Page 6 of Burning Love (Looking For Love #7)

CAN REVISIT IT

“ H i. Remember me?”

Jace looked up from the desk to see Talia Carlisle standing in front of him a week later.

“Talia.” He reached his hand out for hers. She laid her much softer one in his and gave him a nice firm shake.

“That’s right,” she said. “I got your email.”

He had given Talia’s card to the chief, then was told to reach out and give a list of things they could always use or explain they raised money for the community and fire victims as well.

Sometimes donations came in better that way.

“I didn’t think you’d come down.”

“You told me you’d be back here on Thursday,” she said. “I wanted to get out of the house and away from my desk. Plus, I like to check out the applicants and see their needs. Or meet in person. If you’ve got time to show me around and talk, I’d love it. If not, we can schedule another time.”

“Hang on. I want to make sure someone knows where I am.”

He went to the offices and got the attention of the assistant chief on duty and told him what was going on.

Kent gave him the thumbs up. “Make sure you suck up good.”

“When have you ever known me to do that?”

“Good point,” Kent said.

He walked away and returned to Talia standing at the front desk looking around the department at what she could see. It wasn’t much without a full tour.

“How much time do you have?”

“Whatever time you need,” she said cheerfully. “I’m not pulling you away from something more important, am I?”

“No.” Only paperwork he hated to do.

“You’ll have to leave if you get a call though, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a dangerous job,” she said. “What made you want to do it?”

“I thought this was about the firehouse.”

She shrugged. “Why can’t it be both?”

She was smiling at him. The attraction he’d seen a flicker of last week blasted back into her eyes.

This time she wasn’t in haphazard clothing thrown on in a rush.

She was wearing light pink cotton pants that seemed almost a gauzy billowy material. They were wide and went to the floor. He had no clue what was on her feet until she moved. Her top was a soft pastel explosion of tiny flowers.

Her hair was lighter now that it was dry. Not dirty blonde, but a true blonde, only he was sure it wasn’t a natural color with the streaks of different shades blended.

Those sapphire eyes of hers were lined with black on top and some shimmer over that. Not really a color he could tell, but it was something.

Her cheeks had a faint pink tint to them, her lips a natural gloss.

Not quite like some of the pictures of her he’d seen online. This was more the girl next door vibe. Both were appealing, but he wasn’t positive which was her personality.

“No clue,” he said. “Why can’t it be?”

She laughed. A soft one that came off a touch husky. “So... what made you want to be a fireman?”

“Let’s take that tour and we can talk.” They moved out of earshot of his men. It’s not as if he was going to volunteer all that much they didn’t know. “Doesn’t every little boy want to be a policeman or fireman?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “None of my brothers did and I’ve got six of them. I’m going to assume you know who my family is.”

“I do. I didn’t at the time. Not until your mother brought cookies and handed me your card. Then I put it together.”

“About that,” she said. “Talk about embarrassing. I’m not sure I’m going to live it down that I turned the oven on without looking. Then my half-naked appearance dripping water everywhere. Yeah, I’d like to put it from my mind. But my mother having to come here and pimp me out only added to it.”

Guess she knew how her mother worked.

He got that impression too, but he was positive Aileen wasn’t doing it so that her daughter could go on a date.

He’d bet Talia never had a problem getting a man.

“I’ve seen worse, or less.” She turned to look at his smirk.

“I bet you have. People probably run out in all sorts of manner of dress if there is a fire.”

“Did you think you’d have to run out of the house looking like you were?”

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Thankfully it didn’t come to that. You didn’t tell me why you wanted to be a fireman. Or is that your polite way of saying mind my own business?”

“I wouldn’t do that,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Might as well get a bit of flirt on since she was throwing hints out. “I reserve those conversations for after working hours.”

“Ahhh,” she said. “Maybe we can get a drink sometime and talk about it.”

“You want one with me?”

“I wouldn’t have brought it up if I didn’t. I’m not what people think when they hear my name. Just putting it out there.”

He didn’t know what that comment meant let alone what he might be thinking.

“At the end of this tour we can revisit it, if you want.”

