“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 Four
Avery
Maybe I didn’t make it through the storm.
Maybe this is all a dream.
I never thought I’d see him again after that night, though I’d done enough social media stalking to try and find him. Kind of hard to do when I didn’t even know his last name.
Walker doesn’t break stride, merely shifts his destination to my direction, his long, lean legs eating up the distance between us. My feet are glued to the earth beneath them and it’s like going through the storm a second time to have him right in front of me. He hasn’t changed a bit in months since I last saw him. If anything, he’s even more devastatingly handsome.
Kitted out in a Battleboro Fire and Rescue uniform, he’s not only handsome, he’s heart-stopping. I’d forgotten how tall he is until he comes to a stop in front of me. Nearly six-two to my five-six, he may as well be a giant. I remember waking up that night after being wrapped up in him and I’d felt so safe and protected. I’d never felt like that before in my life. It’s addicting—that feeling of being safe. A girl could learn to get used to having a man make her feel protected. Maybe that’s why I’d run.
“Christ, Avery. Is that you? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
I have to close my eyes hard and pull myself back to the present. “No, it’s not me. I’m fine. It’s my neighbors. They’re trapped inside their house. Can you help?” I want to take the words back as soon as they come out of my mouth, but Mary and Tom need my help. That’s all this is. That’s all it can be.
“Sure. Lead the way.”
I’m hyper aware of him right behind me and my mind is racing the whole walk up to the front door. All I can think is that I need to get away from him as quickly as possible.
“If you’ll keep them calm, I’ll see if I can get this tree out of their door. Have them stay back just in case.”
Nodding, I go to the front window and get as close as I can. “Mary, there’s a firefighter here to help. He wants you guys to stay away from the door while he tries to get the block out of the way. Okay?”
“Okay, Avery. You tell him thank you for us!” Mary shouts and then everything is drowned out by the buzzing of the chainsaw.
I back away a few feet, but still stay in view of the front window in case Mary or Tom need me. Naturally, my eyes are drawn to Walker as he attempts to cut the limb down and I can’t seem to look away no matter how much I order myself to. His uniform is covered in a fine layer of dust. They must have been working with chainsaws all morning clearing out paths to houses. If the dark circles under his eyes are any indication, he’s been at it a while already.
A dozen questions spring to mind. Namely, what the hell he’s doing here of all places and why? Then I wonder how long he plans to stay. If he’s going back for another contract, I’d prefer he did it sooner rather than later…before things get even more complicated than they already are.
I worry at a nail, biting it down to the quick, as he cuts another divot into the limb. Sweat beads on his forehead and a dark furrow is already soaked into the material of his uniform T-shirt at his back. My mind instantly goes to the identical one I stole from him that I secreted away in my underwear drawer. I take another step away from him to find a pocket of cool air to breathe, but there’s none to be found.
The limb gives way with a furious crack and Walker heaves it to the side with a strength that has all the feminine parts of me clench up in appreciation. Yes. I definitely need to make a quick getaway. Clearly the months haven’t been enough to dull the effect he has on me. Though I’m not sure a decade would be enough time to accomplish that.
Another few minutes and he has the door all clear. Despite my reservations, I really do care about Mary and Tom, so I follow close behind as he sets the chainsaw aside, then knocks and enters. Their living room is a mess of broken glass and debris that Walker and I carefully pick over to where the elderly couple is hovering in their bedroom. Seeing them, I’m reminded of Grandma Rosie and the baby and know I have to get home soon. Grandma Rosie may have moments of lucidity, but she can’t be in care of the baby for long.
“Are you two all right?” Walker asks. “I’m with the fire department. Do you need any medical attention?”
He conducts an interview with both of them as I watch, and I’m struck by his competence and efficiency. I’ve imagined him as a firefighter plenty of times before, but there’s something more vulnerable about this aspect of his job that I’d never considered. There’s a humane kindness in his bandaging of a scrape on Mary’s forehead and a respectful concern as he takes Tom’s heart rate and blood pressure. The fluttering inside me is located decidedly north this time. My heart can’t seem to handle watching him care for these people.
“You’ll call our daughter for us?” Mary asks for the second time. “She’ll come out to get us when the roads are clear enough.”
“Yes, ma’am. And I’ll come by in the morning with food and water for you. They’re supposed to be delivering some from Red Cross, the food banks. Do you have enough to last until then?”
“We’ll be fine. We appreciate all your help,” Tom answers.
“Any time. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You let me know if you need anything before then,” I tell Mary.
“Thank you for coming to check on us,” she says. “I don’t think we ever would have gotten out of here if it wasn’t for you.”
“Don’t you worry about it. That’s what neighbors are for. I better go and check on Grandma Rosie.”
“You give that baby of yours some sugar for me,” Mary calls after me.