“But you had all those stories at Thanksgiving about the cat, the smoke, and—”
“That happened, just not when I told them it did.” I lower my head and stack on a few dried sticks into the fire from the surrounding area. “Firefighting just wasn’t for me. The suit was hot, the stress was huge, and the pressure was crazy. I mean, knowing your saving people’s lives is amazing and super rewarding, but also… saving people’s lives is terribly stressful.”
“So what are you doing now?”
I swallow hard and look toward her as I ball up a bit of dried bark and moss I gathered from a nearby tree. “I’m tattooing at the shop in town. Turns out Trevor, the guy who helped me get to the fire station, knew another place that was hiring. So the next thing I know, I’m interviewing at the tattoo shop. I showed the two owners, Maddox and Henry, a few of my drawings and they took me on right away. I’m still apprenticing, but I’m really good at it, and everyone likes me. Bonus… I don’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt.” I nod my head. “Well, not deathly hurt anyway.”
She glances up toward me. “You love this town, don’t you?”
I poke a stick into the fire and move the embers until the flame grows larger. “Everyone is like family here. A good family where they all help you without a bunch of lectures and drama. You should think about moving out here with me.”
“I don’t know. What about men? I know I have a baby on the way, but a woman has needs. I’ve only found one man to sleep with despite the millions of men in the San Francisco Bay. What could possibly be out here swimming in this tiny little pool?”
She has a point there. I’ve been looking for over a year and I haven’t hit it off with anyone. “You’re right, but people are moving here all the time. Plus, you’ll have me, and I’m happy to watch the baby and help with whatever you need.”
She smiles and tucks her marshmallow into the flames. “You’re really not getting worried that you might end up alone if you stay here?”
I look toward her, considering the emotions I’ve been tamping down since I left San Francisco. “I’m horny as hell, but I’m doing fine without a man. I have my own cabin, I play my music loud, I eat whatever I want, and I don’t answer to anyone.”
“The companionship, though. That’s the biggest thing for me. It’s part of the reason I didn’t want to hold Ollie back. I don’t want some fake relationship for months. I want to find someone who really wants to be in the picture… full time and forever.”
I nod and grin. “While you’re still fucking the baby’s dad?”
“No! That’s just temporary… until I find someone else. Trust me… it’s a relationship based on carnal needs. We’re both in agreement.”
Reaching back, I grab a carton of cookies from my bag and hand them toward her. “I made them just for this weekend. They might have to hold off your urges for the time being.”
She pops open the lid and stares down, laughing hysterically. “Are these dicks?”
“Do you like them? I put little hairs on the balls and everything.”
She grabs one out of the container and smiles as she studies the artwork. “Yes, I’d say these are incredibly accurate. Maybe you should put baking on your resume and start your own business.”
I laugh. “I’m not sure how many people want dick cookies, but I’ll put a poll in the town gazette first thing Monday.”
Smiling wide, she smashes her marshmallow between two dicks and slides the cookie into her mouth. “Hmm… it’s good.” She wipes the sticky marshmallow from her lips. “Seriously, you had a connection with that guy from earlier. That could turn into something.”
“No. He was just a hottie. You’re overreacting. Besides, could you imagine a guy like that taking a second look at me?”
She looks up from the dick sandwich she’s working on. “Please! You’re gorgeous, and he would be lucky to have you.”
“Well, that doesn’t matter either way now, does it? He’s somewhere out in these woods digging for gold, and when he’s had his fun, he’ll leave just as quickly as he arrived.”
Brianna sighs. “Yeah, I guess there’s that. Maybe you could use him as proof of concept, though. There are men out there who find you attractive, who would be dying to spend time alone with you.”
My mind goes to the pulsating place where I’m seeing Hank again. His tall, muscular body, the tight camo pants that leave so little to the imagination, the worn lines on his face that are handsome and distinguished like he knows things that I have yet to discover.Why does that turn me on so much?
When the figure doesn’t disappear, I blink my eyes hard and rub at them with my fists.
“Knock, knock,” the figure speaks.
I shake my head and look toward Brianna before turning back again to the figure that’s now walking toward us.
“Actually, maybe I was right about him being weird,” Brianna says, standing from the log near the fireplace. She turns toward him and holds up the can of bear spray. “I’m pregnant. Please just go!”
He smiles and steps into our campsite, his hands raised in the air as though he’s being held up. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he says. “But there could be someone following behind that might. We need to get somewhere safe.”
“What? What are you talking about?” Brianna has more wherewithal than me. All I can do in this moment is stand and stare like a deer in headlights.
He steps closer, his wide shoulders straightening with every move. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you on the way.”
My brows narrow and my brain sinks further into the muddy hole it’s driving toward. “What do you mean,on the way?On the way, where? We just got here.”
His hand moves to rest on my shoulder, but I flinch away, suddenly unsure of who this man is or where he’s come from.
He looks down at the ground, then back up toward me as he runs his hand down over his beard. “I know you’re scared, and I know you have no reason to trust me, but if you don’t listen to what I say, tonight is only going to get worse.”
The longer I stare at him, the more I realize what I’m seeing. Hank is scared too, and I don’t think the fear is for himself.