He smiled and nodded. “You’re forgiven. And if I somehow upset you—”
“No. You didn’t. A fellow firefighter’s funeral is always an emotional powder keg. I think I was just caught up in all the beautiful things that were said about your brother, and the tragedy affected all of us.”
“I totally get that. He was a good man.” Jayce almost said “still is” but caught himself in time.
“So, that dinner… When were you thinking?” she asked as she removed the rubber gloves.
“I can probably be more flexible since all I really want to do is go to a taping of a late-night TV show I like, but it’s filmed in the afternoon. What’s your schedule like this week?”
“I’m coming off my rotation tonight at six, and I have the next seventy-two hours off. I have a dentist appointment tomorrow, but after that I’m free.”
“That should go well. I mean, since you floss and everything,” Jayce teased.
She laughed. “Yeah. I expect a gold star on my forehead for that.”
Her merriment seemed to bubble up from her toes. Jayce liked it much better than some of the cute but fake giggles of the girls he usually dated. “So, how about tonight? Where and when can I pick you up?”
“Um…”
Her hesitation began to concern him. Did she not want to give him her address? “Or we could meet at the restaurant,” he added.
She smiled and seemed to relax. “Yeah. That would work better for me. There’s a selection of international restaurants right here in the neighborhood. Where are you staying?”
“Not far from here.”
Suddenly the tones rang out.
“Damn,” she muttered. “What food do you like?”
Recognizing the need for a quick decision, he said, “Thai.”
“Great.” She began running toward the kitchen door. “There’s a Thai place right around the corner on Ninth Avenue.”
He held the door open for her. “Eight o’clock?”
“Fine,” her voice called out as she disappeared around the ladder truck.
“See you there,” he yelled after her.
* * *
“So, what does this ‘friend’ look like?” Amy Scott asked her daughter.
“I’ll tell you that if you give me a hint as to what my father looks like.”
Amy sighed.
“I don’t know why you won’t tell me a damned thing about my father.” Kristine aimed an angry look at her actress mother as she got ready for her dinner out. Still not sure what the evening held, she’d just called it “dinner with a friend” instead of a date.
“We’ve been over this a thousand times, Kristine. You don’t want to know.”
Kristine stomped her foot. “Yes, I do, dammit!” She hadn’t meant to start a fight, especially not as she was getting all dolled up to go out.
Her mother started straightening the items on Kristine’s dresser. “You look awfully nice for a casual dinner with a friend. Little black dress. Black pumps. Gold earrings…” Her mother plucked a cologne bottle off the dresser and handed it to her daughter. “Here. I imagine you might want this too.”
Kristine sighed. “I know what you’re doing.”
Amy gave her an innocent stare. “Oh?”
