Rumor Has It (18 page)

Ethan came back. “Ready to go?”

“I’m fine.”

“Well, I’m going to do it anyway, so let’s go.”

She walked out quickly without looking around. You couldn’t fret about what you didn’t see.

When she got to her car, Ethan pulled her in for a hug, and that was her undoing. She tried to hold it all in, but the sobs racked her body. He just stood there and held her.

“He’s a good guy. I know you may not think he is right now, and I know he doesn’t think he is, but I know the truth. Whatever it is you two have together is real, and it’s powerful. Anyone can see that.”

“Thanks, Ethan. I don’t know if I believe the last part, but thank you for trying.”

He gave her a kiss on the forehead and opened her car door. “You okay to drive?”

“Yes.”

“Should I follow you home?”

She laughed because now the footloose playboy sounded like someone’s guardian. “No, I’ll be fine.”

“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow for the last look over, and we’re done, right?”

“Right.” The door closed, and it hit her that this was it. She’d given it her best chance, and it hadn’t worked. She knew she’d have to pull herself together if she didn’t want to see Ethan later at her home. She sat up straight and did what she did best…dealt with it.

* * * *

He never should’ve followed them outside. Watching her cling to Ethan while she bawled her eyes out was a mental picture he could have done without. It was hard to believe that he’d done that to her. She’d have thought he’d be leaving with Ella because he’d made sure she’d think that, but only because he’d seen her when she thought she was on to something and they may be able to work this whole thing out between them. She thought she was on to him, but it couldn’t be. This was why he didn’t do attachments—they just left you vulnerable and broken inside. He’d much rather have a million throwaway Ellas than one true keeper like Raina.

“Never thought I’d see the day you turned out to be such a coward.” Ethan’s voice didn’t sound like the fun-loving, carefree guy he typically was.

“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand or know nothing about.”

“I know you have a woman who loves you. You. Not the decorated lieutenant of the fire department, but just you, the guy she waits for and is happy to see. The whole fire crew thought Theo was crazy for trying to get with her when she’s always only had eyes for you.”

“Mind your own business, Ethan. This isn’t anything I want to talk about or hear about again.”

“You just don’t want to be happy, is that it?”

“This is coming from the biggest player around.”

“It’s true, but I play because I haven’t found anyone who does it for me. You have. I won’t ask you to admit it. I don’t want to believe you’re a liar as well as a coward.”

Ethan walked off without saying another word, and the empty, hollow feeling he’d had since he was a child began to fill up. He tried to will it away, force it down into the box like he normally did and cover it with nothingness. It should work. It had always worked before.

He’d go to…that was the rub. He didn’t have anywhere to go. His safe haven was gone, his quiet place was gone, but that was okay. He’d been fine without her before; he’d do it again.

Chapter Eleven

Raina crawled into bed and decided she’d worry about it all tomorrow. She couldn’t believe she’d laid it all on the line, told him everything, and the blonde beauty still won. She wasn’t going to think about all the things he was probably doing to and with her. The tears that came from her eyes couldn’t be blinked away. It was times like this she really missed her mom—although a big hug and a sugar cookie might not fix the problems she was having at this moment, being in her calming presence had always helped.

Looking back, she should have known what this was all about. When she’d first met him, she’d been in awe that he would even speak to someone like her. She’d had a friend who loved uniformed men and had heard about the bar because it was a well-known hangout for firemen and police officers. She was sure Beth had taken her because she was the least likely to draw notice of all their mutual friends.

She was medium height and slight of build; she’d been told that she had a boyish shape until she took off her clothes, and then she had a little something to speak of. Her B-cup breasts were really perky, but they seemed to get lost in her clothes.

They’d seen Liam when he walked in the door.

* * * *

Women followed him all around the bar. She could tell he came to this place often. She watched him talk to people, grab a beer, and then meander over to the table next to theirs. He never let on that he even saw them until he was upon their table.

