Firefighter Daddy Read Free Page A

attention to them. Mitch had strong hands with long, perfectly proportioned fingers. While he had sat in her classroom on a too-small chair with his very long legs extended into the circle, he hadn’t looked the least bit self-conscious. His hands had rested lightly on his thighs, steady and unmoving, except for the few times he had lifted one or both to demonstrate something to her students. Even then, they had moved with purpose, and then they’d deliberately returned to their resting place on those hard, muscular thighs.
    You don’t know they were hard and muscular.
    “Oh, yes, I do.” It would take more than a dark navy SFFD uniform to disguise what was clearly the product of a dedicated workout regime.
    In the commotion that ensued after the recess bell had rung, he had gently placed one of those big hands on his daughter’s shoulder. It had been a tender, fleeting gesture, more than a little protective, and Rory’s heart had melted just a little bit.
    She set the pamphlet back on the seat next to her and slipped the key into the ignition. Her cell phone rang then, and her friend Nicola’s name and number appeared on the call display. She loved Nic dearly but she only ever called when she needed something, and Rory already knew what that was. “Hi, Nic. What’s up?”
    “Rory! Did you get my text message?”
    “Ah, no.” She glanced quickly at the display screen on her phone, then put it back to her ear. “This is a new phone and I haven’t figured out all the functions yet.”
    “Really? Texting is so easy.”
    “I’m sure it is.”
    “Anyway, I’m so glad I caught you. I need you to block off Saturday afternoon. I’ve arranged for the five of us to go into the shop for dress fittings.”
    “I just rented an apartment. I’m moving on Saturday.”
    “Where is it?”
    “Just off Haight Street, maybe three blocks from the school. It’s perfect.”
    Her friend laughed. “You really are your mother’s daughter.”
    “That’s me, all right. Living the dream.”
    “Do you think moving will take all day? I’ve already booked the seamstress for two o’clock. If you need help, I can send Jonathan over.”
    Rory laughed. Jonathan would do anything for Nicola, even if it meant schlepping her friend’s belongings up two flights of stairs. “That’s okay. My landlady said someone will be here to help, and I don’t have that much stuff.”
    And I’ll have Saturday evening and all day Sunday to get settled, Rory reminded herself.
    “That’s great. So you’ll be free by two? I can’t do this without my maid of honor.”
    “I’ll be there.” Rory dug a pen and notepad out of her bag. “What’s the address?”
    She scribbled it onto a blank page while Nicola continued talking.
    “Jess’s part-time bartender is filling in for her at The Whiskey Sour. After the fittings we’ll all head over there for appies, drinks, girl talk, the whole nine yards. My treat.” Now that sounded like fun. It had been ages since the five of them had spent an afternoon together. “Count me in. Is Maria coming to the bar, too?”
    “Of course. Being pregnant doesn’t mean she can’t have a little fun. She’ll just have to drink milk or something. Oh, and wait till you see the dresses. They’re a gorgeous shade of periwinkle blue, and I even found a style that will work for everyone and be easily altered to accommodate Maria’s baby bump. Isn’t that great?”
    Rory ran a hand over her own perfectly flat stomach and tried to picture herself in a gown that could be easily altered to accommodate a bridesmaid who’d be almost seven months pregnant by the day of the wedding. Maybe Nic was thinking this was her chance for a payback. At Maria’s wedding, the four bridesmaids could have been plucked off a cotton-candy stand at a carnival. At Paige’s, they had resembled a small forest of Christmas trees. Now it was…what…Goodyear Blimp time?
    How could these intelligent and otherwise sensible women have