Page 13 of Up All Night
“Even if there’s a position open once Evelyn comes back, Sean’s used to being captain. He’s not going to be happy on the line long-term.” Suzy was known for being opinionated, but in this case, she was wrong. Sean had been plenty happy accepting orders in my shower. And I needed to stop thinking about Sean, orders, and showers while cooking.
“Maybe he puts in for chief,” Luther suggested. Apparently, the universe wasn’t done making me think about Sean because now the question of whether he was in town for the long haul kept poking at my brain.
“Nepotism much?” Suzy rolled her eyes. “Nah. Sean likes the field too much to be behind a desk full-time, but he needs to be captain somewhere.”
“Like you.” The firefighter on her other side piped up, and from the way Suzy bristled, he’d hit a nerve.
“Hey, now.” Turning toward the guy, she gave him a harsh stare before lightening her voice. “Plus, Chief Murphy is retiring to California. Some sort of Disney retirement village down there.” She did a pretend shudder. “Doubt Sean sticks around without his folks here. He’s a short-termer.”
Huh. If he was short-term and I was short-term…
Nope. Couldn’t go thinking like that. I’d been a cook too long to let myself play with fire.
“Someone better tell Caleb.” Luther chortled.
“Oh, Lord.” Suzy cast a dramatic glance heavenward. “Is he crushing already?”
Better not be.But, of course, I couldn’t say that. Shouldn’t even think it. If Sean wanted to take up with the younger firefighter, so be it.
“That boy is trouble,” the skinny firefighter added as I slid plates in front of the three.
Tammy arrived to refill their coffees in time to add, “I like trouble.”
“We know.” Everyone, including me, laughed, and thankfully, the conversation shifted to ribbing Tammy. No more distracting mentions of Sean, although he kept showing up in my thoughts. Damn it. I needed to put the hookup behind me.
The rest of the night after the firefighters headed out was rather slow. Not too many Saturday partiers out braving the cold. We were almost empty and approaching the last dragging hour of our shift when the front door jangled.
“Hey, Irish!” Tammy brightened as Sean walked in. He, not Caleb or Tammy, was the real trouble. I forced myself to stare at the grill, not join Tammy in greeting him. “Whatcha doing in on your off day, hon?”
“Eh. My old bones are still adjusting to working twenty-four on, forty-eight off again. Back in Seattle, they had my crew on twelves. Woke up starving this morning but didn’t want to wake the household.”
He lied well. Had to give him that. Still wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging his presence, but his smooth delivery sure made it seem like he wasn’t there to see me.
“Well, we’re happy to have you.” Tammy seated him at the counter, shooting me a questioning look. I supposed I deserved it as I was being grumpier than usual, so I gave Sean a curt nod.
“What’ll it be?”
“Well…” Sean’s sharp gaze gave me a long perusal. I stood firm, resisting any urge to squirm like a middle schooler at a dance. “I guess a second chef’s surprise is out of the question.”
“I’m sure not.” Tammy smiled broadly. “Denver loves being in charge.”
If she only knew… I didn’t do blushing or stammering, but I sure as hell glanced away. “I’ll come up with something for you.”
“I’m sure it’ll be memorable.” Sean managed to make the praise sound offhand, but the heat in his eyes said he hadn’t forgotten one second of our steamy encounter. Hmm. If it was heat he wanted, it was heat he’d get. I went off-menu again, this time devising a spicy meat-lovers pizza omelet with sausage, pepperoni, and ham blanketed in spicy marinara and smothered with three kinds of cheese. Instead of hash browns, I split one of our famous giant biscuits and spread it with garlic butter.
“This is amazing,” Sean said between bites and happy noises that went straight to my dick. If he sighed happily again, I was going to need a quick five minutes in the restroom. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” My voice came out too gruff, and Sean’s smile widened. He had me, and he knew it. And even though I largely ignored him for the rest of his meal, I wasn’t surprised to find him outside the diner after my shift, lurking near my truck.
The smart call would have been to shut him down firmly and send him on his way. But I’d never been accused of brilliance.
“Need another ride?”
ChapterSeven
Sean
The early morning air was crisp, the last gasp of winter with a frosty wind and gray-toned dawn. However, Denver’s considering look and question made my chilly wait for him to emerge worth it. I did love it when a plan worked out. And yeah, I could have simply marched over to his apartment after his shift, but I’d woken before dawn craving both the man and his cooking.