Sneak Peek of Up All Night

Mount Hope, Book 1

Denver

The hot ginger firefighter was in for breakfast again. A little older than my thirty-nine and on the shorter side, but oh so easy on the eyes. Third time this week, but his first after a shift change. Knowing the shift schedule for the nearby firehouse was an occupational hazard, not the result of stalking any first responder eye candy.

I might look, but uniforms were far from my usual. Give me someone scruffy, a little feral, a lot wounded… Okay, hot messes were my personal kryptonite. A habit I was trying hard to break. I’d given up smoking, partying, and I’d been working the overnight shift here at Honey’s Hotcake Hut for over eighteen months now. I was almost a regular upstanding citizen. Almost.

Sizzle. Two eggs over easy joined the not-too-crispy bacon on my griddle as I finished the previous order while Tammy got the firefighters situated at the counter. Only three of them today, down from their usual full-shift crew looking for after-midnight chow. We were one of the very few twenty-four-hour options for food in Mount Hope, so I didn’t kid myself that the new guy had been coming around to see me specifically.

I did, however, nod at all three of them as Tammy poured their coffee and doled out glasses of juice.

“No middle-of-the-night munchies run?” I teased the group as I plated the order for the only other patron at the counter, an old farmer named Ed who spoke little, tipped less, but came in like clockwork every Saturday. Near the window, a hungover group of twenty-somethings nursed coffee refills while picking at half-eaten plates of loaded hash browns.

“We were up all night babysitting the last of a warehouse fire out south of town.” Ginger’s younger friend, a blond firefighter I’d privately nicknamed Fireman Flirty, answered first. Flirty’s real name was Caleb, and he’d demonstrated a willingness to banter with everyone from eight months to eighty.

“And now we’re starving.” Ginger groaned. He wore jeans and a blue pullover rather than his usual uniform. The look made him seem far more approachable, a quiet vulnerability in his eyes that did something for me. “I could murder a stack of pancakes.”

“That’s rather violent.” Caleb laughed easily. “But I’d like to make out with some bacon about now.”

“Your usual meat-lovers omelet with a side of bacon?” I asked, already prepping. Caleb was as predictable as he was flirty.

“You know it.” Chuckling, Caleb jerked his head toward Ginger. “And whatever my friend here wants. I owe Sean big time after last night.”

“Hey, I’m enjoying being out in the field.” Ginger— Sean— held up his hands. The name suited him, a short, sharp, masculine nod to his Irish looks. And damn it, of course, he had dimples. Adults had no business with dimples. Too damn devastating and possibly as tempting as wounded eyes and pouty lips. “Saving Caleb’s ass a mud bath was a bonus.”

“And what a cute ass it is.” Tammy smirked as she topped off the coffee. Like Caleb, she was an unrepentant flirt. Somewhere between fifty-five and seventy, not that she’d ever fess up to that many years, Tammy looked like Dolly Parton’s redheaded half-sister. Like me, she’d had her share of hard-living years, but her smile and quick wit kept diners coming in. “Good thing you didn’t get dirty. Might have had to offer you a sponge bath myself.”

“Don’t encourage him.” The third firefighter grimaced. Tom Johnson had been coming in for as long as I’d been at Honey’s, and he’d been grumpy the whole damn time. “And I’ll take some of those loaded hash browns. Gotta recall my misspent single youth.”

“Coming up.” I nodded even before Tammy added the order. Johnson’s unhappily married state was a frequent source of his complaints and his attempts at jokes.

“And you, sweetie?” Tammy asked Sean. Busy at the grill, I still managed to listen for his reply.

“Can’t decide. I’m torn between an omelet and hash browns. Or a skillet. Decisions.” Sean’s tone wasn’t nearly as flirty as Caleb’s, but I liked his friendly yet strong voice. Made me feel a certain warmth I hadn’t had much of this long damn winter.

I briefly turned back to the counter. “Want me to surprise you?”

“Take Denver up on it,” Tammy urged with a cackle. “His surprises are usually worth it. Usually.”

