Page 5 of Save Me (The Midnight Cove #2)
GUNNER
S he fumbles, a look of surprise crossing her face. Whatever she was holding in the backseat of the car goes down.
“Hi.” She waves a hand in between us. The word is overly eager, and I can’t help but smirk.
“Hi,” I answer back. “What can I help you with? Do you have an emergency?”
Her eyes dart around, like she doesn’t realize where she is or what I’m asking her.
“What?” The fingers on her left hand shake as she pulls her hair behind her ear. Again, I notice there’s no wedding ring, and no tan line where one would rest.
“You’re at the fire station. Most people come here when they’re having some sort of emergency.”
“Oh yeah.” She giggles, a deep throat sound that causes a reaction in my body. “No emergency today.” She turns, grabbing what she had previously dropped out of the car.
“Hey, Rosa.” I reach out to chuck her under the cheek. “How’s the wrist?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs as she looks up at her mom.
“She has an appointment in a few days, but right now it’s too swollen. Hopefully it’ll go down before, and they’ll be able to give us a definitive diagnosis. They do seem to think it’s broken though, and I tend to agree with them, the way she’s favoring it.”
“Bummer.” I give her a frown. “Maybe it’ll be taken care of before summer really hits, and you’ll at least be able to enjoy it.”
She frowns, pouting slightly as she turns this way and that, making the skirt of her dress move. “I wanna be able to swim.”
“That’s one of the best parts of summer. If you can’t, I’m sure we’ll be able to find you something else to do.”
I have no idea why I’m offering to entertain her, but I sort of feel like it’s my place. I don’t like to see children unhappy, and knowing this one might have to give up a portion of her summer hits my gut hard. Turning my attention back to the mom, I hold out my hand. “I’m Gunner, by the way.”
“Amy,” she answers, putting her hand out to shake mine.
When our palms connect, I feel it—that spark everyone talks about.
The one that changes your perspective and makes you start thinking about the future.
I think she feels it too, the way her cheeks bloom with rosiness under her tan.
Our eyes connect—my blue ones to her green ones.
Although they aren’t exactly green; they’re light and dark at the same time.
Deep and endless with depths of places I’d love to explore.
Her tongue comes out to lick her top lip, and it takes everything I have not to lean over and capture it with my own.
“Mom, the cookies!”
The trance we’ve been in is interrupted.
“Oh yeah.” Her hands fly to her hair again, in what I’m beginning to notice is a nervous gesture. “We made cookies for you.” She reaches in, shoving a few containers of differing kinds of cookies into my hands. “As a thank you.”
“A thank you for what?”
“For helping us. You didn’t have to, and you went out of your way to make sure we were both calm.”
Rosa stands in front of her mom, the two of them clasping hands over her shoulder.
“This isn’t necessary, but we’ll never say no to sweets.”
“Especially if it’s Gunner’s shift to cook,” Ash interrupts from where he’s been watching. I wonder how long he’s been there. I didn’t notice, and that’s saying something since I pride myself on being aware of my surroundings.
Amy grins, looking between the two of us. “I’m sensing a really strong friendship, and I’m also sensing it’s Gunner’s shift to cook.”
“It is,” I confirm. “And they haven’t stopped being annoying about it since I got here.”
“Well, can you cook?”
When she asks the question, her nose scrunches. I take note of the right side going a little higher than the left. Her eyes dance with mischief, and I would do anything to put this look on her face again.
“Chili. I’m really good at chili.”
“He’s decent at chili,” Ash argues.
“Screw you, there’s none left when I cook it.”
“Just means we’re hungry, not that it’s good.”
She laughs, and the sound is fucking magical.
It burrows itself in my gut, occupying a space I didn’t even know it would fit.
In this moment, I know I can’t let them just walk away.
This mother and daughter—I have to know what could happen if we’re given a chance.
Which sounds crazy, even to me. On a whim, I blurt out an invitation. “Do you want a tour of the station?”
Rosa begins jumping up and down. “Mom, can we? Please? I’ve never been to a fire station before!”
For long seconds I’m worried she’s going to decline, tell Rosa they have plans, or something else to do. I see her having an issue with saying yes, but I don’t pressure. I don’t let her know with any signs that whatever decision she makes will affect me either way.
“Are you sure it won’t be a problem?”
“No problem at all,” Ash pipes up. “We love to show the station around to pretty women.”
Silver-tongued bastard.
“Sure.” She gives me a smile. “We’d love to.”
That sure —I just know it’s going to change my life.
“Rosa,” she giggles. “You look so cute. Here, let me get a picture.”
Over the past hour, I’ve watched this mother and daughter duo laugh and smile. Something tells me it’s more than they’ve laughed and smiled in a very long time. Right now she’s sitting up in the engine, wearing my hat and my jacket. It engulfs her, the hat continuing to fall down over her eyes.
“Why don’t you get up there with her?” I lean my head toward where Rosa sits. “Ash was a single dad for a lot of years. I know you don’t get pictures with your kids when you’re the ones taking them.”
She wrestles with the answer, I can tell. I can almost see her running scenarios through her head about if she should say yes or no. “You know what? I would love that. She and I don’t have a lot of pictures together.”
My eyes follow her as she carefully gets up on the edge of the engine, situating herself in the seat, and then placing her daughter in her lap. Quickly, I take a few pictures of them, hopefully allowing them to have multiple—or at least one they can frame.
“Thanks, Gunner!” Rosa screeches as I reach up to lift her down. “This has been the best day ever!”
“No problem, Rosie. I’m glad you came today. It would have been a super boring day without you here.”
We walk toward the common area, while I help them wash their hands and clean up from the dirt and soot that seems to always be on our jackets.
“Thank you for doing this,” Amy whispers as she watches Rosa wipe her good hand. “She’s never done anything like this before, and I can tell she loved it. We honestly didn’t make cookies to get a tour of the fire station, but I have to say I’m not mad it happened.”
I’m not either.
“Do you two have plans for dinner?”
The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.
“Umm.” She looks around at the common area. Most of the guys are lounging around—it’s been a very slow day today. “We were thinking of hitting the deli down the road.”
More than anything, I don’t want her to leave.
“I have to cook for them. Cooking for the two of you won’t be a problem.”
It looks like she wants to say no, but then she surprises the fuck out of me. I see her struggling with the decision in the way her face changes.
“Sure, but only if I can help you. It must be a huge undertaking to cook for all of them. I’d rather not have chili though—I’m not a fan.” She raises an eyebrow. “I hope that doesn’t make you think any less of me.”
I grab my chest, overly dramatic. “You’re killing me.”
“I know, I know.”
“What about cooking out? We have a grill here, and the stove here is world class. I can grill while you do the sides?”
“Sounds like a plan.” She holds up her hand for a high-five.
Surprised, I automatically slap her one. “Let me show you around in there, and let you decide what you want to make. I’ll be in there in just a minute.”
Quickly, I pull Ash aside, explaining to him what’s happening.
“You want me to see what Emma and Syd are doing? That way they won’t be here by themselves?”
“Yes. That way they won’t feel out of place. I would really appreciate it.”
“I’m on it, and I’m happy for you, buddy. You thought you’d never see her again, and now this opportunity has been dropped in your damn lap. Don’t fuck it up, because we don’t get these much in our lives. You know that.”
He’s right. I had one before and was too stupid to realize what I had. There’s a reason I came upon them on the beach, there’s a reason they’re here today, and I’ll be damned if I don’t pay attention. Hell, I asked the universe to show me.
I see you. I hear you. I’m open.