fine.”
“In that case, Quinn, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too. Busy week at your place, eh?”
“What are the odds we’d have an elevator break and a fire? This is my sister, by the way. Audrey Callaghan.”
Audrey leaned over and shook the firefighter’s hand. “Thanks for saving my sister. She’s usually a lot more careful about getting into dark places with strange men.”
Casey shot her sister a warning glare.
“No offense, but I wish you’d been a farting dog or an old man with bad breath,” Quinn said. “We would have let Abe suffer in that elevator for a while longer. Since we knew he was in there with a pretty lady, though, we got him out quick.”
Casey laughed. “Thanks for the speedy rescue.”
“It wasn’t that hard, once we got the mechan—”
Quinn’s words died on her lips when Dave appeared, ready to take her order. Her long-lashed eyes traveled from his tattooed forearms, up his chest, to the very top of his dark hair before settling back on his face.
“What can I get you?” he asked, seemingly oblivious to her long look.
“I…” She paused for a second, as if needing to regroup. “I hear you’ve got a seasonal beer on tap.”
“He brewed it himself,” Audrey chimed in. “It’s delicious.”
“You made it? Really?”
“Dave here makes the seasonal asparagus ale, too,” Audrey said. “Also the bomb.”
“I love that stuff,” Quinn said, her dark eyes sparkling. “I never knew the brewer would be the bartender, too.”
“Dave the bartender, meet Quinn the firefighter,” Casey said.
Dave smiled. To Casey, he looked like he was standing up just a little bit straighter. “I wish I could make the special flavors year round. I have to keep it to every once in a while. For now, anyway.” He glanced over at the edge of the bar, where a runner had just placed some freshly fried cheese curds. “Listen, some food’s up and I need to tend to some customers here, but once I’m done, let me get you that beer because you should have a drink in your hand if you’re going to be on a first-name basis with me.”
“That sounds great,” Quinn said. “The beer part, I mean. Not the part where you leave. I mean…never mind.”
Dave laughed. She could have sworn Quinn clutched the bar to keep herself upright. “Be right back,” he said, giving her a wink.
Quinn turned to the sisters when he was gone. “Ugh. A cute bartender shows up and I get so flustered he probably thinks I’m cognitively challenged.”
Casey studied the young woman’s heart-shaped face, her enormous dark eyes, and her strong, athletic fireman’s build. Challenged was probably not what Dave was thinking at all. Hot would be more like it.
Hotter than Casey, certainly. She looked down at her boring black sweater and her plain jeans. She was still so practical, even when she was trying not to be. Audrey, in contrast, had on a suede knee-length skirt with a flirty cream-colored top. On the other side, Quinn sported a snug black shirt and black leather pants. She looks like a total firefighting badass , Casey thought with a small twinge of jealousy.
Not that she suddenly wanted to challenge Quinn for Dave the bartender’s attentions. It was just that she wanted so badly for someone to be utterly captivated by her.
She glanced at her unfinished beer, wondering if it had been a fool’s errand to have made a list in the first place. She could feel her cheeks pinking with the brazenness of it. The sheer balls she and the Knots and Bolts group had to spell out everything they did like that!
Suddenly, Abe Cameron was back in her brain, and she shifted on the barstool.
“Hey,” Audrey said, “you okay? You look flushed all of a sudden.”
“I’m fine,” Casey said. “I’m thinking about the fire at Robot Lit is all.” It was a terrible lie. She could see the doubt in her sister’s face. To her relief, Quinn took the bait.
“Lu’s got an investigator looking into it. He’ll
“In that case, Quinn, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too. Busy week at your place, eh?”
“What are the odds we’d have an elevator break and a fire? This is my sister, by the way. Audrey Callaghan.”
Audrey leaned over and shook the firefighter’s hand. “Thanks for saving my sister. She’s usually a lot more careful about getting into dark places with strange men.”
Casey shot her sister a warning glare.
“No offense, but I wish you’d been a farting dog or an old man with bad breath,” Quinn said. “We would have let Abe suffer in that elevator for a while longer. Since we knew he was in there with a pretty lady, though, we got him out quick.”
Casey laughed. “Thanks for the speedy rescue.”
“It wasn’t that hard, once we got the mechan—”
Quinn’s words died on her lips when Dave appeared, ready to take her order. Her long-lashed eyes traveled from his tattooed forearms, up his chest, to the very top of his dark hair before settling back on his face.
“What can I get you?” he asked, seemingly oblivious to her long look.
“I…” She paused for a second, as if needing to regroup. “I hear you’ve got a seasonal beer on tap.”
“He brewed it himself,” Audrey chimed in. “It’s delicious.”
“You made it? Really?”
“Dave here makes the seasonal asparagus ale, too,” Audrey said. “Also the bomb.”
“I love that stuff,” Quinn said, her dark eyes sparkling. “I never knew the brewer would be the bartender, too.”
“Dave the bartender, meet Quinn the firefighter,” Casey said.
Dave smiled. To Casey, he looked like he was standing up just a little bit straighter. “I wish I could make the special flavors year round. I have to keep it to every once in a while. For now, anyway.” He glanced over at the edge of the bar, where a runner had just placed some freshly fried cheese curds. “Listen, some food’s up and I need to tend to some customers here, but once I’m done, let me get you that beer because you should have a drink in your hand if you’re going to be on a first-name basis with me.”
“That sounds great,” Quinn said. “The beer part, I mean. Not the part where you leave. I mean…never mind.”
Dave laughed. She could have sworn Quinn clutched the bar to keep herself upright. “Be right back,” he said, giving her a wink.
Quinn turned to the sisters when he was gone. “Ugh. A cute bartender shows up and I get so flustered he probably thinks I’m cognitively challenged.”
Casey studied the young woman’s heart-shaped face, her enormous dark eyes, and her strong, athletic fireman’s build. Challenged was probably not what Dave was thinking at all. Hot would be more like it.
Hotter than Casey, certainly. She looked down at her boring black sweater and her plain jeans. She was still so practical, even when she was trying not to be. Audrey, in contrast, had on a suede knee-length skirt with a flirty cream-colored top. On the other side, Quinn sported a snug black shirt and black leather pants. She looks like a total firefighting badass , Casey thought with a small twinge of jealousy.
Not that she suddenly wanted to challenge Quinn for Dave the bartender’s attentions. It was just that she wanted so badly for someone to be utterly captivated by her.
She glanced at her unfinished beer, wondering if it had been a fool’s errand to have made a list in the first place. She could feel her cheeks pinking with the brazenness of it. The sheer balls she and the Knots and Bolts group had to spell out everything they did like that!
Suddenly, Abe Cameron was back in her brain, and she shifted on the barstool.
“Hey,” Audrey said, “you okay? You look flushed all of a sudden.”
“I’m fine,” Casey said. “I’m thinking about the fire at Robot Lit is all.” It was a terrible lie. She could see the doubt in her sister’s face. To her relief, Quinn took the bait.
“Lu’s got an investigator looking into it. He’ll
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