Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

M ay 21 st

Taking a leap at love. Or at least hot sex. Hopefully I don’t get burned.

“This isn’t going to work,” Paige said again as she looked over to where Leah was using a kitchen knife to saw through the heel of one of her old pairs of shoes. The shoes were a size too big for Paige, and literally looked ready to fall apart, so Leah was willing to sacrifice them to the virginity gods in hopes of Paige getting laid.

“It will. Just don’t put them on until you get closer to the station. I’ve been stalking their social media and they just posted that it’s spring cleaning. They’re all outside washing their big trucks,” Leah said, shoving the shoe with one heel dangling by a thread at her. “You got this. It’s time to get back on the horse, or in this case, a fireman. ”

“You’re right,” Paige said, taking the shoes and putting them into the leather satchel she used to carry manuscripts. She was in a slump and needed to find a way out of it.

Leah walked down to her apartment on the fourth floor and made Paige swear to tell her how it went as soon as she got home.

Paige hurried down the rest of the stairs and gave herself a pep talk. She could do this. She was feeling very professional but not very sexy. So, this Saturday morning she’d put on a cute miniskirt and a tight Jane Austen T-shirt. She wasn’t going to hide that she was a bookworm. The library was in that direction, so her plan was to say she was returning a book, and oopsie, she fell.

Paige took a deep breath and pulled out Leah’s shoes once she got close enough to hobble the rest of the way. She felt silly tiptoeing, but that heel wasn’t staying on for a moment longer if she put any weight on it.

Sure enough, Leah’s stalking worked. There were men everywhere in tight white shirts soaping down their big trucks. It was a pinup magazine come to life and suddenly Paige got that old feeling back. That determination led her to sell her virginity.

“Thank you, Leah!” she whispered as she eyed the location she was going to casually fall. There was a strip of grass up ahead and that would be a perfect landing spot.

HONK!

Two cars honked at each other, one driving very close to the curb, speeding through the soapy water runoff from the fire trucks up ahead. The water splashed over Paige, causing her to jump in surprise at the sudden cold of the water.

“Ah!” Soap got in her eye and Paige forgot about the heel or her planned elegant swoon. Instead, she stumbled back, her heel breaking off, sending her off balanced enough that her good foot got stuck in the grate on the sidewalk. Her arms pinwheeled and with her eyes still blinded, she reached out, hoping to grab something to steady her. Her hands grasped at air and down she went, with her foot still stuck in the shoe that was stuck in the grate. “Motherfu—”

“Ma’am!”

She heard the firefighters as she tried to blink the dirty suds from her eyes. She felt her foot being pulled free from the grate and her skirt being pulled down. Not in the seductive way, but in the way to cover herself since she must have been flashing her thong to everyone on the street.

“Soap in my eyes,” Paige said, trying not to rub them.

“Get the eye wash!” a deep voice yelled. Paige heard boots running toward her. “Help is here. Tilt your head back so we can wash out your eyes.”

Cool water washed over her eyes. It stung, and then there was blissful relief. “I could kiss you!”

The water stopped and Paige blinked up to see a woman firefighter smiling down at her. “Not what you were expecting, huh?” she said with a smile.

“At this point, I don’t care. I’ll kiss you for stopping that stinging.”

Some of the firefighters whistled and the woman shot them the middle finger. “Let’s get you checked out. You took quite a fall. I’m Gina and this is Eddie. We’re with the fire department. What hurts?”

Eddie was the man holding her and she was here for it. He was big and strong, and his shirt was damp from washing the truck.

“I’m Paige. I think just my eyes.”

“Let’s try to get you up,” Eddie said. He stood up and then helped her stand as Gina watched for any signs of injury .

Paige tried to stand and a sharp pain shot up from her ankle, causing her leg to buckle. Gina frowned. “Let’s take a look at that ankle. Eddie? Can you help her into the bay and I’ll grab my things.”

“Let’s do this the quick way,” Eddie said, reaching down and scooping Paige up into his arms.

Now, here was the meet-cute of Paige’s dreams. Eddie carried her to the bay and set her on the bench. He smiled at her and all thoughts of her hurt ankle fled. Well, until Gina moved it.

“Holy bookworm!” Paige gasped.

Gina frowned and Eddie laughed.

“Bookworm?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah, I read a lot. Kind of my job. Don’t you like books?” Paige asked him.

“Nah, I’m not really a book guy. Why read when eventually a movie will be made of it?”

Paige gasped again, but this time in shock and horror. “The movie is never as good as the book.”

Eddie shrugged. “If I haven’t read the book, I wouldn’t know or care.”

“You’re a Neanderthal,” Gina said with a shake of her head. “The book is always better.”

