6. Cole

Chapter 6

Cole

She was cute. She was beautiful. Too fucking irresistible is what she was. I didn’t know whether to love it or hate how attracted to her I had become.

I shifted my gaze to the window and away from her curvy hips and spectacular heart-shaped ass as she walked up the rear staircase with Gigi. Those heels were going to be the death of me. Her legs went on forever, and I couldn’t look away.

“You’re different around her,” Tate accused in a whisper. “Almost like you are around your kids or Mom or Gigi. You’re nice. Did you actually smile at her? Did it hurt? Is your face going to be okay?”

“Shut the fuck up,” I grumbled before stuffing the rest of my breakfast sandwich into my mouth.

I was glad the other guys weren’t here today to witness this. Tate was born giving me shit. The rest of the guys from the firehouse should know better, but they didn’t.

He burst into laughter before reaching for his drink. “Thank you for making my point for me.” He raised it in a silent toast before taking a sip.

“This stays here.” I tapped a fingertip on the table for emphasis. “I’ve had enough gossip for ten lifetimes surrounding me lately. I don’t need anymore.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t need any more gossip, Tate.” Kenzie’s laughing voice startled me as she passed by our table on her way back to the counter. “Especially about my cousin,” she added under her breath as she pointed to both her eyes, then back at him. “I have my eye on the two of you. I’ll be back.”

“This is great,” I muttered. “Just fucking perfect.”

He waited until she was out of earshot to continue. “Hey, I won’t try to set you up with Madi. I wouldn’t do that to you, or the kids, for that matter. Dating after divorce is tricky. I know that better than anyone.”

I heaved a sigh. “I know you do. But judging by their reaction to her earlier this morning, they’d probably love it.”

“I could see that. She’s great. But it doesn’t matter. I’m a vault, like always. You can talk to me.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Doesn’t mean I won’t keep giving you shit, though,” he muttered. “I’ll just keep it private between the two of us. I give respectful shit, brotherly shit.”

An exasperated smile escaped despite my resolve to remain stern. “Do what you gotta do.”

“But she could be good for you. I’ve always liked her. Just saying.”

“She would be good for him.” Kenzie pulled up a chair and set her coffee on the table. “Gentlemen. I trust your breakfast was stellar, as usual. Gigi’s Confectionery always aims to please.”

“Delicious.” Tate chuckled. “You have a way with egg whites and turkey bacon that is unmatched.”

“Of course I do. But we have bigger fish to fry. I’m sure they’ll be down any second. There’s zero chance of Madi not working the rest of the day, with Gigi hobbling around like she is.”

“Okay…” The oddest sense of anticipatory dread combined with a spark of hope shot through me. For some reason, I couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say.

“Madi has been through a lot lately. It’s not my story to tell, but you should know that she’s skittish. She’s been hurt, Cole. Take that into consideration before you ask her out. Be extra sweet. Like, get her flowers, make a thing of it, make it special.”

Who hurt her? I wanted to know his name so I could teach him a lesson. Gigi had mentioned a breakup, but I had my own stuff going on, so I hadn’t paid much attention.

“Who says I’m going to ask her out?”

Tate burst into loud laughter. “This is hilarious. You are so obvious. I told you.”

“On that note.” I slid my chair back with a loud squeak. “I’m leaving. I hope the two of you have a great rest of the day.”

Kenzie put a hand on my shoulder. “Nope, stay. She’ll be down in a few minutes. You need to say a proper goodbye to her. She needs one more hit of your sexy self before you go. You know, to keep the idea of you fresh in her mind. Give her something to think about for the rest of the day. Do you know what I mean?”

“I do not know what you mean. Not at all.” That was a lie. I sort of knew, but there was no way I would admit to it.

“Yeah, keep it fresh, Cole.” Tate had tears running down his face from trying to keep his laughter under control. It was more of a spectacle than if he were outright laughing at me.

“You are both ridiculous.” I shook my head and tried to dissociate from this entire bizarre conversation. But my happy place had been out of commission since the divorce. I had been living with the pain and the failure for too long.

“We’ll keep it subtle,” Kenzie tried to reassure me. “Madi isn’t fond of attention either.”

“You call this subtle? Thanks a lot.”

She tilted her head toward Tate. “You need to practice your poker face, bro. Do better next time.”

“Next time?”

“Dude, really? I thought we were in this together now.”

“This?” His face scrunched in confusion.

Her eyes rolled before closing as she shook her head from side to side. She was the classic picture of the annoyed female praying for patience.

I shrugged, silently commiserating. Tate could do that to a person. But it was best to keep them from getting ideas about interfering in my business.

“Let me get something straight,” I interrupted. “This”—I waved a hand between them—“is not happening. Just like I told the kids on the way to school, we will not be discussing my love life⁠—”

Kenzie held up a hand with a smirk. “Oh, don’t worry, we won’t discuss it with you.”

“I give up. This is too much. I’m out of here. Talk to you later, Tate. Kenzie, it’s been a real pleasure.”

“Toodaloo.” She waggled her fingers at me before slugging Tate’s shoulder. “Let’s get down to business.” I overheard. “We have plans to make. He’s grumpy, but he’s the only single guy in this town I’d trust with Madi, and she needs to move on from her dickhead ex.”

I grabbed my smoothie and spun toward the door, thinking I might continue my run when I was finished. All I knew was I had to get away from all these nutcases.

The fresh air felt good as I sat at one of the outdoor tables, frowning when my text notification pinged with an incoming message.

TATE: Don’t worry. Kenzie went back to work. I told her I was not planning anything behind your back. We’re too old for this ridiculous high school bullshit. Madi is a sweet girl, though. Maybe you should think about it.

I didn’t bother to reply. But I did manage to relax a bit.

