“Demi, stop,” she whispered.
“I’m never stopping, Bird,” he said. He kissed her lips and then walked out, tapping the door frame as he departed. “Take care of my baby.”
“Can I speak with Anastassia?”
Stassi squinted as the bright glare from her phone irritated her whole being.
“It’s six o’clock in the morning. Who is this?” she groaned as she fell back onto her pillow in pure distress.
“It’s Grayson. My bad if it’s too early. I guess I’m programmed to rise before the sun. I thought you were, too,” he answered.
“I’m a rise against my will type of girl,” Stassi said grumpily, closing her eyes, trying to hold onto a bit of sleepiness because she was headed straight back to dreamland as soon as she swerved this call.
“Can I take you to breakfast?” he asked.
She opened her eyes.
“Breakfast?”
“Yeah, you eat, right?” he asked.
She giggled. “Yeah, I eat.”
“Then meet me for breakfast. I’ll send you the address,” he replied.
“Yeah, okay…I guess,” she said reluctantly.
It took Stassi two hours to pull her life together. She didn’t know why, but she was giddy at the thought of meeting this man for breakfast. It was a simple request, and she didn’t know if she would even call it a date, but it felt good to be the first thought on his mind, especially when she was still waiting for a call from Day.
She expected to pull up to a brunch house or a restaurant, but when she got to the address Grayson had sent, she frowned. She called Grayson, and his phone went straight to voicemail. The fire truck sitting out front told her that he was likely inside. She climbed out of her car and flung her handbag over her shoulder as she made her way inside.
She signed in at the office. “I’m looking for…umm…one of the firefighters. His name is Grayson. He asked that I meet him here for breakfast.”
“Oh, yes! He’s right in the gym! Down the hall, make a left, and then follow the commotion,” the secretary instructed.
Stassi nodded. “Thank you.”
She walked with determination, heels echoing in the hallway until she located the gym. When she stepped inside, she saw him. He and what appeared to be his entire firehouse. They were serving breakfast to a gym full of kids. She didn’t want to interrupt. She stood near the door, leaning against the frame, arms folded as she watched him. There had to be at least three hundred kids in the gym. When he looked up and noticed her, he handed his duties off to someone else to greet her. He was casual today in jeans and a Flint Fire Department fitted t-shirt.
“This isn’t what I expected at all,” she said, smiling.
“Breakfast with a hero,” he said. He pointed to the sign hanging above her head. “We come out every week to make sure the kids in this neighborhood have a hot breakfast on Saturday mornings. It’s the poorest area in the city. If we didn’t, some of them wouldn’t eat until they came back to school on Monday morning.”
Her heart melted.
“Wow. That’s really…” She paused as she looked around the room in awe. “Needed.”
“Mr. Grayson! Mr. Grayson! Can we play the games now?” A little boy ran up to him and had ten kids behind him as they awaited an answer.
“You know the rules. Breakfast then 30 minutes of homework or reading, then it’s fun time. Because why?”
“We handle the business first!” the little boy screamed.
“My man,” Grayson said, extending his hand for a shake. “Do me a favor. You can start picking up any paper plates you see on the tables that need to go in the trash.”
The kids ran off, and Stassi swooned.
“They love you.” She laughed. “This is probably the best breakfast date I’ve ever had.”
