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I narrow my gaze.“Why don’t you tell me?”
“Behave, you two,” Mom says with a snicker.
“Why don’t you tell yourhusbandto be nice to me?”I counter.
“Want to talk about why your best friend’s gear was covered in puke after a call-out?We had back-to-back fires after that restaurant call so the truck was smellingmightynice by the time they got back to the station.”God, kill me now.
“I may haveindulgedmyself in a few alcoholic beverages last night ...”I can’t help but grin a little at the fact not just Luca but the whole crew had to put up with him stinking to high hell.It’s embarrassing, obviously.But also kind of funny.
“Good for you, honey,” Mom says, dishing up a plate of scrambled eggs, hash browns, and crispy bacon, and walking it over to me.Thisis why I still live at home.My mother is a mind reader.
“Damn, why does she get the good stuff yet your hardworking husband of thirty years gets muesli?”Dad asks, hungrily eyeing up my plate.
“Because you, Daddy-o, have to go to sleep andthis”—I point down at my plate—”is to make your darling baby girl feel better before she has to go to the Rossi family’s home for lunch.”
“Oh, that’ll be lovely for you,” Mom says with a smile on her face.“Is Luca picking you up?”
Shit.Luca said he’d take care of my car for me.But right now, I’m in two minds about seeing Luca alone because—reasons.
As if my Dad is now the psychic, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out my keys.“Rhodes and I went and got it this morning.Luca was exhausted so we said we’d do it for you.”
Oh...
“Thanks, Dad,” I say, spearing a piece of bacon with my fork and getting out of my seat.I walk toward him and bend down to kiss his cheek before holding out my greasy gift of gratitude for him.
“You’re my favorite Kelly girl, but don’t tell the others, OK?”Dad says—the same thing he often says to Violet, me,andMom.It’s like his own dad joke but we love it all the same.
“Pfft, you’re just saying that ’cause I’m sneaking you the good stuff,” I stage whisper, grinning when Mom tut-tuts me as she makes her way to the table and sits next to Dad.
“So,” she starts, and I know just from her tone that I’m not getting out of this.“About last night ...how did it go?”Mom’s voice is all casual and nonchalant but I know she’s wanting details.She was as excited as Violet was when I said I’d called Brock to arrange dinner.
“He will now and forever be known as ‘Perfect Brock,’ something I blurted out to his face, and hestillwanted to stay for the date after that.”
“Wellthat’salways good I suppose,” Dad says with a frown.“So how do you go from that to getting trashed and puking over Luca?”
“What?You didn’t listen to your gossiping fire crew to get the details, Captain?”I tilt my head but a slice of pain behind my eyes reminds me that maybe sudden movements are still not a good idea in my somewhat fragile state.
Dad pins me with a stare.“No sisters, daughters, wives, or exes, remember?That includesspreading gossip about them.Especially when it’smybaby girl.”
I snort and roll my eyes.“Brock was wonderful.The perfect gentleman.But I realized that I’m not in the right ...”I pause to try and think of an easy way to explain it.“Head space?To date, I guess.”
“I hope he didn’t pressure you to drink or anything.”Good ol’ Dad, always giving me the benefit of the doubt.
“No, he didn’t.We just had dinner then moved to the bar for a few drinks.We were laughing and swapping stories when the fire alarm went off and we were rushed outside.”
Dad leans back in his chair as if settling in for the story.“So you’re drinking, you get evacuated, and then what?Why didn’t you just call a cab and come home?”
“Because Brock is a doctor, and he was helping administer first aid until Cohen and Corey arrived to take over.”
“And Luca?”
“Dad ...”I warn.“Don’t use me to check on the conduct of your firehouse.I’m no snitch.”
“But you did manage to soil his uniform ...”
“He came over to see if I was OK.I was.Then, maybe it was the adrenalin drop or I drankfarmore than I’d thought, but it made me sick, and Luc just happened to be in the firing line for it.That’s it.The end.”
“Sounds like your doctor was being a very Good Samaritan.”Great.Now Mom’s getting on board the Perfect Brock bandwagon.I’m glad she was asleep when I came home last night.Otherwise she’d probably have tried setting me up with him all over again.If only they knew that he never had a chance because I’m still hung up on an imperfectly perfect-for-me firefighter who only sees me as his girl and not his woman—and likely never will.
