hour or so.
“Thanks for your help,” Crash told his friends.
They nodded at him.
“Anytime.”
“No problem.”
The two men headed back into the fire station and disappeared.
Crash leaned over and helped Adeline to her feet. They walked to his car and he got her and Coco settled. The drive back to the parking garage in Southtown was done in relative silence. It was comfortable, and Crash held Adeline’s hand the whole way.
She told him what floor her car was on and he insisted on taking her all the way to it, rather than dropping her off at street level and having her take the elevator up to her car by herself. When she argued, saying it was silly for him to pay to drive up to the third floor, he shook his head.
“I don’t care about the couple of bucks it’ll cost me,” he told her sternly. “Your safety is way more important than saving money. Now hush.”
“You’re kinda bossy, you know that?” she asked as he grabbed the ticket and entered the garage.
“I am. And I’m sure there will be a lot of other things you find out about me that might irritate you,” Crash said easily, not worried in the least. “I’m not perfect. Not by a long shot. I could list a whole litany of things that my friends and ex-girlfriends found annoying about me, but I’d rather you found them out on your own.”
“You would?” Adeline asked, her head tilted with curiosity.
“Yup. Because I’m hoping by the time you figure out what they are, there’ll be a whole lot of other things about me you do like, so they won’t seem as bad.”
“Do you leave dirty dishes in the sink for days so the food has time to dry on them, making it impossible to clean them in the dishwasher?”
He chuckled. “No.”
“Do your feet smell so horribly bad that I’ll need to wear a gas mask when you take off your shoes and socks?”
Crash snorted. “No. Although I would recommend you take a few steps back if you ever see me right after a fire. Our turn-out gear can get pretty rank…not to mention the boots we wear trap heat inside.”
“Noted,” she deadpanned. “Do you kick small animals and sneer at children when you see them in the mall?”
He reached over and tugged on a piece of her hair teasingly. “No and no. Now hush. Stop trying to figure out all my secrets.”
“I know you’re not perfect, Dean. Neither am I. Aside from the obvious illness I’ve got, I take off my shoes as soon as I get inside my house so there are shoes everywhere, forget to open my mail for days at a time, I’ve never dusted a day in my life, and have a weird thing about making sure my toenails are always painted. As long as you don’t have any bodies hidden under your house, I’m sure I can deal with any other idiosyncrasies you might have.”
He smiled at her. “Good. But I’m going to remind you that you said that the first time I do something stupid.”
They continued up the ramps until they reached her car.
Crash got out, grabbed a small bag from the floor at his feet, and met her at the side of her car.
She let Coco into the car, put the bag with the purchases she’d made earlier that night on the floor, shut the door, then turned to him. “Thank you for a wonderful night, Dean.”
“You’re more than welcome. I can’t wait until next Sunday. I have something for you.” He held out a small bag with the logo from the glass-blowing shop on it.
Adeline looked up at him. “What’s this?”
“Open it and see.”
She reached into the bag and pulled out an object swathed in bubble wrap. She slowly unwrapped it, and gasped when she realized what it was.
“Told you it’d turn out to be a glass blob,” Crash told her. “But I thought it’d make a fun memento from the night. Not as impressive as the things you bought, that’s for sure.”
“Dean, I love it,” Adeline said, looking up at him with big eyes. “When did you get this?”
“I told Andres I wanted it before we left the store. He dropped it off at the
“Thanks for your help,” Crash told his friends.
They nodded at him.
“Anytime.”
“No problem.”
The two men headed back into the fire station and disappeared.
Crash leaned over and helped Adeline to her feet. They walked to his car and he got her and Coco settled. The drive back to the parking garage in Southtown was done in relative silence. It was comfortable, and Crash held Adeline’s hand the whole way.
She told him what floor her car was on and he insisted on taking her all the way to it, rather than dropping her off at street level and having her take the elevator up to her car by herself. When she argued, saying it was silly for him to pay to drive up to the third floor, he shook his head.
“I don’t care about the couple of bucks it’ll cost me,” he told her sternly. “Your safety is way more important than saving money. Now hush.”
“You’re kinda bossy, you know that?” she asked as he grabbed the ticket and entered the garage.
“I am. And I’m sure there will be a lot of other things you find out about me that might irritate you,” Crash said easily, not worried in the least. “I’m not perfect. Not by a long shot. I could list a whole litany of things that my friends and ex-girlfriends found annoying about me, but I’d rather you found them out on your own.”
“You would?” Adeline asked, her head tilted with curiosity.
“Yup. Because I’m hoping by the time you figure out what they are, there’ll be a whole lot of other things about me you do like, so they won’t seem as bad.”
“Do you leave dirty dishes in the sink for days so the food has time to dry on them, making it impossible to clean them in the dishwasher?”
He chuckled. “No.”
“Do your feet smell so horribly bad that I’ll need to wear a gas mask when you take off your shoes and socks?”
Crash snorted. “No. Although I would recommend you take a few steps back if you ever see me right after a fire. Our turn-out gear can get pretty rank…not to mention the boots we wear trap heat inside.”
“Noted,” she deadpanned. “Do you kick small animals and sneer at children when you see them in the mall?”
He reached over and tugged on a piece of her hair teasingly. “No and no. Now hush. Stop trying to figure out all my secrets.”
“I know you’re not perfect, Dean. Neither am I. Aside from the obvious illness I’ve got, I take off my shoes as soon as I get inside my house so there are shoes everywhere, forget to open my mail for days at a time, I’ve never dusted a day in my life, and have a weird thing about making sure my toenails are always painted. As long as you don’t have any bodies hidden under your house, I’m sure I can deal with any other idiosyncrasies you might have.”
He smiled at her. “Good. But I’m going to remind you that you said that the first time I do something stupid.”
They continued up the ramps until they reached her car.
Crash got out, grabbed a small bag from the floor at his feet, and met her at the side of her car.
She let Coco into the car, put the bag with the purchases she’d made earlier that night on the floor, shut the door, then turned to him. “Thank you for a wonderful night, Dean.”
“You’re more than welcome. I can’t wait until next Sunday. I have something for you.” He held out a small bag with the logo from the glass-blowing shop on it.
Adeline looked up at him. “What’s this?”
“Open it and see.”
She reached into the bag and pulled out an object swathed in bubble wrap. She slowly unwrapped it, and gasped when she realized what it was.
“Told you it’d turn out to be a glass blob,” Crash told her. “But I thought it’d make a fun memento from the night. Not as impressive as the things you bought, that’s for sure.”
“Dean, I love it,” Adeline said, looking up at him with big eyes. “When did you get this?”
“I told Andres I wanted it before we left the store. He dropped it off at the
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