Page 35 of Striking the Match (Redwood Bay Fire #3)

Teddy

“So your solution…is to have a house party?” I ask. It can’t really be that simple, can it?

Cassius grins at me from where he’s tossing a stir fry in his wok.

I’d have protested him standing up to cook, but he sat down to chop all the veggies and the chicken was already diced.

The nature of a stir fry is that it’s ready in minutes, so I didn’t push the issue when I saw how much he wanted to do this for us.

I’ve never had a place of my own, but I can imagine I’d also be the same with wanting to be a good host and take care of my guests.

Will there ever be a day when Cassius visits my house and I cook for him? That seems so unrealistic that I let the thought drop almost immediately. I have enough wild ideas to be entertaining in the present.

“It would be a fundraiser at my house,” Cassius elaborates. We’ve already gone over the basics of his plan, but I can’t seem to quite wrap my head around it.

“For the One-Thirteen as well as the animal shelter?”

He waves his spatula at me briefly before going back to his animated stirring.

“That’s the clever part. Bryan’s good at this stuff.

The first phase, the house party, would be focused on the animal shelter by getting people to sponsor a pen for a year.

We’d have displays of individual stories from some of the cats and dogs to draw people in and maybe even encourage some adoptions.

People are more likely to sponsor more if they feel like they’ve adopted Spot the dog specifically.

But the main focus would be giving the shelter a big bump in cash so they can clear the debt with the vets who do all their neutering and everything else.

Maybe do some renovations, hire more staff, work more on marketing campaigns so they can reach more potential donors and forever homes. ”

“Okay, I’m with you,” I say nodding and drinking a little more beer.

I don’t want my anxiety to spoil his excitement.

I just want to make sure I understand what he’s proposing.

“But…what’s the reason for throwing this party?

Sorry, fundraiser. Other than it being a nice thing to do, obviously. I think I’ve missed a step.”

Cassius is dishing up our dinner, so I jump up to grab the plates. That way, he can use his energy to get back to the dining table on his crutches. His good leg must be aching by now even if he was only putting his weight onto it for a little while.

When we’re both sitting back down, Cassius takes my hand and squeezes it.

“The reason is because the shelter is what brought us together, and this is going to be our first official outing as a couple. It’s casual, but from the heart.

It’ll also be a great way for me to meet people from the town, sort of like a getting-to-know-you event.

We’ll invite the One-Thirteen because they’re your friends, but they’re also integral to the community.

We can work on the guest list together, but I’ll also invite a few guys from Seattle, maybe see who’s around in LA.

So it’s a mix of the rich and famous as well as people who actually matter here in Redwood Bay. ”

“Ohhh,” I say, nodding slowly. “I see what you’re doing. You’re breaking down barriers to encourage the idea that celebrities aren’t so different from us regular folks.”

“Bingo,” he says with a wink.

“But…no actual reporters or anything?” I clarify.

He shakes his head and swallows a mouthful.

I want to tell him to stop and eat so the food he’s made us doesn’t get cold, but he seems too excited to care.

“We’ll keep it organic, casual. Just let people post on their own accounts.

We can make sure there aren’t any loose cannons on the guest list, and Bryan will give everyone a brief beforehand with a few gentle guidelines of what they should avoid posting about. ”

I must look concerned because he reaches out and cups the side of my face, getting my full attention. “Sorry,” I say sheepishly. “That just seems like so many variables.”

“That’s kind of the point,” he admits. “By not trying to control the narrative so strictly, it gives us power. It says that we’re not bothered by the TikTok livestream because we have nothing to hide.”

My heart melts a little more for him. I love that he has no intention of hiding me away or acting ashamed. “But we are controlling the narrative to a certain extent, right?”

He grins and rubs his thumb against my cheekbone before retracting his hand to eat some more. I must admit, for a simple dish, it’s really delicious. It’s already making me wonder what I can cook for him next time.

Having a boyfriend is already pretty fun, I’ve decided.

“Oh, we’re absolutely putting out a narrative that we’re hoping people will latch onto,” he says mischievously.

