That Hot Night

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said quickly and I was happy to let him have his delusions, as long as he let me have mine.

“Thanks again, Jase.” I shook off his offer of help and took my time packing up my equipment, enjoying the feel of the sunlight on my skin. It was nice and quiet, allowing me to get lost in thoughts that never strayed too far from Rafe these days.

Unfortunately.

Despite the erotic film replaying in my mind, I managed to make it back to what the locals considered downtown Tulip without any accidents or injuries.

“I’m taking the win,” I grumbled as I stepped from my plain old blue sedan.

“What are you winning, girly?” Eddy’s voice pulled me out of my own thoughts.

“Nothing, it was just a hint of sarcasm after a long day Eddy.” She flashed a look over at Elizabeth Vargas, who rolled her eyes.

“Sarcasm Janey, really? That’s beneath you.”

“Yeah, but when it’s just me it’s all right. Right?” I was too tired to verbally spar with these sharp old ladies, but I knew better than to be rude. “Where are you gals headed?”

“We were looking for you, actually. Who’s next up for the calendar?”

“Why?” I folded my arms and stared at them suspiciously. “This whole matchmaking thing, as fun as it is, has gotten out of hand don’t you think?”

“Not at all,” Elizabeth said easily. “You’re doing your part to help Tulip in your way, and so are we. Now, give us the goods on that delicious ER doctor and the Henderson boys.”

“No way. I’m happy to be helpful where I can, but that’s it. Sorry girls.”

Eddy grumbled and rolled her eyes at me, leaving no doubt that she was unhappy with my answer. “If you’re so sorry, just get some intel for us.”

“Low blow, Eddy.”

Elizabeth sighed and put her hands on my shoulders to make sure she had my full attention. “If we start asking questions they’ll clam up and listen, we haven’t forced anyone together. Just a little helping out.”

“Meddling,” I corrected her.

“Ask the coupled up Hometown Heroes if they mind.”

She had a point. Everyone from Preston and Nina to Ry and Penny were as happy as could be. “Even if they don’t mind, all this meddling has the potential to go bad and I’d like to minimize the blowback on me. Please.” I had a business to run and couldn’t afford to alienate potential clients.

“Okay fine, but if you find out anything just pass it along.”

I spotted Rafe leaving Big Mama’s Diner with a few of the other firefighters, and the last thing I wanted was for him to see me when I looked like I’d spent the afternoon crawling in dirt. Mostly because that’s exactly what I’d been doing.

“Sure. I’ll pass info along, but I’m not interrogating anyone for you.”

“Deal!” Eddy agreed a little too quickly, and scurried off before I could regret making a deal with the devil. I shrugged off those thoughts and headed back to my car, no longer in the mood to brave the crowd at the diner for a hot dinner.

A cold deli sandwich and a can of soup was enough. It had to be for now. Maybe tomorrow I would go shopping and complete my cowardly act.Rafe“Rafe. Just the man we wanted to see.” Helen Landon stood up from my steps and swiped the porch debris from her backside, taking her time sizing me up.

“I should hope so, since you’re camped out in front of my house.” Sweat poured off my shirtless body, and I really just wanted to shower, but I knew there was no way I could deter Betty and Helen from whatever was on their agenda today. “Do I need to guess why you’re here?”

“No,” Betty Kemp said with a sneaky smile. “But you can give us a moment of silence to enjoy just how pretty you are.”

“They always ruin it by talking, don’t they?” Helen’s look dared me to say another word. “Now that we have your attention, we need your help.”

My shoulders relaxed a little, but not completely, because these women were crafty if you weren’t careful. “I’m listening.” I wouldn’t agree to a thing until I got the details. All of them.

“It’s nothing all that difficult. Janey needs help scouting a spot for one of the Hometown Heroes shoots. It’s for charity,” she added unnecessarily. “That girl is so darn stubborn she’d rather struggle than ask for help.”

That sounded just like Janey, but I kept those words to myself. “Maybe she doesn’t want or need help, did that ever occur to you?” These women heard hooves and they didn’t think horses or zebras, they thought unicorns.

Helen waved my words off. “We all need some help now and again, Chief.”

“Annnnd,” Betty added with a wicked smile, “if you help Janey with this small task, I’ll do my best to make sure your photo shoot is simple. Easy even.” She let those words hang in the air, knowing they were a bait I could not resist.