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“Clara!” he said happily. He exuded charisma, like a fireplace radiating heat. “Right on time. We’restarving.”
He knows my name, I thought with an internal smile. I definitely knew him, but I wasn’t sure if he knew me as more thanthe girl who brings the pizza.
“If you’re starving now, then you should’ve ordered an hour ago,” I replied smoothly. “Your Friday order usually comes in around five o’clock. You’re slacking tonight.”
“Had a call,” said Derek Dahlkemper. He only had the rank of Captain, but everyone called himChiefsince he was in charge of the firehouse. He was even bigger than Jordan, clean-shaven, and with a quiet intensity about him. He wasn’tunfriendly, but I rarely got more than a few words out of him at a time. I got the impression that’s just how he was with everyone.
“Oh? Anything exciting?”
“Carbon monoxide detector went off at Jan Karsh’s place,” Taylor Heath chimed in. The other two worked full-time, but Taylor was a part-timeProbationary Firefighterwhile he finished taking college classes. He brushed back his blond hair and grinned. “Just a false alarm. Better than the alternative, right?”
“Yeah, totally,” I said while unloading the food on the table next to the laptop. Two large pizzas and an aluminum tray of pasta. “Get it while it’s hot. Mom put some extra meat sauce in the pasta, just how you like it.”
“You’re sweet,” Jordan said, even though I hadn’t been the one to do it. Suddenly my cheeks felt red, like I had opened the pizza oven.
I cocked my head at him and pointed at his thin beard. “You guys run out of razors or something?”
“Hah!” Taylor barked a laugh. Even Derek chuckled.
“Hah hah, very funny,” Jordan said.
“I didn’t think firefighters were allowed to have beards,” I said.
“Used to be that way,” Taylor answered for him. He bit into a piece of pepperoni pizza and continued with a full mouth. “Modern respirators are positive-pressure systems. They provide a constant flow. That way, no smoke gets in, even if there’s not aperfectseal.”
“Can’t let it get too long, though,” Derek grumbled. “And I think it’s ugly as hell. Might as well wear a ferret on your face.”
Jordan rolled his eyes. It sounded like this was not the first time they had argued about this.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said. “I kind of like it. A thin beard suits you well.”
Jordan was focused on opening the container of pasta, but he smiled to himself.
“Don’t let it go to your head,” Derek said dryly. “She’s just trying to flirt with you.”
Even with the dark beard on Jordan’s face, I could see his cheeks redden. His blush mademeblush even harder. Taylor turned away and pretended like he didn’t notice.
To change the subject, I gestured at the laptop. “How’s the game going?”
“Giants are up four,” Jordan said.
“Damn,” I replied.
All three of them frowned at me.
“Don’t tell me you’re a Dodgers fan,” Jordan asked.
I gave an awkward wince. “My grandpa lived in Brooklyn after immigrating here. My family has been Dodgers fans since before the team moved to California.”
Derek grunted in disapproval.
“I thought you were cool,” Taylor said with a playful glare. “But now I’m not so sure.”
“You definitely lost some cool points,” Jordan agreed.
Despite their friendly teasing, I couldn’t help but beam.I didn’t know I had cool points to begin with.
“Watch this at-bat,” Taylor insisted, gesturing with the hand that wasn’t holding a slice of pizza. “Posey’s going deep. I can feel it.”
