Sweet Southern Nights (Home In Magnolia Bend Book 3) by Liz Talley

“And someone left us...oh, dinner.” She lifted the bag filled with storage containers that were still warm. Looked like spaghetti, French bread and salad. Had to be Fancy’s handiwork.
    “I’m not hungry.”
    “Yet,” she said, giving him a cheery smile while she unlocked the door. Charlie carried a backpack with his underwear, socks and a change of clothes. Thankfully, the social worker had emailed her the sizes she’d found in Charlie’s closet, so Eva had picked up some new jeans, shirts and a spare pair of sneakers for her brother. Fancy had already put in an order for the St. George’s uniforms, borrowing a few items that had grown too small for Matt’s two boys.
    Eva pushed open the door and looked back at Charlie, who moved at a snail’s pace up the walk. Just as he finally stepped onto the porch, Jake pulled into the drive.
    He drove a red Chevrolet Silverado, sports package with flashy chrome and a fresh wax job. Firemen had a thing about polished chrome and shiny trucks. Jake hopped out, jogging around the side, only to come to a halt when he saw Charlie standing next to Eva.
    “Hey,” Jake said cautiously, still eye-balling Charlie.
    “Hi,” Eva said, not knowing whether to be aggravated Jake had poked his nose into her business or relieved to have someone else there to serve as a distraction. Either way, Jake looked especially gorgeous in the dying light of day, so that was something.
    “Who’s this?”
    “I’m Charlie. Who are you?” her brother said, looking interested in the man standing at the foot of the step, trim and hunky in his uniform.
    “This is Charlie?” Jake asked, lifting his gaze to hers.
    “My younger brother,” Eva said, placing a hand on her brother’s shoulder. Charlie stepped away, his eyes still on Jake.
    “Oh, the third wife’s kid. That’s right. I didn’t remember his name.”
    “Who are
you
?” Charlie asked again.
    “This is Jake. We work together,” Eva said.
    “You’re a firefighter?” Charlie asked.
    Jake nodded and gave Charlie a smile. Sticking out his hand, he made a fist. Charlie responded with a fist bump—a male ritual even a six-year-old obviously understood.
    “What are you doing here?” Eva asked Jake.
    “I’m on my way to work. Just thought I’d check on you,” he said.
    Eva made a face. Jake never checked on her. She had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with the previously unknown Charlie. Just why Jake was so intrigued baffled her, even as something deep down inside lifted its head at the thought Jake might be interested in her life because she was more to him than a mere friend.
    Maybe she wasn’t the only one affected by the kiss. Maybe...
    No.
    She didn’t have the luxury to entertain anything different than what was. She and Jake were coworkers. They were friends. Nothing more. So she had to stop reading into every action Jake took.
    “Well, do you want to come in? Looks like your mama left us dinner. Spaghetti.”
    “Nah, I had some at her house earlier. I need to get to the station and now that I can see you’re okay...” He trailed off.
    “Why wouldn’t I be?”
    “I don’t know. You know. Just things.”
    Yeah, she knew. He thought she was still mad about the kiss. He wanted her to forgive him. “I’m fine.”
    His blue eyes met hers and something passed between them, reminding her she was a liar. She wasn’t fine. Things weren’t the same.
    Two kisses had changed everything.
    “Okay, then. I’ll miss you tonight.”
    That should have sounded the way it sounded anytime Eva switched a shift and Jake bitched and moaned about having to put up with Dutch’s snoring and blistering farts.
Don’t leave me with Dutch. I’ll miss you.
    But this time it sounded intimate.
    So weird.
    “Don’t worry, Dutch will keep you warm. His wife always cooks red beans and rice on the second Sunday of the month,” Eva joked, trying to regain their easy camaraderie. Trying to go backward had become a habit. But she had to