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Amelia followed my gaze. “Hey, Jonah,” she said when he stopped beside us.
He dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Hey.”
When he looked at me, I felt ridiculously nervous. “Hi,” I said, my voice cracking on that single syllable.
“Good morning,” Janet said.
Jonah’s lips curled into a full smile when he glanced at Janet. “Good morning.”
“What can I get for you?” she asked.
“Coffee.” He slipped his phone out of his pocket, tapping the screen. “I’m picking up for the station.”
Janet held her hand out with a grin. “Just show me the list.”
Jonah’s low chuckle sent sizzling tingles radiating to every corner of my body. Sweet hell. The effect this man had on me made no sense.
Jonah handed his phone over, and Amelia commented, “Delivery guy today?” At his nod, she added, “You should charge tips.”
He flashed a wry grin. “I would, but plenty of us do coffee runs. Comes around goes around.”
Amelia glanced back and forth between us. “You two are neighbors, right?”
Janet called over from where she was prepping coffees, “They are. They met after we all watched Alice skinny-dipping in the lake at his grandmother’s wedding.”
Heat flashed into my cheeks, and I rolled my eyes as I glanced at Amelia and cast a sheepish smile. “I didn’t know anybody was there.”
“Everyone was walking onto the lawn just when she finished stripping and dove in,” Janet offered in clarification.
As if that detail made it less embarrassing. I shrugged.
Amelia grinned. “Perfect way to welcome yourself home. Do you want to sit with us?” she asked, turning her attention to Jonah.
He shook his head. “Nah. Thanks, though. I need to hustle once Janet gets these coffees ready.”
“Give Cade a kiss for me when you get back to the station,” Amelia teased as she slipped her hand through my elbow again, lifting her coffee cup off the counter with her other one.
“I’ll pass on that,” Jonah replied. “I’m sure I’ll see you both around.”
We sat down at a table in the corner by the windows. I looked out over Main Street, commenting to Amelia when I looked back at her, “It still looks the same, but there’s more.”
“I know. I don’t think Willow Brook will ever be huge, but we’ve grown a little.”
“So Jonah must work with Cade since they’re both hotshots?” I prompted, immediately cursing myself for letting my curiosity get the best of me. I was dying to know more about Jonah.
Amelia nodded. “Yep, that’s how I met him. Cade is the superintendent for one of the crews there.”
“How many crews are there?”
“Three hotshot crews and one town crew. They stay busy.”
“Do you mind that?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“Mind Cade being a hotshot firefighter?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s high risk, and he must travel a lot.”
She cocked her head to the side, eyeing me thoughtfully. “I don’t because he loves it. Of course, I worry when he’s traveling, but he only travels during fire season. About half the year he’s here. My job is dangerous too,” she added with a shrug.
