On Fire (4 page)

He lived for moments like this — the wide-open road, the heavy feel of his
bike between his thighs. While his job was something he loved, the stress
levels, at times, short-circuited him. He saw some gruesome things, people in
the worst possible situations. They took a lot of medical calls, not nearly as
many fire. When people called the fire department they were having a crisis, so
he’d learned how to deal with highly charged emotions. It wasn’t always easy,
especially if the call involved children, but he loved what he did. He couldn’t
imagine doing anything else.

“You okay back there?” he asked, taking her arm again, giving her a squeeze.

“Just fine.”

“Good. We’re almost there.”

He rounded the bend and the Rib Shack came into view. The building was
weathered and without paint, but it was stable and resilient. He figured the
place had been here for a good twenty-some odd years. He’d been coming for
longer than he could remember.

Pulling into the parking lot, he recognized his buddies’ bikes, many with the
International Association of Fire Fighters logo on the fender stickers. He cut
the engine, let Kate stagger off first, then he swung his leg over and took his
helmet off. He helped her with hers. Even with her hairstyle in disarray, she
looked cute. Her eyes were wide, her expression one of “let’s get this over
with.”

“Everyone’s already here,” he said.

“I didn’t really think anyone else would show up. I thought that whole group
invitation was just something for the newspaper.”

“Not even. The guys from Station 6, and a few of the other stations who
aren’t on shift today all wanted to come and be here.”

“Like how many?” she mumbled.

“Twenty or so.”

“I have to eat ribs with twenty firefighters and then tell them I still don’t
like this restaurant?”

Taking her by the elbow and steering her toward the door, he said, “No, this
time around you can say that you like the restaurant.”

Kate entered the Rib Shack and immediately noticed the group of firefighters.
Most of them wore their blue, IAFF long-sleeved T-shirts. Jeans and boots made
up the rest of their wardrobe. Seeing her and Rocky, they smiled and waved them
over.

She’d describe the smiles as friendly. Too friendly.

“Miss Larsen,” Captain Evans greeted. “Or should I say Miss Largo?”

She responded with, “Kate is fine.”

Rocky steered her toward the table, and once there, all the firefighters got
up, took their beers and went outside.

The last time she was here, she stayed indoors in the heat.

“Can’t we stay inside?” she asked Rocky.

“Nope.”

“It’s cold out there.”

“The heat lamps are on.”

She had no choice but to follow them to the patio where sunlight peeked
through the open slats of the roof. The building acted as a barrier against the
light breeze, and true to Rocky’s words, the heat lamps were on. It wasn’t as
bad as she thought. In fact, the smell of sage and winter filtered through the
air. She could pick up a light scent of the river, sort of like moss and warm
rocks. It was pleasant.

She sat next to Rocky, took off her gloves and folded her hands in her lap.
All eyes leveled on her and she felt extremely self-conscious.

The last time she’d been here, she’d been incognito. Well, sort of. Mariah
had come with her. Sometimes when Kate reviewed a restaurant, she’d bring a
friend along so she didn’t have to eat alone. So they’d been as inconspicuous as
a pregnant woman in her third trimester and her friend could have been. The
interesting thing was, Mariah hadn’t thought much of the food, either. And now
she was participating in this little fiasco by offering up Kate’s shoe size for
a pair of motorcycle boots!

Menus weren’t circulated around the table. They all seemed to know exactly
what they wanted and she had no say in the matter. The very idea of those ribs
again…

A waitress came and deposited buckets of peanuts on the table and then she
brought pitchers of beer. Kate wasn’t much for beer. Cigars were lit, and the
masculine aroma of tobacco smoke drifted in the air.

She felt Rocky’s presence beside her and was oddly comforted. She stole a
glance at him, only to find him staring intently at her while the other
firefighters seemed lost in their own conversations.

“What?” Kate finally asked, unable to take the weight of his gaze on her. She
looked him directly in his eyes and waited.

“Nothing. Just looking.”

