The Firefighter and the Girl From the Coffee Shop Read Free Page B

month or so before you
did."
    Evan remained
silent for a moment, and then smiled over at her. "Then stay with
me. I have a three bedroom house and live alone so there is lots of
room for you." He looked down at her soiled teddy. "And I might
even be willing to lend you some clothing. It'll be big on you, but
it'll do until we can get you to a store tomorrow. Hell, we both
have the next couple of days off so we can take a day for it."
    She was about
to protest and tell him she didn't want to intrude or impose, but
then it occurred to her that if ever there was a chance to be with
him, this was it. They could get to know each other on a day-to-day
basis and perhaps break through the invisible barrier that seemed
to be keeping them from moving the relationship from friendship to
something more.
    She returned
his smile. "Well if I wouldn't be a bother..."
    "You
wouldn't."
    "So there's no
girlfriend to get angry." Please say no, please say no . She
was ninety-nine percent sure he didn't, but just wanted to make
sure she was clear - just in case.
    He laughed,
his eyes lit up with the smile that followed. "Nah, no worries on
that."
    She thrust out
her hand to him. "Then you have yourself a roomie."
    Laughing a
little harder, his eyes shining even more with amusement he
accepted her hand, giving it a firm shake. "Roomie it is."
     
    ****
     
    With the fire
resistant blanket wrapped tightly around her, Alyssa followed Evan
into the quaint two-story house he owned on the outskirts of the
city. Her first impression was how neat and tidy it was, everything
in its place and not a speck of dust or clutter to be found. Evan
was certainly a man of simplicity and organization, something she
hadn't quite realized until that moment.
    "The bedrooms
are upstairs. Come on up and I'll get you some clothes."
    Removing the
blue slippers given to her by the fire department she left them at
the door and padded barefoot up the stairs after him to the second
floor. He stopped at the first door and waved her in.
    "Boxers and a
t-shirt okay?" he asked as he brushed past her, making his way to
the large oak dresser across the room.
    "That would be
great, thank you." Alyssa surveyed the room. As with the rest of
the house it was simple, yet cosy. The room and decor were all of
an eye catching burgundy colour. The bedroom set was made of
varnished oak, with the massive bed taking up a good chunk of the
room. "Everything is so... orderly."
    Evan turned to
face her closing the dresser drawer with his hip, a pair of plain
boxers and white t-shirt in his hand. He gave a light chuckle and
his eyes swept the room. "Yeah, both of my parents are in the army.
Both officers. I lived in a house where tidiness and order were the
gospel," he shrugged as he strode over to her and started to pass
her the clothing and then stopped. "You know what? How about you
grab a shower. You can use the one here and I'll run downstairs and
use the main one."
    Hmmmm, a
shower. With the craziness of the night, it hadn't even
occurred to her that she must look and smell nasty. Taking a strand
of hair she brought it to her nose and cringed at the burnt smell.
Yes, a shower was definitely in order.
    She smiled
warmly, heat rising to her cheeks thinking of how horrid her
appearance must be at that moment.
    He tossed the
clothing to the bed, "When you're done and changed I'll give you an
official tour." Without waiting for a reply he brushed past her,
and left the room closing the door behind him.
    Dropping the
blanket, she shed her soot covered teddy and panties as she made
her way to the bathroom off the master bedroom. Snatching the
filthy clothing from the floor she considered saving them and
having them washed, but upon taking a hard look at the blackened
material she decided against it and tossed them into the waste
basket next to the flush.
    As with the
rest of the house, Alyssa found the bathroom to be bright and
sparkling clean, however, she couldn't help but snicker when she
noticed