“Momma, can I pick out my gummies?” he asks, turning to face her and pointing at the selection of fruit snacks.
“Just one box,” Tessa replies, holding up a single finger.
He smiles and steps away from us, looking over all the fruit snack options. My eyes shift briefly in the same direction. Have there always been that many choices? Some claim they’re made with real fruit or fruit juice, while others are apparently organic.
Organic fruit snacks. Didn’t even realize that was a thing. Are organic fruit snacks really that much better if they’re still loaded with sugar?
“So, firefighter, huh?” Her voice cuts through my wandering thoughts, pulling my attention back to her.
“Uh, yeah. I’ve only been with this station for a couple of months. Worked in a bigger city before this.” I don’t know why I’m telling her this, other than I guess I want her to know she can trust me. I want to share information with her, just like I want to know as much about her as she will let me.
She nods, tension lining her shoulders as she glances at her son and then back to me. “I take it you were one of the firefighters at his school today?”
“Yeah. Gray, the one who so graciously walked away and said he’d give us five minutes, Kinsley, and I were there for their annual fire safety demonstration.” I shrug. “First for me in this town, but I used to do them all the time at my old station. I always get a kick out of how excited the kids get.”
Fuck, I’m rambling.
“You’re in good company if you work with Blair and Grayson,” she says, a slight smile curling at the corner of her lips. “I’ve known them forever. We all went to school together, though Blair and I sort of lost touch over the years. But Gray’s always been around.”
It takes me a second to realize she’s talking about Kinsley. We never refer to her by her first name at the station. I tried once. She was quick to correct me, saying she preferred to be called by her last name. I never thought to question it.
“Got ‘em!” The little boy, whose name I still don’t know, tosses his chosen box of fruit snacks into the basket.
Tessa laughs, shaking her head with a smile. “Good choice, buddy.” Her gaze lifts to mine, and she searches my face as if she’s looking for something. She pulls in a deep breath through her nose and releases it with a sigh. “Listen, I know you’re busy, and we’ve gotta get home to make dinner, but—”
“Can I see you again?” I cut her off with my question as we make our way down the aisle and toward the checkout stands.
“Lori's Diner. Stop in anytime during the day, and I can almost guarantee that I’ll be there,” she says with a gentle laugh.
I haven’t been in Hartridge for long, but everyone in town seems to know about Lori's. I’ve heard numerous people on the crew mention stopping in to grab coffee or a quick bite to eat before or after shifts, but I haven’t had the chance. With the amount of time we spend at the station for our shifts, I prefer to relax at home and cook when I’m off. Not that I’m a total homebody, but sometimes I don’t possess the energy it would take to leave the house and socialize. When I am away from home while off-duty, it’s usually to check on my brother. Luke would be perfectly happy with always being alone in his bookstore if I let him.
Everything inside of me wants to ask Tessa for her phone number, but I get the feeling that she isn’t ready for that, so instead, I tell her I’ll see her soon, and we go our separate ways.
Back at the truck, Kinsley raises a brow in my direction as we load up the few bags of groceries. “You sure about that?” She doesn’t bother to specify what she’s asking about.
I chuckle, shaking my head as I climb into the truck. “Shut up and get in the damn truck.” Getting involved with a woman who has a young child is probably a bad idea. My schedule is hectic and, at times, unpredictable. Life in this little mountain town is a lot slower than it was in the city. It’s much more relaxed. Still, it doesn't mean a fire or medical emergency won’t pull me away at a moment’s notice. From what I’ve gathered, Tessa and her son have already experienced more heartbreak than most.
Would wedging my way into their lives even be fair?
She holds her hands up in front of her. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.” Her words sound like a warning, but I ignore them.
Right now, all I’m doing is getting to know a beautiful woman who blew my damn mind the other night. The rest I’ll figure out later.
Twenty-four hours doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but when it’s filled with a few calls for medical assistance and one for a small house fire, it can feel like an eternity. The exhaustion weighing me down brings a whole new meaning to the expressiondead on my feet.I’m aching to go home, shower, and crash. I’m sure I’ve consumed more than the safe limit of caffeine, and I think my body has developed a tolerance to it in the last few hours. That, or I’m justso fucking tired that no amount of coffee or energy drinks is going to keep me functioning for much longer.
I want to take a detour by the diner, but I don’t want to be completely out of it when I see Tessa. If I had her phone number, I would text her to let her know I’m going home to get some sleep, but that’s not currently an option.
Soon.
Apparently, my mind is too wired to get more than five hours of sleep because I wake up just after one o’clock in the afternoon. I jolt upright in bed, panicked that she will already be gone for the day by the time I get over to Lori's. Having showered before climbing into bed, I quickly throw on a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt before sliding on socks and my well-worn boots.
I have no idea what the elementary school’s schedule is, but I would probably have better luck catching Tessa at work if I waited until tomorrow morning. I could roll in around ten a.m. and spend the morning talking to her while she works. Not all day, just long enough to finally get her phone number. Gone are the days when you could get to know someone without being able to text or call them. Between our varying work schedules and her life as a mom, I don’t expect it to be easy to find a good time to take her out, but I would like to be able to talk to her throughout the day as much as possible.
I’m getting ahead of myself here. She has to agree to go out with me first.
Only a few cars fill the small parking lot of Lori's Diner when I pull in, which leaves me hopeful that it won’t be too busy for me to catch her attention. The entrance door swings open as I’m climbing out ofmy truck, and I spot Tessa holding the door open for an older couple. Her hazel eyes lift to mine as she catches me walking her way, a soft smile spreading across her face.
“I was starting to think you forgot about me,” she teases.
