Iâll lighten up.â
She eyed him as he shifted back on her sapphire velvet couch, moving his powerful body away to give her some space. âIâm not exactly tiny myself,â she pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
âYouâre perfect,â he said with such ardent, complete conviction that her heart did a little flip.
She held out for two torturous months, but inevitably their raging attraction won the day. While she didnât regret a single moment of the time sheâd spent in bed with Vader, that slipping, whirlpool feeling had never left her. In fact, it had gotten stronger the more serious Vader got. Sometimes, when the edge got too close, when that rabbit-Âhole feeling threatened, she scrambled back in complete panic. She knew it hurt Vader, but it was better that way. Better for him.
How could she tell him that she wouldnâtâ couldnât âÂmake any sort of real commitment? Even if she ached to do so. Even if she wished with all her heart that things had happened differently the night she ran from that psychotic madman. If only that blow on the head hadnât sent Mackintosh to the hospital. If only he hadnât reported her to the police. If only he wasnât famous for his grudges.
Better to hurt Vaderâs feelings than to put him in Frank Mackintoshâs line of sight.
So when, a few days after the Hope for Firefighters event, she got a call from the San Gabriel Fire Department informing her that sheâd won the raffle drawing for Firefighter for a Day, she didnât take another breath until they told her who sheâd âwon.â Fred Breen would be her Firefighter for a Day. She nearly fainted with relief . . . or was it regret? When it came to Vader, she didnât know anything anymore.
The idea of going for captain wouldnât leave Vaderâs mind. He decided it was at least worth running by some of his firehouse peeps. He started with Joe the Toe, an engineer at the Rancho Camino Station, with whom he had a long-Ârunning pool competition going. So far, heâd won ninety-Âsix games, Joe had won a hundred and ten.
âIf itâs simply a question of remuneration, why donât you give my company a go?â Joe, one of the few firefighters in Southern California even bigger than Vader, bent over the pool table. Not only was he huge, but he was black. Not only was he black, but he had a British accent and an extensive vocabulary. ÂPeople found him confusing, which delighted him. He and Vader, being opposites in just about every way besides size, had gone from being bitter rivals in the gym to solid buddies.
âYou still doing the moving thing?â
âYouâd be surprised how much Âpeople will pay to simply transport their possessions from one place to another. But actually, Iâm speaking of my new moonlighting project. Iâve been playing with stocks and doing quite well.â He sank the six ball in the corner pocket.
âCount me out on that.â Vader absentmindedly chalked his cue, his eyes scanning the table for angles. âI may be big, but I ainât dumb. No offense.â
âNone taken. At any rate, the best revenge is aâÂhow do you Americans phrase it?âÂa can of whoopass.â His next bank shot careened off the side and sent the last two balls into two different pockets. Satisfied, he began collecting the balls to rack them up again. âAs for your original question, why would you want to be captain? A thankless task, if you ask me. The captainâs the bloke everyone likes to whinge about, no matter who he is. Youâre sensitive, Vader. You wouldnât be able to let it roll off your back.â
Vader leaned on his pool cue. âIâm proud of my sensitive nature. Helps me appreciate fluffy kittens and walks in the rain. Chicks are all over that shit.â
Joe the Toe threw his head back with a rollicking laugh that shook
Jennifer LaBrecque, Leslie Kelly