And then he smiled, a smile that went straight through to her heart. She had
the sudden ludicrous idea to write a glowing review — just to make Rocky happy.

She must be losing her mind.

A glass of beer was placed in front of Kate. She wasn’t much for beer. She
preferred wine or a margarita.

To be social, she took a sip. It was icy cold and not as bad as she expected.

“So, Kate,” the captain said, “how did you get into restaurant reviewing?”

“Is that a trick question?”

Laughter rose from the table, and before she could say something further, she
felt Rocky’s hand rest on her thigh and give her a soft brush of his fingers.
Turmoil collided within her. She tried to forget about his brief touch as she
formed an answer.

“I took journalism in college and I’ve always liked to dine out. I sort of
fell into the job as a fluke. They needed a food editor, so I applied, but the
position was filled before my interview. I ended up hitting it off with the
managing editor and he hired me as the reviewer.”

“So what’s your least favorite restaurant in Boise — besides this one?” Bud
asked with a lopsided grin.

Okay, so they were going to pick her brain and have a little fun. She was
game. “That greasy spoon hamburger place on State Street. And the one with the
most decadent menu — that I’m sure none of you have ever been to — on top of the
U.S. Bank building with the city view.”

“Hey, I took my wife there for our anniversary,” one of the firefighters
said.

“Let’s see, the one that has the most reasonable food for the most reasonable
price is on Vista. It’s a tiny Greek place. And for the best Italian, you can’t
go wrong with Gino’s or La Pizzaria. If you’re in the mood for seafood, the Crab
Cake. If you want indigestion, try the Pier and you’ll get dry salmon.”

They grinned, a few laughed. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. They were definitely
sharing their camaraderie. She took another sip of beer and realized she’d drunk
half the glass already.

Dinner was served and Kate found herself staring into a plate of ribs so big
they fell off over the edges. Coleslaw in a cup and baked beans and a roll were
on the side.

“If there’s anything else you need,” a man’s voice came from the end of the
table, “let me know. I’m the manager here.”

Kate frowned. Well, of course. Why wouldn’t he be in on this? He’d probably
been slaving all day making sure the meal would be a whole lot better this time
around.

Rocky asked her if there was anything she needed and she shook her head, then
picked up her fork. She hated to eat ribs with her hands.

It was now or never.

The first bite wasn’t too awful. She’d no sooner gone for a second bite when
Rocky took the fork right out of her fingers and said, “No, sweetheart, you
gotta dig in and really go for the gusto.”

Grimacing, she held the bone to her mouth, tore out a piece and chewed.

When she glanced upward, twenty sets of eyes were on her face awaiting her
expression or comment.

“It’s okay,” was all she managed. Groans surrounded her and the next thing
she knew, another beer was being poured for her.

Someone around the table said, “You need more beer in order to really let the
flavor come through.”

She took a sip, her hands greasy around the rim of the glass. Shuddering off
a shiver, she nibbled on the rib bone. The spices didn’t seem as overbearing,
the sauce not as gooey as she’d originally thought.

Things settled down and Kate listened to talk about emergency calls, pranks
played on one another in the station, and soon she forgot about the food itself.
It became a moment of bonding, in a weird way, where she felt like one of the
guys. But how in the world could she ever write that in her review?

Dinner ended far too soon and Kate was reluctant to leave. The firefighters
were an awesome group of men. It was no wonder they epitomized the ultimate
heroes when they drove across city streets in their red trucks. She found out a
lot about them, what they liked, who they admired. She learned which calls they
couldn’t forget, which ones were memorable — and for what reasons.

Rather than get back on the motorcycle and head home, Rocky guided her out
the back door and onto the greenbelt that followed the Boise River.

“It’s not that cold and a walk would be good. I’m full.” He sighed.

“Me, too.” Good heavens, she’d eaten everything on her plate, and while it
hadn’t been a feast fit for a king, it had been quite satisfying. There was no
reason she couldn’t say that her second experience had been far better than her
first.

