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“What’s wrong? You sound stressed,” she said immediately.
I leaned back in my chair, letting the springy bounce soothe my frustration.
“I just got off the phone with Dawson. He called about a case and I just... I guess let him get to me.”
“He’s such an asshole. Seriously.”
“I know, but—”
That’s why I like him. I like his shitty attitude, his foul mouth, and he isn’t bad on the eyes either...
“I wanted to let you know that I got some time coming up I have to take, so I was thinking maybe I could come visit? Spend the weekend? Get your ass out of the house for a bit?”
I sighed. I wanted to spend time with Allie, I really did, but the last month I’d gotten swamped with work, and I knew I needed to make a dent in my workload.
“Work has been a little nuts as of late, Allie. I’m sorry, I—”
“It’s fine, Nolan. I know you’re working your ass off right now for that promotion. Just... remember your life doesn’t have to be all work, you know.”
Her words settled on me, making me feel a mixture of shame, guilt, and loneliness.
It was easy for people like Allie to say that, when they had lives outside of their jobs.
My life was my job. It was all I had, because I was alone.
I glanced at the clock, noting it was now nearing quarter to twelve. If I wanted to hit Jonathan Bradish’s house, I’d need to get a move on it.
“I like my job...” I said with a whine.
“Mhmmm. I think you just like being around all those sweaty, hot firefighters all day.”
Maybe just one hot firefighter.
“I do not—”
“Especially... who is it? Mr. March?” She giggled. “I mean, hell, I’d become a workaholic too for those calendar boys.” She whistled on the other end, throwing me into another blush.
“It’s not like that, and you know it. I gotta go though. I have to actually go check out a claim... that’s what Dawson called about.”
“I’d love to meet the asshole who gets you all flustered someday. Maybe on the next trip you can bring me down to the firehouse and show me what I’m missing,” she said sweetly.
“Deal,” I promised, and I let her go, getting up from my chair and grabbing my keys.
CHAPTER 5
Dawson
I’d just made it back to the firehouse when my brother called.
“Jonathan, is everything okay?” I asked, my adrenaline still spiked from the shed fire we’d just put out across town in Deer Park.
“Yeah, everything’s good, I, uh... you said to give you a call whenever one of the insurance guys showed up, so I just wanted to let you know one of them showed up.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed my lighting a fire under Nolan’s ass worked.
“Good. I’ll be there in a bit, just getting out of my gear. Don’t let them leave until I get there, okay? I don’t want these idiots fucking shit up on my watch.”
“Dawson...” my brother protested, but I refused to let him blow me off. It was my job as his big brother to make sure he was okay, and that those asshole adjusters made sure he was covered for his losses. I knew firsthand how they could be sticklers, having dated one of them, especially when it came to folks like my brother who operated their businesses out of their homes.
