The Firefighter and the Girl From the Coffee Shop by Terry Towers

Chapter
1
     
     
    "You only have
a week left Alyssa, then he's fair game."
    With annoyance
welling within her Alyssa Thornton narrowed her dark eyes and
glared over her shoulder at Samantha. Her attention was turned back
to the task at hand; admiring one of the most magnificent things
she'd ever seen through the side pane glass window of the coffee
shop, while pretending to wipe down the tables in the dining room.
Evan Saunders.
    Evan was the
newest firefighter employed at the station across the street. And
like her, he usually worked the overnight shift. The girls at the
coffee shop had a rule, you must "claim" a man you're interested
in. This would make him off limits to the other girls at the shop
and you were given a month to seal the deal with him otherwise he
came up for grabs again.
    Alyssa claimed
Evan from the second she laid eyes on him, but there seemed to be a
slight problem... Over the past few weeks - nearing a month - they
seemed to have established a good, solid friendship.
    "Ta ta
ladies," Samantha purred as she exited the coffee shop, after
finishing her eight hour shift, leaving Alyssa and her co-worker
Jenny to work the overnight shift.
    As Samantha
strutted across the parking lot to her vehicle, Jenny - a no
non-sense woman in her mid-fifties - came up behind Alyssa to stand
beside her. While watching Evan as she pretended to assist with
cleaning the dining room. "You realize as soon as the week is up,
she'll be on him faster than you can blink."
    Alyssa
groaned. Yeah, she knew all too well that Samantha would literally
pounce on him the minute her week was up. Samantha was the
equivalent of a piranha when it came to men. She got whomever she
wanted and devoured them fast, moving on to the next one. And
sweet, sexy-as-sin Evan was very succulent prey.
    "Do you want
me to talk to him for you? All I had to do was give Jade a little
push and look how it turned out for her."
    "Yes, I know,
she's engaged now." Alyssa sighed. She was happy for her, Jade was
a sweet girl. In a few weeks Jade would be tying the knot with
"Officer Hottie," as he was known as around the coffee house, an
absolute dream of a man. She turned and wagged her finger at Jenny.
"I don't want you interfering. I'm twenty-eight for heaven's sakes,
I think I can wrangle up my own date."
    A grin touched
Jenny's lips and she raised a sceptical brow at Alyssa. "All I know
is that my ninety year old grandmother can snag a man in less time
then it has taken you to build up enough courage to ask him. This
isn't the fifties anymore Alyssa. Women can make the first
move now."
    Crossing her
arms over her chest Alyssa cocked her head and eyed her co-worker.
"First of all, I've met your grandmother and that woman is spry for
her age. And secondly, I've given the signals."
    "Signals?"
    "Yeah." She
reached out and touched Jenny's arm lightly. "Like gently touching
his arm or shoulder, you know, establishing physical contact."
    "Uh-huh."
    "Asking
leading questions dropping subtle hints. He'd just not really
interested I guess. Alyssa gave a long sigh before admitting her
biggest fear to Jane. I think I've been shouldered into the friend
zone."
    Jane gasped,
this was every girl’s nightmare. “Oh God, we definitely don’t want
that.” Planting a fist on her hip Jenny gave Alyssa a stern look
and pointed a long slender finger over at Evan. "You see that man
over there."
    Alyssa glanced
over and her eyes took in the sight of him: tall, large, powerful
build, short cut dark brown hair and deep green eyes. And his
voice... he had a deep, powerful voice that made her melt. Yeah,
she saw him, most evenings she spent a good chunk of time watching
him from afar like some love struck teenager.
    "Yeah, I see
him... And."
    Wagging her
finger in his direction Jenny clucked her tongue off the roof of
her mouth and shook her head. "That man does not put women
in the 'friend zone,' as you young people like to call it. Either
you're giving off some fucked up signals