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For Geri, working out with Charlie was like lifting weights with her dad. When Jake had asked if he could join in, she had to concentrate on not injuring herself because he was a distraction. There was no denying it; she was attracted to Jake. They took turns spotting each other, and that was where it got a little weird; she couldn’t remember how to breathe properly.
“You’re doing great,” Jake had said. “Do you play any sports?”
Sure this was a reference to herlook, she shook her head. “Not now. I just run. I ran track in high school, now just for fitness.”
“That’s probably why your legs are so awesome,” he said, staring at them.
“Hey, buddy, watch it,” Charlie had admonished. “Keep it professional.”
Stuttering, Jake quickly apologized while Geri slipped off the bench to get on the treadmill, ending the conversation.
So having Jake catch up with her outside of work was exciting and felt a little dangerous, like they were doing something illicit and might get caught. She tried with all her might to relax, to not let anything flirtatious eke out like it kept trying to do whenever he was around.
“Hey, Jake. We’re free!”
“Yes, and it feels so good,” he replied, looking down at her. She wondered if he could hear her heart pounding. “Are you headed home?”
“I am,” she replied, the inner battle commencing again. She didn’t want to be distracted, but she’d met her goal already. There’d be no harm in loosening up. Was it even possible to avoid a relationship with Jake Saint? And why on earth would she want to? “How about you?”
“Do you want to have breakfast together? If you agree, I’ll even make it for you.”
He wanted to continue the routine they’d already established, eating together, working together. He’d never had such physical empathy, for lack of a better word, with a woman like he had with her. When they had been using their pickaxes side by side out in the field, the rhythm took all the effort out of the work for him. He didn’t want it to end.
“We can have breakfast together. Do you want to do it at your place?”
“I live with my parents,” he replied. “I’d rather be alone so we can talk.”
He looked so hopeful, she couldn’t just shut him down. Taking a deep breath, she said the fateful words. “Do you want to come to my place? I don’t dare go out in public like this.”
“You look great,” he said sincerely. “You never stopped for three days, and no one would know it by looking at you right now. Yes, if you’re okay with going to your place, that would be fine.”
She bit her lip, blushing and not really knowing how to respond, so she just smiled. “Do you want to follow me home?”
“Thank you. I should stop by my folks’ house and pick up clean clothes. Would you mind following me home first?”
His parents’ house was out of the way. It was a little weird. Why didn’t he just get her address and meet up with her later? But he didn’t want even that amount of time to lapse apart from her.
“I can do that,” she said hesitatingly.
Jake smiled, excited for the morning. He was glad she was willing to spend the morning together. The three days with her at the firehouse had flown by, and stretching that out, maybe forever, gave him such renewed hope that life might actually be more than just fighting fires.
She followed him down the mountain, and she felt safe in the fog with the big white pickup truck in front of her. His neighborhood was the one he’d pointed out to her when they were fighting the brush fire at the side of the highway. He came around to her window when they stopped.
“I’ll be right out,” he said. “If I take you inside to meet my mother, we’ll never get out of there.”
“Oh, okay,” she said, smiling, wondering why he’d want to introduce her to his mother before a breakfast date.
She watched him go inside, and his mother was right there, at that early hour, with her blond hair looking fresh out of the beauty parlor, wearing full makeup. They spoke to each other and she pushed him inside, waving to Geri.
“Oh no, don’t let her come out,” Geri muttered.
But Roberta closed the door. “Who is she?” she asked Jake, following him to his bedroom.
“The new recruit at the firehouse,” he answered. “Ask Pop or one of the guys, they’ll tell you all there is to know.”
“I heard there was a new girl but that she’s gay,” Roberta said, then, realizing she’d just put her foot in her mouth, had a hot flash of epic proportions.
“Who told you that?” he said, walking out of his bedroom with theJake look, his piercing blue eyes flashing.
