“You think I’m using you as an outlet?”
“You tell me,” she retorted.
“I have plenty of other numbers in my phone I can call if I just wanted an outlet. None of them would I go to a spin class for or invite out to coffee afterwards. Okay?”
She paused, assessing me until she finally nodded. I pulled out the chair for her to sit.
“How come they call you Harvard?” she suddenly asked.
“Take a guess.”
She poked out her lower lip and squinted, as she peered at me across the table.
I sat back and let her run through the possibilities in her mind.
“No way!” Her mouth shot wide open, excitement etched on her face. “You went to Harvard?”
I dipped my head.
“Graduated?”
“Yup.”
“What’d you study?”
“Finance and sociology.” I leaned in across the table. “And if you tell anyone that second part, I’ll deny it with my life.” Most of the guys knew where I went to school and that I studied finance. They didn’t know I double majored in sociology as well.
“They won’t hear it from me.” She pantomimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key. I laughed at how goddamn cute she appeared doing it. Moments later, a pensive look covered her face. I could see the wheels of her mind moving. She had such expressive eyes. They practically screamed her feelings before her mouth did.
“You want to know how someone with a finance degree from Harvard became a firefighter.”
She blew out a deep breath. “Yes. I mean, no offense, it’s just not the first thing you think of when you hear the word firefighter. I’d expect someone with your educational background to be working in the financial district. Not that firefighters aren’t smart. Hell, my father was a firefighter, and my brother is one, and they’re two men I admire most, so I’m not?” She broke off when I grabbed her hand across the table.
“No offense taken, Angel.” I brought her hand to my lips, unable to keep my hands or lips off her for too long.
“To answer your question, I did work in finance for a few years after graduating, kind of like you. However, I realized wearing a monkey suit and saving a billion dollar company pennies on the dollar every day wasn’t my life’s calling.” I went on to explain to her the day I decided to apply to the fire department.
“I went for a run in the park and was stopped by fire sirens whizzing by. I followed and then watched as the men pulled a young child out of a burning home. That day I remembered my desire to be a firefighter as a kid. I was right in the middle of my applications for my MBA, but couldn’t figure out what was stopping me from finishing them. That day I realized why. Crunching numbers wasn’t my calling. A few months later, I was training at the academy. Toughest shit I ever did, but well worth it.”
“Were your parents surprised?”
I snorted. “More like disappointed as all hell. They still haven’t completely forgiven me, honestly. If it were up to them, I’d ditch the fire protective gear for a tailored suit.”
“I imagine they’re worried more about your safety.”
“I suppose.” I shrugged.
“You don’t think so?”
“I do. I’m just more worried about enjoying my life. Sitting behind a desk eight to ten hours a day isn’t for me.”
“I guess we both have career changes in common, huh?”
“What do you enjoy so much about bartending?”
Those tawny eyes lit up. “What’s not to love? I get to meet all types of people. Hear about their days, their careers. Some come there in an awful mood after a bad day at work, and I get to figure out how to cheer them up. I know some people think a bartender’s only goal is to get you liquored up so you’ll tip well or keep buying, but I enjoy getting to talk to complete strangers about their lives.”
She continued talking about the bar and the different people she came across in her time as bartender turned owner. I was caught up in the sound of her voice, fueled by the passion she held for what she did. I watched her lips move as she talked, remembering how soft they felt against my own.