If a light switch could be flipped and one second, a man looked super-hot and dreamy, and then click the light switched was flipped and there was nothing to recommend him, that’s what Paige felt right now. The book vs. movie thing was a deal breaker.

“As for you,” Gina said, frowning, “you need an X-ray. Look, to save you the money, I’m off duty and can just drop you off at the emergency room. There’s a hospital not that far from here.”

“Yeah, I know it well.” Paige closed her eyes and groaned. “I can call a taxi. ”

“It’s no problem. I pass by it on the way to book club.” Gina slipped her arm under Paige’s so she could hop out of the fire station.

“What kind of book club?” Paige asked once she got settled in Gina’s pickup truck.

“The kind with wine and snacks and romance books. Is there any other kind?” Gina frowned. “I guess there’s those snotty clubs were they actually talk in depth about literature, but are those really book clubs or are those book lectures?”

Paige laughed as Gina pulled out of the parking lot. “Gina, I have no luck with guys. Want to marry me?”

“Sorry, babe. Don’t swing that way. Actually, I thought you were trying to pick up a firefighter. You wouldn’t believe how many women walk by the station trying to get those guys’ attention.”

Paige fought not to blush or stammer. “Really? Well, I don’t swing that way either. But between you and Eddie, I’ll take you every time.”

Gina laughed. “Thanks. I needed that. Do you have any idea how hard it is to date when you’re a female firefighter? I mean, I know those guys way too well to ever want to date one of them. Can’t date a cop or I’d get so much crap from the guys at work. Then regular guys are intimidated by my job. I just want to find a guy secure enough to want a strong woman.”

Paige cocked her head and looked at Gina. Sure, she was strong, but she was really pretty and she was a bookworm. “Have you ever heard of furries?”

“Cosplay type thing. Yeah. I’ve heard of them. Why? You dress up like a wolf or something?”

“Would that be an issue for you?”

“Nah, I know lots of people do that kind of stuff. Furries, sex clubs, Regency, Renaissance. There’s kink in all of that. To each their own. Why?” Gina asked .

“Well, first, what kind of guy are you looking for? Build wise and personality wise?”

Gina was quiet for a moment. “I like a thick guy. I don’t want to feel like I’m going to break him, you know? Tall. Love a beard. Strong, secure, but lighthearted and fun. Why?”

Paige smiled as Gina pulled up to the hospital entrance. “As a way to say thank you, can I set you up on a blind date?”

Gina looked nervous. “I don’t know about that.”

“What if he doesn’t know it’s a blind date? You could just run into a group of us and he’ll be there.”

“I could do that. Worth a shot.”

“Café Felix. Tomorrow at five thirty?”

“Sure. Here’s my number.” Gina handed Paige a business card. When she wasn’t on duty, she was a personal trainer. Gina got out of the car and helped Paige hobble into the ER. “Thanks again, Paige. Hope the ankle is okay. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Gina.”

“Back again?” the nurse asked with a smile as she brought a wheelchair for Paige.

“You look familiar,” Paige said, looking at the nurse with curly dark hair pulled up into a messy bun. She was around Paige’s age with a smile that reminded her of someone.

“Well, I’ve been here the last couple of times you’ve come in. I’m Felix’s sister, Luciana. After the last go around, Felix sent me a text with your picture on it. Do I need to call anyone for you?”

“Paige?” Paige felt her heart drop as she slowly looked to see Doctor Fraser Robertson walking toward her. “What happened?”

“My heel broke and I twisted my ankle. I was told I needed X-rays.”

“I’ll take her, Luciana,” Fraser said as Luciana frowned.

“I need to check her in,” Luciana told him .

“Her information is on the computer. She’ll be in bed nineteen. And call X-ray to come get her,” Fraser ordered as he moved to grab the wheelchair. “Miss Turner and I need to have a talk.”

Paige was quiet as Fraser wheeled her away. “When did you start dating Patrick Bolton?” Fraser finally asked.

“The night you saw us. I needed a date, couldn’t get a hold of you, and Patrick was available,” Paige told him honestly.

Fraser frowned. “Are you still together?”

“No.”

Fraser didn’t speak as he moved her into a small, curtained room. “I’m sorry. The life of a doctor who is on call is hectic and I can’t always answer the phone, Paige.”

“I understand, which is why I found another date. It’s not like we were dating, Fraser.”

Fraser leaned down and helped her into the bed. “You’re right. We weren’t dating. It’s really hard to date in my job. But I would like to spend some time with you. Let me make it up to you. I was kind of a jerk. I didn’t mean to ghost you, but I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. Will you give me another chance?”

“We’ll see,” Paige said with a smirk. Of course, she’d give him another chance, but communication was going to need to improve if Fraser wanted more than a date every once in a while.

“I love a challenge. Now, let me see your ankle.”