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“That was generous of him.” I said.
“He has his quirks, but he is the best friend I’ve ever had,” he said before, clearing the table. “Do you want to watch some TV?”
“No thanks. If it is alright with you, I think I will take a shower and then work on a list of the calls I need to make in the morning.”
“No problem, I will keep the volume down. There are towels in the hall closet and I left some clothes out for you to sleep in.”
“Thanks again—for everything.” Maybe he is one of the good guys, I thought, as I made my way up the stairs.
I let the water cascade over my body for a long time, hoping it would wash away the memory of the worst day of my life. It did not work. A shelf in the shower held two bottles of body washes, two shampoos, and one razor. Apparently, one of my hosts preferred shaving at the sink. I opened the first bottle of wash. It was spicy, and I immediately recognized it as the scent I had smelled on Logan earlier. I took another deep whiff before putting it back. The second one had a softer, almost floral fragrance. I grabbed the washcloth and applied a generous dollop.
After shampooing my hair, I stepped from the shower. There was no sign of a hair dryer, so I wrapped my hair in a towel and another around my body. I peeked out the bathroom door to make sure that Logan was still downstairs, then gathered my dirty clothes before hurrying to the bedroom.
Laid across the bed, I found a pair of men’s shorts and a t-shirt. I am rather petite and quickly realized both of my legs would fit in one side of the shorts. Fortunately, the t-shirt was equally large and came down to my knees. I was uncomfortable going commando in a stranger’s home, but even less comfortable putting back on the underwear I had been wearing all day. Underwear would go at the top of my Things To Buy list.
I pulled up the Things app, but before I could create a new to-do list, the screen started flashing Low Battery. Fuck. I made a mental note to add a phone charger to the list. In the meantime, I wondered if Logan might have one I could borrow.
I could hear the TV coming from downstairs, and assumed he was still awake. He was in the recliner, his eyes focused on an episode of Impractical Jokers. “I love this episode.” He jumped at the sound of my voice. “Sorry,” I said, giggling at the idea I scared this big macho man. “I was wondering if you had a C-charger I could borrow?”
“There’s one right there.” He pointed towards the table next to the couch. I plugged my phone in and stood watching for a moment as Murray tried to steal another man’s lunch without getting caught. “You can sit down.”
“Maybe for a bit. Just until my phone is charged.” I took a seat on the sofa. Mindful that I was not wearing underwear, I carefully curled my legs under me and pulled the hem of the shirt over my shins. When I looked up, Logan was still staring at the TV, and I noticed he had an ice bag on his knee. “What’s wrong with your leg?”
“It’s an old injury.” He waved his hand as if it was nothing.
“From when you had to stop being a fireman?”
He grimaced like he didn’t want to talk about it. “It still gives me some trouble if I move the wrong way. When I threw your boyfriend out of the diner, I landed the wrong way is all.”
“He is my ex-boyfriend, but I am sorry you got hurt protecting me. I’m not used to people sticking up for me. Especially men.”
“Is that why you feel you have to be such a hardass?” Maybe I should have been offended, but was right, I am a hardass. I was trying to figure out how much about my past I was willing to share, when an enormous cat pounced onto the couch, scaring the shit out of me.
“That’s Smoke,” Logan said. “I found her in the alley behind the fire station when she was just a kitten. Someone must have dumped her there.”
“People suck.” The cat licked my hand as if she agreed with me.
“She must really like you. When we have company, she usually hides.”
I stroked her fur, and she purred softly before settling onto my lap. “Aren’t you the sweetest thing?”
“Aiden might argue. Smoke really dislikes him. I think she knows he didn’t want me to bring her home.”
“How’s this roommate of yours going to feel about you bringing me home?” I asked.
“Oh, he’s going to hate it. But once he gets to know you, it will be fine.”
“I won’t be here long enough for him to get to know me. First thing tomorrow, I planned on getting my life back together.” It did not turn out to be that simple.
I woke up early the next day, determined to get dressed and out of the house, before Logan’s roommate got home. He didn’t sound like someone I would like very much. But first I had to pee, which is when I met Aiden for the second time.
Aiden
It had been a long 24 hours. Besides the fire on Baxter Street, we had three more calls before end of shift. After stepping from the shower, I was wrapping a towel around my waist when the door burst open and a young woman gave out a surprised yelp.
"Oh, my god. I didn't know anyone was in here, and I have to pee—really bad."
Even though she was wearing one of Logan’s shirts instead of the pink polyester uniform, I immediately recognized her as Ember, the waitress from the Riverdell Diner. Her dark eyes and full lips were unforgettable. I stepped into the hall and shut the door behind me as Logan came running up the steps.
