Fanning the Flames (Romance Firemen Series) (3 page)

“Ah, it’s no problem,” he reassured her. “There are worse fates than getting a compliment from a stranger. I’d offer to buy you ladies a drink, but I see you’ve got your own. Can I get the next round for you?”

“He’s Australian!” Francine yelled, claiming her drink from Cassie and nearly falling off her high heels.

“Thanks Francine, I’d noticed.” Cassie turned back to the man. “That’d be great, thank you! I’m Cassie and this is my roommate, Francine.”

“Pleased to meet you both,” he said, and stuck out a hand. “I’m Brendan.” They grabbed a table and huddled close together to be heard over the music. “Good thing for me you two came along when you did,” Brendan continued. “I came here with one of the guys from the station, but he met someone and left me alone. I was just making up my mind whether to head home or stay here and risk looking friendless and alone.”

“From the station?” Cassie asked. “What do you do?”

“Fire fighter,” Brendan explained. “Yourselves?”

“We’re both teachers. Francine is going to teach in Poland for a year.”

“That’s amazing. Good on you ladies for doing it – not everyone can handle being a teacher.”

“And that’s coming from a fireman?”

“Sure! Fires are easier to deal with than teenagers. God, I’d have hated to teach me when I was that age! What is it you teach?”

“English.”

“Ah! Maybe I wouldn’t have been such a problem for you then. I liked English, or at least I did once I figured out that reciting poems got me girls.” He shot her a wink. Cassie hoped the room was too smokey for him to see her blush.

“Juvenile ladykiller, were you?” she teased. “Who did you use?”

“ Byron mostly.
'She walks in beauty, like the night. Of cloudless climes and starry skies; and all that’s best of dark and bright, meet in her aspect and her eyes.
' You learn that one and you’re set for the rest of your school years.”

They soon drained their glasses and Brendan, as good as his word, headed for the bar. As soon as he was out of earshot, Francine grabbed Cassie by the arm.

“Cassie, he’s gorgeous!” she squealed. “Don’t you think he’s amazing?”

“He’s a looker,” Cassie admitted. “But you saw him first. If you want me to back off, just say.”

“Me?” Francine looked genuinely puzzled. “He’s cute, but I’m leaving in a few weeks. I’m not looking for a boyfriend, and he’s way too nice to waste on a one-night stand." Quickly, she added, "I know, I know, you don’t do those anyway. I bet you he doesn’t, either. You should go for it! Ask him out! Or get him to ask you out if you want to make it more complicated, whatever.”

“But what about Nick?”

“What about him? Cassie, you had one date with the guy. You’re not even sure if it really was a date. He didn’t ask you out again.”

“He kissed me.”

“He did? You didn’t tell me that!” Francine realized she was getting sidetracked and shook her head tipsily, “Anyway. That doesn’t mean you have to act like you’re married to the guy. You can’t promise undying fidelity to someone who hasn’t even asked you for a second date. Look, think about it. I’m gonna go dance so you can hang with him without a third wheel.”

She tottered off, and within moments she was at the center of a throng of appreciative men, all trying to dance with her as she strutted her stuff to the thudding rhythm of Call Me Maybe.

Brendan returned with a bottle of beer for himself and Mai Tais for the two girls. “Has Francine gone?” he asked.

“She’s dancing. She’ll be back soon.”

“Ah. Well, nice to be just the two of us.”

They talked for a while longer – how much longer Cassie didn't know. The conversation flowed smoothly as she asked him about his life in Australia and reciprocated by telling him about growing up in Massachusetts.

He moved to America with his mother when he was fifteen. She had raised him alone in Queensland after his father died. Eventually, she met Brendan’s stepfather, a Brooklyn native who brought them to the States. Brendan joined the fire service in New York before transferring to Cape Cod.

Cassie shared all sorts of silly stories about the early days of rooming with Francine, college exploits, and teaching tribulations. He matched those with anecdotes about dramatic rescues made into something hilarious as he narrated them like action movies.

Eventually, Francine returned from the dance floor, downed her Mai Tai and nearly collapsed. She clung to Cassie, giggling helplessly.

“Time to get this one home,” Brendan laughed. “It’s been really nice chatting with you, Cassie. Would you like to grab another drink some time?”

“I’d love to!” Cassie’s mouth replied before her brain could intervene. “It’s just – this probably sounds strange, but I might be sort of seeing someone. I had a date the other night, and I don’t know exactly what’s going on, probably nothing, but I don’t want to do anything to hurt either of you, so I thought I should say something.”

“Oh! Right.” Brendan looked surprised. “I’m sort of seeing someone myself. But look, I’ll give you my number. Maybe we can have a drink just as friends.”

“Great!” Cassie grinned like a maniac, trying to cover her awkwardness. Brendan scribbled his number on a napkin. She wrote hers down in exchange, then he walked them out to the street to find a cab, helping her to prop up Francine. He saw them off with a cheerful wave, oblivious to the pouring rain drenching his shirt.

In the back of the cab, Francine’s head lolled on Cassie’s shoulder as she dozed off. Cassie screwed up her eyes and berated herself for handling that last exchange so badly.
Think about the good stuff instead
, she thought.
There was a lot of good stuff!

She felt her phone vibrate through her purse. She pulled it out and saw Voicemail flashing on the screen. It looked like her phone had been trying to give her this message for quite a while – over a dozen missed calls were showing. She tapped the phone to retrieve the message.

“Good evening, Cassie.” It was Nick. “I hope I’m not calling at an inconvenient time. I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your company last night. I’ll be back in town the beginning of next week and would like to see you again. I have tickets for the Symphony on Tuesday. The program’s a little heavy on schmaltz, it’s got a lot of Beethoven, but the tickets were a gift from a friend of Dad’s, so I’ve got to use them. It’d be a lot more bearable if you were with me. I promise I’ll take you to something better next time. Let me know if you’re free. See you soon.”

