The Switch (9 page)

With the upcoming chili cook-off, Thanksgiving, and life in general, Tia only had time to search for two more families the next week. Luckily she was able to find couples who were the likely parents, and cross them off her list. Thanks to Facebook, she was even able to verify one of the women was born the same day she was, but again, there was no family resemblance to Mona or Ron, and plenty with the woman’s parents. That one got marked as an unlikely swap.

Tia reached the firehouse early on Saturday, grateful Lee’s brother had agreed to take the girls for a few hours, and to bring them by for some chili after the judging was over. She was amazed to see how organized everything was. There was a school next door to the firehouse and the guys had gotten permission to set up in the parking lot, to keep their emergency vehicles unimpeded for quick response.

There were tents and tables, plenty of chairs, and everything was roped off so people who wanted to shell out a donation for the charity had to come past the entrance.

She hadn’t known what to expect, but not having asked about the sign-ups lately, Tia found nearly thirty competitors for the title of best chili recipe.
 
She didn’t know how she was going to manage. Even if she only took a bite of each dish she’d be sick by the time she reached the end.

Danny met her at the entrance to the roped off area. “Hey, Tia!” He slung an arm around her shoulder and led her back to the tents where the contestants were set up. They had spoken on the phone several times during the week, and she had brought over a few pies to the firehouse for the guys’ thanksgiving dinner, since he had been working. “All set to test these recipes? We have thirty-two.”

“How did we ever manage to get so many contestants?” It was terrific, a great show of support for the fire department, but way more than she had expected.

“Are you kidding? We had another three people call yesterday and ask if they could still sign up. We had to turn them away.”

“Holy crow.” She liked chili as well as the next person, but that was a whole lot of chili. “The camera crew should be here any minute.”

“Good. James is collecting samples from each of the pots now. As you asked, each bowl will have an index card attached with the list of ingredients and an entry number on it.” He led her into a smaller tent with its side flaps down.

On the table inside, she found nearly two dozen Styrofoam bowls lined up side by side. “All right. First we need to see if there are different categories.” She glanced at all of the ingredient lists and started sorting them by traditional and white bean. There weren’t enough other variations to make subgroups.

James brought in another tray full and announced it was the last of them.

Another minute of sorting and she was done.

“You’re not going to sort out the turkey from the beef too?” Danny teased her.

“No.” She bumped him with her elbow. “This will be fine.” She had opted not to meet the chefs until after she tasted the chili—she didn’t want some cute kid or grumpy old man’s attitude to influence the scores on their food.

The camera crew arrived and took a shot at the bowls lined up on the table before she started to taste them. The reporter asked Tia a few questions about the event, the charity, and how she got involved. She put on her camera persona and gave the requisite sound bites, but was relieved when the crew left her tent so she could begin the judging. The other judges, a local restaurant owner and the fire chief, approved of her organizational efforts and they began their taste tests.

They didn’t agree on the merits of all of the dishes, but they checked their score sheets, taking time to discuss why they each preferred their top three. Another taste test of the best dishes and they were able to narrow down a winner in each of the categories, plus a grand master. Another three people judged the corn bread competition, and had nearly as much trouble with their selections—though they weren’t nearly as numerous.

Finally Tia was able to go out and meet the chefs. It took nearly two hours to make the rounds, stopping to answer questions and shake hands, and she didn’t get to speak with any of them for long. They stopped midway through her rounds to announce the contest winners, then continued meeting the chefs.

The crowds who came to eat the chili and support the burn center and burn camp swelled to over five hundred at noon, and stayed steady until nearly two o’clock. Tia was glad everyone brought gigantic vats of their chili and huge trays of cornbread. They ran out of food before people stopped coming, but the donations continued to pour in.

Samantha and Tristi arrived with their uncle and spent an hour wandering around, sampling the various dishes, and Samantha chattered with school friends.

Six hours after Tia had reached the firehouse, she sat with the guys in the tiny kitchen. The tents were down, the chairs and tables put away, and Danny and James were counting donations. In addition to the forty-three blankets they had collected for the burn center patients, the cash donations came out to over eight-thousand dollars.

“Wow. That was seriously impressive!” Danny said when the last of the money had been double checked.

“You guys put on a mean party,” Tia said. She was exhausted, but felt good about what they’d accomplished. No doubt Lee’s brother was more than ready for her to pick up the girls, but Tia wasn’t sure she had the strength to get them through their evening routines.

Danny grinned. “Unless someone else has seriously good luck, this should easily put us in first place for fundraising in the city.”

