Chapter 11

11

LIAM

S taring at the coffee maker as it does its thing, I wonder if I should take Opal out for dinner tonight. She doesn't seem the fancy type, but I'm sure she'd enjoy a proper date. Maybe we could drive to Old Hemlock Valley to hit Jim's Pizza. Or Betty's Bistro in Cedarville. Somewhere she probably hasn't been yet.

I pour the finished coffee into the black mug covered in orange and yellow flames. Opal used it for her morning coffee just yesterday and laughed adorably when she saw it.

I miss her.

That's such an alien feeling to me. I've always had pretty much everything I need. Here I was with a gigantic hole in my life, and I didn't even realize it.

But yes, I need Opal. She's already become part of me.

It hits me like a blow to the chest – I'm going to have to learn how to be a boyfriend. A partner. Someone who knows how to compromise and have another person in their life. I've always been a bit of a loner, so it could be hard. But I'm willing to change.

Especially since I'm already asking Opal to change. I think she understands that the safety demands I'm making are for her own good, but it's still kind of disturbing to boss her around. Thankfully, this seems to be the only tension between us.

I blow on my coffee, my gaze drifting out the window to the massive grill. Maybe I could build something like that for Opal. I could show her some of our fire training videos, too. Maybe if she sees that I really want to work with her, and continue being her assistant, she won't be offended that I'm… tweaking , yeah, let’s call it that…some of the details.

I think it's going to take some time for us to get comfortable enough to say all the things on our minds. Like, I'm already in love with Opal, but it's far too soon to spring that on her. Weird. My love for her isn't a decision or a revelation. It's just…there.

My phone beeps with the ringtone reserved for a text from the VFFT.

Slamming a few mouthfuls of coffee, I stride over to where the phone sits connected to its charger. This, I'm ready for. Even before I was a firefighter, I've always been ready to jump in and help someone who needed it.

I guess it's just in my nature to feel responsible for the well-being of my neighbors and the town in general.

VFFT: Fire Call. West Stoneburg. 243 Elm Street.

No.

I feel sick.

Opal lives at 241 Elm Street. Right next door.

On my way.

I've never jumped into my truck so fast, starting the engine before the door is even slammed shut. My boot is leaden on the accelerator as I speed down the streets.

Please, I silently mutter. Let Opal be safe. And just as importantly, let it not be her fault. That would destroy her.

I've always been a bit stoic. Able to control my thoughts and keep them in order. Now my mind is a tangled mess of emotion, fear, and determination.

I get to the house so quickly that the gear and water trucks haven't even arrived yet. Jumping out, I survey the house. No flames, thank god. There's only a whiff of smoke coming from the back yard.

I leap over the low, decorative fence and see Josh Wolfe using a garden hose on some shrubs. The barbeque beside them is dripping. "It's fine," he says, as calm as ever. "Dispatch is already canceling the call."

Sure enough, just then my phone beeps from my pocket.

VFFT: 243 Elm Street call canceled. Minimal. Handled.

The siren from the approaching fire truck suddenly shuts off.

"What happened?"

Josh shakes his head. "It's a shitty old barbecue. They had it too close to these shrubs. Some of the charcoal fell through some holes and hit the grass, and the smoldering began to spread." He soaks far more of the area than he needs to, being just as cautious as I would. "Have to say, I appreciate any call where I don't need to put on that huge jacket."

"True." Looking around, I see a woman in an old track suit pacing at the other end of the yard, talking frantically on the phone. Must be the homeowner. "Have you seen a blonde girl around? Twenty-one, big blue eyes?"

"Yeah, she's next door with the kids. The mom wanted them away from this."

I race over to see Opal drawing with chalk on the concrete paving stones in her backyard with two little girls around seven and eight. Pink and purple blooms have overtaken the entire space.

Until this moment, I didn't realize that my ears were buzzing. But the sound clears as I blink, drinking her in. So delicate and sweet, with her hair tied up in two messy buns. Bright eyed and beautiful. Safe.

My Opal.

Her head jerks up as I come closer. "Hi!" She jumps to her feet. "Marnie and April weren’t big fans of the smoke next door, so we're making flowers."

She steps toward me, then hesitates, searching my eyes. "You thought I started a fire, didn't you?"

I can't lie to her.

"I…thought there was a possibility. And I needed to get here immediately to make sure you were okay."

I hate that she frowns as she looks me up and down. "Where's your gear?"

"I got here so fast I beat the truck."

Looking over the fence, I see Josh has stopped watering everything and is now checking the shrubs and trees to see if they were damaged. I holler at him, "Trust a forester to be more concerned about the trees than the house."

He glares at me. "The house wasn't touched. And since you asked so politely, yes – the greenery is going to bounce back just fine, thank you."

"Girls!" The next door neighbor waves over the fence. "Thank Opal then come back, please."

The little girls bounce to their feet. "Thank you, Opal!" The younger one hands her back the pink chalk. "We'll do this again after it rains?"

