Page 5 of Spark
“It’s not mine,” I answer as I hunt through the cabinets searching for K-cups. “It’s an Airbnb. I was only in town for a few months. Didn’t seem like it would make much sense to rent a place for longer when I’d be leaving soon.”
“Oh, so you aren’t from Battleboro?” Was I imagining it or was there disappointment in her voice? I like the thought of her wanting to have me around. Not many people do these days.
“I am originally. Just back while I’m in between jobs.” I find the K-cups, an off-brand, but they’ll do, and load one up in the machine. While it gurgles to life, I lean against the countertop and grip its edge to keep my hands from reaching for her. “I’m a Wildland Firefighter.”
She nods, then laughs. “I have no idea what that means.”
“You know those big wildfires you hear of on the news out west?”
Avery’s eyes widen. “You fight with those?”
“Nine months out of the year. I’m in between contracts right now, but I’m going back for another contract in a few days.”
“So, what brings you back to Florida?” she asks. “Why not stay out west all year round?”
Good question. I consider my words while I make one cup and start another. “You want cream or sugar?” I ask.
“Both,” she says.
I stir them in and finally answer, “Family, I guess.”
She makes a noise of understanding in her throat as she sips her coffee. “That’ll do it. That’s why I’ve stayed here. I’ve never been out of the state. I imagine it’s pretty different where you go, even without the firefighters.”
“You’ll have to go sometime. Nothing like it.”
She takes the offered coffee cup and smiles sadly. “Thanks. Maybe one day.”
“What about you? What do you do when you’re not working at the restaurant or bartending?” I sit on the small recliner with my own cup of coffee and suck it back even though it’s piping hot. I could use the mental clarity before I do something stupid. Like beg her to stay with me.
“Not much,” Avery answers with a self-deprecating laugh. “I’d like to go back to school one day, but for now all I do is work. Nothing as exciting as fighting wildfires.” She lets out a yawn, then an embarrassed laugh. “I’m sorry, it’s been a long day. I worked a double shift. The coffee is sobering me up, but unfortunately, I’m still dog tired. Some company I am, huh?”
“Do you want to crash here?” I ask before I can stop myself. At her curious glance, I say, “Just sleep, I promise. Or I can call someone to take you home.”
She’s already shaking her head before I finish the suggestion. “No, that’s okay. Um, if it’s not weird, I can sleep here and walk back to my car in the morning. I mean, if you’re okay with that.”
Okay with it? It’d be a relief not to wake up all alone shrouded in nightmares. “I don’t mind. As long as you don’t care if I snore.”
Avery giggles. “I’m so tired, I probably won’t even notice.”
“Let me get you some clothes.” The skin-slick jeans and tight restaurant T-shirt don’t leave anything to the imagination, but they also probably wouldn’t be comfortable to sleep in. Plus, I like the thought of having her in my stuff, my scent on her skin. Like an indelible mark in some way.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
I take her empty cup and my half-drunk mug to the sink and retrieve a loose T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants from my suitcase in the bedroom. When I turn, she’s already standing at the door, watching me. I’d be lying if I said having her near me with a bed so close didn’t make me think of her in it—without the clothes.
“I’ll let you get changed.”
While she undresses in the bedroom, I change into another pair of sweatpants in the attached bath. I do us both the courtesy of brushing my teeth and ignore the red-eyed reflection in the mirror. She’s lying under the covers when I come out. Maybe I like seeing her there more than I should.
You’re a lonely piece of shit, Walker.
But I get into bed with her anyway, sliding in between the sheets to soak up her warmth. Without any urging, she scoots to my side and wraps her arm around my waist like we’d been doing this for years. Maybe it hadn’t been her looks that had stopped me from going home by myself. Maybe the lost parts in me had recognized something similar in her.
I mean to tell her I don’t normally do this either, but for the first time in months, I fall asleep without wondering what nightmares are waiting for me.
Chapter 4
Avery