Admire Me (Rough Edges 2)

“How?”

“About a year ago, this place went up in flames, I helped put the fire out, and he offered me to come in anytime. I’ve never taken him up on it, cause I’ve never really had anyone to bring here. It’s not like I could bring my brothers here. That would be awkward.”

Oh, thank god. That puts my mind at ease. “You do a lot for the community, huh? You really enjoy your job.”

“I do. Firefighting has been the career in my family for three generations, and it’s something that has always been near and dear to me. Think about it, fires pop up every day, and every minute counts when our sirens go off and we are on our way to a call. It could literally mean the difference between life and death and we have seen lots of the latter.”

Witnessing tragedy every day isn’t something I would sign up for, but to each their own. Who wants to be around that? The grief alone would consume me and spit me out.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to go all dark there. Let’s change the subject,” he says, showing the regret on his face.

“No, it just shows how committed you are to your job, and what you do. Grapevine is lucky to have someone like you fighting to protect it. Don’t diminish that.”

His eyes lock with mine, and a smile takes over. “I just don’t want to scare you away. You’re the first girl I could see myself actually dating. My job can sometimes be morbid. I see a lot of awful things, and some still haunt me and my brothers to this day.”

So, his brothers are also on the squad, interesting. Wonder what it’s like working so closely with them? I didn’t have any siblings, so I wouldn’t ever be able to comprehend. Being an only child growing up sucked, even though most people think it’s better that way.

“Anyway, where are you from? Grapevine, originally?” he asks me, changing the subject.

“No, Los Angeles, actually.”

“Why on earth did you move here? Isn’t the weather there like damn near perfect all the time?”

“Yes, most of the time. If you want me to be honest, I needed a fresh start. My parents were murdered and they never found the person responsible.” Wow, I didn’t mean to blurt that out, so I cover my mouth. “Sorry, talk about morbid.”

He takes my hand from my mouth and lays it on the table. “Don’t apologize. I like the honesty. Continue.”

“After a year of therapy to help me grieve and process what happened, I got offered a teaching job here. Instead of waiting for the start date, until the position was available I worked in the office.”

It’s very personal telling Liam this, but I want this to work, and if I’m keeping secrets, it won’t. Losing my parents has been rough, and I still think about them every day but they would want me to go on and pursue my dreams. If it wasn’t for therapy, I’d still be staying at their house in Los Angeles curled up on the couch.

“I’m so sorry to hear about your parents. Mine are both gone also. It’s hard to go on after losing them, but we must. If you ever need to talk, I’m here.”

The conversation continues where I fill him in on my move down to Grapevine, finding my house to rent, and how I like the small feel of the town. It’s not too small, but not big either. I didn’t really want to live in a big city again, so this is a nice compromise.

A chilled bottle of wine sits on the table, untouched. For a while, I try hard to resist, but a big glass of wine is exactly what I need right now to take off the edge. I reach for the bottle, and pour the wine up to the rim almost.

“You okay? Am I stressing you out that much?” he asks, running his fingers through his hair.

“No, just really love wine, that’s all.”

He probably thinks I’m an alcoholic, but stress makes me drink. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying alcohol as an adult.

I change the subject and he tells me about his childhood, losing his parents both before turning eighteen. His older brother, Damon, ended up taking care of them until they turned eighteen. Is his whole family a bunch of saints or something? I haven’t heard a bad word about anyone since meeting Liam, and that seems to be odd. Or maybe, he really is just a good guy that doesn’t get enough credit.

“So, tell me more,” I say, wanting to see what else he would offer up.

“Well like you, both my parents have passed. It’s just me and my two brothers. We own some property together to help aid those that lose their homes.”

“You’re kidding me? Are all the Jackson’s perfect?”

“Far from it. Just seen a lot of tragedy, and wanted to do something good for the community.”

Who is this guy? Who even knew men like this even existed anymore?

Dinner is placed in front of us, and we take a break from conversation to enjoy the amazing French cuisine. I bask in the aroma of the fresh garlic breadsticks placed in front of us, which I would expect at a Italian restaurant, but who am I to judge? I cut a piece of my steak and slid it into my mouth, salivating at the seasoning of perfection gracing my taste buds. Whoever the chef is can cook for me anytime.

Everything seems so simple with Liam, and maybe that’s the weirdest part of this all. A part of me wants to take some of my guards down, but it’s only our second date, and he could still turn out to be a complete ass. Remember, Alec? Ugh, why did he even have to come to mind?