“After you.” He indicates I should take a seat in the booth. Scooting all the way over to the end, I motion for him to take a seat next to me. “Same side sitter, huh?” His pink lips curve up into a smirk.
“Not all the time.”
“You calling me special?”
Shaking my head, I say, “I’m callin’ you lucky.”
The hostess places our menus in front of us. “Enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you.” But my eyes don’t move from him. Danny Ramirez has all of my attention. Reaching over, I grab the menu in front of us, thumbing through it. “What do you suggest? I haven’t eaten here in years.”
“Everything,” he laughs. “It’s all good. You’re not the type of woman to come to a place like this and order a salad, are you?”
Scoffing, I tell him, “No, I enjoy food. Sometimes a little too much.”
“Looks just about right to me.” Those dark eyes of his move up and down my body.
He takes me slightly off guard since I’m not used to someone who flirts the way he does. At the same time, it’s flattering.
Beyond flattering.
“But to answer your question, it’s all good. I’ve never had anything I haven’t liked. We can get a few appetizers and eat off them if you want?”
Now this is the type of guy I like. Someone who’s willing to not go with the status quo. He seems to enjoy not doing all the expected things. “Sounds like a really good idea.”
The waitress comes over, asking what we want to drink. Sweet tea for me and water for him. When she asks if we’re ready to order, I defer to him.
“I’ll leave it up to you,” I tell him. “You choose what we eat. No more than three, though.”
He peruses the appetizer menu, seeming to pick out three of them in quick succession. Almost as if he’s been thinking about it all day. I mention it to him after the waitress leaves.
“I have.” He reaches down, rubbing his stomach. “Worked with my dad and did a workout with the rest of the rookies in the tri-county area.”
Crossing my legs under the table, I turn in toward him. “Why don’t you tell me a little about your work?”
“You have to know,” he laughs. “It’s what your dad’s done for the past twenty years.”
“There are some things I do and a lot I don’t. He was never very big on letting us know what was going on while he was there. He didn’t want us to worry, which I understood, but now I’m curious.”
“Most of the time…” He stretches his arm across the back of the booth.
I curl into him, enjoying the warmth of his body surrounding me. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a man and not a boy. The college guys were all about getting what they wanted. Meaning there wasn’t much getting to know them. There was no wining and dining. No long talks about what we wanted out of life. No questions about what the other person did for a job.
“Most of the time,” he starts again, “we’re doing regular maintenance work at the firehouse. Checking fluids on the engine, making sure our equipment is up to code, things like that. Right now, I’m the cook.”
“Cause you’re the rookie?”
“Yeah.” He inhales deeply. “Can’t wait until that’s no longer my nickname.”
“How long are you considered one?”
“Until the first year. At my evaluation, I’ll officially be off the probationary period. For me, it’s six more months.”
“Do you like it?”
His eyes shine bright. “I love it. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. If it had been up to me, I would’ve gone out for the squad when I turned twenty, but I couldn’t.”
“Why not? Unless it’s too personal, I just wanna know everything I can about you.” With others, I might have been embarrassed to admit it, but there’s something about the way he’s been open…I want to know it all.