Rachel Brimble - Saved By The Firefighter

Izzy stepped inside and grabbed Kate into a bear hug, almost crushing the flowers in the process. “I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah, take a ticket and join the queue.”

Izzy laughed and, arm in arm, she and Kate walked along the hallway into her bright and sunny kitchen.

Kate walked to the sink. “Grab a chair while I wash this paint off my hands and put these flowers in some water.”

“What have you been up to?”

“I’m painting the utility room. Fancied sprucing it up a little.”

“It’s so great to see you.” Izzy glanced toward the open utility room door as she slid onto a seat around the scrubbed pine table. “I’ve been such a nightmare. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be silly. You’re grieving and I wish I could do more to help.” Kate filled a vase and arranged the flowers in a blur of effortless skill. She glanced over her shoulder, her gaze sympathetic. “My heart breaks for you, Iz. It really does.”

“I know and I’m so sorry for pushing you away. I’m not even sure what I was trying to achieve.” Izzy sighed. “Someone gave me a talking-to last night and his words cut pretty deep.”

Kate frowned. “His words? I thought if anyone, it would’ve been Marian who gave you a talking-to.”

“Believe it or not, it wasn’t our town matriarch. And I shouldn’t have rejected your support...or anyone else’s for that matter. I’m slowly clawing my way back and so glad you still want me around.”

“Of course I do.” Kate brought the flowers to the table and positioned them in the center. “So, who was it that broke through that stubborn facade of yours if it wasn’t Marian?”

Heat immediately rose in Izzy’s cheeks. She slid her gaze from her friend’s to the table and drew invisible circles on its surface with her finger. “None other than firefighter Trent.”

“Really? Well, well, well...”

“What does that mean?” Izzy frowned and met Kate’s eyes, which sparkled with an almost demonic glee. “And why are you looking at me like that?”

“It means I love the guy and so should you.”

“Love Trent?” Izzy huffed a laugh, fighting the softening in her heart since she’d learned of his sister’s death and accepting that he must have gone through the same heartbreaking pain as her. “The man has more than enough admirers. He certainly doesn’t need any more.”

“Yeah, okay, you keep telling yourself Trent isn’t worth your attention. We’ll see how that pans out, shall we?”

“He practically forced me to go to the beach party last night.”

Kate sat and leaned forward on her elbows, her brown eyes wide with interest. “Forced you? I can’t see Trent forcing anyone to do anything.”

“Yeah, well, he forced me and I regret giving in. It did me no good at all.”

“No? Not even considering that he got you to come here bearing flowers and an apology?”

Izzy grimaced. “Well, okay, yes, that did me good.”

“Glad to hear it. So this is it? No more pushing people away? You’re going to accept all the love and condolences half the town has been trying to offer you over the last three months?”

“Yes. Everyone’s except Trent’s.”

“I don’t understand why you won’t give the guy another chance. You finally got together before Robbie died and I’ve never seen you so happy. Isn’t it worth trying again? Trent likes you, Iz. He always has as far as I can tell.”

“Just leave it, Kate. Please.”

“Robbie’s gone and the one person who’s tried the hardest, over and over, to be there for you, you have basically kicked in the teeth.”

“Not the one person. I’ve crawled back to you with my tail between my legs, haven’t I?”

“Maybe, but I don’t have the equipment to provide you with the happiness Trent can, do I?” Kate winked.

Izzy sniffed. “Don’t bother going along that route. I offered him sex last night and he refused me. Do you know how humiliating that is? Trent could’ve had me and he didn’t take me. Fact.”

Kate’s eyes widened. “You offered him sex?”

“Yes. Temporary insanity, I guess.”

“You do know why he turned you down, right? The man wants a full-on relationship with you. Do you know how different that makes him than the fifty other guys who could be there for you?” Shaking her head, Kate stood and walked to the wine rack. She selected a bottle of red and grabbed two glasses from the cupboard. “Trent Palmer turning you down is huge. I honestly believe he has a serious thing for you.” She carried the wine and glasses to the table and unscrewed the bottle. “More important, I think you have a serious thing for him too.”

“I do not.”

“You’re lying.”

“Are you going to pour that wine or not?”

Kate filled the glasses and nudged one toward Izzy. “There, careful you don’t choke on it.”

Izzy narrowed her gaze and took a hefty gulp. “Cheers.”

Kate grinned and sat, lifting her glass to her lips. “I say you call Trent right now and ask him out. He’s probably beaten himself black and blue by now for not taking you up on your offer. He’ll be putty in your hands.”

“Trent would never be putty in anyone’s hands. Anyway, he’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“Yes.” Izzy took another sip of wine, her stomach knotting with trepidation of her oncoming admission. “He makes me weak. He makes me want things that are stupid.”

“What things? Fun? Romance? Great sex?”

“He doesn’t want sex. Remember?”

Kate sniffed. “Of course he wants sex. All men want sex.”

“Not Trent.”

“Oh, come on, Iz. He wants you to want him all the time. He’s not doing anything different than you or I would under the same circumstances. He respects you.”

“I don’t think so.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “Before Robbie died, did you ever offer Trent a one-night stand? No. You went on a date. No sex. You went on a second date. No sex. Then a third date...” She winked. “And maybe some sex. Or was it the fourth?”

Izzy narrowed her eyes.

Kate laughed. “Whatever. All I know is Trent’s being damn smart and going straight after your heart. He’s an intelligent man.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Kate grinned. “And true.”

Panic thundered through Izzy’s body. How long could she keep denying her true feelings for Trent? Feelings that had been there for so long she’d eventually given in and opened herself up to potential heartbreak.

Trent lived his life at such a faster pace than she did. She would never be able to keep up. What was the point in risking the loss of their friendship on top of a broken heart? She drew in a shaky breath. “Maybe Trent’s refusing sex because he thinks he’s a bad lay. Let’s just focus on that thought and forget everything else you just said.”

Kate quirked an eyebrow. “I saw you after you and him got down and dirty, remember? No woman walks around looking like you did after a bad lay.”

Izzy rolled her eyes. “Can we just change the subject?”

“Fine.”

“What about this calendar and Maya Jackson? How are things going with the preparations for the charity?”

“Ooh, I’ve got something to show you.” Kate stood and rushed from the kitchen, her bare feet slapping against the hardwood flooring in the hallway. “Be just a second.”

Izzy stared after her and took another fortifying sip of wine. Whenever Kate was excited, further trouble lingered on the horizon. Izzy’s friend’s footsteps sounded overhead before Kate came thundering downstairs and into the kitchen.

She stuck a business card in front of Izzy’s face. “You need to ring this guy. He’s an agent.”

Izzy put down her wine and took the card. She lifted an eyebrow. “Francis Sanford. He sounds like a member of the aristocracy.”