As she hung up, the phone buzzed again, a text this time.

Hi! It's Brendan. Really enjoyed meeting u 2nite.

Let me know if u want 2 get a coffee sometime. Be safe getting home!

Cassie tried to figure out what to do next, but the mixture of wine and cocktails and the motion of the cab was making her head spin.

She decided the best course of action would be to switch off her phone, shove it back inside her purse, and leave all decisions until the next day.

Despite downing a pint of water before going to bed, Cassie was not surprised to wake up with a hangover the following morning. After a mix like that, hydration was simply damage limitation. But hey, she thought, what’s the first day of vacation for?

She dragged herself out of bed and put on a strong pot of coffee. She was halfway through her second cup and had just tossed some bacon in a pan when Francine surfaced.

“Coffee…” she groaned, shuffling toward the table.

“Bacon sandwich?  Best cure for a hangover,” Cassie said, sliding a cup over to Francine, who nodded painfully and sat sipping gingerly until the food was ready. As her headache subsided to a manageable level, the events of last night came flooding back.

“Francine?”

“Mmmm.”

“I got a message from Nick last night. He wants to take me to the Symphony on Tuesday.”

“What?” Francine sputtered, nearly choking on her coffee. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were passed out and drooling on my shoulder by then.”

“Are you going?”

“I don’t know – yes? Probably?”

Francine assumed an air of exasperation, “Do you want to go?”

“I guess. He seems cool, and we had a good time at the benefit.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Cassie hesitated, trying to think of a way to explain things that would make sense to her friend, “You remember that guy from last night? Brendan?”

“Do I! How could I forget? It’s not every night I see a seriously sexy fireman hitting on my roommate. Did you like him?”

“He seemed nice. He asked me if I want to get coffee.”

“And are you going to?”

“Well, not if I’m gonna go to the Symphony with Nick.”

Francine opened her mouth to reply, but then stopped herself. They finished breakfast in silence and Francine got up to make more coffee.

“Cassie,” she said, turning to her. “You know I love you, right? But I have to tell you, you are crazy. First you tell me you like Brendan, then you tell me you won’t even get coffee with him because Nick also asked you out.”

“Nick asked me first!” Cassie cried.

“Is Nick your boyfriend?” Francine asked. Cassie shook her head. “Right. You told me you didn’t even know if the benefit was a date! Let me ask you this: did Brendan ask you to go on a date, or just to go for coffee?”

“Just for coffee.”

“Right. So it’s not a date, then, is it? You can go for a completely platonic coffee with a guy, can’t you? Especially when Nick is not your boyfriend?”

“I guess.” Cassie mumbled like a chastised teenager.

“Why not invite him here?” Francine offered. “I can hang out, be your chaperone, make sure you don’t give in to your baser instincts and accidentally be unfaithful to your not-boyfriend.”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea.”

“I know. Even hungover I’m a genius. If you’ll excuse me, I am going to take a shower, and I’m planning to stay in there until the hot water runs out and you decide you’re going to be thrilled to be rid of me in a few weeks.”

Francine refilled her coffee and wandered out of the room while Cassie grabbed her phone and replied to the two messages.

She sent Nick a quick text saying she’d love to join him for the Symphony and would call later to work out the details. That done, she replied to Brendan.

Great meeting u 2! Wanna come over for coffee w/me & Francine sometime?

Pine & 2nd Ave, above the Greek deli. We're on vacation, so anytime!

She read the message over and over, making sure there was no possible way that he could interpret it as anything other than a friendly, non-romantic invitation.

Why are you so worried?
she asked herself.
You told him you only want to be friends. You know it’s on the level
. She pushed the idea that Brendan could be anything more than a friend to the back of her mind and went to raid Francine’s closet for a dress to wear to the Symphony.

“That was amazing!” Cassie was as excited as a child as she slipped into the backseat of Nick’s Town Car, clutching her playbill.

“It was well-played. Much better than I expected,” Nick conceded with a smile. “Although that may have been more to do with the company than the music.”

“You honestly don’t like Beethoven?” she asked.

“Deep down I suppose I do,” Nick said. “But my dad gets a lot of free tickets sent to him and he hates concerts, so I’ve been his seat-filler once too often. You can only hear Hammerklavier so many times before you start longing for something pure and minimalist. Speaking of which, Philip Glass is performing his etudes at the Carnegie next month. Care to join me?”

“In New York?”

“We could make a weekend of it.”

“I’ll…check my calendar.” Cassie leaned her head back.
This is crazy
, she thought.

I’m speeding through Boston in the back of a Town Car – a chauffeur-driven Town Car, for Pete’s sake – with a multi-millionaire. This is the third time we’ve met and he’s talking about taking me to New York for a weekend. Is this how things are meant to happen? Has someone been holding out on me about relationships after college?

“You’re very quiet,” Nick observed. “Is everything ok?”

“I’m great, it’s just…were you serious? What you said about the Carnegie? Was that for real or were you just kidding?”

“I’m not really much of a kidder, Cassie. Was I coming on too strong?” For the first time, Nick looked slightly disconcerted.

“No! Not at all!” Cassie hastened to reassure him, then realized the disservice that would do to them both. “Maybe a little,” she corrected herself.

“I suppose I’m kind of old-fashioned, Nick. Or maybe I just suck at dating, I don’t know. I might sound totally naïve and inexperienced, but I should probably tell you that I take things slow. I’ve only ever had one serious relationship in my life, and I don’t really do casual dating, so I don’t know what I’m doing here or what I’m supposed to be doing or anything. I had a great time tonight and at the benefit, but I just don’t want to make you think anything’s going to, you know…happen, okay?”