four men chatted about something shift-related that she didn’t follow, something about the mandations imminent on B-shift. She tuned them out and looked out the small window next to her, watching the world stare at the fire engine as they passed by. It felt like being a celebrity, the way people waved at them. Also over the headset, she heard a woman’s voice say something about a medical on Turk Street.
She pushed the button they’d shown her to talk. “Don’t you all have to go to the medical before they drop us off?”
Hank, sitting in the jumpseat opposite her, laughed. “That’s for Engine 3. If we’d been dispatched on that, you would be holding on for dear life, what with Luke driving today. And you’d be thanking your stars that Tox was back there with you. He’s the worst driver of all of us.”
“Hey!” Tox thumped Hank on the arm with a closed fist. Hank flipped him off.
Grace said, “Do we get to turn the siren on?”
Hank shook his head. “Wish I could, but it’s not allowed unless we’re running a code three call.”
That wouldn’t be safe, she realized. What if someone pulled out in front of them? What if they scared someone into having a heart attack? What if the engine’s brakes failed?
Tox put his hand to his headphone. “What’s that? Did dispatch just send us to a car fire?”
Grace hadn’t heard anything in her ears.
“Hit it, Luke.”
In the driver’s seat, Luke whooped and the siren matched him. The engine roared as it sped up. If Grace peered carefully around the huge driver’s seat she was hidden behind, she could see cars in front of them, pulling obediently over. She laughed again, and next to her, Tox’s grin looked like it must be hurting his head, he was smiling so hard.
Grace felt something jolt through her—she was sitting next to Tox. In a fire engine. Her sister was alive, alive, alive , and she would be fine. She looked out at the line of the ocean, and the expanse of it, the whitecapped beauty, made her laugh out loud with joy.
Tox grabbed her hand and squeezed it, and Grace’s happiness built again into joy that fizzed right up into her brain.
Then Luke shut it down. The engine slowed. At the pier, they turned into the parking lot at a decorous speed.
“That’s weird,” said Tox. “I could have sworn I heard something about a car fire.”
“Yup,” said Hank.
“Yup,” said Luke.
That hadn’t been safe. Or prudent. Anyone could have accidentally pulled out in front of the speeding engine. There could have been a deadly collision. Anyone could have been hurt.
But there hadn’t been a crash. No one got hurt. It had turned out okay.
Grace took a breath. “Yup.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Tox walked Grace to her front door. He should be thinking about how badly the date went. It had almost been—but not quite—the worst case scenario. He should be thinking about making sure Grace felt calm. Secure. Safe.
Why, then, couldn’t he stop thinking about getting another one of those kisses? Jesus, not since he was sixteen had he been so unable to stop thinking about a woman’s mouth. Grace’s was perfect, and right now it was smiling at him…
Tox rubbed his neck. “So.”
“Is that still bothering you?”
“Nah,” he lied.
“Come in. I can massage it for you.” She went beet-red the instant the words left her mouth.
Tox grinned, but didn’t say anything. He followed her in, keeping an eye on the way her rear end looked in those old jeans of hers, compact, round, so incredibly hot.
“Would you like a cup of tea?” Her voice cracked, adorably.
“No, thanks.”
“Okay, then, sit there, on the couch.” She pointed to a small red loveseat. “I’ll make some. Hibiscus Rose okay?”
She’d obviously missed that he’d declined. And hibiscus rose sounded like something his grandmother would have put behind her ears. “Just fine.”
She went into the
She pushed the button they’d shown her to talk. “Don’t you all have to go to the medical before they drop us off?”
Hank, sitting in the jumpseat opposite her, laughed. “That’s for Engine 3. If we’d been dispatched on that, you would be holding on for dear life, what with Luke driving today. And you’d be thanking your stars that Tox was back there with you. He’s the worst driver of all of us.”
“Hey!” Tox thumped Hank on the arm with a closed fist. Hank flipped him off.
Grace said, “Do we get to turn the siren on?”
Hank shook his head. “Wish I could, but it’s not allowed unless we’re running a code three call.”
That wouldn’t be safe, she realized. What if someone pulled out in front of them? What if they scared someone into having a heart attack? What if the engine’s brakes failed?
Tox put his hand to his headphone. “What’s that? Did dispatch just send us to a car fire?”
Grace hadn’t heard anything in her ears.
“Hit it, Luke.”
In the driver’s seat, Luke whooped and the siren matched him. The engine roared as it sped up. If Grace peered carefully around the huge driver’s seat she was hidden behind, she could see cars in front of them, pulling obediently over. She laughed again, and next to her, Tox’s grin looked like it must be hurting his head, he was smiling so hard.
Grace felt something jolt through her—she was sitting next to Tox. In a fire engine. Her sister was alive, alive, alive , and she would be fine. She looked out at the line of the ocean, and the expanse of it, the whitecapped beauty, made her laugh out loud with joy.
Tox grabbed her hand and squeezed it, and Grace’s happiness built again into joy that fizzed right up into her brain.
Then Luke shut it down. The engine slowed. At the pier, they turned into the parking lot at a decorous speed.
“That’s weird,” said Tox. “I could have sworn I heard something about a car fire.”
“Yup,” said Hank.
“Yup,” said Luke.
That hadn’t been safe. Or prudent. Anyone could have accidentally pulled out in front of the speeding engine. There could have been a deadly collision. Anyone could have been hurt.
But there hadn’t been a crash. No one got hurt. It had turned out okay.
Grace took a breath. “Yup.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Tox walked Grace to her front door. He should be thinking about how badly the date went. It had almost been—but not quite—the worst case scenario. He should be thinking about making sure Grace felt calm. Secure. Safe.
Why, then, couldn’t he stop thinking about getting another one of those kisses? Jesus, not since he was sixteen had he been so unable to stop thinking about a woman’s mouth. Grace’s was perfect, and right now it was smiling at him…
Tox rubbed his neck. “So.”
“Is that still bothering you?”
“Nah,” he lied.
“Come in. I can massage it for you.” She went beet-red the instant the words left her mouth.
Tox grinned, but didn’t say anything. He followed her in, keeping an eye on the way her rear end looked in those old jeans of hers, compact, round, so incredibly hot.
“Would you like a cup of tea?” Her voice cracked, adorably.
“No, thanks.”
“Okay, then, sit there, on the couch.” She pointed to a small red loveseat. “I’ll make some. Hibiscus Rose okay?”
She’d obviously missed that he’d declined. And hibiscus rose sounded like something his grandmother would have put behind her ears. “Just fine.”
She went into the
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