“You guys and your competitiveness. It’s not about winning; it’s about the kids—isn’t it?” Tia asked, lifting her brows.

“Of course it is,” James rushed to agree. “Winning the competition is icing on the cake.”

Tia shook her head and held back a chuckle. She was a big believer in healthy competition, as long as it didn’t turn cutthroat. Seeing the merriment in Danny’s eyes told her it was all in good fun. And how could that be bad? “I ought to be going. The girls have to be getting on Garrett’s nerves by now. Besides, I need to take them shopping so Samantha can get a couple of Christmas presents.”

Danny reached over and took her hand, standing and helping her onto her feet. “Let me walk you to your car.”

It was nice having a man hold her hand and feeling comfortable with him. The tiny thrill of excitement when she saw the tenderness in his gaze was an extra bonus. She thought for a minute that he might ask to join them in their shopping trip, but he didn’t. Instead he brought up the fire station’s annual Christmas party. “It’s the sixteenth. Do you think you can come?”

She gave him a sideways glance. “You mean as a date?”

He turned her as they reached her car and backed her against her door. “Yeah. And I’d like to see you before then, too.” He leaned toward her.

Tia allowed herself to show the flirty smile she felt blossoming inside. “You’re seeing me now.”

“Tomorrow,” he said. “Come to dinner tomorrow. You can bring dessert again. I’ll throw something together for the meal.” He tugged away a lock of hair that had blown in her face. “It’ll be nice.”

She felt her heart pick up speed. “I’m sure it will. And what about the girls?”

“Sunday dinners are for everyone.” He set one hand on her shoulder, and teased the side of her neck with his index finger. “We’ll arrange a date for the two of us later.”

Tia felt a shiver of excitement race across her skin as he leaned closer. It hadn’t been a date—but much of the day had a somewhat date-like quality to it. He rarely left her side, ushering her around, making sure she met everyone. Still, he might kiss her.

His eyes said he wanted to kiss her, but instead of leaning down to take her mouth, he brushed his lips across her forehead. “You’re exhausted. Go home and try to rest for a while. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She wished he hadn’t restrained himself, even as she was glad he was taking things slow. “Six o’clock?”

“That’ll be perfect.”

“Okay, try this one.” Danny fed Tia something off the Thai platter sitting between them. He smiled as her eyes popped, either because she liked the taste, or it was burning her from the inside out. He hadn’t been to this restaurant since Laura died—a shame, he thought as a smile spread over Tia’s face. How was it she’d never eaten Thai before?

Her mouth was still full, but she covered it with her hand. “Oh, wow, this is so hot! But delicious.” She chewed the food some more and swallowed. “What’s it called?”

“No idea. We’ll have to ask the waiter when he comes by again.” A couple dates a week were all he’d been able to talk her into, including the Sunday night dinner with the girls. Every minute he spent with Tia, though, convince him more that she was special—really special. He’d dated plenty of women, but none of them made him feel like she did.

He picked up some crispy noodle shrimp and ate it himself, then shared a bit with her. Tia was so warm and fun, she was open to new experiences and had this zest for food that fascinated him. “So do you think you’ll be adding some of their dishes to your lineup next year?”

“Definitely. I may bump one into line before New Year’s, in fact. I’ll have to do some research.”

Ah, an opening of sorts.
“Speaking of research. How’s it coming?” He’d been dying to ask, but hadn’t wanted her to feel like he was grilling her by bringing it up earlier.

She shrugged one shoulder, playing with the red chicken curry on her plate. “It’s moving right along. I think I’ve identified all of the families, though I’m still not sure about the Lowells. I’ll have to do a little more digging on that one. But it can wait a few weeks. My days are filling up fast.”

“I bet. I hope some of those blocks of time are reserved for me.” The table where they sat was small, cozy, and tucked into a private booth. It was easy to pick up her hand and bring it to his mouth. He pressed a kiss to the inside of her fingers, and then to catch her reaction, to her palm. He saw the blush rise to her cheeks and had to smile. Yes, there was something very special about this woman. The fact such a simple gesture could bring on a blush only made him like her more.

“A few Sunday dinners at least,” she teased.

“And more, I hope.”

“And more.” She popped another crispy wonton into her mouth.

“Good.” Her response filled him with relief.

“Well, isn’t this cute?” The voice came from the doorway to their booth and was edged with ice.

