Page 15

Having a wife would make me more stable in the eyes of the fire chief. The brass liked their personnel in committed relationships. Mark had told me they thought it gave us something more to live for, extra incentive to be careful. I could see the logic. Some days I needed a reminder of what we were protecting and comfort after a long day. My empty apartment was currently short on answers, but just the prospect of coming home to Melena snuggled up on the couch would be all the normalcy I needed. Even having someone to listen at the end of a long day would make a difference.

After my shift I met with Chase at the gym. He was a reformed workaholic, so I was no longer surprised when he remembered to meet me on time. He was dressed in shorts and a shirt that stretched across his chest. His dark blond hair was in need of a trim, and he hadn’t shaved, but it was nice to see he wasn’t bleary-eyed with fatigue or pale from too much time indoors. Meeting Tamra had worked wonders for his ability to distinguish day from night and wrangle his writing habits into some semblance of a balanced life. I didn’t have to worry about him skipping meals anymore, but I missed our pizza and game nights. We’d been friends since we were skinny kids. Playing soccer together had formed a bond his awkwardness and my competitiveness hadn’t broken, though some days it felt like we tried.

“Hey,” he said with a nod.

“Hey, how’s the beautiful Tamra?” I asked with a grin. I was curious how his girlfriend was handling sharing space with Chase since they had moved in together full-time. He could be a genius in the kitchen, as I knew from afternoons at my grandma’s learning under her watchful eye, but Chase occasionally forgot to eat when he was on a deadline. He’d conquered a lot of his bad habits, but I had a feeling they still cropped up from time to time. I’d be climbing the walls by now if I lived with him.

Chase’s face split into a grin at the mention of his lady-love. “She’s hanging in there. How about you, didn’t you have a third date this weekend?” he asked. “How’d it go?”

“It ended in the emergency room,” I admitted as we started up our treadmills and began an easy jog.

Total Chase bait. He gave me a second glance before focusing back on his feet so he wouldn’t trip. “You look okay. You didn’t become one of the cautionary tales shared by ER nurses, did you?” He shuddered. “What did you do to the poor woman? Scratch that. If it has anything to do with orifices, I don’t want to know. Just tell me, is she okay?”

I nodded. “Nothing kinky. She passed out, but she’s okay now. Undiagnosed heart issue.”

I worried he was going to eat it any minute if he kept his gaze on me instead of the belt in front of him. “Yikes. Are you going to see her again?”

I rubbed a hand over the back of my neck, focusing on my breathing for a moment. If I had my way, I’d more than see her again. Did I dare admit I’d proposed? And I’d managed to do it so badly? Of any of my friends or family, he was the most likely to understand.

“Ah, yes. I actually asked her to marry me.”

Chase’s eyes bugged out, and he tripped and caught himself before hitting the stop button. He ran both hands through his dark blond hair, causing it to stand on end. “Wow. You sure you want to do that?”

I kept my pace steady and avoided looking at him. “Gee, Chase. I thought you were the romantic one.”

“Just because I’m a writer doesn’t mean I jump into things with no thought for the consequences. Why would you want to marry a practical stranger?”

I snorted. “First of all, you, and not thinking of the consequences? It’s practically your brand. Second, she’s not a stranger. She’s Melena.”

His brows raised. “Melena, who you’ve known for all of...”

“Two weeks,” I admitted.

His brows didn’t lower. “Practical stranger. Why would you go there?”

If I couldn’t explain myself to Chase, my sister was going to annihilate me when I finally had the guts to tell her. Gathering my thoughts, I focused on my feet pounding on the treadmill while Chase stood there, boring a hole into my skull.

“Still here,” he said.

“I know. I’m still thinking.”

“It doesn’t usually take this long for you to come up with something glib. What did this woman do to you?”

“Nothing.” I gave up and hit the stop button on my own treadmill, slowing to a walk as it decelerated. I finally looked at Chase. “I can’t explain it.”

“Try.”

I shrugged. “She’s fiercely independent. Strong. Takes no bullshit and she’s funny.”

“So, she’s the female version of you?”

“Ha, ha. She’s going through a tough time right now. Financially, her diagnosis is a big deal for her. If we’re married, I can help by adding her to my insurance. In return, she helps me.”

“Helps you with what? You have other friends who would gladly be there for you and wouldn’t expect marriage in return. Maybe try one of us first?”

“Can you marry me so I can buy a house and impress my boss with my maturity and stability?”

He held up a finger. “Technically, yes. But I really hope Tamra would object. What makes you think you need to be married to find a house or schmooze your boss? Haven’t you been working with a realtor?”