Kate zipped up the jacket, once again smelling the fragrance of leather and a
distant remnant of cologne as it enveloped her.

“So you survived,” Rocky said, slanting a glance her way. His teeth were
white, his smile boyish. Wind knocked hair into his eyes and he brushed it away.

“I did.” She had to laugh. “I didn’t think I would. But you surprised me. The
guys surprised me…even the food surprised me.”

“It’s because you rode on a Harley to get here, you wore leather, you drank
beer, you ate with your fingers and you talked about yourself and your life.
That’s what the Rib Shack is all about.”

“I think you’re right.”

“Sweetheart, I know I’m right.”

When he used the endearment on her, she felt her cheeks flush. It had been
forever since a man uttered something to her that sounded romantic. She liked
it. She liked Rocky. Maybe too much.

This was crazy, mixed up. She hadn’t been looking for anyone and here she was
on a river walk with a man fit to be on a firefighter calendar. And he was
interested in her!

“So tell me about you,” he said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She filled him in on the basics, where she grew up, what high school she went
to. They discovered they were only a year in age apart and went to rival
schools. They reminisced about going to football games, the corn maze at
Halloween, and how midterms had been brutal. It was nice to reflect on those
times — it made her feel youthful and alive.

They came to an area along the river where the water lapped softly at the
rocks. Two ducks swam passed, their feathers gleaming in the sun. This really
had turned out to be the perfect day.

Deep in thought, Kate almost missed what Rocky said. Maybe he’d even had to
say it a second time.

“Kate, I want to take you out again. Only this time, just the two of us.”

Rocky took Kate out on a traditional date. Dinner and a movie. He let her
pick where she wanted to eat. She chose a classic downtown restaurant with a lot
of character. Its interior was filled with city memorabilia, postcards from the
turn of the century, and a menu that was pretty extensive.

They walked downtown after the movie let out, and it felt comfortable to slip
her hand into his. She fit nicely next to him.

“So what did you think of the movie?” he asked.

“I liked it. It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

Even though the hour was growing late, people walked the streets. Laughter
filled the night as couples sought warm escape in the various wine bars and
restaurants.

“Would you like to go to my house and have a drink? A glass of wine?” he
asked, not sure she’d go for the idea. But he wanted to show her where he lived
and let her meet his dogs. He loved those dogs.

“Sure. I’d like that.”

Rocky felt reassured that she trusted him enough to come over. Once at his
house, he opened the front door for her. He’d made sure he cleaned his bachelor
place up — just in case. He was fairly neat, but had gone the extra mile not to
leave anything out that shouldn’t be.

The rottweilers smeared their noses on the sliding glass door, stumpy tails
wagging.

“They’re big dogs!” Kate gasped, standing back.

“Rotties get a bad rap. These two are gentle giants. Are you ready to meet
them?”

“Sure…”

He opened the door, gave the command for them not to jump, and they went over
to Kate and licked her hands.

“That’s the dad,” Rocky said, “and that’s his son. Otter and Pop.”

“That’s clever.” Kate smiled. He loved the way she smiled, the way her lips
looked so soft with a light shine of gloss on them. He’d been thinking about
kissing her all night, and didn’t know how much longer he could hold out.

“So, do you like dogs?” he asked.

“I love dogs.” She scratched their ears, gave the two dogs her attention then
gazed at her surroundings. “You have a really nice house.”

“Thanks.”

The dogs settled down and laid in their corner of the kitchen. Rocky poured
two glasses of wine, went to hand Kate hers, but stopped and put them down,
instead. “Kate, if I don’t do something right now, I’m going to go nuts.”

“Wh —?”

But her question was smothered as his mouth covered hers and he kissed her.
His tongue traced the softness of her lips, explored the inside of her mouth. He
pulled her to him, holding her close. She responded, her arms lifting over his
shoulders. She kissed him back, and blood pounded in his brain.

The kiss was worth the wait.