“Hello, ladies.” He sat at the large table, and they watched as hot guy after hot guy sat with him. She could hear them talking and laughing.

Her friend Beth had started talking with some of the guys at their table and trying to buddy up with the first guy who’d sat down.

Raina felt so lame sitting there. She was good with women and even couples but not with big, gorgeous guys. She drank her cola and spoke to a few of the people at the table, but she really wanted to go home.

“Bars not really your scene?” The beautiful one sat down in the chair next to her. With everyone getting up and moving and talking to people from other tables, it was hard for her to concentrate on who was where.

“Not really. I’m more of a ‘stay at home’ girl.”

“What’s your name, ‘stay at home girl’?”

“Raina.”

“Raina. That’s a pretty name. My name is Liam.”

“Sounds like you all are from Fire Station 9.”

“We are. And what do you do?”

“She’s an event planner.” Beth barged into the conversation, and although it was a loud place, she seemed to be screaming.

Beth was annoyed; Raina could tell that from the overly bright smile and dagger eyes she was being given. She must be talking to the guy Beth had picked out for herself. No problem; she was getting tired anyway, so she’d catch a cab home. Something had told her to bring her car, but she hadn’t listened to her gut.

Liam looked over at both of them, and Raina wondered what he thought of them. Beth was stacked and knew how to show off what she had without looking like she was showing her wares. Raina didn’t have that talent or that body. Beth pulled over a chair from another table and situated it so they were all in a tight little triangle.

“So I hear you’re the lieutenant. What does that job entail?”

“I am having a conversation with Raina here.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that Raina doesn’t usually hang around a lot of guys. I didn’t want you to overwhelm her.”

Now Beth had her sounding like an antisocial loser—and then she remembered she’d told him she’d rather be at home.

“Right,” she said, standing up. “I have to get going.” She turned and looked at Liam. “It was nice meeting you.” She went to the bathroom to call a cab and use the facilities. Who knew how long it would take her to get home.

Thank goodness the bar wasn’t in a bad area, because there was no way she was going to stay inside and wait for the cab she’d called. It was bad enough she had to sit there with all those hunky guys, but if Beth was going to make her look and feel like some sort of weirdo she had to speak for, she’d rather wait outside. She was safe but freezing. One thing about being slim—she seemed to get cold quickly and often. Too bad she hadn’t drunk any alcohol while she was in there; it might have warmed her up.

She could hear the muffled sounds of people having fun in the bar even with the door closed. Suddenly the sounds were louder and then muffled again. Someone must have come outside. A warm coat was placed around her shoulders, and she just knew that an angel must have heard her secret request for warmth, but she wasn’t prepared for the handsome devil who’d been the deliverer of said warmth.

“Your friend is kind of a jerk. How’d you end up coming here with her?” Liam asked.

“Just lucky, I guess.” That brought a smile out of him that made her heart fall down to a place she shouldn’t even be thinking about with a man she’d met less than forty-five minutes before.

“Need a ride home?”

A handsome guy, a needed ride home, and nobody knew she was with him. All right, yes, she watched too many episodes of Dateline and he looked safe enough, but she’d rather be safe than sorry.

“Cautious, huh? Good trait. Here are my phone and my driver’s license.”

“What am I supposed to do with those?”

“You can take my phone and call your phone and say that you are letting this man drive you home. Read my name, address, and license number into the phone, and tell the day and time. If anything happens to you, they’ll check your phone records, and there I’ll be.”

She did as he’d told her. “How do I know you won’t erase it?”

“I can’t erase it from your phone. I don’t know your code. Come on. I’m a lieutenant fireman, everyone saw you leave, and I followed soon after. There is a bar full of firemen and police personnel who were witnesses to the whole thing, and it’s just a ride home.”

She wasn’t really frightened of him—he gave off such a friendly aura—but she was glad he was helping her protect herself.

The ride home was so much fun. Liam was charming and funny, and although she didn’t know him well, it felt like he was going out of his way to make her comfortable. It was working very well.