“If the homophobes want to rattle their sabers about the gays shoving woke culture down their football-loving throats or whatever soapbox they’re on, they’ll basically be saying ‘helping to rescue cute animals is bad.’ Which they can, if they want.

” He shrugs and laughs. “Bonus for us: we’ll genuinely be helping cute animals get rescued. ”

“Yeah, I love that part,” I admit.

If I just think about it from that angle, all I’m really doing is working with Cassius on a charity fundraiser. And not some abstract national cause—which would still be important, of course. But the fact it’s for the Redwood Bay shelter is so cool. I bet they’ll be over the moon with this idea.

“The other bonus,” Cassius continues, “is that the One-Thirteen will also be there, looking all glamorous. If they just happen to mention how having your own helicopter would benefit the people of the town, then when we announce a different fundraiser at the station in a month or two, the seeds will already have been sown in people’s minds that they can give to that good cause as well. ” He winks at me. “That’s phase two.”

“You seriously think you could raise enough to get us a helicopter?” I ask, shaking my head in disbelief.

Cassius pauses and looks apprehensive. “Or whatever you guys need. I don’t mean to be presumptuous of where the funds would best be spent.”

I can’t say as the probationary officer that I’ve ever thought about that or been included in any discussions on the matter.

“A helicopter would probably be greatly appreciated,” I say thoughtfully.

“But Captain Valentine would have a far better understanding of our budget, and I’m sure whatever money we might raise would be put to extremely good use. ”

“Exactly,” he continues. “Whatever you guys decide, it’ll all be part of the same game plan.

Which is to get public opinion on your side—and I mean the individual you, Teddy Foster, my boyfriend—by gently reminding anyone who might have something shitty to say about you that you and your friends run into burning buildings for a living. ”

“People will still say shitty things,” I note. I might not be famous, but I’ve lived with the internet my whole life.

He nods. “Yeah, there’s no stopping that.

Some people will no doubt see through all our good intentions and say the whole thing is a publicity stunt.

There’s never going to be a solution that pleases everyone.

But I’d rather have a charity event or two that brings the community together as the background for announcing our relationship a hundred times over than a press conference or a red carpet walk or something.

We wouldn’t be doing anything that we didn’t mean.

We’re simply creating a way to confirm that you’re someone incredibly special to me in the best way possible.

Couples do that every day to announce their engagements and pregnancies, after all.

This is just on a slightly grander scale. What?”

He’s noticed I’m staring at him all silly and starry-eyed. “You said I’m incredibly special to you,” I say.

With a laugh, he lifts my hand to kiss my fingers again as he beams at me, his eyes equally sparkly. “You are, Teddy.”

I bite my lip and drink him in for a moment. “I might not have planned a big old party for you,” I say. “But you’re incredibly special to me, too, Cassius. I hope you know that.”

The way he licks his lips and looks me up and down suggests he does have an inkling of how I feel. But before he can say or do anything about it, something brushes against my leg, making me almost jump out of my skin.

I snap my gaze downward, only to see a pair of bright blue eyes looking up at me from inside an opaque plastic cone.

“Kiki?” I squeak, almost too afraid to move in case I scare her off. My jolt when she bashed her shoulder into my calf didn’t, but I don’t want to risk it.

“I can’t believe she’s out here,” Cassius says, equally spellbound. “She’s been terrified of everyone and everything, including me. But not you.”

A lump rises in my throat as the little orange lion meows loudly at me. It’s only been a couple of weeks since she was shaved. However, I can already see some of her fur growing back, which makes me very happy. I know Cassius will keep her properly groomed this time around.

Carefully, I lower my hand to let her sniff my fingers, which she does. Then she rubs her face against them…and purrs.

“Oh my god,” I whisper, my eyes flicking between her and Cassius. “Do you think she remembers me?”

He scrubs his chin and swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. It makes me think I’m not the only one feeling a little emotional from her unscheduled appearance on our date.

“I have no doubt she remembers you, baby,” he says softly. “She doesn’t know about TikTok or the One-Two-Two. She just knows that she was really scared, and you were there for her when she needed someone the most. Just like her daddy knows the same thing.”