As the meeting drew to a close,
some of the firefighters headed for the stairs in the back of the room. A few
stragglers hung back to talk in small groups. The room felt overly warm and
Scott didn’t know why anyone would want to stay late. Usually he stayed long
enough to have dinner and listen to the new business then he’d slip out the
back door. Tonight Penny had him cornered into participating, a maneuver which
surprised and annoyed him. He felt obligated to postpone his departure to make
her happy.
“This should be a piece of cake.
The banquet is on Valentine’s Day. We just think of Valentines and sweethearts.
It shouldn’t be too hard. A few meetings beforehand and we’ll have everything
planned out,” she clarified.
He listened to her explanation and
figured with his lack of interest, she’d just give up and do the job herself.
They’d known each other for over a
year, he admired her dedication to the department as a medic and firefighter.
Her enthusiasm was the first attribute that caught his attention. Yet he
realized there was a lot he didn’t know about Penny. She had a take-charge
attitude he’d never noticed before and it suited her. Penny’s gaze compelled
him to focus on her brown eyes again. Tonight they looked different. Brighter.
Happier.
“Okay,” he agreed. “I guess if we
can fight fires we should be able to do this. Right?” he asked hoping he
sounded more confident and enthusiastic than he felt.
She opened her notebook and picked
up her pen. “What comes to mind when you think of Valentine’s Day?”
The word ‘love’ unexpectedly burst
into his thoughts and it ticked him off. A word he no longer believed in or
used since his ex-wife carelessly stomped his heart into the ground.
“You mean like hearts, candy and
those silly little fairy things with bows and arrow.”
“That’s good. But they’re not
fairies they’re cupids.” He could tell by the stern tone of her voice she was
losing patience with him. After jotting some notes on the white sheet of paper,
she looked up at him. “I’ve never been to the Sweetheart Banquet, but I’ve been
told it’s the highlight of the year for the firefighter’s loved ones. So we
have to make this year’s extra special. Think of all the support the families
have given, especially during the arson fires.” Her voice softened and he knew
it was important to her to make the evening extraordinary.
For a month the department had
fought one fire after another, all started by the same arsonist. Scott’s
sister, Abby, helped captured their firebug through her drawings as a
professional sketch artist. He was proud of all the work both his sister and
Mitch did to find the suspect. The arsonist almost cost Abby her life when he kidnapped
her. Penny was right; they all deserve a wonderful banquet.
“So what else would you do for a
loved one?” Penny tapped him on the arm with her pen.
She leaned toward him; so close her
perfume invaded his senses. Scott froze. The fragrance reminded him of summer
rain on a rose garden. He leaned closer and inhaled. “Roses,” he said without
thinking.
“You’ve got something there. What
if we give every woman a single rose? That’s very romantic. Since the banquet
is on Valentine’s Day, we should order them ahead of time.” She added to her
notes.
Mesmerized by her movements, he
watched as her fluid handwriting graced the paper. Her hands appeared as smooth
as silk. She added tiny hearts instead of bullets at the front of each
statement. Her drawing fascinated him, and he knew he could sit for hours
watching her doodle. A tingling sensation ran down the length of his neck as he
watched her write down their ideas.
Suddenly finding it difficult to
breathe, Scott pulled on his collar, feeling it tighten around his throat. He
felt uncomfortable talking about love and sweethearts with Penny. Working
together they’d become close friends. He didn’t want their relationship to
change. She was a full commitment, marriage type of person, and he wouldn’t
have anything to do with of either. He looked from Penny’s heavy boots to her
hair styled in a ponytail. She was definitely a fellow firefighter, not a
sweetheart or lover.
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