They pulled up at her home, and she thought about the woman she would like to be. Invite him in for a cup of coffee or something. That probably would sound like she was trying to jump him, which wouldn’t be far from the truth. She’d seen enough women hit on him in the bar that she didn’t want to be one of the many who harassed him. Maybe he could just use a friend. That was a good idea—she might not have him for herself, but she could be close to him. She’d sat there for a while before she noticed he’d gotten out of the car and opened her door.
A gentleman, who looks like that—be still my heart.

He walked her to her door. “Do you need me to make sure your house is secure?”

“Do you do that a lot?”

“It could be part of my job description.”

“Really?”

“It could be. I’ve done stranger things.”

“If you’d like to check my house for security reasons, be my guest.”

He opened her door and looked around the kitchen, then continued into the living room. “This is a very nice home you have here…very cozy.”

“Thanks.” She hoped that didn’t mean boring or old-people-like. She had wanted a family for as long as she could remember, and she’d decorated her home the way she’d want it if she’d had one. It made her think one was on the way.

He was looking around the room, and she could feel he really enjoyed being in there.

“Would you like to have a seat?”

“No, I just wanted to make sure you got home safe. It was nice to meet you, Raina,” he said in a voice that made her wish he would take her up on her offer to have a seat, a cup of coffee, or sex.

She walked him to the door and watched him wave as he drove away.

It’s great that he was a Good Samaritan, but she’d rather he brought her home because he was interested in her. Oh well, it was nice to have in her memory bank. The muscled fireman who gallantly warmed her and brought her home.

She was warm and lying in bed reading when she got a text.

What are you doing?

Who is this?

It’s your local fireman.

Is this another one of your duties, to check on lonely women before bed?

I don’t know… Are you lonely?

Matters who’s asking
. She felt bold texting the sexy fireman, but when her phone rang, she almost dropped it.

“I’m asking.”

“Sometimes, I guess.”

“We should do something about that.”

“What do you think we should do?”

“How about I bring over dinner and you get a movie, and we can hang out at your place?”

“You want to hang out here?” She’d thought they’d be heading out for a night on the town.

“Yes. I heard you were a ‘stay at home’ type of girl.”

“Man, my words coming back to haunt me.”

His laugh was deep and husky. “Sometimes that happens.”

“I’d be honored to share my living room with you.”

“All right. I’ll be there around…what, eight p.m.?”

“That would be great.”

* * * *

And that had been the beginning of a beautiful friendship. She would have asked for more, but they had seemed to settle into a routine, and she could tell that, for the most part, he wasn’t interested in her. Even when she’d met Theo while she was making a holiday dinner for the squad, Liam hadn’t shown anything to suggest that it mattered if she dated him or not. It was fun talking with the guys and helping Liam when it was his turn to cook. Then she’d seen the types of women he went out with, and she’d known why it hadn’t mattered—she wasn’t his type. Hanging out with her had to be like hanging out with his guy friends, only quieter. She tried to think of all the fun they’d had over the years, but that only made her sadder.

The more she thought about it, the more she was sure things weren’t going to be better in the morning, but she could always hope.

* * * *

Liam couldn’t sleep, and he was restless. He’d stayed up all night thinking about everything. His mother, Raina, his life, and his life without Raina.

He remembered the first time he’d met her. She was so quiet. Calm in a bar of loud and rowdy patrons. His attempts not to be drawn to the pale beauty hadn’t been working—even her enthusiastic friend, who would usually be a deterrent from any effort he might have wanted to put toward her. She wasn’t his usual type—he typically would have gone for the robust instead of the woman who was trying to hide herself from everyone in plain sight.

Her sexy voice made him think of warm woman and soft sheets, but her friend had come by, and she’d clammed up and left. He took a few minutes to gather himself. This was when he could usually talk himself out of trying to find the woman, but he knew if he didn’t talk to her now, he’d never see her again.