He knew better. Yeah, he’d keep giving me crap, but there was no way he’d let Kenzie get out of control and meddle in my personal life, and I didn’t honestly think she would get that carried away, at least not in a harmful way.

I would be fine, totally fine.

Totally fucking fine.

I snagged a table and mindlessly scrolled through my phone while I finished my smoothie. I avoided the eyes of the local passersby; I was in no mood to talk to anyone. Then, I tossed my cup into the trash and headed toward the station. Although I was off today, I often checked in after my workouts.

I heard a slam and a stream of creative cursing as I approached the alleyway behind Gigi’s.

Was that Madi?

“Is everything okay back there?” I called out. “It’s Cole!”

Never sneak up on a woman.That was one of the many pearls of wisdom my father had doled out to us boys over the years.

I rounded the corner and stepped into a cloud of white dust.

Was that flour?

Madi turned blindly in my direction, her lips pursed as she blew a breath, and a poof of flour hit me in the chest.

“Oh shit. Are you hurt? Let me help.”

“I’m not hurt. I spilled a huge flour bin in the kitchen, and it got all over me. I swept it all up, and then the bag split when I dropped it in the can. I should have let Kenzie take care of it like she offered.” She laughed and wiped her face with the clean underside of her apron. “This flour is a metaphor for my life. I swear it is. Messy, flying in a million different directions, unsettled, just like me. Never mind. Is it in my hair?” She patted the top of her head. “It is. Isn’t it?”

I stifled a laugh as a tiny cloud floated out of her bun. “Uh, pretty much. It’s in your eyelashes, too. Let me help.” I closed the distance between us and reached out to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear. I zeroed in on her face. Flour was everywhere.

With a light touch, I ran a finger down the slope of her nose, the dip of her chin. I brushed the flour from her cheeks with my thumbs, all the while holding my breath, not quite believing I was this close to her.

“Hold still. Close your eyes.” I blew gently against her face to get the rest off. “There you go.”

Rapidly blinking, pretty brown eyes met mine, and I cleared my throat and stepped back. I had to. All I wanted was more when it came to her.

“Thanks.” There was laughter in her voice, though I could tell she was embarrassed. “There you go, rescuing me again. Is this our thing now?”

I shook my head, unsure how to answer. “If you grab the broom, I’ll help you get this cleaned up.”

She sighed as her cheeks turned pink beneath the light dusting of remaining flour. “Fair warning, Cole, I’m a lot. It’s been what? Twenty minutes tops since I officially started working, and I’ve already made a mess. I’m a human calamity. A walking disaster.”

“No, you’re fine. Let me help.”

She ran a hand down her apron, brushing off some of the flour to create a powdery white storm between us. “Take the side of the road yesterday, for example. I should have known better than attempting to drive up here in that car. Then, let’s see, last month, I locked myself out of my apartment, wearing only my bathrobe, I might add. Then, I had to wait in the hall for my mother to show up with the extra key. That was fun. I’ve been in too many precarious hiking situations to count, so I’ve given up the hobby. I’ve been banned from the gym in my apartment building—treadmills and I do not get along. You know what? I’ll stop talking now. Explanations will not be necessary. I’ll be in town for the next four to six weeks, or however long it takes for Gigi’s ankle to heal. You’ll find out for yourself, and I apologize in advance for whatever’s gonna go down. You’re a firefighter; I can guarantee there will be at least one call while I’m here that involves something I’ve done. You can ask Gigi all about it⁠—”

“Nah, I don’t need to ask her. I’ve heard a few things throughout the years.” I was teasing her to lighten her mood. But the look on her face gave me pause. I’d put my foot in my mouth and felt terrible.

“So, you already know what a mess I am. That’s good, no surprises.” She cringed. “I’m already mortified, and it’s only my first full day here. I’m so sorry.” Her voice sounded a long way off. It was small. She was embarrassed, and I hated that I was partially the cause of it.

“No worries, okay? Any time I run into you, it makes my day. I mean it. I’m sorry I embarrassed you. That was not my intention.”

“It’s okay. You didn’t embarrass me. I’m just perpetually embarrassed, and it’s not your fault.”

“Please don’t be embarrassed around me. I’ve been a spectacle before. My divorce and how it went down was fodder for local gossip for weeks. I know what it feels like to want to disappear; trust me. But, like my dad always says—shit happens, and it doesn’t discriminate. We’ve all been there. Let me help you clean up.”

Reaching out, I gently brushed flour from her cheek with the back of my hand, sucking in a huge breath to contain the temptation to pull her in for a hug. It seemed like she needed it. Vulnerability radiated from her like sunbeams. All I wanted was for her to feel better.

“You really are a sweet guy.” She breathed. “Just like Gigi said you were. And now you’re all floury, too. I am so sorry.”

“You apologize a lot. You don’t need to, not to me.”

“Well, I seem to feel sorry a lot.” She watched me through lowered lashes before casting her gaze off to the side. “I wish I didn’t.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. What’s a little flour between friends, right?”

“I guess so. I’m sor⁠—”

I quirked an eyebrow, and she laughed instead of finishing her apology.

“Good. Shit happens, don’t forget that.”

“I won’t forget. You’re right, nobody is perfect.”

“Say it so I know you believe it.”

Her eyes lit up with humor. “Shit happens.”

“Atta girl.” Now, let’s get this mess cleaned up. Point me to a broom.”

“Thanks, Cole.” She broke into a wide grin, momentarily disarming my resolve to keep her at a distance. Her lips were full—kissable, biteable, luscious—and I wanted them on mine.

She was too fucking tempting.

“You’re welcome,” I answered before following her to the supply area and taking the offered broom instead of sweeping her into my arms and kissing the hell out of her like I wanted.