I went to a few more tables, talking and sampling chili. Every so often, our eyes met, and my stomach did this ridiculous little flip thing, reminding me of high school crushes and bad decisions.
As I headed back to Liam's table, he stood up to talk to the group of judges. A small boy, around five, tugged on Liam's pant leg and tilted his head back to look up at the tall firefighter.
"Are you the fire guy?" the child asked.
Liam's expression softened as he crouched down to the boy's level, bringing himself eye to eye with the child.
"I'm one of the fire guys. My name is Lieutenant Crawford. What's yours?"
"Mikey. My daddy said you save people from burning buildings."
"Sometimes, but I have a team that helps me. No firefighter works alone," Liam noted.
The boy's eyes were wide. "Do you have a fire hat?"
"A helmet. Want to try it on?" Liam reached for the dress uniform hat sitting on the table next to his notes.
Mikey nodded enthusiastically, and Liam placed the hat on the boy's head. It slipped down, completely covering his eyes,and the child giggled. The sound seemed to unlock something in Liam, and a smile transformed his face, revealing a dimple in his right cheek I hadn't noticed before.
"It's too big!" Mikey laughed, pushing it back to peek out from under the brim.
"You'll grow into it if you decide to become a firefighter when you grow up," Liam assured him, picking the hat up so he could see.
A woman approached. "I'm so sorry if he's bothering you."
"No bother at all. We were discussing the qualifications for joining the department." He chuckled.
Mikey beamed under the praise as his mother smiled. She reminded him that it was time to go.
Liam turned his eyes to me, and he held my gaze. Something inside me melted. Well, shit, I was in trouble.
The mayor's voice came over the PA, announcing it was time for the award. The crowd gathered closer. Chief Reeves was announced the winner for the third-year running, and good-natured groans from the firefighters made me laugh. It reminded me of my cousins at family reunions, talking trash over Spades games but ready to defend each other in a heartbeat.
"He added bourbon to his chili. That's his secret ingredient," the deep voice behind me said.
I turned to see Liam behind me, his hands in his pockets.
"Sounds like you're a sore loser, Lieutenant," I teased.
The corners of his mouth quirked up. "I'm stating the facts. There should be rules against alcohol-based advantages."
"I'm personally not opposed to a little bourbon." I laughed.
"I hear you." Liam chuckled.
The crowd began to disperse, breaking into smaller groups to head home.
"I've probably consumed my monthly sodium allowance today," Liam said, rubbing his belly.
I raised my eyebrows. "Want to walk?"
"Sure. I could walk you back to your place."
"That would be nice."
We took our time walking through the park before we reached the street.
"The event was amazing. Much better than the silent auctions and stuffy formal events in the city."
