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I place the pup on the seat next to me, where he curls up to sleep, and I quickly get up to wash my hands, before returning and loading up my plate with a little of everything.
“This all looks gorgeous. There’s not a single thing here that I don’t like,” I tell him, tucking in with relish.
“Great. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I like to start my days right.”
“Do you watch what you eat?” I ask him.
“Only for breakfast,” he winks. “After that, it’s fair game. I burn a lot of calories in my job, and sometimes I have to eat on the fly.”
“Tell me more about your job,” I prompt.
“Well, I’ve been in the service for a couple of years now. I’ve lived in Silver Springs all my life, and I come from a family of shifters. It made sense to use the...perks of my species to do good.”
“What do you mean, perks?”
“Well, we don’t exactly have powers per se, but there are traits that fennec foxes have. For one, they’re crazy fast.”
“Wait, hang on! Fennec foxes are real? Like an actual real-life, you can see one in the zoo, animal?”
“As opposed to…?”
“Being a supernatural creature.”
Ash laughs and I love the deep rich sound he makes.
“Yes. They’re real. Look,” he says. He pulls out his phone and shows me some images online of fennecs. Huh. Who knew? “So, crazy fast, like I said. Amazing hearing. They live in the desert so they’re resilient to heat. Nocturnal, so great night vision. Phenomenal ability to jump.”
“Do you have any of those traits?” I ask in awe.
“Yes. I don’t even have to be in my fox form to use them. So I decided to use those skills in the best way possible. It’s a pretty great combination for being a firefighter.”
“I’ll say!” I smile.
“What’s it like? Being a firefighter in Silver Springs?”
“What’s it like doing your job here?”
“Touché.” I laugh. “Some days it’s crazy. I’ve not been here too long but I’ve already come to realize that anything and everything goes here!”
“Well imagine that craziness with fire built in. There’s a colony of dragon shifters just outside of town, and the kids keep me busy!” I laugh as I imagine toddlers through to teens burning down forests as they try to master their abilities.
We settle into an easy conversation, talking about all sorts, everything and nothing. I relax and start to think about how much I like this guy. I’m certainly not looking for love or anything crazy like that, but I enjoy his company. He makes me laugh. He’s definitely easy on the eye and he’s a really nice, no make that great, humble person who tries to give back and do good in the world. Phew! Thinking it over in my mind, I realize that it’s quite an impressive list of pros he has going for him.
“Can I see you again?” I suddenly blurt out. He smiles, but I’m struck dumb. Where did that come from?
“I thought you’d never ask.” Ash grins. “I’ll swing by and help you with the dog.”
“No. Well, I mean you can. But actually I meant do you want to go on a date again? I had a great time today.”
“Absolutely!” He beams at me, his wide smile lighting up not only his face, but I swear, the entire room too. He’s just about to say something when his pager goes off. “Crap! I gotta rush off. Missing child. Can I call you later?”
“Sure,” I say, taken aback by the sudden movement as he races toward the door.
“I’ll swing by and pick up all the stuff later. Don’t wash up or do anything, I’ll sort everything!” He stops abruptly, swears quietly under his breath, then spins to capture me in his arms. He plants a searing kiss on my lips that makes my knees weak and leaves me breathless and needing some water to dampen down the flames he ignited. Before I can think, blink, process...he’s gone.
