a basket on the counter, pulling out a slice. “Eat this, too. This will give you something in your stomach so the pill won’t make you nauseous. Then you can enjoy your cup of tea.”
Grateful, she drank the milk and munched on the bread before taking one of the pills. While she poured the tea, he continued to read the instructions.
“It says you shouldn’t operate machinery or drive.”
She smiled at his concern. “That’s why I waited until I got home before I took it. And I don’t plan on going anywhere tonight.”
“I had already called in a pizza order,” he said. “I can’t possibly eat a whole pizza, so how about if I share some with you this evening?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse politely, but then the idea of melted cheese on top of the pizza finally stirred her appetite. Grinning, she agreed. “I wouldn’t turn down a piece of pizza if it came flying at me.”
“All right, when it gets delivered I’ll bring some over, and you can tell me all about your injury.”
Saying goodbye, she flipped the lock after he went back to his apartment. She had just made it over to her sofa where she settled deep into the cushions, propped her feet on top of the ottoman, and welcomed Smokey onto her lap for a snuggle when her phone rang. Looking at the screen, she grinned. “I see that Sandy has already called you.”
“Of course, she did,” Bill replied, his voice warm. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything.”
“No, I’m good. I’m in for the evening, have taken a pain pill, and I’m piled up on the couch with my cat.”
“Sandy said you were at the warehouse fire today.”
“Yeah, that’s where I fell.”
“I wasn’t on duty today, but it’s all over the news with Samuel Treyson’s murder. Was the fire bad?”
She could hear the interest in his voice and wondered if firefighters ever got tired of thinking about the destruction a fire causes. “The inside was charred, but the outer walls were still standing. The preliminary assessment would be that it was arson.”
“Damn. Seems like that just keeps happening.”
“An arson detective was there, but I have no idea if it’s tied to the arsonist that’s in all the news,” she added. “Anyway, my job there is done, so I’m gonna put it out of my mind tonight, eat some pizza when Daniel brings it over, and crash.”
“Well, Sandy has informed me that I’m her wingman for the night. Gotta tell you, that’s not my favorite job. I’d much rather you be here with us.”
“Stop complaining,” she teased, leaning over to pick up the TV remote. “You know there will be women in the pub tonight looking to score a hot firefighter.” A chuckle met her ears.
“I don’t mind giving up the throngs of women to come to check on you.” His voice sobered, and he added, “I know it sounded like I was joking, but it’s really true, you know.”
“I know, but I promise, I’m fine. Go have fun tonight, Bill. Watch out for Sandy.”
Disconnecting, she looked down as Smokey’s paws worked on her stomach. She stared at her splinted wrist, her gaze moving to the myriad of criss-crossing scars covering her hand. She rarely thought of the fire that destroyed the restaurant she had worked in as a teenager—or the pain of the burning grease on her hand when the grill caught on fire—but staring at her hand, the memories threatened to come back. Resting her injured wrist on a pillow, she leaned against the cushions of the sofa, turned the television on to a mindless show, allowed the pain pill to ease her discomfort… and thought of the handsome detective.
Boots that were clean but scuffed from work. Muscular thighs that filled out his slacks. A white dress shirt that pulled over his chest making her wonder what he would look like out of the shirt… and out of the pants for that matter. Blue eyes that pulled her in. A rare smile that fired straight through her. Something she would like to see more often. Oh, yeah… a lot more often.
6
Holy moly! Harper stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, horrified at her rat’s nest hair and puffy eyes. Determined not to miss work, she downed several ibuprofen with her orange juice and sat at the counter with a bowl of corn flakes, rubbing Smokey's fur as he waited not so patiently for a little