AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, that would be Alvin’s Burgers and Blues. But we’re not going there.”
“Overpriced and second-best it is, then.”
As they drove past the firehouse, she saw that Jason’s truck wasn’t parked in the fire chief’s designated spot. Had she even said goodbye to him at the nursing home? She couldn’t remember, she’d been in such a fog. But she’d never forget the look on his face when Dominic had made that crack about things being on fire. She might have feared for Dominic’s safety if she hadn’t known that Jason wasn’t the type to go feral on someone.
Dominic caught the direction of her glance. “So, that fire chief. You’re fucking him, aren’t you? Is it serious?”
She hated hearing him refer to Jason like that. It was more than “fucking,” even if she didn’t know exactly what it was. Jason had just told her that he loved her. She hadn’t even had a chance to let that soak in before Dominic showed up.
After pulling into a parking spot in front of the Bittersweet Inn, she turned to him. “He’s an old friend. I’ve known him forever. Leave him alone.”
“So the fire chief needs someone to stand up for him. It’s a bloody good thing he has a warrior like you in his corner.”
Dominic got out of the car, while Kendra sat fuming in the driver’s seat. He’d put his finger on something; he had a knack for that. His instincts about people were uncanny. In such a short time, he’d figured out that she felt protective toward Jason.
Which meant she worried that he wasn’t strong enough.
Dominic is a manipulator, she reminded herself. She couldn’t trust him to do anything but look out for himself. The question was, what did he want from her that he hadn’t already taken?
“Coming in?” he asked lightly, suggestively. “I hear the rooms are top-flight.”
“No, thank you. I’ll wait here while you check in.”
“I need to change, too.”
“You’re already overdressed for Lake Bittersweet.”
“Good God, are you serious?” He looked around as if he’d suddenly landed on a movie set. “Then I’ll find some ripped jeans.”
She laughed at that. “Don’t bother. Just be yourself, that’s what everyone does here.”
She watched him walk into the inn, gathering attention from passersby like honey. He was the kind of man who got people looking. It was his striking looks, the way he carried himself, his charm. That was why she’d wanted to partner with him. He could win over investors in his sleep.
Tilting her seat back to be more comfortable while she waited, she scanned her text messages. She answered everything having to do with the nursing home kitchen and ignored all the curious questions from people who had heard that a gorgeous man had arrived in town looking for her.
Jason hadn’t texted anything. She should reach out to him. Tell him…what? That she had no idea why Dominic was here? That she was going out to dinner to find out? That he had nothing to worry about when it came to Dom? That she was still reeling from what he’d said, but had no answer yet?
Just say anything, she told herself. It didn’t have to be deep. Just something to let him know she hadn’t been whisked off her feet by Tornado Dominic.
As she stared at her phone, the empty text box blurred. Her eyelids drooped. Her phone slid onto her lap. Exhaustion wrestled her into sleep and she couldn’t fight it. Just a quick nap until Dominic came out. Some quick zzz’s and she’d be more prepared for whatever he flung at her.
Twenty-Five
Jason was in the worst mood of his life when he got home that evening. He found Holly curled on the couch with Rusty’s head in her lap. He gritted his teeth. Rusty wasn’t supposed to get on the couch. Holly knew that, Rusty knew that. Didn’t anyone bother with house rules anymore?
Earbuds in place, Holly tapped away on an iPad balanced on the arm of the couch. For a fleeting second, he wondered why she was home instead of out with her friends on this glorious September night. But she took one look at him and ripped out the earbuds. “What happened to you?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Get off the couch, Rusty.” The dog scrambled onto the floor and trotted over for a pat on the head. Jason obliged, since he loved his dog no matter what, but Rusty must have picked up on his mood. After a brief moment, he loped over to his fleecy bed and curled up there instead.
Jason headed for the kitchen, where there had to be a cold beer that could help this situation.
But the fridge held none of his favorite Red Stripes. It occurred to him that he hadn’t actually had a beer in a while. That was weird. His life had changed without him even realizing it. Being fire chief and being with Kendra had transformed him.
Holly had followed him into the kitchen. She came toward him and gently closed the door of the refrigerator. “You’re letting all the cold out. You’re the one always lecturing me about looking for imaginary snacks. Why don’t you just tell me what’s wrong?”
He looked down at the floor and saw that she was barefoot, and that her toenails were painted like a rainbow, each nail a different color. She must have done that to support her friend.
“How’s Chloe?” he asked abruptly.