“I’ll want to,” she said, smiling. “If you’re single and mean it. If you’re not or are just playing nice to get money from the foundation, don’t waste either of our time. You’ll get a donation for something. My mother would have it no other way even if I didn’t approve it.”

“Meaning she’d do it personally?”

She shook her head, her hair shifting around. “No. She’d go over my head. Or the foundation’s head and straight to West. She’d play the whole they kept your sister and me safe routine, do you think we can find a way to take care of them?”

“That’s low.”

“That’s my mother. And if for some reason West said no, which he absolutely would never do for several reasons, then my mother would do it herself and that would only piss West off.”

He’d read West could be ruthless, but that could mean anything.

“You have the final say?”

“No. I’m new at this job. And that is something that could be talked about over a drink. Shall we?” She held her hand out for him to keep walking.

He showed her around the station, the gear they had, the things that were in the budget to be upgraded, the wish list of other equipment that would make their jobs easier. Then he told her about the money they raised for victims of house fires and what it was used for.

“Anything that the Carlisle Foundation wants to donate, we’ll be thrilled to have,” he said.

“If you had to choose, what would you rather get the money for?” she asked.

“It’s not up to me.” As much as he liked to get more equipment, he also knew how hard it was for the families that lost so much and couldn’t replace it.

To see a child lose their favorite toys or be left with the clothes on their back.

“If it was up to you?”

His head went back and forth. He could tell she was going to be like her mother and not walk away without getting what she came for.

“I’d like to see it go to those in need.

We have a budget and taxpayer money goes toward our needs.

I want to say it’s never enough, but every department, hell, every business will say their budgets aren’t enough.

But those families who lose it all, the despair they’ve got to live with and the nightmares.

It’s a lot. You don’t know those things until you lose something or someone close to you. ”

He knew all about that.

He lost the whole world he ever knew at a young age.

Not in a fire, but that didn’t matter.

There was no amount of money that could bring back the life he’d thought he had.

Did the one he had now turn out great? Yeah, it did.

But the relationship with his mother was damaged. Her suddenly dying weeks later didn’t give him the time to say he was sorry for how he reacted.

The words that he’d said in anger.

He knew he was justified in feeling them, but he should have kept them to himself in her last days.

“I’ve lost people close to me,” she said. “I can understand. If you know who my family is, then you know the story behind it.”

“Not really. I don’t follow those things. I don’t have the time to get involved in them.”

“That could be a conversation over a drink too,” she said. Her grin never left her face. “You get out of work at eight tomorrow morning?”

“I do. Then I’m back on Sunday at eight in the morning.”

“How about a Friday night drink? I’ll be done working around four, but I’m sure you’ll have to sleep at some point.”

“I do or will. Not long though or I won’t sleep that night.”

He had too much work to do in his house. It was about all he did in his free time so he could get it done.

She pulled her card out that he already had. “My cell phone number is on the back. Reach out to verify with a time and place to meet. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll know you changed your mind. I won’t change mine.”

Which left the ball in his court.

She was a lot more direct than he thought she’d be based on their first meeting and then her mother coming over to drop some information on her.

“How did it go?” Kent asked him.

“Good. We’ll get something, but I’m not sure which fund. I didn’t push one way or another.”

Kent and a lot of the other guys would have gone for the gear. He’d go for helping the community. He remembered what it was like when his mother was a single parent and needed assistance with things.

Not always money, just a helping hand around the house.

He’d always lean that way.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and get some for both,” Kent said. “That pretty face of yours could have done well for us.”

Jace hated when comments were made like that toward him.

That stupid calendar and other promotions to raise money.

Five years ago, someone had taken a picture of him after a fire.

He’d been standing out by the truck, his helmet and mask off, his face had ash on it.

It was ninety degrees out, not to mention the heat of the fire they’d just battled and he had the jacket of his suit off and was in a white T-shirt clinging to his body, suspender straps off his shoulders.

The caption of “Hotter Than Hell,” had more than one meaning in several eyes. Many being the women.

From that point on, he’d gotten his ass busted on, and a lot of numbers thrown his way.

He took some of those women up on them, the ones that wanted a good time and nothing else back then.

He’d make sure Talia was aware of that too.

He didn’t give a shit who her family was; he wasn’t changing a damn thing of who he was for anyone.