Johanna ignored her and noticed the text message underneath the missed call.
BLAZE: Come hang out after shift. We’ll be at the beach. Bonfire tonite.
Goodness.
Even his text messages sounded masculine.
Confident enough to assume eventually she’d say yes.
Paige practically climbed across the counter. “What did he say?”
Johanna clutched the phone against her chest. “Mind your business.”
“That means it’s juicy!”
Their mother smiled quietly into her coffee cup while her father loaded his mouth with pancakes.
“Sounds like that young man is on a mission,” her mother managed between sips.
Somehow that realization settled low and warm inside her instead of frightening her the way it probably should have.
Johanna looked down at the message again.
The fire crew was having a bonfire tonight. At the usual beach near the marina.
And the worst part… she planned to say yes.
Paige snatched a strip of bacon from the serving plate and pointed it accusingly across the kitchen. “You’re smiling at yourphone.”
Johanna straightened her expression. “I am not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“She absolutely is,” her mother added calmly while flipping another pancake onto a plate.
Johanna looked betrayed. “Whose side are y’all on?”
Her father chewed slowly behind suspiciously amused eyes before lowering his coffee mug. “Depends. Is Blaze behaving himself?”
Paige barked out a laugh loud enough to echo through the kitchen. “Daddy!”
“What?” he asked innocently. “That’s a valid question.”
Johanna dropped back dramatically into her chair. “I’m moving.”
“Nobody’s stopping you,” Paige chirped. “But the Sheraton Beach Facebook group will still find you.”
Probably true. This town treated gossip like a competitive sport with strong community involvement.
Johanna lowered her eyes back to the text message glowing on her screen.
Simple and direct.
That was part of what made him so dangerous now. He wasn’t trying to impress her with games or charm-heavy nonsense. Blaze asked for what he wanted with calm confidence, like he already trusted the answer eventually coming his way.
And somehow that certainty settled low beneath her ribs in a way she didn’t entirely trust.
Before she could think too hard about it, Paige snatched the phone straight out of her hand.