Danny looked up to see Carrie standing beside the table. He wanted to groan at the sight of his ex-girlfriend, but forced himself to keep a pleasant smile instead, even as he dreaded the encounter. “I’m sure you find it nauseating. Let me introduce my date. Carrie, this is Tia Riverton. Tia, Carrie Lockley.”

“We used to date—before I gave up on ever becoming a priority in his life.” Carrie leaned over the table, her shoulder-length brown hair coming between him and her as she spoke to Tia. “Take it from me—his priorities are his dead
non
-girlfriend, his work, and somewhere around twelfth or thirteenth place, he’ll squeeze you in. He’s not the marrying kind.”

Tia’s brows lifted and she gave Carrie a bland smile. “Since I’m not expecting a marriage proposal anytime soon, I guess we’ll be fine.”

Danny didn’t have time to decide if Tia honestly didn’t think the relationship was going anywhere, or if she was just spectacular at the cool-cucumber attitude. They were a long way off from making a commitment, but he definitely felt more for her than anyone else he’d dated. He only glanced her way before turning his attention back to his ex-girlfriend. “It was nice to see you again, Carrie.”

“Spare me.” She turned on her five-inch stilettos and walked off.

“She’s bound to twist an ankle in those things,” Tia said as she lifted her drink for a sip.

Danny didn’t know where to begin his apologies. Experience with other women indicated said apologies would be manifold, and he was better off starting out right away. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. She’s an ex-girlfriend who obviously had issues about your friendship with Laura.” A smile teased Tia’s mouth. “It’s perfectly understandable. What girlfriend wouldn’t wonder about their boyfriend’s relationship with another woman? Carrie strikes me as the kind who wouldn’t like to share.”

He took Tia’s hand in his. She really wasn’t going to make him pay for the almost-scene? Carrie would have had a fit in her place. “You nailed it. The relationship with Carrie was a mistake for both of us—we weren’t really suited for each other.”

She nodded and took another bite of dinner. The conversation was closed when she switched to another subject, but Danny couldn’t help but wonder if the encounter would come up again.

* * *

As Danny walked Tia to her front door a couple of hours later, she wondered when she’d last had such a great date. It had been too long, that was for sure. She held his hand as they sauntered up the sidewalk. After the incredible meal, he’d taken her to a magic show, which had been light and fun and so different from what she’d expected when he’d asked her out.

She wondered if she would ever get a handle on the real Danny.

They walked in and Tia paid her babysitter, then sent the neighbor girl home to sleep. As the front door closed, she turned back to Danny. “I had a great evening.”

He stepped close enough that he could easily reach out and tangle her curly red hair in his fingers. “I’m glad. It was fun watching you have a great evening.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever figure you out.” She shivered slightly as the backs of his finger brushed her cheek and chin in his casual, yet deliberate way. His cologne seemed to swirl in the air around them, musky and familiar.

A smile spread across his mouth as it lowered toward hers and his voice grew husky. “Good. When you figure me out, things might start to get boring.”

Tia tilted her chin up to him, leaning in as he covered her lips. She felt his arm come around her back even as she threaded hers around his neck and moved closer. She’d missed kissing, missed the closeness and taste and touch. When he tilted his head to improve the angle, she followed suit as his mouth moved across hers tenderly. Her chest flooded with warmth and a sweet ache. She felt him tug lightly on her hair and tilted her head back even more for a long moment before she made herself pull away. He let her go. When she opened her eyes, she found him already watching her.

“Go out with me Saturday,” he asked.

“The girls.”

He stepped back, releasing her, but caught her hand. His voice returned to normal. “We’ll all go somewhere. We’ll catch the latest Christmas flick at the theater and grab some burgers or something. Then we can see Christmas lights around town, make the girls smile.”

 
“It sounds great.” She was already looking forward to it. “I thought you meant for us to go alone.”

His familiar, teasing grin appeared. “And then we’ll put the girls to bed and stay up talking or arguing over a board game. Or something.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip.

Her stomach quivered at the look in his clear blue eyes. “That sounds pretty wonderful.”

“Good.” He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers one more time, lingering for a few seconds until her mind blurred at the edges. “I better go,” he said when he finally pulled away. “I have to be at the station early tomorrow. I’m on for forty-eight.”

She was both disappointed to have him go, and a little relieved. This was progressing faster than she’d expected and she needed to step back and rearrange her vision of the world. Tia had three days to get her bearings and adjust, because she didn’t think this was a road she was going to take a detour off of anytime soon.

As she watched his car pull out of the drive a few minutes later, she couldn’t wait for Saturday.