"Yes, you will." Opal ruffles her hair, then the girls run off.

As soon as the kids are gone, I hold out a hand, but Opal shakes her head. Her body is tense, her shoulders squared. "Liam, I need to know the truth. Did you really think that I would really set a fire big enough that I couldn't put it out myself in seconds?"

Pausing, I wonder. Did I? "Not really." I walk over to the fluffiest part of the grass and sit down, patting the ground invitingly for her to join me. I'm relieved when she does, sitting relatively close. I already miss her touch.

"Baby." It takes effort to keep my rough voice as soft as possible. "I trust you. I really do. I know that you are infatuated with fire, but I also know that you're always as safe as possible."

Holding out my hand again, I’m happy that this time she takes it.

" But I've seen you work. You're very focused, which is amazing. It also means that sometimes you phase out for a few seconds, paying more attention to the image than the fire itself."

She sighs.

"And…the thing is… I've seen firsthand just how unbelievably unpredictable and destructive fire can be," I continue. "One momentary gust of wind. Someone turning away to check their phone for a split second. One little patch of grass that was sheltered from a tree, so it hadn't really been rained on for several weeks, and poof – a single spark becomes a streak of fire that runs across a lawn and takes out a shed, then a fence, and so on." I squeeze her fingers gently, loving how sexy she looks when she bites her bottom lip, but hating the sadness in her eyes. "I do trust you. Really. It’s fire I don’t trust. And your safety is unbelievably important to me."

"Yeah?" Her voice is small. "Why?"

There's no reason to hold back. "Because I have gigantic feelings for you. I already know it in my heart… You're the one."

Her mouth falls open and she blinks her beautiful blue eyes over and over. It's at least half a minute before she whispers, "Really?"

"Yes."

Her eyes sparkle with the beginning of a smile. "I was so sure that you'd be angry with me. That your firefighter buddies would find out the girl you're hanging out with is…you know. A menace."

"Not hanging out with, baby. Dating." Her fingers squeeze mine gently as I lean in and whisper, "Which makes you my girlfriend." As she nods eagerly, I add, "For now."

She rolls her lovely eyes. "You mean until I accidentally burn down the neighborhood?"

"Not at all. I mean, you’ll be my girlfriend for now …until you're my live-in girlfriend. Then my fiancée. Then my wife." My arm slips around her as she gasps softly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm not supposed to say all that so soon. I don’t care. I’m saying it anyway."

Opal’s smile stirs up that simmering heat in my core that takes hold every time she is near me. "Hmm. A firefighter and a pyromaniac. That should be against the rules, don’t you think?"

"I don't think you're a pyromaniac. Maybe pyro-obsessed?"

"Pyro-afficionado?" She laughs. "That sounds like a European death metal band."

"It does. But it's accurate." She cuddles against me, relaxing. Thank goodness.

We need this moment, sitting on the grass, arms wrapped around each other, breathing together. Letting the truth wash through us.

We're together. This is real.

After several moments, Opal's head tips up, her perfect rose lips inches from mine. "You beat the fire truck here."

"Yeah."

"Which means you drove like hell without a siren. Who’s being unsafe now, mister?"

"I was careful."

She frowns. "I'm sorry that I worried you. But it's sweet…I mean… It really means a lot to me that you were so worried."

Those lovely blue eyes. The scent of her shampoo on the breeze. The beautiful, delicate face that I want to admire as much as possible for the rest of my life.

Tearing my gaze away, I look around, but the only flower within reach is a bright, chunky dandelion. I pluck it, holding it out to her with a grin. "I promise that I'm going to learn how to do things right, the whole moonlight and roses stuff. But for now, you should know… I love you."

She blinks quickly, her bottom lip wobbling then she nods twice. Her gaze drops to the dandelion, then comes back to me.

My hand squeezes around her hip. "You don't have to —"

"I love you, too," she blurts. "True confession time, I've never loved anyone before. So I'm not gonna have a clue what I'm doing. But I do love you."

"It’s all new to me too, baby. We'll figure it out together, how does that sound?"

Opal sets the dandelion aside carefully on top of her camera bag. Then she leans in for a gentle, tender kiss full of promise and possibility. As her hands reach for the back of my shoulders, I scoop her against me, needing to feel her heart beating against mine.

This is real. It’s what I have always needed, but had no idea how to go about achieving.

The heat between us builds fast, our bodies moving together, mouths open, tongues searching, completely forgetting where we are until I hear a loud snort. We break apart as I turn toward the fence.

"Sure," Josh calls out. "I get cleanup duty, and you get the gorgeous blonde. How is that fair?"

"Be there in a minute," I call back.

Laughing, Opal snuggles into my shoulder. Then she jumps, sitting up straight. "Hey – if I were to sketch out my dream fire photography setup, could you tell me if it's possible?"

My hand drifts up and down her spine as I grin. "Better. I'll make it for you."