the newspaper lying on the counter, and I can’t help but laugh watching them. Dad leans over and kisses my mom, knowing he’ll be forgiven. Like always.

My parents have been in love since they were teenagers, married for thirty-one years, and it’s still an incredible thing to see. That’s what I want. Maybe someday.

***

The next week flies by. I spend a couple of my off days at my parents’, helping my dad build my mom a fire pit. Carmen’s going to be home in a few weeks for summer break before her final year at Boston College, and we’re all looking forward to having her home.

Grayson and I got together with the guys a couple of nights over the week, poker games and such, and I found myself thinking about Aubrey less and less. I still can’t understand why I’m so annoyed by her brush-off.

This is my last shift for the next couple days and I’m planning on spending the time off remodeling my kitchen. I just had the new appliances delivered and the old ones removed, so I’m ready to go. Grayson is supposed to help me with it, but really that just means he’ll be bringing beer and a headache. He’s lucky I put up with his annoying ass.

I’ve just grabbed a bottle of water out of the firehouse kitchen’s fridge when the alarm goes off, signaling a call.

“Man down from unexpected causes. Ambulance 72. Truck 62 assist. 16 Dearborn Way.”

Setting the bottle back down, I jog out to the bay. I pull on my pants and boots, grab my jacket and helmet and jump in the truck. Grayson starts it once I’m inside and we follow after the ambulance. We’re only about a five-minute drive, and soon we’re racing down the path to the house. When we pull in, the paramedics are grabbing the backboard and kits out of the back. I leave my jacket and helmet, as there’s clearly no fire, and hop down from the truck, the other guys on our crew doing the same. A young woman comes running out the front door, yelling for the paramedics to hurry, and they go racing off. We’re still unsure of the situation so we hang out around the house, waiting to see if we’re needed.

The woman stays out on the porch, pacing back and forth. I decide to go talk to her and find out anything I can. When I get closer, I’m horrified to see who it is.

“Aubrey! Are you okay? What’s going on?” Her pretty blue eyes are red and puffy, and she has tears pouring down her cheeks. When she notices me, she hesitates for only a second before she reaches out and wraps her arms around my waist, burying her face in my chest.

“It’s my dad. I don’t know what happened. He’s been doing so well. He had another round a couple days ago, and today he was complaining of a headache. But when he got up, he fell down and wouldn’t wake up. Mom called 911. I’m so scared, Noah.”

I keep my arms around her tightly. I still don’t have any idea what’s going on, but she’s clearly distraught and I’m not going to press her for any more information yet. I kiss the top of her head and keep her close to me. After a few minutes, she calms down, so I decide to find out what’s happening. I help her inside and sit her on the couch, kneeling in front of her.

“Aubrey, talk to me. Don’t focus on what’s going on. Your dad is in good hands with those guys. Now, you said he had a round a few days ago. Do you mean chemotherapy?”

“Yes. The night I met you at the bar, Dad told us he had brain cancer. An inoperable tumor. They were trying to shrink it, but I don’t know. He just went down. He’d been having the headaches before he was diagnosed, so he didn’t think it was any different. I don’t want him to die, Noah. I don’t know what to do.” She still has tears running down her cheeks as she looks at me, and I can’t stop myself from reaching out and wiping them away with the back of my hand. So many things are starting to make sense to me—why she’s so closed off, why she went rushing out of the bar.

This girl has so much shit on her plate.

After a few minutes, I look up to see the paramedic wheeling her dad out on a stretcher. They go out the front door with him and we follow. As they place him in the back of the ambulance, a woman I assume is Aubrey’s mother climbs in with them. They’re going to bring him to the hospital for observation, but they think he’s going to be okay. Aubrey lets her mother know she’ll meet them there. Aubrey turns to me and starts thanking me for everything. I cut her off with a wave of my hand.

“Listen to me, Aubrey. It’s going to be okay, I promise. But listen, why don’t you give me your phone number, and if you and your mom ever need anything, you give me a call. Grayson told me about what you told him, and I completely respect that, but I care about you. So please, let me be there for you. Everybody needs friends.” I smile at her.

“Yeah, okay. That’s a good idea. Thank you so much, Noah.” She hands me her phone and I call my own cell, so I have her number. I program mine in and tell her again to call or text anytime. I hand her back her cell phone and she rushes over to her car to follow the ambulance. I head back over to the truck and tell everyone we’re good to go.

Grayson keeps looking at me on the short drive back, and once all the guys are out of earshot, he asks me what happened. I just shake my head.

“Her dad has inoperable brain cancer. Shit, man, I just thought she didn’t like me. I didn’t know her dad was fucking dying. I gave her my number and told her to call me if she and her mom ever needed anything. Was that a dick move? I told her I’d be okay with just being friends.”

“Nah, dude. Sounds to me like she could use some help with everything. And from the way she grabbed onto you when you walked up to her, I’d say she’s okay with that.” I walk into the bunkhouse to grab my cell phone so I can save Aubrey’s number, when I notice I have a text. It’s from her.

Aubrey: Thank you so much for today, Noah. I’m sorry for being so weird last week on the field trip, but I’ve just had a lot on my mind since Dad’s diagnosis. You’re a good man.

Noah: You’re welcome. Anything you need, you just let me know.

I’m starving, so I go into the kitchen to see if anyone’s made any food. Everyone is making sandwiches, so I grab some stuff for myself.

I think it goes without saying that it ended up being the longest shift of my life. All I can think about is how Aubrey’s dad is doing, and how she’s handling it all. Later that night, I send her a text.

Noah: How’s your dad?

Aubrey: He’s much better, thanks for asking. He was just really dehydrated from his last round of chemo, so they’re giving him some fluids, but they’re hoping to release him tomorrow and continue with his next scheduled chemo appointment.

I’m really happy to hear that everything’s going okay. How has this girl managed to work her way into all my thoughts? I can’t figure it out. Sure, I’ve had girlfriends before—I’m not this inexperienced virginal idiot—but this has nothing to do with sex. I mean, don’t get me wrong; I’d love to have her naked body writhing beneath mine, hear her screaming my name while I fuck her sweet pussy. No, this is about a different kind of intimacy. I want to know her, know what she wants to do with her life. I want to be a part of her life.

Fuck. I’m so screwed. Just friends, my ass.

We have no calls throughout the night, so I’m actually pretty well rested when I leave the firehouse. I’m just throwing my duffle bag into the back of my truck when a thought strikes me. Pulling out my phone, I quickly send Aubrey a text.

Noah: Morning! I just thought of something. What’s your last name? You never told me.

Aubrey: Stevens. And for the record, you never asked me what it was.

I chuckle. This girl is something all right. And I love it. Wait, love? Where did that come from?

Noah: Well, for the record, my last name is Davis. In case you wanted to Google me or something, find out how amazing I am.

Aubrey: I could just look up the word ‘ego’ in the dictionary, but thanks!

I start laughing at that one. This girl. She’s slowly warming up to me, I can tell.

Hopping in my truck, I head over to the hospital, hoping to use my charm and wit to find out what room a Mr. Stevens is in. I know most of the nurses in the emergency department, since we often help out with transporting victims, so it shouldn’t be too hard. Stopping at the gift shop outside the main entrance, I pick up a ‘get well soon’ balloon and a teddy bear. It’s probably incredibly silly and cheesy, but hey, that’s just the kind of guy I am. Once I reach the nurses station, all I do is mention that it was a call from the day before and I’m in. Michael Stevens is in Room 48.

Here goes nothing.