Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“So you’re a nurse. Correct?” Will removes his beanie and scratches his head before pulling his hat back over his shaggy hair.
I stare at the tiny mole beneath his left eye for a second, the same eye that has a slight twitch when he smiles. “Yes. A travel nurse. I lucked out and found a six-month position here in a mental health clinic.”
“Oh.” He returns a sheepish grin. “I think you mentioned that in one of our messages. Sounds stressful.”
“I worked in the ER, which was way more stressful.”
“You’ll fit right in with this first responder crew.”
“Oh?”
He briefly glances out the window, blue eyes squinting at a bird feeder hanging from a steel shepherd’s hook. “I’m an engine chief for the Missoula Fire Department. Fitz is a smoke jumper, and Maren is an air tanker pilot.”
“Smoke jumper?”
“Yes. They’re wildland firefighters who parachute into remote areas to suppress fires. They can get there quickly. Some call them elite, but I don’t feed Fitz’s ego, and neither should you.”
I chuckle. “Sheesh. I feel boring in comparison.”
“Don’t.” He rubs his jaw. “You’ll be a breath of fresh air around here. Egos get out of control in a houseful of firefighters.”
“Good thing I’m not in the house.” I give him a toothy grin.
“Damn.” He shakes his head. “I messed up that listing. I’m sorry.”
I wave him off. “I’m kidding. Don’t be sorry. This is perfect.”
“I hope so.” He steps toward the door. “Well, I’ll let you get settled.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, fair warning.” Will turns back to me. “Maren will hunt you down when she gets home. Be prepared. She’s”—he twists his lips—“a lot.”
“I left a roommate who is a lot, so we’ll be good.”
“And try to ignore Fitz if you do happen to run into him. He’s a loner and an asshole. I don’t want to use the word sanctimonious, but I just did. However, he pays rent on time, and he’s gone more than he’s here, so we put up with his stellar personality. But I’m sure you’re used to dealing with mentally ill people.”
Biting my lower lip, I nod several times. “Got it. Leave Fitz alone.”
“Exactly.” Will winks and shuts the door.
Chapter Two
CALVIN
A white Jeep with Florida plates occupies my parking spot. I grumble and pull my truck onto the street. I like order and routine when I can have it, but I live with two people who are routinely out of order.
When I push open the squeaky door, Will’s perched in his usual spot on the sofa’s edge, remote in hand, zoned in on his PlayStation game. The brown leather is worn to a little bit of nothing on that side. He barely turns his head in acknowledgment; it’s more like a flinch that doesn’t require more than 1 percent of his attention.
“Why is there a Jeep in my spot? Is there a naked girl from Florida in your bed while you’re playing games?” I drop a K-Cup into my life support machine. It’s almost five o’clock—which happens to be my coffee cutoff time in the winter.
“I forgot to tell her where to park. And she’s not in my bed.” When his avatar dies, he hurls his remote across the room with a few expletives.
It’s hard to believe he’s thirty-seven and not seventeen.
“Then where is she?” I snatch my blue YETI Rambler mug from the shelf. “Finishing the job in the shower?”
“Fuck you, Fitz. I get the job done.” He ambles into the kitchen, snags a bottle of lager from the fridge, and twists off the top. “The Jeep belongs to our new roommate. She’s nice. She’s normal. Don’t piss her off.”
Pressing my hands against the counter’s edge, I arch my back and roll my stiff neck. “How would I do that?”
The sliding door opens, and a woman in light-gray leggings and a white sweater that engulfs her body steps inside. Big brown eyes land on me, and she curls her dark, pin-straight hair behind her ear on one side. It doesn’t tame the static, as clumps and strands still cling to her face and stand out in all directions. Her glossed lips rub together before she offers me a shy smile beneath a butterfly of freckles along her nose and sun-kissed cheeks.
As soon as I realize I’m focusing on freckles and thinking the words sun-kissed cheeks, I avert my gaze and clear my throat. “You’re parked in my spot.”
Will slaps my shoulder. “Just like that, Fitz. Good job.”
“Yes. Sorry.” She holds up a key. “I was just going to move it. Where do you want me to park?”
“Anywhere but in my spot.” I offer the most direct and helpful solution—the most obvious one.
Will coughs the word asshole. Then he snags her key. “I’ll get you parked on the street. When Maren moves out and Fitz’s parachute fails him, you can park in the driveway beside me.”