perfect innocence—which he didn’t believe for a second. “What book?” he finally asked.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m just curious what the book was. I’ve been looking for something good to read.”
Not true in the slightest. He didn’t have much time for reading, other than fire science journals and reports from the forest service. But he would like to read. That much was true.
“Oh, it was nothing you’d be interested in. It was a romance novel.”
“A steamy one? I’m interested now.”
“No, not at all. It’s…uh…Amish.”
“An Amish romance novel?” That didn’t seem at all plausible to him. “Is that really a thing?”
“It really is. You can look it up.” With a look of triumph—as if she’d won that round—she pushed herself to her feet. “So now that we’re on the same page, I’ll draw up that lease and leave it in your mailbox.”
“Great.” He too maneuvered himself back upright, noting the ache in his legs. It had been a long day.
He caught her quick glance at his thighs as he gained his feet. Her throat moved as she swallowed.
Good. He’d go along with her little fiction about the flirting not being real. But he didn’t believe it for a second. She was just as attracted to him as he was to her. Patience. That was the key.
He headed for the door. “Should we get that couch next? Or do you plan to hang out on the Kama Sutra carpet reading Amish romance novels all night?”
Chapter Ten
“You knew, didn’t you?” Kate confronted Maya the next time she ran into her, which was at Gretel’s Cafe a few days later. Gretel’s was within walking distance of Fairview Court, so she’d gotten into the habit of stopping in for a hazelnut latte.
“I generally know everything, so the answer’s probably yes. But what, exactly?”
“You knew who Darius was.”
“Darius?” Gretel smiled brightly as she handed over their coffees. She was new in town, a magenta-haired, fun-loving free spirit who Kate had liked immediately. “Everyone knows Darius. You don’t know Darius, Kate? I can introduce you. He plays hockey with Zander. And he runs the fire department. He also plays on Open Mic Night sometimes. You should come!”
Oh no, she wasn’t going to take a chance on watching him play bass again.
“I’m good. Thanks, Gretel.”
Kate tugged Maya to the sunny table by the window and plopped her down. “You knew Darius wasn’t from Oregon. You even knew he was renting the Fairview Court house.”
“Guilty.” Serenely, Maya sipped at her coffee. “Your point?”
“Not only did you not warn me, you pushed me toward him!”
“You didn’t need any pushing.”
“Fair point. So why didn’t you tell me who he was?”
“Because.” Maya tore open a packet of sugar and stirred it into her coffee. “You would have shut it down. I like Darius. I think you’d be good together.”
Kate’s mouth fell open. As teenagers, Maya had never approved of the boys she went for. “You were playing matchmaker?”
“Sort of. Believe me, if I didn’t know Darius was such a standup guy, I would have warned you. Really, I should have warned him about you.”
Kate rolled her eyes at that. “You know my Naughty Kate days are behind me.”
“So you say. And yet you still won’t tell me what’s going on with you.” Maya’s expression turned strict, more in tune with the police chief uniform she was wearing.
“I will. I promise.”
Maya waited a beat, but Kate wasn’t about to spill everything in the middle of the breakfast rush at Gretel’s. “So how’s the house-sharing working out?” Maya asked.
“Good,” Kate admitted. “He’s an excellent tenant.”
“Not surprised. Told you he’s a good guy. I gotta get to work.” She gathered up her things, and they both headed out to the sidewalk, where they waved goodbye and went their separate ways.
Kate headed for Fairview Court, enjoying the radiant sunshine pouring from the cloudless sky.
Good to know that Darius had the Maya Badger seal of approval.
Not that it mattered. She barely saw the man. Not only did he work a lot, but he had a busy life beyond the firehouse. Hockey practice, jam sessions, city council meetings at which he delivered reports. He was rarely home, and when he was, he took care not to disturb her.
Then there was her worry about the lack of a security system. She added an extra deadbolt and slept with her can of bear spray nearby, but it turned out that living above a big strong fire chief made her feel much safer than living alone.
She slept like a baby knowing he was downstairs—that