“Sure thing. Save me from myself.” Sean offered a grin, and those dimples were even better in high-definition. Made me want to make him smile more, an unfamiliar urge outside of the normal desire to make sure our diners left happy.

“Any allergies?”

“Only to good taste.” Answering for Sean, Caleb pretended to shudder. “Pineapple does not belong on pizza.”

“Hey, I ordered the usual suspects too.” Sean rolled his eyes at the younger firefighter.

“I should take you to Pinball Pizza. Teach you what the good stuff tastes like,” Caleb countered as I continued to work on their orders.

“You asking the newbie out?” Johnson didn’t sound horrified as much as curious, which was about what I’d expect from this crew. Like me, Caleb seemed to have an equal opportunity dick, and I’d seen all manner of pairings among the area’s first responders. Interestingly, Sean blushed but didn’t do the straight-guy bluster thing.

“If I ask someone out, there’s no doubt.” Caleb gave a flirty wink that set Tammy to laughing.

“You’re a heartbreaker, for sure.” Tammy moved to the register to ring the college kids out, then seated an older couple in a booth and a trucker at the counter. We were starting to pick up, and I was happy to see Amos wander in for his shift about that time, followed by two more servers. Tammy was busy filling the day crew in on how the overnight went, so I delivered the firefighters’ orders myself.

“Meat-lovers special. hash browns.” I slid Caleb and Johnson their plates. “And for you, a Hawaiian omelet.”

“I love it.” Sean treated me to another dimple show, and the flex of his biceps as he reached for the hot sauce offered even more to like. “Thank you.”

Amos had already fired up the second grill, so I took a breather to lean on the counter. “So, newbie, what brings you to town?”

“He thinks you’re a rookie.” Caleb made a sound between a cough and a laugh, which made me wish Sean had come in without the audience. “Tom was joking earlier. Sean’s not really a newbie. Captain out of Seattle. But he’s Chief Murphy’s son. Mount Hope royalty.”

“Hardly.” Sean snorted. “But to answer the question, I’m helping out an old friend and making my folks happy at the same time.”

“Ah.” I’d had a vague sense of knowing the dude all week, and the pieces finally clicked into place. “Bumped into you at Doc Wallace’s service, didn’t I?”

I didn’t know exactly why I’d gone to that funeral. Neighborly thing to do, but I was hardly known as the neighborly type. And while Dr. Wallace had been my doctor and someone who’d helped me, I wasn’t sure I’d call him a friend. I’d run into Sean here on my way out of the church when my head had been a jumble of conflicting thoughts, and it was no wonder I’d needed time to place the connection.

“Yep.” Sean’s ready answer said he’d known who I was all along. “I’m staying with Eric and covering for a firefighter on maternity leave.”

“Good for you.” Tammy floated over to refill the coffee cups again. “I’m sure those Wallace-Davis kids need all the help they can get.”

“Yep.” I gave a last nod before turning to clean my grill and get ready to clock out. Figuring out where I knew Sean from had unsettled me some, but the cleaning routine cleared my head. Honey’s Hotcake Hut was located in the same aging building it had occupied for fifty-something years. Not the fanciest or newest joint, but with so many nurses and first responders among the regulars, the place prided itself on cleanliness, something I appreciated too.

I heard Tammy ring up the firefighters shortly before we clocked out at seven. Already counting down to a hot shower, I headed for my ancient red Chevy. To my surprise, I found Sean standing next to a much shinier blue truck. A deep scowl had replaced his dimples.

“You still here?” I asked as I approached. “Truck problems?”

“Locked my dumbass out. Not even sure how.” He made a sour face as he pointed at the keys laying on the passenger seat. “I’ve got a spare back at Eric’s, but I don’t want to wake him or the kids up early on a Saturday. And God knows I’m not calling the station.”

“The teasing might do you in,” I agreed. The firefighters were among my favorite customers, but they could be a rowdy bunch.

“Guess I might as well start walking.”

“Nah.” I shook my head and pointed at my truck. “Get in.”