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“Everything okay?” Dorothy asks when I find her talking to a couple of customers at the table in the corner.
“No.” I smile nervously, having no doubt that despite Dorothy being nice, one day, she’s going to have enough of the shit that comes with me being a single mom and fire me. I just have to hope today isn’t that day. “The elementary school’s heater broke, so the kids were all sent home. I’m sorry… I need to go get Jordan. I don’t have anyone else—”
“Kelsie, breathe,” she coos, guiding us away from the table so we’re alone. “It’s okay. Family comes first. Go get your little girl. I can stay and cover your tables.”
“Okay, thanks,” I mutter, already trying to figure out my bills without an entire day of wages.
When I arrive at the school, Jordan is the last one left, and I feel like the worst mom in the world for not checking my phone earlier. The second she sees me, she smiles wide and runs over, wrapping her arms around me.
“It’s a no-school day! Can we have a movie day?”
“Sure,” I tell her.
After thanking the secretary for watching her until I could get there and signing her out, we head home.
Despite my money situation looming in the back of my mind, Jordan and I have a great mother-daughter day. After we watch a movie, we eat lunch and then play spa, giving each other manis and pedis. Afterward, Jordan insists on doing my hair and makeup, which takes us to dinner and bath time.
As I’m tucking her into bed, my phone goes off. When I check it, my heart sinks because it’s the school letting us know that due to the cold weather and the heater still being out, school is canceled for another day.
After a therapeutic cry in the shower, I grab my phone to call Dorothy to let her know that I’ll be missing work again, when Pierce’s number flashes across my screen.
“Hey,” I say, trying to sound upbeat despite my sour mood. The last thing I want is for him to know about my money situation. Technically, he already knows since he’s the one who bailed me out at the grocery store and my daughter loves to unintentionally spill our business to him every chance she gets, but he doesn’t need to know just how bad it is. I’m not sure I could handle the sound of pity in his voice. He would try to help me out, but there’s nothing he can do without giving me money that I would never take.
“Hey,” he says back. “How was your day?”
“Good,” I tell him, wondering how the hell the man manages to sound as sexy over the phone as he does in person. I mean, seriously, does he have a single flaw?
He’s a firefighter, my brain reminds me. Which is the biggest flaw he could have. Yet, it didn’t stop me from letting him make me come twice, declare me as his, or from me giving him a hand job that ended with him shooting his load down my throat.
Despite my trying to push him away, I’ve caught feelings for Pierce. I thought maybe once he wasn’t around, the fog would clear from my brain, and I would chalk it all up to not being touched in years and being horny. Then we spent the past two days texting and video chatting while he was working, and I’ve only fallen harder, telling me these feelings I have for him are real and aren’t going anywhere—and that’s scary as hell.
“I heard the elementary school is shut down because the heater isn’t working,” he says, steering me back to the now.
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “Jordan and I made it a girls’ day.”
“Nice. I’m actually watching Tilly tomorrow. My brother took Sara on a trip to celebrate their anniversary. My mom was supposed to watch her, but my dad twisted his ankle and is acting like a big baby, so she’s playing nurse.”
“You’re watching Tilly tomorrow? You don’t have to work?”
“I got off this morning. We work forty-eight hours on and ninety-six hours off.”
“Wow, you get four days off?” What I wouldn’t give to only have to work two days a week.
“Yeah.” He chuckles. “It’s nice having four days off, but sometimes I get bored. I’ll usually end up back at the station, hanging out with the guys or helping my brother on the ranch.”
“I think I need to become a firefighter,” I joke. “Those hours are awesome.”
“Does that mean you’re not completely anti-firefighter?”
“I’m not anti-firefighter,” I confess. “I’m just scared. The night Jordan and I lost Trent was terrifying. I thought we were all going to die, and I felt so helpless. Jordan and I almost did die, and Trent lost his life. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”
