I meant what I said. It was really good to have her back. I’d always liked Josie, and she was a good friend. But now, feeling her soft curves against me sent electricity sizzling through me like a fast-burning fire. Rattled, I forced myself to step back.
When she blinked up at me, my heart kicked unsteadily against my ribs. “So I’ll see you later?”
Josie nodded. “Text me the address.”
“Tell me your number.” She quickly recited it, and I typed it into my contacts before texting her.
She smiled as her phone vibrated while she pulled it out of her pocket. She replied with,It’s Josie!
I waited while she got in her car and drove away. As soon as she turned onto Main Street, I hopped in my truck and headed to work. With it being winter, not much was going on at Willow Brook Fire & Rescue, but I wanted to work out and check in.
I glanced up at the sky after I parked and walked toward the station's back door. The air smelled like snow. The crisp scent of the air felt nearly impossible to describe to anyone who didn’t grow up somewhere it snowed a lot. If you knew, you knew.
When I walked into the back area, I saw a couple of guys working out. One of the superintendents on my crew was napping on the couch. A few others were seated at the table in the kitchen area. I walked past the couches and snagged a chair at the table, sitting down and grinning at Wes, who was holding a cat and trying to persuade Cooper to adopt another cat.
Cooper shook his head, flashing a grin. “Dude, we already have two cats. That’s my limit.”
“Why don’t we have a cat here at the station?” I mused. “Between the firefighters, the police officers, and dispatch staff, someone is always here.”
“You know, that is an excellent point,” Wes said.
Wes, Cooper, Hudson, and I all eyed the cat in question, who was purring away on Wes’s lap.
“We’ve had that issue with mice out in the garage area,” Hudson commented. “Cats are great at dealing with mice.”
Wes glanced around. “Do we have to get official permission?”
Aside from being a hotshot firefighter, Wes’s mom managed a local animal rescue, and he helped her out. He was also married to Tiffany, who was the office manager for the town’s veterinarian clinic.
“You should probably check with Maisie. She’ll know if you have to have something official,” I offered. “Nobody’s gonna complain unless somebody has a cat allergy,” I pointed out.
“Nobody has a cat allergy,” Jonah declared when he sat at the table. Another firefighter, Jonah was married to one of the veterinarians at the clinic.
The door to the back hallway swung open, and Maisie Steele—the dispatch supervisor and “center of the universe”, as her husband, another firefighter, described her—looked straight at the cat Wes was holding. She made a beeline for him and scooped up the cat, a peach ball of fluff.
“Oh, sweetie,” she cooed, nuzzling the cat whose purr increased in volume.
“Name?” Maisie asked, her brown curls swinging as she looked toward Wes.
“No name yet. Brand-new rescue, listed in the report as a peach cat. She’s a girl,” Wes added.
“She’s Peaches,” Maisie announced. “Who’s adopting her?”
“We were debating the merits of having a cat for the station. Wes was wondering if we needed official permission,” I explained.
The door to the hallway opened again. Rex Masters, Willow Brook’s police chief, came walking through with his son, Cade, who was also a firefighter. Seeing as we were in the fire station, it was logical there were so many firefighters around.
Rex caught my comment and announced, “I think we need a station cat. Every winter, we have that mice problem out in the garage.”
Maisie nuzzled Peaches as she nodded in agreement. “Absolutely. Who wants to run to the store and get a litter box, bowls, and things?”
“I’ll go,” Wes volunteered, standing from the table.
“I’ll go with you,” I offered. “I need to stop by the grocery store anyway.”
Maisie turned and walked to the front, carrying Peaches with her.
Wes and I went to the store together to get cat supplies. We were walking down an aisle when Wes cleared his throat noticeably. I glanced over. “What’s up?”
