Flirting With Fire (Hometown Heroes) Read Free

I
should have looked before I, you know.” I motioned toward the glass case and
struggled to put together a complete sentence. Damn that sexy stubble. “It’s
just…been a long day.”
    “Sorry to hear
that.” He glanced toward the shop’s front window, and the teasing grin smoothed
from his face. “Well, don’t let me hold you up.”
    He stepped aside
while I grabbed my drink, then took a Diet Dr. Pepper for himself. We both
headed toward the cashier, an awkward silence ensued. At least, I thought it
felt awkward. Him being all gorgeous and me being all…me.
    Another customer
stood at the checkout counter, hemming and hawing about which scratch-off
lottery tickets to buy. More prolonged awkwardness. I shifted from right foot
to left, all too aware of the hunk standing within arm’s reach behind me. The
hunk with a bare left hand—not that I’d noticed.
    Unable to stand
the silence any longer, I decided to turn around and attempt a little small
talk. His gaze met mine, curiosity clear in his eyes, and my mind went blank.
For the next few heartbeats, I stared at him like a deer in headlights.
    His right brow
inched upward. In a panic, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
    “You don’t
happen to know where the Spa del Sol is, do you?”
    Crap, what kind
of question was that ? He’s a guy—guys don’t pay attention to spa
locations. It’s no wonder I stink at finding decent boyfriends…
    “Sure, it’s over
off Wayne and Harrison. You just stay on Jefferson, make a left on Calhoun, and
then another left on Washington. The next light will be Harrison – take a right
and watch for an open meter spot. It’ll be on the left side of the street.”
    His was the kind
of voice I could listen to all day. Unfortunately, I’d been so focused on his
handsome face that I only managed to catch half of what he’d said. “Um, okay. So
stay on Jefferson… Wait, I thought I was on U.S. 24?”
    “You are. Only,
in town it’s called West Jefferson.”
    “The same street
has two names?”
    A smirk tugged
at his lips. “Darlin’, this street has at least four different names, if you
keep going east toward New Haven. Fort Wayne’s famous for naming the same
street multiple things.” He shrugged. “You get used to it.”
    “Thanks,” I
said. “Maybe I will.”
    Especially if
even a fraction of the guys in this city looked half as good as this one. Lord
knows I’d run out of options in Autumn Lake. Now all I needed was to land a job
and find a reason to stay. I turned back around and said a silent prayer that
this last spa on my list might actually need a full-time massage therapist.

     
    CHAPTER
2
     
    I stood outside
the closed, tinted-glass door of 201 W. Wayne Street, Suite 2B and drew in a
long, slow breath. Calm, must get calm . So what if this was the last spa
on my list of Fort Wayne possibilities? I could always go back to Google and
search for opportunities in other cities. Or towns. Or go work for Mitch as a
waitress. No big deal.
    Oh, who the hell
was I kidding? I needed this job. Needed it in the worst way. Without a new
start in Fort Wayne, I’d have no reason to leave the small town I’d been
trapped in most of my life. But me barging into this place and puking my credentials
all over its owner wasn’t the best way to make a first impression, either.
    At that moment
the door opened, and a woman in her mid-fifties stepped out. The sound of an
argument taking place deeper within the spa drifted out into the hall. I looked
around her as the door swung shut, trying to get a look at the irate
conversationalists.
    “Don’t mind
them, dear,” she said with a dismissive wave. “It’s just Dawn’s hormones again.
Xavier’s going to have to learn to let her have her way if he’s ever going to
survive the rest of this pregnancy.”
    With a shake of
her head, she continued down the hall. My gaze shifted from her to the door. Could
I really handle any more drama?
    If it meant
securing a