Page 45 of Living with Fire
“And what would you propose I do with two days off?”
“I was hoping you’d ask that,” I say, pushing away from the desk, though my gaze doesn’t lose its intensity as I watch her. “I have two questions for you.”
When she raises a questioning brow, I continue, starting with the first, easier, question.
“Some of the crew from the firehouse are coming to the bar tonight. In fact,” I glance at my watch, “I suspect some of them are here or they’ll be here shortly.”
“Liam.”
It’s not a question, it’s a statement. Savanna has learned in the week she’s been around that Liam is a constant fixture at the bar when we’re not on shift. It’s not like he gets wasted when he’s here, nor does he always find a woman to pick up. He hates cooking, I give him a discount, and more than that, I think he gets lonely though he’d never admit it. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be the first one to show up tonight.
I grin at her, nodding. “Yeah, if he’s not out there already, he will be soon. Brody’s coming too, but there’ll be a few others that you haven’t officially met yet. Shawn is coming, Mac will be there with his wife Lynn. Hailey thought she’d show up, and Quinn too. Hailey and Quinn were the paramedics that took you to the hospital.”
“Hailey and Quinn… isn’t that a movie?”
I bark out a laugh. “It’s Harley Quinn, but don’t ever bring it up around them. Especially Hailey. I can’t tell you the number of calls they go on and she comes back fuming that she got called Harley the whole time.” I shrug with a smirk. “I don’t think it’s a big deal, but we all know better than to say anything around them.”
Savanna nods in acknowledgement. “Got it. No Harley Quinn comments.” Dropping her arms onto the desk, she leans toward me, an eyebrow raised expectantly. “You haven’t asked me a question yet.”
“Right,” I say, mimicking her by leaning across the desk again. I swear she’s close enough now that I can feel her heat, but maybe that’s just in my mind. “Will you join us for dinner? The rest of the crew wants to meet you.”
“Oh.” She chews on her bottom lip and glances towards the computer then at the boxes against the wall. “Well, I don’t want to intrude, and I really do have so much to do.”
“You aren’t intruding, and you need to eat. You’ve been working all day. Time for a break.”
“You’ve been talking about me?” she asks, her voice quiet.
My dick twitches as she peers at me through her long eyelashes, hopeful and innocent.
There’s no denying it, though my first instinct is to say that Liam and Brody talk about her, but that’s not completely truthful.
Liam definitely brings her up a lot, but it’s because he’s been encouraging me to ask her out all week. Brody just sits there and silently eggs him on. Quinn has gotten into it now as well, while Hailey throws in a comment or two, but she tries to stay out of it to a certain extent, along with Shawn. Mac is old enough that he knows to keep his mouth shut, but I see the supportive looks he gives them, and the pointed looks he gives to me as if to say, “You’re not getting any younger, son.”
“I’ll answer that if you agree to dinner,” I finally respond.
“What’s your second question?” she asks, instead of agreeing to dinner.
I should have seen that coming. I’ve realized that when Savanna isn’t ready to give an answer she changes the subject, but if I wait her out she’ll usually circle back. I’m guessing this won’t be any different, though it makes my palms suddenly sweaty while my heart begins to race thinking about the second question.
“I, uh… well, I was… kind of thinking… maybe…”
Jesus. I’ve been doing so well around her the last week, but suddenly the thought of asking her out on an official date makes me feel like a teenage boy asking his crush to prom. The confidence I’ve been walking around with since I got home from the firehouse vanishes into thin air. I convinced myself that the only answer she would give me was yes, but now that we’ve arrived at the moment, I feel unsure. Awkward. What if she says no? She’s living in my house. Working in my bar.
I run my hand through my hair and take in a deep breath, blowing it out. My heart is thundering in my chest so hard that I can hear it in my ears. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve asked a woman out, but Christ, it feels like the most important. I like Savanna. A lot. Rejection will be crushing.
The way she’s looking at me now, amusement lighting up her face, isn’t helping, and she’s not even trying to contain it.
I rake my hand through my hair a couple more times, and then sit back, hoping that putting more space between us will help my nerves. “Tomorrow… I was thinking that maybe… you’d like to go out… with me.”
The amusement is still there, but the grin morphs into one that I can only describe as pure elation. It’s becoming on her, and my heart races faster as I take it in.
“Like a date?” she questions.
My stomach nosedives when she doesn’t immediately say yes, but I nod. “Like a date.”
An eyebrow arches, but her smile remains. “You’re asking me out on a date?”
Christ. Maybe this was a bad move. I’m trying not to panic here, because that look makes me think she was going to say yes, but her questions are making me think the opposite. “I am.”